Gang is joined by Kalim and Richa. They discuss Mamdani, Bihar elections, perils of AI and the latest substack essay that Kalim and Raj wrote together. Also, Dhoom Machale.
Trigger Warning at 1 hour 30 min mark there is discussion of suicide and self harm, if you have to, please skip the next 15 minutes from there.
Like, share and subscribe.
Essay Link- https://themonolithbykalim.substack.com/p/perpetual-victimhood
Raj (@discoursedancer) and Aditya (@BhaJaPod) are joined by Vinamra (@Duneemperorpaul) as they discuss the latest movie to bathe in the waters of propaganda, what makes a film or a novel good versus what makes them mass popular. They also talk about the true intent of such films and art along with the regular news that is doing the rounds around.
Please listen, share and subscribe.
Aapko Mummy Kasam.
Gang talks of the latest Trump tarrifs and the H1B fiasco and how Modi Ji is the best master stroker for our country.
Like, share and subscribe.
Do you need any more description than the title for this one?
We bring you a crossover episode from the PCCI where we talk about the recent India Pakistan cricket drama and how that ties into the jingoistic republic we live in today.
Please listen aapko mummy kasam
OG Gang gathers to discuss new Modi Ji shenanigans and the RaGa H-Bomb. The state of democracy in India and why it is tough for centrist aligned people to truly understand how fast things have unraveled.
Tune in.
Aditya and Nishant are joined by Richa, MV and Megh to talk about the Delhi order of capturing stray dogs while Modiji does dog whistle, what is Gendaswamy ka fuse conductor? Kya Arundati Roy hi Sanjay Raut hai? Women army officers as a shield against criticism of the govt. Mithun Da, India development day moved forward some BJPCCI discussions and an epic rap battle.
Gang starts by talking about the Trump Tariffs on India and how that is creating challenges for the Bhakt crowd. How Modi Ji is democracy and democracy is Modi Ji. They also debate if Rahul Gandhi's expose would have any impact on the general Indians? The cherry on the cake is the trailer review of not one but two Hedgewar movies.
Gang tries to talk about Dhankar Ji's sudden resignation and Indian media not being able to even sniff the news but then digresses into the PR around Modi Ji foreign trips which is not too different than Saiyyara. They then compare and contrast Saiyyaraa to Kaho Na Pyar Hai and realize they are getting old and therefore do not get the hype but also realizing in the process that India has only one rockstar which is Modi Ji.
Raj watched the movie Emergency and tries to explain it.
They end with, how the dream for them is to have Priyank Kharge someday say, fk.. those bhajapod guys.
All this and more, like, share and subscribe please.
Gang reflects on their failures on not being able to be astro talk. They also listen to Shashi uncle singing offkey and apologize that they wanted him to be INC chief and then Yogi Ji movie trailer.
MV from PCCIPod is with us on the episode too.
Had Nilakantan RS on the pod for a conversation around how societies shape themselves around trust, why is India a low trust society, what it means for us as we fantasize about development while we are such low trust and are there ways to move us up the spectrum in trust.
What does it mean when a nation fears a poem? When an actor is boycotted not for what he says, but for who he shares a screen with? We unpack the growing wave of cultural censorship in India from the backlash against Diljit Dosanjh for starring alongside a Pakistani actor, to the banning of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry, to the rise of hyper-nationalist films.
We explore how art becomes resistance, how silence becomes complicity, and why, despite the weariness, we must still speak. Because, as Faiz said—Bol, ke sach zinda hai ab tak.
TW- Sensitive subject discussed.
Gang offers condolences but then does a commentary on how the sad news of the crash is being covered by Indian media and how right before this they were doing Hindu-Muslim on Eid. They talk of the things that happen only in India and the Indian delegation abroad singing.
Tune in for the thoughts.
Talking about how we are slowly cultivating blood lust within us further, how war is hyper propaganda dressed as patriotism and finally what needs to be done to survive this time.
In this episode, the gang talks about a lack of sombreness in discussions around the recent conflict, the liberal readiness to lap up feminist tokenism by the govt. Also, Godi media and the helplessness around the lack of credible sources for news.
Clip used by Nidhi Suresh
In this emergency episode, we talk of how we have reduced ourselves to become obedient spectators. We talk about modern nationalism and the silent complicity that sustains it.
We try to understand why citizens cheer war like sport, and thinking becomes the enemy. Then end on why true love for a country might begin with saying no.
Song- Dastoor Habib Jalib by Ammar Rashid in JNU
Gang gets to talk about a movie called G20 where there is a role played by a fictional Indian PM and expands that to India's image in the world. Then they talk about how the PM spoke about the Muslim Youth by calling them Puncture Wala and then there is a bit on what happened in Pahalgam.
Episode Art thanks to Neiltee
Tune In !
Another Pop Culture Deep Dive by the women at BhaJa Pod, this time they look at the influencer landscape, how they are shaping our views, selling us things and providing us a peek into their heavily curated lives. We start with Kusha Kapila who’s arguably one of the biggest success stories amongst influencers on Instagram, and we go through male feminists (?), flying beasts, curly tales and the biryani elaichi at every famous party Orry. They are joined enthusiastically by Dr. Medusa, a satirist and content creator herself, to provide her insight into influencing.
In this special episode, the hosts of our sister pod, the desi academia pod and the PCCI pod join us namely- Megh, Vatsal, Richa, and MV; they talk about their professional experiences in education and workplaces.
We also talk about how we got here: our degree choices and motivations, experiences growing up in different parts of India, exposure, and moving away from home.
We discuss the impact of Liberalisation and 2014, creating reliable knowledge sources and reading, visiting India, the thoughts of moving back, and the impact of education systems and degrees on our lives.
Check out our sister podcasts!
The gang gets to the job of reviewing that interview on that podcast. After which it is one rant after another rant along with intermittent display of gareebi.