Frontline Conversations

The death of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay student Sahil Wakode has renewed questions about caste discrimination in India’s higher educational institutions. Eminent sociologist and former UGC Chairman Sukhadeo Thorat discusses the issue and the need for stronger mechanisms to address discrimination on campuses.

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Sanjay Kumar, political analyst and former director of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), discusses the political dynamics shaping Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 Assembly election and what they could mean for national politics.

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) MP from Srinagar, confirms that he will resign from the party on November 3, 2026, saying Farooq Abdullah’s recent statement on Article 370 left him with no reason to reconsider.

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Gowhar Geelani speaks with Michael Kugelman, resident senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council, about US policy towards India in the context of US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor's recent visit to Kashmir and Leh. Kugelman discusses whether Gor’s remarks in Srinagar, including his description of "Jammu and Kashmir as an important part of India", signal a shift in Washington’s longstanding position on Kashmir.

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Sagrika Rajora of Voters’ Adhikar Manch discusses the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi and the large-scale deletion of voters from the electoral register. She speaks about the impact of the exercise on migrants, working-class people, residents of slums and resettlement colonies, minorities and people with unstable housing.

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Manuraj Shunmugasundaram, lawyer and author of "The People's Sanctum", discusses the 100-year struggle to democratise temples in India, particularly temple entry, caste, social justice and constitutional equality. Manuraj traces the story from the Vaikom Satyagraha of 1924 to contemporary debates over temple administration, priesthood and religious freedom.

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Prabha Kotiswaran, Professor of Law and Social Justice at King’s College London, speaks about her book "Wages for Housework: India’s Experiment with Unconditional Cash Transfers to Women". The book looks at India’s growing use of unconditional cash transfers to women through the lens of feminist social reproduction theory, with field research in Goa, Assam, and West Bengal.

Highlights:

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Apar Gupta, lawyer, digital rights activist and founder-director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, discusses the recent GenZ protest at Jantar Mantar where the Delhi Police and the government used digital surveillance along with censorship and online repression. Gupta speaks about the use of facial recognition technology, CCTV networks, drones and other forms of surveillance to monitor protesters, and the legal and constitutional questions raised by such practices.

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In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Saurav Das, chief spokesperson of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), discusses how a youth-led platform that began as a viral online campaign became the face of nationwide protests demanding accountability over exam paper leaks. Das speaks about the movement that culminated in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the government's response, and what the protests reveal about the political aspirations of India's young generation.

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, author and journalist Arup Kumar Dutta discusses his latest novel "Leaves No Longer Green" and explains why he chose fiction to tell the forgotten history of indentured labour in Assam's tea plantations. Drawing on decades of research into the tea industry, Dutta reflects on the brutal recruitment of plantation workers under British rule and how fiction can bring neglected histories to a wider audience.

The conversation explores the historical foundations of Assam's tea industry, the exploitation of plantation labour under colonialism, the enduring legacy of commercial interests in tea estates, and the ways in which these histories continue to shape conversations around labour rights and inequality. Dutta also speaks about representing Assam and north-eastern India in English literature, the research behind his work, the importance of regional storytelling, and why he remains hopeful that future generations will continue to value books.

Perfect for:

-Readers interested in the history of Assam's tea plantations

-Viewers interested in colonialism, labour history, and migration

-Students of history, literature, and postcolonial studies

-UPSC aspirants and current affairs audiences

-Anyone interested in Northeast India and historical fiction

Credits:

Host: Debasree Purkayastha

Editing: Razal Pareed

Producers: Kavya Pradeep M

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