In this episode, I speak with architect and urban planner Dr. Mukta Naik about why Indian cities feel increasingly difficult to live in, and whether they can actually be fixed.❤️ Support the PodcastThis podcast is supported by listeners, not brands.If you enjoy these conversations, consider supporting the work.YouTube Membershiphttps://www.youtube.com/@TheCultureCafebyAMV-re8hs/joinPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/anuragminusvermaBuy Me a Coffeehttps://buymeacoffee.com/AnuragminusRazorpayhttps://pages.razorpay.com/pl_NM7M52cur24w7k/view---🎙️ HostAnurag Minus Vermahttps://www.instagram.com/anuragminusverma👥 GuestsDr. Mukta Naikhttps://substack.com/@muktanaikTwitter: https://x.com/MuktaNaik ---📚 My Bookhttps://amzn.in/d/00Gwspou✍️ The Culture Cafehttps://theculturecafe.inCP video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVM0EO4NgR4&t=136s0:00 Introduction1:30 Why Gurgaon Is an Urban Disaster8:42 The Myth of the Private City10:45 Why Urban Anger Does Not Become Politics13:43 How Cars Took Over Indian Cities15:43 Why Indian Cities Have No Footpaths18:42 The Failure of Urban Governance22:18 Encroachment and the Politics of Demolition24:00 How Gurgaon Houses Its Workers26:40 Encroachment by the Elite28:05 Real Estate and the City’s Reputation29:55 Dead Malls and the 15-Minute City32:42 Why People Abandon Smaller Cities34:25 How Caste Shapes Urban Opportunity38:50 Why Cities Need Genuine Public Spaces42:05 Connaught Place and the Possibility of Urban Life45:50 Policing, Safety and Public Space47:55 How Broken Transport Pushes Women Out of Work50:18 Why the Urban Crisis Is Political52:08 Can Indian Cities Still Be Fixed?54:10 What Citizens Can Actually Do55:08 Closing Remarks

Dil Chahta Hai completes 25 years, and in this episode, we revisit the film not simply as a cult buddy film, but as one that captured the arrival of a new post-liberalisation Indian man. We discuss Goa and the invention of the boys trip, MTV and the new visual language of Hindi cinema, changing ideas of masculinity and friendship, the disappearing patriarch, class and caste, female buddy films, and much more. A dissection of what makes Dil Chahta Hai such an important film in the history of Indian cinema.❤️ Support the PodcastThis podcast is supported by listeners, not brands.If you enjoy these conversations, consider supporting the work.YouTube Membershiphttps://www.youtube.com/@TheCultureCafebyAMV-re8hs/joinPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/anuragminusvermaBuy Me a Coffeehttps://buymeacoffee.com/AnuragminusRazorpayhttps://pages.razorpay.com/pl_NM7M52cur24w7k/view---🎙️ HostAnurag Minus Vermahttps://www.instagram.com/anuragminusverma👥 Guestskaustaubh naik: https://x.com/mundcar?lang=en Kartikhttps://www.instagram.com/kaartik.devjai---📚 My Bookhttps://amzn.in/d/00Gwspou✍️ The Culture Cafehttps://theculturecafe.in✍️ Kartik Substack https://substack.com/@kartikdevjai?Kartik spoof on plagiarism:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DItXThdSx42/ ---🎬 EditorSanket Chavanhttps://instagram.com/sanket_chavannn

In this episode, we discuss the Kanwar takeover of North India, the sociology behind the Kanwar, and how the pilgrimage has become crucial to Hindutva’s attempt to reshape the subaltern subconscious. We get into the infamous DJ wars of Kanwar and the entire industry that has emerged around the pilgrimage.We also discuss the idea of art and plagiarism, and why this debate is only going to get more complicated in the coming years.Early access for patrons. Enjoy!❤️ Support the PodcastThis podcast is supported by listeners, not brands.If you enjoy these conversations, consider supporting the work.YouTube Membershiphttps://www.youtube.com/@TheCultureCafebyAMV-re8hs/joinPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/anuragminusvermaBuy Me a Coffeehttps://buymeacoffee.com/AnuragminusRazorpayhttps://pages.razorpay.com/pl_NM7M52cur24w7k/view---🎙️ HostAnurag Minus Vermahttps://www.instagram.com/anuragminusverma👥 GuestsKartikhttps://www.instagram.com/kaartik.devjai---📚 My Bookhttps://amzn.in/d/00Gwspou✍️ The Culture Cafehttps://theculturecafe.in✍️ Kartik Substack https://substack.com/@kartikdevjai?Kartik spoof on plagiarism:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DItXThdSx42/ ---🎬 EditorSanket Chavanhttps://instagram.com/sanket_chavannnMan Ray Documentaryhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb56PMEzUFI&t=915s

❤️ Support the Podcast

This podcast is supported by listeners, not brands.

