BIC TALKS

Vasant Saberwal from the Centre for Pastoralism talks to Aarati Halbe about the life, livelihood and challenges of pastoral communities of India. Millions of people in India follow a pastoral way of life. They tend to a vast majority of millions of sheep, goats, camels, cows, buffaloes and other animals. While invisible to most city dwellers, they remain an integral part of Indian society and economy.

Vasant and Aarati discuss how pastoral communities live today, and they explore themes of economic production, upward mobility and sustainability. They discuss how a pastoral mode continues to make eminent sense in the 21st century, even as the Indian State continues to erect barriers, both physical and legal.

Vasant Saberwal is the Director of the Centre for Pastoralism and anchors the centre's research agenda. Vasant obtained his Master's degree in wildlife biology from the Wildlife Institute of India, and his PhD on the politics of shepherd access to grazing resources in the Himalayas, from Yale University. Between 1999 and 2004 he was part of Moving Images, where he co-directed a series of films on a range of environmental issues. Between 2004 and 2014 he worked at the Ford Foundation where he oversaw work on rainfed agriculture, pastoralism and the Forest Rights Act. He was the founding editor of the Journal Conservation and Society. His publications include Pastoral Politics; People, Parks and Wildlife; Battles over Nature; and Democratizing Nature. Visit his Google Scholar profile to read more.

Aarati Halbe worked in Kachchh with Sahjeevan and the Centre for Pastoralism from 2013-2016 as the curatorial anchor and coordinator for the exhibition Living Lightly: Journeys with Pastoralists. Aarati has an MSc in Environment & Development from the London School of Economics. She currently works in corporate social responsibility and is based in Bangalore.

Vasant Saberwal from the Centre for Pastoralism talks to Aarati Halbe about the life, livelihood and challenges of pastoral communities of India.

Vasant and Aarati discuss how pastoral communities live today, and they explore themes of economic production, upward mobility and sustainability. They discuss how a pastoral mode continues to make eminent sense in the 21st century, even as the Indian State continues to erect barriers, both physical and legal.

Narayan Ramachandran returns to BIC Talks to talk to host Pavan Srinath about how the US Fed's actions have given a breather for the Indian economy.

Narayan gives a primer on the central banks of emerging markets, on the impact of the US Fed's recent announcements on India's economic recovery, and what India ought to do in order for its economy to flourish in the short, medium, and long term.

On the previous episode (#46) of BIC Talks, Narayan had traced the 20th century history of the US Federal Reserve, and the importance of its latest announcement prioritising employment over inflation.

Narayan Ramachandran is a columnist, emerging markets investor and polymath. Narayan writes a fortnightly column in Mint called A Visible Hand. He was here last on Episode 5 of BIC Talks, to discuss how the Indian banking crisis would meet the pandemic-led crisis this year.

Columnist and emerging markets investor Narayan Ramachandran returns to BIC Talks to talk to host Pavan Srinath about how the US Fed’s actions have given a breather for the Indian economy.

Narayan gives a primer on the central banks of emerging markets, on the impact of the US Fed’s recent announcements on India’s economic recovery, and what India ought to do in order for its economy to flourish in the short, medium, and long term.

Columnist and emerging markets investor Narayan Ramachandran talks to host Pavan Srinath about the US Federal Reserve and its monumental recent announcements.

On August 27, Jerome Powell of the US Fed announced a shift indicating a primary focus on employment over inflation, a move that will impact not just the United States of America but India and the entire world.

On Episode 46 of BIC Talks, Narayan traces the 20th century history of the US Federal Reserve, its defining mandate and focus, and how that have evolved over the decades. He then examines the recent developments in the light of the global financial crisis of 2008, and the COVID-19 pandemic-led economic crisis that the world is dealing with right now. With US unemployment at historic highs, Narayan discusses how the Fed's move could lead to an economic recovery in the US in 2021.

Narayan will be returning to BIC Talks on Episode 47 to discuss the impact of the US Fed's actions on India, emerging markets and investors. If you have questions that you would like Narayan to address, you can now share them as a short recording, or type it out. Head on over to tiny.cc/bictalks46 or email us at [email protected] before 3pm, 2nd September, India time. We hope to have Narayan respond to your questions.

Narayan Ramachandran is a columnist, emerging markets investor and polymath. Narayan writes a fortnightly column in Mint called A Visible Hand. He was here last on Episode 5 of BIC Talks, to discuss India's double trouble with a pandemic-led crisis meeting a festering banking crisis.

Columnist and emerging markets investor Narayan Ramachandran talks to host Pavan Srinath about the US Federal Reserve and its monumental recent announcements.

What does a shift from inflation to employment mean for the US Economy? Can the United States be on a path to economic recovery in 2021, after record-high unemployment levels following the COVID-19 pandemic? Narayan provides context, history and analysis of the latest announcements.

BIC Talks is pleased to present the first full episode of a brand new podcast, Scrolls and Leaves, on Pandemics and Borders.

Scrolls & Leaves is a podcast featuring stories from the margins of history. Global events are usually explained through a mainstream gaze, and lack perspective from other societies, and experiences. Hosts Mary-Rose Abraham and Gayathri Vaidyanathan meander through little-known tales from history, science and cultures to contextualize the present.

In this episode, the hosts and their collaborators walk listeners through compelling stories from the defining pandemic of the 19th century, Cholera. Featuring stories from India and elsewhere, the tales have chilling parallels to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Their first season is called Trade Winds. It explores themes centred in South Asia, from the time of Muziris more than 2000 years ago to European colonialism in the 20th century.

Scrolls & Leaves podcast is an immersive audio experience and best experienced using headphones. It has been made in collaboration with the Archives at NCBS, the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore.

Subscribe to the Scrolls and Leaves podcast to get notified on future episodes.

BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guests.

BIC Talks is pleased to present the first episode of a brand new podcast, Scrolls and Leaves, on Pandemics and Borders.

Scrolls & Leaves is a podcast featuring stories from the margins of history. Global events are usually explained through a mainstream gaze, and lack perspective from other societies, and experiences. Hosts Mary-Rose Abraham and Gayathri Vaidyanathan rectify this.

In this episode, they walk listeners through compelling stories from the defining pandemic of the 19th century, Cholera.

Can Indian companies start providing period leave for women, following Zomato and others' lead? Radhika Radhakrishnan talks to Padmini Ray Murray about this important aspect of making workplaces better for women.

Menstruation, menopause, mental health, all remain taboo or distorted topics of conversation in much of India. Radhika and Padmini explore the arguments for, and against period leave, and make a case for why they are an important step in the right direction.

Radhika Radhakrishnan is a feminist researcher, doing qualititative research on the intersections of gender, sexuality, technology, and politics. She is currently a researcher at the Internet Democracy Project. She writes for various national media publications and journals, and hosts talks and podcasts on feminist issues. She tweets at @so_radhikal.

Dr Padmini Ray Murray is the founder of Design Beku, a feminist collective that endeavours to place an ethics of care at the heart of digital and design practice. Her recent publications explore the implications of the digital for the feminist archive and protest in India, focusing on how corporate online spaces, commit and perpetuate epistemological violence against the marginalised. She tweets at @praymurray and is on Instagram at @padminirm.

BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guests.

Can Indian companies start providing period leave for women, following Zomato and others’ lead? Radhika Radhakrishnan talks to Padmini Ray Murray about this important aspect of making workplaces better for women.

Menstruation, menopause, mental health, all remain taboo or distorted topics of conversation in much of India. Radhika and Padmini explore the arguments for, and against period leave, and make a case for why they are an important step in the right direction.