Following the recent electoral setbacks faced by two of the largest constituents of the INDIA bloc, the DMK and the TMC, there is renewed debate over the future of Opposition politics in India. Do these developments signal a turning point for the INDIA bloc, or are they part of a longer structural shift in Indian politics? T

Is this the end of the road for the INDIA bloc? Here, we discuss the question.

Guests: Prof. KK Kailash, Professor and former HOD of Political Science at the University of Hyderabad; Yashwant Deshmukh, Founder-Director of C-Voter

Host: Sobhana K Nair

Producer: Jude Francis Weston

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For the second time in a couple of days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for the public to take some austerity measures: reduce fuel consumption, defer gold purchases, reduce foreign travel and consume less edible oil and fertilisers.

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Former India coach and Olympian U. Vimal Kumar joins the podcast to discuss India’s Thomas Cup campaign, player recognition, squad depth concerns and badminton’s new scoring system.

India returned from the Thomas Cup in Denmark with a bronze medal, its second podium finish in the last three editions of badminton’s premier men’s team event. But despite another strong campaign on the world stage, the achievement received surprisingly little attention back home, prompting sharp reactions from players about the lack of recognition for their sporting achievements in India.
In this episode of In Focus, we look into India’s Thomas Cup run, the rise of young talent like Ayush Shetty, concerns over squad depth in singles and doubles, and the controversy surrounding the semifinal match order against France.

We also discuss the Badminton World Federation’s decision to introduce the new 15-point scoring system from 2027 and whether it is actually good for the sport.

Host: Reuben Joe Joseph

Producer: Shiksha Jural

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A new health scare made headlines this week, after three persons died and several others fell sick aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship. The infection in this case, was hantavirus, something most people have not heard of. Passengers from the stricken ship disembarked today after it docked at the Canary islands, and are flying back to their home countries, many of which are imposing quarantine requirements.

The World Health Organization, which has been keeping tabs on this situation has recommended, but not mandated a 42-day quarantine once the passengers have landed. It has also said there is no cause for panic as this not another Covid-19 like situation and the overall risk to the general public is low.

But what is hantavirus, who is at risk of contracting it and how is it treated?

Guest: Dr Neha Rastogi Panda,  senior consultant, infectious diseases, Fortis Hospital, Gurugram

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Producer & editor: Jude Francis Weston

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In this episode of In Focus podcast, London’s Lady Mayor Dame Susan Langley speaks with The Hindu’s Maharashtra Chief of Bureau Vinaya Deshpande about her maiden visit to India, the voices she heard from the financial and insurance service industry, and the opportunities for both the countries in view of the India – UK Free Trade Agreement. She is only the third woman to hold the Lord Mayor’s Office in its 837-year history, and she is the first to go by the title of Lady Mayor. She is the global ambassador for the UK's financial and professional services.

The Lady Mayor’s key observation is that regulation can be simplified in India. She also highlighted that there is a lack of understanding in the UK about the potential of the Indian markets. Beyond the implementation of the FTA, she thinks there is need to lead conversations about successful case studies and real stories of businesses from both the sides, to make people invest.

Terming her visit to UIDAI as one of the most interesting meetings in India, she said she was impressed with India’s Aadhaar roll-out. She said that though UK wants to look at a universal ID system, she was not sure if the country will follow up on Aadhaar.

Batting for diversity and inclusion in the financial services, she put the onus equally on women to step up and seek challenging roles.

Guest: Dame Susan Langley, lady Mayor of London

Host: Vinaya Deshpande Pandit

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

Video: Aditya Shirsekar

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The Supreme Court of India recently asked the Central government to amend the abortion law to remove the time limit on medical terminations of unwanted pregnancies in the case of minor rape victims. While this was observation was made while hearing the case of a 15-year-old rape survivor to terminate a 30-week pregnancy, it throws up broader questions of abortion access in India.

While in general there is a belief is that abortion is legal and easily available, the ground reality is a little different. Abortion is legal only under certain circumstances and given certain conditions – it is not freely available to anyone who chooses to have it. Access to it is also uneven and patchy across the country. It also not permitted, unless there is severe foetal anomaly or a risk to the mother’s life, beyond 24 weeks.

Over the past decade or so, hundreds of cases have ended up in court seeking terminations on unwanted pregnancy. Why is this happening? Is there a case to be made to lift time limits altogether? And do we, in India, need to move from a criminal framework for a health service to a health and rights -based framework?

Guests: Prof Dipika Jain, Executive Dean & Professor of Law, Director, Centre for Justice, Law and Society, Jindal Global Law School; Dr Alka Barua, Abortion Theme Lead and Steering Committee member, CommonHealth India

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Producer: Jude Francis Weston

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The 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election has delivered a verdict few anticipated. A political landscape long defined by the alternating dominance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has been decisively disrupted. At the centre of this churn is the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, led by C. Joseph Vijay, which has emerged as the single largest party in its electoral debut, falling short of a majority, but clearly ahead of both Dravidian majors.

The scale of the upset is hard to overstate. The sitting Chief Minister, M. K. Stalin, has lost his own seat. The AIADMK has ceded ground even in its traditional western strongholds. And the Bharatiya Janata Party, despite its national prominence, has seen its presence in the State shrink dramatically. What we are witnessing is not just a reshuffling of seats, but a deeper churn in voter preferences, one that appears to cut across caste, region, and established party loyalties.

So how should we read this verdict? Is this simply a wave election driven by anti-incumbency and a charismatic new entrant, or does it signal a more fundamental realignment in Tamil Nadu’s politics? Are we looking at the weakening of identity-driven mobilization that has long underpinned Dravidian parties, or its reinvention through a new political vehicle? And what does this mean for the future of the State’s political order?

Guest: R. Kannan, political analyst and author of MGR: A Life, The DMK Way, and The Life and Times of C. N. Annadurai

Host: Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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The assembly election results have sharply changed the political landscape in India, with the BJP set to form a government on its own for the first time in West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee, the three-term chief minister often spoken of as the ‘real’ Opposition leader to the BJP, has ended up losing her own seat.

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Negotiations between the United States and Iran have stalled due to deep disagreements over Iran’s nuclear program, economic sanctions, and regional influence. The U.S. wants stricter limits on uranium enrichment, while Iran demands sanctions relief. Mistrust built over decades, especially after the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, has made compromise difficult. Ongoing tensions in the Middle East further complicate efforts to reach a stable agreement.

Guest: Stanly Johny

Host: Smriti Sudesh

Producer: Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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We know by now that extreme heat can impact pregnancies in many ways. And with climate change contributing to extreme heat in India – and with parts of the country already reeling under scorching heat – this has become a significant health concern.

But what do we know about temperature and its link with sex ratio at birth? Can exposure to intense heat during pregnancy influence whether you have a boy or a girl? A recent research paper seems to suggest it might – it shows that high temperatures in the months before birth, could be linked with fewer male births.

Guest: Jasmin Abdel Ghany, Nuffield Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellow in Sociology, Nuffield College, Oxford and lead author of the research paper

Host: Zubeda Hamid

Producer: Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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