If you enjoy these conversations, consider supporting the work.

YouTube Membership

https://www.youtube.com/@TheCultureCafebyAMV-re8hs/join

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/anuragminusverma

Buy Me a Coffee

https://buymeacoffee.com/Anuragminus

Razorpay

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---

🎙️ Host

Anurag Minus Verma

https://www.instagram.com/anuragminusverma

👥 Guests

Kartik

https://www.instagram.com/kaartik.devjai

ROFL Gandhi

https://www.instagram.com/roflgandhi2.0

---

📚 My Book

https://amzn.in/d/00Gwspou

✍️ The Culture Cafe

https://theculturecafe.in

---

🎬 Editor

Sanket

https://instagram.com/sanket_chavannn

We Recorded with the Founder of the Cockroach Janata Party, Right in the Middle of Delhi's Protest Ground. If you like our work then support us on: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/video-new-member-138495655?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkOr on Youtube Membership: Support Us: Click JOIN button to become a member- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnXbbY81TwRJ1DxsyKZV6Q/joinBuyMeACoffee: buymeacoffee.com/Anuragminus

Fund our work on Razor Pay (UPI): https://rzp.io/rzp/help-me-setup-studio Colourist : PostPond Media, MumbaiShot by: Arvind and Kartik

West Bengal recently removed eggs from school meals and replaced them with soya. On paper, it looks like a simple change in a menu. In reality, it opens up much bigger questions. Why does one egg create so much political controversy in India? Why do governments keep debating what poor children should eat? And why does food so often become a battlefield of caste, ideology, religion, and pseudoscience?To answer these questions, I sat down with public health physician and nutrition researcher Dr. Sylvia Karpagam.We discuss the politics of eggs, the myths around nutrition, caste and food, the right to nutrition, school meals, and why scientific evidence often loses to ideology.If you enjoy the conversation then please become member of this podcast. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/video-new-member-138495655?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkOr on Youtube Membership: Support Us: Click JOIN button to become a member- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnXbbY81TwRJ1DxsyKZV6Q/joinBuyMeACoffee: buymeacoffee.com/AnuragminusTwitter of Sylvia Karpagam. : https://x.com/sakie339

This episode features Anant Gupta, political correspondent at Scroll.in and former reporter with the India bureau of The Washington Post.Support our work:

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A conversation with graphic novelist and artist Sarnath Banerjee on his new book Absolute Jafar.Sarnath Banerjee is India’s foremost graphic novelist.In this episode we discuss the strange and funny world that Banerjee builds in the book, where history, nostalgia, philosophy, and everyday absurdities collide.

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In this episode, we discuss the controversy around the new UGC guidelines and the many myths circulating around them. Disha Wadekar is an Indian lawyer and legal scholar. She played an important role in shaping and defending the UGC guidelines on caste discrimination in higher education.

Be A Member on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/video-new-member-138495655?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkOr on Youtube Membership: Support Us: Click JOIN button to become a member- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnXbbY81TwRJ1DxsyKZV6Q/joinEarlier Podcast with Disha Wadekar (Must Listen) : https://open.spotify.com/episode/2gnQfgKZgBsoqk6y5IkTnu Podcast with Nikita Sonavane on criminalisation of Vimkuta jatis : https://www.theculturecafe.in/p/22-with-nikita-sonavane-dalit-feminist-6b5

A calm and clear conversation with Sagar, senior staff writer at The Caravan. We speak about why Bihar is more than a broken state, how caste politics really works on the ground, and how election season gets distorted by the memification of leaders who should not be elevated in the first place. He explains the gap between lived reality and the stories told by mainstream media, the truth behind the jungle raj label, and why Bihar has been misread for so long. Tune in for a grounded look at a state that carries more history, complexity, and dignity than the usual headlines allow.Watch Uncensored Cut and many other member only videos on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/video-new-member-138495655?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkOr on Youtube Membership: Support Us: Click JOIN button to become a member- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBnXbbY81TwRJ1DxsyKZV6Q/joinOne time Payment support to keep the podcast running: https://rzp.io/l/mAM9AWHnq BuyMeACoffee: buymeacoffee.com/Anuragminus

Buy My Book: https://www.amazon.in/s?k=the+great+indian+brain+rot&crid=71NJPQUYH29W&sprefix=%2Caps%2C226&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_2_0_recent