The Times Of India Podcast

Eminent historian and author Ramchandra Guha talks about his latest book 'Speaking with Nature' about individuals who could be called India's first environmentalists, documenting noble failures, and whether environmentalists are destined to be ignored.  

First, Sanjay Kumar from Lokniti-CSDS talks with Alka Dhupkar about what a Lokniti-MIT SOG survey says about political parties' prospects in the upcoming election. 

Then, co-director of Lokniti and eminent political scientist Suhas Palshikar explains why this election won't sort out the political chaos in the state. He also explains why this election will be a very high-stakes one for two leaders. 

The killing of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique has raised questions about the revival of gang violence in Mumbai. Rashmi Rajput, who writes on crime and investigating agencies for The Economic Times, explains the impact of the killing and how it changes things in a city that had gotten used to not hearing about extortion calls. 

Journalist Sukanya Shantha was recently thanked by the Supreme Court for her reporting on caste-based labour practices and caste-based segregation in many of India's prisons. She speaks with Alka Dhupkar and Arun George about how caste determines what you do in jails, why these practices still exist and the challenge with ending them.   

Political scientist Suhas Palshikar explains the issues with the Prime Minister turning up at the Chief Justice's residence for Ganeshotsav. He also explains the problem with judges and government employees talking about links with the RSS and what it means for the RSS to be making statements that seem to target the PM. 

Shakir Mir, who writes on Jammu and Kashmir for TOI+ and other publications, talks about why this year's assembly elections are so important in the region despite full statehood unlikely to be restored any time soon. He explains why there's so much enthusiasm for this election and which parties are expected to make an impact.

Patruni Chidananda Sastry talks to Labanya Maitra about the challenges of being a drag queen and parent and dealing with the hate that comes with publicly acknowledging one's unconventional choices.

Bina Paul - one of the founding members of the Women in Cinema Collective - talks about the fallout of the Justice Hema committee report on the Malayalam film industry. She explains why the report matters, why sexual harassment is rampant in the film industry and what needs to be done now to correct things.

Supreme Court lawyer Disha Wadekar explains the apex court's latest verdict that deals with the contentious subject of sub-quotas within reservations for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. She also decodes the Supreme Court's handling of reservations over the decades and what's worrying about multiple judgements regarding reservations. 

Vijayendra Mohanty - better known as Vimoh online - talks about why influencers and content creators are seeking clarity over a proposed law that is reportedly set to limit who can say what on platforms like YouTube and social media.