The Election Commission’s announcement in Bihar that a citizen should prove his or her credentials to vote has sparked outrage among political parties. They say that a large number of marginalised communities will lose their right to vote. “It is indeed very problematic. To shift the onus of establishing identity or citizenship on the voter is fraught on principle in a democratic country,” says Ashwani Kumar, senior advocate and a former minister for law and justice and also former Additional Solicitor General. “What was the justification of excluding Aadhaar or ration cards from the process,” Kumar said in a podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia. He said that there is an element of distrust which has cropped up in the last couple of years. “So Election Commission now has the duty to dispel to the satisfaction of all concerned that its circular or its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) will not be exclusionary.” He also spoke about declining standards of Indian democracy. “Political opposition in a democracy cannot be treated as personal enemies,” he said. “All parties, without exception, are being seduced by the temptation of using the harshest possible language against political opponents. That is what we have come to.”

The Devendra Fadnavis government has withdrawn its proposal to introduce Hindi in the early classes in schools in Maharashtra because of the opposition’s pressure. In Tamil Nadu too, there has been pushback on the introduction of Hindi by the Modi government.   “In Maharashtra the BJP cannot afford to take electoral risks,” says Professor Alok Rai, academic and author who has taught in universities in India and in the US and has written a book called Hindi Nationalism.   But, he points out, the BJP does not want just to introduce the language. “It has a larger cultural agenda behind it. Hindi carries within it a coded language,” he tells Sidharth Bhatia in this podcast. “The agenda is a Hindu agenda, an upper caste agenda.” The introduction of Hindi in the south “consolidates their support in the Hindi belt.”    Also, “School Hindi is very different from what is spoken on the streets,” he says. Everyday Hindi, that is Hindustani, "has evolved". “School Hindi is sterile”, he says.

India’s stand on global events is becoming increasingly unclear. Whether on the Israel Iran war or the Ukraine-Russia war, India has not taken a clear position, though in recent years, India has been supportive of Israel, giving up the country’s long standing support of Palestine. Nor has prime minister Modi clearly repudiated President Trump’s repeated statements that it was he who brought an end to the India-Pakistan conflict. Does India have a voice in global affairs? Salman Khurshid, a former external affairs minister in the Manmohan Singh government, thinks not. In a podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia, Khurshid says. “We are doing too much lecturing and parroting phrases and not enough diplomacy.” “India requires to get up and be able to say something and do something that will make a difference. We could and should have a role” in world affairs. But we are simply “making phone calls”. Khurshid, who also was in a multi-party delegation that travelled to south-east Asia and the Far East, said that the outcome of the trip was “satisfactory” but “we could not get any commitments”. The discussion covers a wide range of topics, including India’s relations with its neighbours, India’s stance on Israel and its bombing of Gaza and the lack of clear information by the Modi government.

India sends students to the US in record numbers, but this academic year, applicants are feeling anxious before they head out. The changing policies of the Trump administration is likely to cause delays and tougher immigration questioning, among other things. Moreover, it is likely that the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, which allows F-1 visa holding students to work for a year or more, will be modified if not terminated. That was one of the great attractions for foreign students in the US. So is it still worth going to the US to study? “Absolutely,” says Viral Doshi, who has advised Indian students heading to the US for the last 20 years. “No other country can match up to the US,” he says, in sheer number of colleges, in the kinds of courses it offers and in the experiences one can have. He acknowledges that parents have anxieties but “I tell them, have patience,” he says in a podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia. “Almost 50 percent students have already got visas and others will too, maybe a few weeks late for the first semester.” He says universities depend foreign students and are saying they will allow students to come late.” “America is not the same as it was some years ago. Things have changed. No more internships and no more jobs or work experience.” And most important, he adds, “Avoid political activism.”

