In Focus by The Hindu

By The HinduNews News Commentary

In Focus by The Hindu episodes

August 06 In Focus-Parley | Should the Commonwealth Games be scrapped?
The recently concluded Commonwealth Games were unlike the usual multidisciplinary sporting extravaganzas that we are used to seeing. A late replacement to Victoria as host, the Glasgow Games were more akin to an abridged version with fewer events and fewer participants. India finished fourth on the medal table, a commendable performance given that most of the sports that over the years have formed the bulk of our medal haul had been removed. But questions of uncertainty have been whirling around the Games for a long time and the Glasgow edition has again reignited the same.
Are the Commonwealth Games dying? We discuss. Tune in!
Guests: Anju Bobby George and Dr. Heena Sidhu
Host: Uthra Ganesan
Producer: Jude Weston

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34 min
August 06 Why has India's hockey jersey turned saffron?
For decades, blue has been synonymous with Indian sport. So why has Hockey India decided to replace it with saffron as the primary colour of the men's national team's jersey ahead of the FIH Hockey World Cup? The move has sparked criticism from former players, administrators, fans and politicians, raising questions that go far beyond the design of a kit.
In this episode of In Focus, we look at how the decision was made, whether the federation followed due process, if players and support staff were genuinely consulted, and whether Hockey India's technical explanation for the change stands up to scrutiny.
Guest: Uthra Ganesan, The Hindu's hockey correspondent
Host: Reuben Joe Joseph
Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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24 min
August 05 In Conversation with Neha Bora: Does NEP-2020 aid or destroy GenZ’s dreams?
Neha Bora has emerged as a charismatic student leader and one of the key faces of the Jantar Mantar protests. She is the national president of AISA, the All India Students Association, which is affiliated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation.
We speak with her about the impact of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 on India’s higher education system, what it means to be a leftwing student leader in India, and the challenges in mobilising students and working class youth for social justice in a scenario of shrinking spaces for dissent and civil liberties.
Host: G Sampath
Producer: Shiksha Jural

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1 hr 8 min
August 04 Article 370 abrogation: Seven years on, what has changed in Kashmir?
Exactly seven years ago on August 5th, 2019, the Union government abrogated Article 370, and subsequently, Jammu & Kashmir became a Union Territory, ruled directly from New Delhi.
Legislative assembly elections were held in September 2024 but the newly elected government did not have meaningful legislative or administrative powers.
When it revoked Article 370, the government made two promises: one, that the move will usher in ‘normalcy’ to the Kashmir Valley, and two, that it would restore statehood soon.
Today, Jammu and Kashmir is still awaiting statehood. And questions remain:
Has normalcy returned? Has insurgency been stamped out? What’s the mood on the ground, and among the Kashmiri political classes?
We speak with Praveen Donthi, Senior Analyst with the International Crisis Group, a non-profit that works on conflict-prevention and resolution.
Produced, edited and shot by Jude Weston

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47 min
August 03 Is India's consumption story powering growth or hiding risks?
What is the driving force of any economy? It is you and me! It’s the money we work so hard to earn and have fun spending. In fact, private consumption accounts for nearly 61.5% of India's GDP. Last year alone, consumer spending grew by 7.7%. This makes households one of the biggest contributors to India’s growth story.
Meanwhile, household debt has climbed to 45.5% of GDP, with unsecured loans rising compared to home loans. Indians are moving away from bank deposits and entering stock markets, either through mutual funds or in equities, like never before.
With 93% of the growth in India's urban consumer class is expected from non-metros by 2040, how are Indians changing the way they save, borrow and spend?
Are these signs that India is becoming a mature consumption-driven economy, or a warning sign for policymakers?
(The views expressed are strictly personal)

Guest: Prof. Smita Roy Trivedi, National Institute of Bank Management
Host: Nivedita V
Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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37 min
July 31 When livelihoods melt away: Should heat stress be recognised as a human rights issue?
Through three harsh summer months this year, about 40 households across Delhi maintained a 'Garmi Khata' — a handwritten weekly log of what extreme heat did to their health, income and daily routines. That citizen documentation drive has now culminated in a formal submission to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in July.The submission asks the NHRC to admit the registries as evidence, formally recognise heat as a human rights concern, and fund dedicated Heat Action Plans, including national disaster status for heatwaves. This episode traces how the pilot project turned residents from subjects of a heat survey into authors of their own record, allowing them to build a case for their rights.
Guests: Avinash Chanchal, Deputy Program Director (Campaigns), Greenpeace South Asia; Deepali Tonka, social work student and a person who maintained her own 'Garmi Khata'.
Host: Vibha B. Madhava
Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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42 min
July 30 In Focus-Parley | Have fast-track courts delivered on the promise of speedy justice?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement to set up fast-track courts to hear paper leak cases has once again brought these specialised courts into focus and revived the debate over whether they are the silver bullet to India's chronic judicial delays. Both the government and the judiciary have, over the years, relied on fast-track courts to expedite the trial of specific categories of high-priority cases. Following the announcement, the Delhi High Court has constituted a fast-track court at the Rouse Avenue Courts Complex to exclusively hear cases under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
However, stakeholders have cautioned that fast-track courts are struggling with mounting pendency and resource constraints, raising doubts about whether they can truly deliver speedy justice. Have fast-track courts delivered on the promise of speedy justice?
Guest: Bharat Chugh and Shruthi Naik
Host: Aaratrika Bhaumik
Producer: Jude Weston

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40 min
July 29 Maharashtra Farm Bill: Does it really empower women farmers?
Maharashtra has become the first state in India to bring about a legislation for the empowerment of women farmers. The Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026, has been passed by both the Houses. It gives a broader definition of women farmers and de-links agricultural identity from land ownership. But while the Bill claims to address decades of systemic economic exclusion of women, it leaves questions about why women's inclusion in land records was not incentivised through the legislation.
Chennai-based MS Swaminathan Research Foundation played a pivotal role in shaping and advocating for this legislation. In this episode, we discuss what the Maharashtra Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026, means for women farmers, the changes it introduces, and the challenges that still remain.
Guest: Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF)
Host: Vinaya Deshpande, Maharashtra Chief of Bureau, The Hindu
Producer and editor: Jude Weston

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33 min
July 28 Right to peaceful protest: Is it being strangled by ‘permission raj’?
The right to assemble peacefully is a fundamental right guaranteed to every citizen under the Constitution of India. But more often that not, this right has diminished into something that can only be exercised with permission from the police or the government
The state can, and does, deny permission arbitrarily, and if the citizens go ahead anyway, it ends up giving a legal justification for repressive measures by the state.
How did a fundamental right become conditional on permission from the state? What is the true legal and moral status of the right to peaceful dissent, and does it find reflection in the experience of Indians who wish to express their dissent?
Guest: Pratik Patnaik, Delhi-based lawyer and policy commentator
Host: G Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu
Producer and editor: Jude Weston
Camera: Shiksha Jural and Saif Ali Ekram

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32 min
July 28 Why did Houthis join war?
Why did the Houthis enter the conflict now? This video explains the group's motivations, its ties with Iran, why it resumed attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping, and how the escalation could reshape the Yemen war and regional security. We also examine the impact on global trade, oil markets, and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Guest: Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor, The Hindu
Host: Smriti Sudesh
edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian

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27 min