BIC TALKS

As conflict erupts in West Asia, the consequences are rippling across the globe, threatening to reshape the international order in ways not seen in decades. This session will bring together experts to explore the geopolitical, economic, and security implications of this crisis for the world and, for India. With deep insights from Ranjan Mathai, former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to Israel, and Latha Reddy, former Deputy NSA, the discussion will be moderated by Stanly Johny of The Hindu. A Q&A with the audience will follow.

In this episode of BIC Talks, Ranjan Mathai and Latha Reddy are in conversation with Stanly Johny. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in September 2024.

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By the canons of orthodox social science, countries like India are not supposed to have an environmental consciousness. They are, as it were, "too poor to be green."

In his new book, Speaking with Nature, Ramachandra Guha challenges this narrative by revealing a virtually unknown prehistory of the global movement set far outside Europe or America. Long before the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and well before climate change, ten remarkable individuals wrote with deep insight about the dangers of environmental abuse from within an Indian context. In strikingly contemporary language, Rabindranath Tagore, Radhakamal Mukerjee, J. C. Kumarappa, Patrick Geddes, Albert and Gabrielle Howard, Mira, Verrier Elwin, K. M. Munshi, and M. Krishnan wrote about the forest and the wild, soil and water, urbanisation and industrialisation. Positing the idea of what Guha calls "livelihood environmentalism" in contrast to the "full stomach environmentalism" of the affluent world, these writers, activists, and scientists played a pioneering role in shaping global conversations about humanity's relationship with nature.

Spanning more than a century of Indian history, and decidedly transnational in reference, this book offers rich resources for considering the threat of climate change today.

In this episode of BIC Talks, Ramchandra Guha is in conversation with Harini Nagendra. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in September 2024.

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In 2018, Rahul Bhatia left his job as an investigative reporter to understand the necessity of the Aadhaar project. But over time, as he explored its roots, questions about citizenship and belonging began to grow louder in public life, culminating in extreme violence in New Delhi. As this happened, he discovered that India's technological identity project was linked to a cultural identity project over a century old. These investigations culminated in The Identity Project, a journey through the slow burn of Indian democracy, and a record that connects the past and present to offer the first thorough account of how cultural imperatives are guiding the country's direction. He describes the religious, societal, and technological changes that have brought India to a point at which a nationalist mindset that challenges democracy and human rights is spreading fast, all in an effort to bind the multiethnic, multilingual, and multicultural country into a single identity.

Through a character-driven narrative informed by on the ground reporting, he investigates the history of disinformation in India, and looks at how justice works in the aftermath of riots. What emerges is a timely portrait of a country struggling to define its identity.

Editor and journalist Prem Panicker will discuss the book with Rahul Bhatia. They will talk about the book's journey, the process of reporting, and about finding the language to report on recent history. A Q&A session with the audience will follow.

Presented by:

Contxt

In this episode of BIC Talks, Rahul Bhatia is in conversation with Prem Panicker. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in October 2024.

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This discussion will explore how the Constitution of India frames the concept of economic freedom. We often think of the constitutional guarantee of freedom in terms of the freedom of speech and expression. This discussion moves beyond this framing to examine the oft-ignored aspect of economic freedom for individuals and organisations.

The panellists will discuss the balance between state intervention and individual economic rights, exploring issues like onerous licensing and compliance requirements for businesses, property rights and the right to trade occupation, profession and business. They will also discuss the evolving interpretation of these rights by the judiciary and how constitutional provisions have shaped economic policies and reforms in India over time.

This session is the second in the series titled 'We the People' to celebrate 75 years of our Constitution. As part of this series, DAKSH, in collaboration with BIC, are organising a series of lectures and panel discussions on various aspects of the Constitution.

In collaboration with:

Daksh

In this episode of BIC Talks, Karthik Muralidharan is in conversation with Harish Narasappa. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in September 2024.