Every year, parts of Mumbai’s streets and tracks get flooded after the rains, but this year, the floods happened in the southern parts of the city. South Mumbai is generally considered immune to this kind of monsoon flooding, but this year, things were different. Citizens of Mumbai have got used to such inconveniences during the rainy season, especially in the first few days and weeks, but things are getting worse year after year. “Poor planning is part of it,” says Hussain Indorewala, teacher and urban researcher, in a podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia. “Planning in Mumbai has come to mean real estate schemes”, he said. “ Apart from real estate development, there is very little thinking on transport, sewage, water supply etc.” he says. He says this kind of flooding will probably happen every year. The digging for construction activity is one reason, and the open space around the new construction is reducing, could be another. The Coastal Road too has shut down many water channels. Mumbai needs better governance and one idea suggested is to have a directly elect a mayor and representatives. “Decision making now is done by bureaucrats and the state government.

Veteran Indian diplomat Talmiz Ahmad, who is an authority on the Middle East, says Turkey has been bringing up Kashmir for a long time but relations were slowly warming up.   “But it helped Pakistan during its conflict with India” and that was too much for India, he said in a podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia.    “Turkey is on a high and wants to expand its footprint to South Asia,” he said. “Pakistan brings geopolitical value to Turkey and if they get together, they will form a formidable alliance.”   Even so, Ahmad said, he is a strong believer in diplomacy and he felt that India should  continue on the diplomatic path. “Its important also to talk to those who disagree with you,” he said.   Discussing India’s growing ties in the Gulf countries, Ahmad, who was Ambassador to UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia, (twice), said that “our ties go back over a millennia” and “India should be seen to be “as a role player in the security scenario in the region.” “We should be an influencer in the Gulf region.”

With the election of a new prime minister in Canada, there are hopes that relations between India and Canada will improve. Under Justin Trudeau, the previous one, ties had plummeted after he made allegations that India had a role in the killing of a Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar. “Trudeau had five Sikhs in his cabinet and was responding to diaspora politics,” says veteran journalist Daniel Lak in a podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia. Lak was with Al Jazeera as the US and Canada correspondent and earlier had served in India, Pakistan and Nepal as a BBC correspondent. He says Sikhs have been coming to Canada for over a century and most of them are here to make a life for themselves rather than get involved in what he calls ‘diaspora politics’. “They are two percent of the Canadian population and have established themselves in several sectors including transportation." “I get India’s anger,” he says, at the Indian insistence that supporters of Khalistan be restrained. The new prime minister will also at some stage have to manage this part of the relationship, but “he is a technocrat” and Canada will want to increase trading links across the world, including with countries like India, especially after the US President Donald Trump threatening to make Canada the 51st state. The discussion includes issues like the loss of NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and immigration and from India.

The killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam on April 23 came as a ‘shock’, because never before had terrorists targeted tourists, says Anuradha Bhasin, an astute observer of events in the Union Territory.   It's not that terrorism had disappeared after the removal of Article 370 in 2019, as the Modi government constantly claimed, Bhasin said in a podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia.   The reaction among ordinary Kashmiris was one of grief, she said. “They came out to help, as they have on every occasion earlier – that is Kashmiriyat.”   But, she said, the constant pushing of the “tourism narrative” to show things were normal was creating “alienation” among the locals. It hid the “ugliness of the Kashmiris being economically disempowered—new land laws, allowing outsiders to bid for contracts” were causing resentment, she said. “There was a complete erasure of what is happening in Kashmiris.”

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar went “much beyond his Constitutional Role as the Presiding Officer of the Rajya Sabha” when he spoke against the Supreme Court. “His language was intemperate,” says Supreme Court Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde in a podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia.   “The conjecture is that he is auditioning for a higher role,” Hegde said.   Pointing to the unseemly comments of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey against the Chief Justice of India, and also the social media campaign attacking the CJI, Hegde said it all seemed like a “concentrated attack”.   “Indian democracy is not in a healthy position,” he said, and the situation was more like an “elected autocracy”. There were occasions in the 1970s when the judges were criticised by the executive but “the language was never so crass” as now.

