In this episode of Vichaar, the team is in conversation with Shamindra Nath Roy, Associate Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, on the issue of forced evictions. They discuss forced evictions in India, through a sociological lens and as a human rights violation. The conversation also explores the interrelationship between evictions and social status in terms of caste, religion, tribe and class. 

This is the first podcast of the "State of the States: Paradiplomacy in India" initiative. Through this initiative, we aim to explore the involvement of India’s state governments in the country’s foreign relations. Under the State of the States initiative, we have a podcast series that aims to comprehend the professional perspective of eminent specialists, academics, and practitioners in the domain of paradiplomacy. 

In this episode, Professor Maini begins by discussing the recent rise of paradiplomatic activities and their relevance in contemporary geopolitics. We then move on to talk about the boost in sub-national diplomacy in India, especially after liberalisation and briefly discuss the future of Indian paradiplomacy. We conclude the podcast by talking about the broader implications of the rise of paradiplomacy and some challenges it posits.

This is the third episode of "The Unravelling of the Conflict" series. This series of podcasts aims to explore conflict resolution and peace-building through different lenses. In this episode, Samragnee Chakraborty is in conversation with Sanjiv Krishan Sood, who retired as an Additional Director General of the Border Security Force. They discuss conflict, through the lens of security, armed forces and hard power, with a special focus on the Indian context. Our guest for the podcast, Sanjiv Krishan Sood, has served along India’s borders Pakistan and Bangladesh, including sensitive and volatile sectors, in his 38 years of meritorious service in the force.

This is the second episode of "The Unravelling of the Conflict" series. This series of podcasts aims to explore conflict resolution and peace-building through different lenses. In this episode, Samragnee Chakraborty is in conversation with Dr. Roluahpuia, who is an Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. They talk about conflict from a political-sociological lens, with a specific focus on Northeast India. The research interests of our guest speaker Roluahpuia broadly concern identity, nationalism, development, and borderland studies.

In this episode of Vichaar, the team is in conversation with Prof. Anubhav Dutt Tiwari on the intricate complexities surrounding citizenship, rights, and identity within the intricate context of Assam. The focal point of the discourse revolved around the contentious categorization of individuals as "D-Voters" in Assam and the consequent repercussions on their rights, identity, and societal positioning.

This is the first podcast of "The Unravelling of the Conflict" series. This series of podcasts aims to explore conflict resolution and peace-building through different lenses. In this episode, Samragnee Chakraborty is in conversation with Mandar Apte. They discuss the psychological and emotional dimensions of conflict, and the necessity of focusing on the mental and emotional health of the community stakeholders in conflict-ridden areas. Our guest for today, Mandar Apte is the Founder & Executive Director of Cities4Peace – a not-for-profit consultancy that actively promotes peace in cities worldwide. In 2016, he joined George Mason University for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Apte also launched the World Summit for Countering Violence and Extremism that brings together social justice activists and law enforcement executives from across the world for promoting peace and compassion.

Interviewed by Aaryan Panchal and Sarah Arora

In this episode of InterLinked's sub-series, Kitabon ka Karwaan, we hold a book talk on the book "Politics, Ethics, and Emotions in New India" with its author himself, Prof Ajay Gudavarthy. 

To begin with, the guest spoke about what motivated him to choose the topic of politics, ethics, and emotions in new India and the significance of the topic in contemporary geopolitics. Following this, professor Gudavarthy expanded on his thesis that the new India is built on a blend of immiscible opposites and how it was achieved through an emotional churn. Moreover, he also gave some instances where this blend has given direction to new India and also provided some examples of instances when emotions have had a profound impact on India's political decision-making. Professor Gudavarthy also provided a brief about the populist shift occurring in India and the role of emotions in the rise of the BJP. To conclude, the guest discussed the role of politics, ethics, and emotions in shaping the future of the nation and the role of stakeholders in fostering a more informed and emotionally aware political environment for ‘New India’.

Ajay Gudavarthy is a political theorist, analyst and columnist in India. He is an associate professor in political science at the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

In this edition of Vichaar, we decided to investigate this claim not simply in the backdrop of gig work but in the light of increasing casualisation of labor. For this purpose, we reached out to the research consultant at Samvada, Shradhha NV Sharma. We began the conversation on understanding why the young Indian population is so drawn to choose contractual work and even willing to leave the agrarian economy behind. We furthered our conversation on what casualisation implies and its impact on the real versus imagined agency. How casualisation impacts marginalized groups and if there’s a way to mitigate the impact?