In this wide-ranging and rigorous conversation, Abhijit Chavda joins Bharatvaarta to examine the hard geopolitical decisions India faces today — from energy security and strategic autonomy to American pressure, global trade realignments, and the limits of the so-called “rules-based order.”

We unpack why India’s purchase of Russian energy is not just an economic decision but a sovereignty test, how sanctions and tariffs are used as tools of control, and why Western demands rarely stop at a single issue. Abhijit Chavda explains how dollar dominance, payment systems, and global trade architecture have become instruments of coercion — and why India’s attempts to bypass them trigger resistance.

The conversation moves through America’s containment strategy, regime-change patterns in South Asia, pressure on India’s neighbourhood, and why “multi-alignment” is not indecision but survival strategy for a rising power. We explore whether India can stay sovereign without picking sides, what happens if it doesn’t, and why the next few years may define India’s trajectory for decades.

This episode isn’t about ideology.

It’s about power, pressure, and the price of independence.

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⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – 01:00 • Introduction: India’s Moment of Decision

01:00 – 05:30 • Russian Oil, Energy Security & Western Pressure

05:30 – 10:30 • Sanctions, Tariffs & Economic Coercion

10:30 – 15:30 • Dollar Power, Trade Architecture & Financial Warfare

15:30 – 20:30 • Is the US Really Angry About Oil — Or Control?

20:30 – 26:00 • Containment Strategy: India, China & Unequal Treatment

26:00 – 31:30 • Multi-Alignment vs Picking Sides

31:30 – 37:00 • What “Vassal State” Pressure Actually Looks Like

37:00 – 43:00 • Regime Change, NGOs & Influence Operations

43:00 – 48:30 • India’s Neighbourhood: Pakistan, Bangladesh & Instability

48:30 – 54:00 • EU, America & India’s Strategic Options

54:00 – 59:30 • Trump, Establishments & How Power Really Works

59:30 – 01:05:30 • Can India Buy Time — Or Is Conflict Inevitable?

01:05:30 – 01:11:00 • India’s Strategic Path Forward & Closing Thoughts

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👤 Guest — Abhijit Chavda

Geopolitical Analyst | Researcher | Strategic Affairs Commentator

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Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/theabhijitchavda/

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👤 Host — Roshan Cariappa

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Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/carygottheblues/