Journalist and author Kunal Purohit began monitoring Hindutva WhatsApp groups several years ago and saw how they disseminated propaganda. “The things people were then scared to speak openly are now all around us,” he says to Sidharth Bhatia in a podcast discussion.   Purohit, who wrote the book H-Pop about songs spreading hate, says he finds those songs being played all over the place. He followed Ram Navami processions in Mumbai recently where marchers hurled the most obscene messages openly towards Muslims. The police stood by mutely. The songs of hate were being played openly and loudly.   His social media posts forced the police to file FIRs against the organisers of the march, but he says “the genie is out of the bottle”. Such demonstrations rarely took place in Mumbai even a few years ago.   “Basically what was happening in Uttar Pradesh has now come to Mumbai,” he feels.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill that has now come into force will effectively take control of any Waqf (Charity) property from the Muslim community wherever there is a dispute. “For example, Sambal mosque will be affected and will now come under the control of the Archeological society of India,” explains Shadan Farasat, senior advocate in the Supreme Court in this podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia. “It could be very problematic going forward” because in any dispute arising with a government agency, the community is bound to lose control of the Waqf property, he says. “From the community’s perspective, it is important to use the existing Waqf properties well.” At the same time, it should be challenged in the courts. “Some provisions are unconstitutional.” He says the passing of the bill will have political implications—“certainly there will be an impact in Bihar, where elections are due later this year.” The Janata Dal (United) of Nitish Kumar, a part of the coalition with the BJP, had voted in the Bill’s support.

Academic and commentator Dr Ashok Swain of Uppsala University in Sweden is in the unique position of having his Overseas Citizen of India status cancelled twice by the Indian government. The government did not give any public reason for doing so but said it had “sensitive information” which it submitted to the courts when Swain challenged the decision. On both occasions the courts overturned it. “I have great faith in the Indian judiciary,” Swain told Sidharth Bhatia in a podcast decision.   Swain’s writings and tweets have been sharply critical of the Modi government. Now his X account is ‘withheld' in India and he says all his tweets before December 2024 have vanished.   “I got a lot of threats of a serious nature” and petitions to the university, but his colleagues have been very supportive. “OCIs of many academics have been targeted.” However, he insisted he did not want to indulge in “victimhood”.

Plans to develop the Great Nicobar island, initiated by the Niti Aayog, have alarmed scientists and activists alike. A massive project, involving a transhipment terminal, port, a township, an airport and more, has been made. It is estimated to cost over Rs 70,000 crore.   Pankaj Sekhsaria, who has been associated with the islands for over three decades says on every front – environmental, geological and social – the project will ruin the islands. “The township is for accommodating 3.5 lakhs people: residents, tourists, etc.,” he tells Sidharth Bhatia in this podcast.    “A reserved forest has been denotified – its not easy to cut down a forest,” he says. He lists the damage to the local flora and fauna. “The beaches there are the nesting place for the great leatherback turtle – that will be finished."

Generations have come and music genres have changed, but The Beatles and their music go on and on.    In this podcast, Oliver Craske and Sidharth Bhatia, both fans of the world’s first pop group, try to crack the mystery of their enduring popularity 60 years after The Beatles broke up.   “Their music sounds deceptively simple but it was actually not simple,” says Craske, who has worked on several books about the group including The Beatles Anthology: Get Back, which accompanied the Peter Jackson film on them.   “Lennon and McCartney – there has been no song writing duo like them,” says Craske.    The two analyse Rubber Soul and Revolver, and how with each album The Beatles evolved, trying out new instruments and recording techniques. "Many of their songs, such as 'A Day in the Life' were revolutionary when they came out,” Craske says. “The group just continued to evolve.”   And of course, no discussion on the group is complete without speculating why they broke up. 

N. Ram, a journalist and media manager for over five decades, has seen Indian journalism through its ups and downs. He recalls the Emergency, when there was censorship and most of the media simply succumbed to government pressure.   What he sees today is different. “It was a dictatorship then but it was not ideological. Today’s media management is toxic,” he says. He also talks about the "weaponisation of the arms of the state” by introducing new laws and regulations, such as cancelling the non-profit status of digital news outfits such as the Reporters Collective.   However, he sees hope, he says in this podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia. He points to the vast diversity of Indian media and the emergence of independent digital platforms which will be difficult to control for the state. 