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In this session, Kunal Shah, Founder of CRED, and Archana Rai, Senior Editor at The Economic Times, will explore the exciting journey of India's startup ecosystem. They will discuss how consumer practices in India have evolved, from e-commerce to the rapid growth of quick commerce, and how startups are adapting to meet these changing demands. The conversation will also highlight the importance of digital public infrastructure and its role in empowering entrepreneurs and businesses to innovate and scale.

Kunal will share his personal journey of building CRED, offering insights into the emotional highs and lows of being a founder, while Archana will provide her perspective on how Bangalore has emerged as a major tech hub. Together, they will offer practical takeaways for aspiring entrepreneurs, tech enthusiasts, and anyone interested in understanding both the business and emotional challenges of entrepreneurship in India's digital economy.

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A discussion based on the book Poles Apart: The Military and Democracy in India and Pakistan. This session delves into the starkly different roles played by the military in the political landscapes of India and Pakistan, and how these choices have shaped the democratic trajectories of both nations. While Pakistan's history is marked by frequent military interventions that have hindered its democratic development, India's military has remained notably apolitical, even in moments of crisis such as the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the Emergency, and Operation Blue Star.

Explore the critical moments where India's military could have intervened but chose to uphold democratic principles, contrasting with Pakistan's history of military dominance in politics. The discussion will also include insights into Bangladesh's unique experiments with democracy and military rule. This session offers a rare opportunity to understand how the military's influence—or restraint—can define a nation's political destiny.

The author, Aditya Sondhi will be in conversation with Journalist, Aunohita Mojumdar. A Q&A with the audience will follow.

This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in September 2024.

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What does the life of an ordinary working-class Indian look and feel like?

Join us for a panel discussion discussing this and more with the author of The Many Lives of Syeda X Neha Dixit and commentator and editor Priya Ramani.

In her book The Many Lives of Syeda X journalist Neha Dixit traces the story of one such faceless Indian woman, Syeda X, from the early 1990s to the present day. What emerges is a picture of a life lived under constant corrosive tension.

Researched for close to a decade, in this book, we meet an unforgettable cast of characters for whom displacement, tragedy and hardships are the things they are used to. Written with empathy and deep insight, this book is a portal to a harsh world hidden away from elite Indians. It is the story of untold millions and a searing account of urban life in New India.

This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in September 2024.

Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, Overcast, Audible and Amazon Music.

Every day we hear something unusual. A fire here, a flood there, a storm surge, a cloudburst. These events affect all of us, our well-being, our health, our family, our work. Their frequency and intensity are increasing. Fortunately, however, we no longer lack explanations for these events. We know fossil fuels and the destruction of Nature by us humans are the primary reasons for the alarming acceleration in global warming.

Awareness is the first step towards change, and Rajan Mehta's Backstage Climate is an attempt to make you aware of global warming and climate change in a simple and interesting manner. It demystifies this grim reality—the science, the politics and the economics behind climate change. It also gives you a glimpse of the policies, technology and solutions that can help save the planet and ensure our survival.

Going slightly beyond mere awareness, the attempt is to help the reader connect the dots and develop a perspective on the reasons, impact and solutions that can help us avoid a climate crisis.

In this episode of BIC Talks, Rajan Mehta is in conversation with Prem Panicker. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in September 2024.

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Abu Abraham's career as a cartoonist, columnist and artist spanned over 50 years, from the late 1940s to the early 2000s, during which his work appeared in a range of newspapers and magazines in India and the UK. Throughout this period of significant political change and upheaval, he critically responded to the political landscape, producing a rich and complex oeuvre that reflects these shifts.

The centenary exhibition, "Abu's World," brought together, for the first time, the breadth of Abu Abraham's work as a cartoonist and journalist across six decades. Through Abu's political cartoons, drawings, caricatures, and writings from the late 1940s until his passing in 2002, viewers can journey through a lively political history of India and the world.

In this episode of BIC Talks, a panel of cartoonists, journalists, and a historian will explore the impact and significance of Abu Abraham's work in their respective fields and its relevance in contemporary times. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in August 2024.

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