In Focus by The Hindu

Private coaching in India has grown into a parallel education system. It is no longer just extra help after school, but the backbone of learning for millions of students.

In the last seven years, tuition has surged across all levels - from primary to higher secondary. Among rural girls in higher secondary, the rise is especially sharp, while States in the east like West Bengal, and Odisha are seeing some of the highest numbers, with coaching starting as early as Kindergarten.

In some cases, families are spending more on tuition than on school itself.

The podcast explores the factors contributing to this dependence on private tuition in the east. What does it say about the state of our schools? And how is this reshaping education in India?

Guest: Sabir Ahamed, Programme Director at the Pratichi Institute

Host: Devyanshi Bihani

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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Dr. Rajetha Damisetty explains how the entry of unqualified practitioners and a lack of regulatory oversight is impacting patient safety when it comes to skin and hair procedures being performed in India.

The wellness sector is booming in India. Aesthetic, skin and hair clinics are everywhere, social media feeds are filled with advertisements and procedures such as hair transplants, skin lightening, botox and others are becoming increasingly common. In a few cases that have been reported in the news however, some of these treatments have gone horribly wrong – in May this year, two men from Kanpur died after botched hair transplants and another man in Kerala contracted a serious bacterial infection.

Experts say that the problem is the lack of regulatory oversight – who is supposed to be able to perform these procedures and who is actually performing them in India? Are clinics where these procedures take place fully licensed and equipped to deal with emergencies? Are misleading claims and exaggerated advertisements contributing to the problem? And what is being done to ensure patient safety?

Guest: Rajetha Damisetty, a senior dermatologist based in Hyderabad and national chairperson of the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL) Anti-Quackery, Legal and Ethics Committee.

Host: Zubeda Hamid

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India’s rocks hold an extraordinary record of life: the earliest traces of plants, dinosaur bones, and even fossils of ancient horses, whales, and humans. This wealth comes from the subcontinent’s geological journey after it broke away from the supercontinent Gondwanaland and later its collision with Asia that formed the Himalayas. Yet today, fossils face mounting threats: theft, commercial trade, and the absence of strong legal safeguards.

In this weekender episode, we explore how India became such a rich ground for fossils, why these discoveries matter for both our past and our future, and what it will take to preserve them.

Guest: Professor Ashok Sahni, one of India’s most distinguished palaeontologists, whose discoveries have reshaped our understanding of India’s ancient world.

Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran

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On Saturday morning, a 45-year-old man died in Kerala of amoebic meningocephalitis. This is the fourth death reported in Kerala in less than a month of this rare but deadly infection, colloquially known as brain-eating amoeba. This year alone, over 40 cases have been reported in the State, with 11 people undergoing treatment in hospitals at present. The Health Department has invoked the Kerala Public Health Act to launch preventive and control measures, as it emerges that perhaps all waterbodies — wells, ponds, canals, swimming pools, water theme parks — could be a potential source of amoebic infection for people using them, unless these are regularly cleaned and maintained in good condition.

What is this brain-eating amoeba? Why is a rare infection being seen in dozens of people across one Southern state? How is it diagnosed and treated? And how can water be used safely?

Guest: Dr Aravind Reghukumar, Head of department of infectious diseases, Government Medical College Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Convenor of Kerala State Medical Board

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For years, the United States let low-value parcels enter duty-free under a rule called the de minimis exemption—literally “too small to matter.” By 2016, the limit had risen to $800, among the highest in the world, opening doors for Indian exporters to sell cheaply to American buyers. Now that rule is gone. The U.S. says it was abused, hurting local businesses and even enabling shipments to make synthetic drugs. With India’s government-run postal system halting most parcels, what was once too small to matter is now a big question for India’s small businesses: how will they cope?

Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran

Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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On August 25, 2025, the Supreme Court urged the Union government to frame guidelines for regulating social media, noting that influencers often commercialise free speech in ways that may offend the sentiments of vulnerable groups.

A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi directed that these regulations be drafted in consultation with the National Broadcasters and Digital Association. The order stemmed from an intervention application filed by a non-profit representing persons with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which alleged that comedians Samay Raina, Vipul Goyal, Balraj Paramjeet Singh Ghai, Sonali Thakkar, and Nishant Jagdish Tanwar had made derogatory remarks about those living with the disorder.

Should commercial speech on digital platforms be regulated? Here we discuss the question.

Guests: Apar Gupta and Jay Vinayak Ojha

Host: Aaratrika Bhaumik.

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Parliament last month enacted the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, establishing a comprehensive legal framework for India’s rapidly expanding online gaming sector. The legislation, which received the President’s assent on August 22, seeks to regulate segments such as e-sports and social gaming, while simultaneously imposing a blanket prohibition on all money-based online games.

The stated rationale for this prohibition is the “serious social, financial, psychological and public health harms, particularly among young individuals and economically disadvantaged groups,” associated with real-money gaming.

Even before the law has taken effect, several petitions have been filed in the Karnataka High Court challenging its validity. The Court has issued notice to the Union government on an interim plea seeking a stay on the Act’s application to online games of skill.

Can the new legislation withstand constitutional scrutiny? What are its broader implications? Does it run contrary to established judicial precedents that distinguish between games of skill and games of chance?

Guest: Deepak Joshi, Advocate-On-Record at the Supreme Court of India

Host: Aaratrika Bhaumik

Shot, produced, and edited by Jude Francis Weston

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The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit China for the first time in seven years. He had a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping, which assumes significance in the context of the ongoing dissonance in India-US relations over tariffs.

How do we read the Modi-Xi meeting – does it signal a shift toward normalisation of in bilateral ties? How important is this particular summit in the history of the SCO and the challenges it faces today? And what tangible benefits can India expect from greater engagement with SCO and with China?

Guests: Suhasini Haidar, The Hindu’s Diplomatic Affairs Editor, and

Ananth Krishnan, Director at The Hindu Group and former Beijing correspondent.

Host: G. Sampath

Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

Ananth Krishnan has just curated a new e-book for The Hindu on China, titled, ‘China: India Perspectives on China’s Politics, Economy and Foreign Relations’. It is an anthology of 12 outstanding essays by reputed China scholars and experts.

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India has several policies designed to support persons with disabilities. Yet, data shows that many are still unable to access these benefits. A major reason is the lack of a Unique Disability ID Card, which has become essential for availing government schemes and entitlements.

The Unique Disability ID card is an important document for people with disabilities. It serves as proof of their disability status and helps them access a range of government benefits and schemes. At the same time, it enables the government to maintain an accurate count of persons with disabilities, so that resources and support can be better planned and allocated. Yet, the data shows a stark gap — on average, only about 39% of people with disabilities in India actually have a Unique Disability ID card.

Guest: Shashank Pandey, a lawyer and founder of Politics and Disability Forum, who works on political representation of Persons with Disabilities.

Host: Nitika Francis

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Coffee is more than a beverage—it’s a sensory ritual. But in 2025, global coffee prices are at a fifty-year high, sending shockwaves down to Indian households. Even long-trusted South Indian brands, staples of middle-class homes, are becoming costlier.

Will the “ordinary” filter kaapi or takeaway latte soon feel like a bigger luxury?

In this weekender episode, we explore the reasons behind rising prices, how it’s reshaping consumption, and whether there’s a way to hold on to our morning lifeline.

Guest: Divya Jaishankar, founder of a specialty café in Chennai and master roaster

Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran

Camera: Thamodharan B and Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston

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