Reports are emerging that after the Kumbh Mela, Yogi Adityanath’s profile has increased for holding a successful event, the stampede apart. But there are others too.   “If Modi is the Alpha Hindutva Male, Adityanath is the Alpha Hindutva Male in waiting,” says Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, longtime observer and analyst of the right-wing Hindutva ecosystem. “He has been getting a lot of support from Hindutva people and even the RSS.”   In a podcast with Sidharth Bhatia, Mukhopadhyay discusses a possible post-Modi scenario. “Many things will depend on the circumstances in which he goes.” For example, “if he decides to step down after turning 75 in September, following the BJP’s own rule.” He says for all his appeal among Hindutva types, Yogi will not get the support of “allies or the middle-classes. No one is the complete package like Narendra Modi,” he says.   In this wide-ranging discussion, Mukhopadhyay also talks about the differences between Modi and the RSS, the many other pending Hindutva issues before the BJP, and the agenda behind the One Nation One Election proposal.

Retired diplomat and now academic Sanjay Bhattacharya says President Donald Trump believes disruption is the only way to achieve the kind of world order he wants to. In a podcast conversation with Sidharth Bhatia, Bhattacharyya says Trump still wants a Pax Americana, but wants allies like Europe and Japan to meet their share of the expenses of being protected.   According to Bhattacharyya, Trump is aiming for a reset of the global order and advancing ideas he had started in his previous presidency. He believes India has a role to play in the world. “Our voice for liberal values is recognised” globally, but this will not amount to much if we do not “improve the condition of our own citizens”.   He also cautions that we should have a certain amount of “autonomy in decision making”. He is critical of the high price India will be paying for the F-35 aircraft which will be bought from the US.   Listen to the podcast during which Bhattacharyya and Bhatia will cover some of Trump’s other ideas, including his plans for Gaza, buying over Greenland and imposing tariffs on imports.

The crass statements made by YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, who goes by the name of Beer Biceps, have caused outrage among the general public. The police too is after him and the Supreme Court, while giving him some relief, has made strong statements against him. But does the state have any business to get after him?   Amit Varma, a veteran podcaster who also runs a YouTube show, thinks not. Describing himself as a ‘free speech absolutist', Verma says unless there is direct incitement to violence, no one should be prevented from saying what they want to.   “The principle of free speech should matter. But Article 19 (2) of the Constitution talks about decency and morality – who interprets them?” he asks, in a podcast interview with Sidharth Bhatia. He says he is not as worried about politicians or the courts as much as society. “As Ambedkar said, a liberal Constitution was imposed over an illiberal society.”   He says top government ministers like Dr S. Jaishankar, Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal were happy to talk to him because “he fawned all over them” rather than ask tough questions. “But it was a question of use and dump,” he says.   There is a lot of more obscene and violence-inciting content online, but no one bothers about that. “But now if the Broadcast Bill comes there won’t be much opposition to that. This Bill will be a disaster.”  

There are established procedures to identify and return undocumented migrants from one country to another. It has to be done keeping in mind their dignity, says Vivek Katju, a former Indian diplomat, in this podcast interview with Sidharth Bhatia.    He emphasised twice that he was “disappointed in Jaishankar’s statement” in Parliament explaining the manner in which the migrants were sent was according to American procedures. India too has a Standard Operating Procedure in taking back its nationals once they are identified. Jaishankar talked about the American SOPs, “why did he not talk about Indian ones?”   Katju says the restraints on them were not necessary and generally “military aircraft was not used, they are very uncomfortable”.   Modi is visiting the US at a time when the Washington DC was “quite unsettled”. He would be discussing all manner of subjects, including tariffs and also the migrants. He says countries have various ways to put their point across. According to him Modi is not a confrontational kind of person. He says India did not have the leverage that Canada, Mexico and China had. “But we should never be a pushover,” he emphatically says.

The Aadhaar card, which was to be only for smooth transfer of welfare benefits, is now asked for all kinds of things, from opening bank accounts to getting a SIM card. And it has led to many problems since the first enrolment, 15 years ago.   Usha Ramanathan, a legal researcher who was among those who warned of some its dangers, says that it is creating a digital economy that is for the benefit of business.    While other resources, such as land or water, are tangible and can be contested, data is not. People willingly give their information as long they get convenience in return, she says to Sidharth Bhatia in a podcast interview. But they also give away their privacy. The result is surveillance on every aspect of their lives, she says.   She says the marginalised suffer the most since they lose benefits because of problems such as change of fingerprints, misspelling of names and so on. And there is nowhere to turn for help.