The Wire Talks

This week on The Wire Talks our host Siddharth Bhatia interacts with Jason Stanley, American philosopher and professor at Yale university. The episode has our guest Jason decoding his book, How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them published in 2018.

During their conversation, Jason throws light on cultural wars in the nation's history leading to threat, minority being scapegoat, past of fascism, protest against fascism and more. He doles out examples from America and India, where he speaks about the rise and history of fascism. Further explains the idea of fascism, its proliferation thus making the democratic societies go weak in the knees.

Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallah

Follow Jason Stanley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasonintrator

You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Please do fill out our Brand Recall Survey: ( https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6HP2RVB )

Indian audiences saw various versions of Mahabharat till date via books, TV shows and movies penned and produced by geniuses in the country. But which one gives out the actual deets about this tale that is packed with love, respect but also with warfare, jealousy, chicanery and morality, still remains a question.

You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

February 18, 1946 Royal Indian Navy mutiny also called 1946 Naval Uprising saw the Indian Naval Ratings, soldiers, police and civilians locking horns with the British Government. Indian Naval Ratings' anger reached the boiling point due to poor services, racism and broken promises. Though this story has disappeared from our history syllabus, all thanks to our guest author Pramod Kapoor to get us thinking on it all over again.

Follow Pramod Kapoor on Twitter and Instagram pramodkapoor and https://www.instagram.com/pramodkapoor/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Please do fill out our Brand Recall Survey: (Brand Recall Survey | IVM Podcasts)

Violence seems to be all around India and growing. Several sickening incidents have come to light in the most ghastly manner. This episode raises the question if the violence in the country has increased or it is just more prevalent these days as one witnesses it more on their phones and computer in the current times?

On this episode of The Wire Talks, our host Sidharth Bhatia talks to Social scientist Thomas Blom Hansen, a Reliance Dhirubhai Ambani professor of anthropology of Stanford University, director of the centre of South Asia on it. Our guest throws light on escalating violence in the country, how it has changed over the period of time, how statistics available with the cops are not reliable and more.

Thomas Blom Hansen has extensively written about violence and more in his thought provoking books such as The Saffron Wave, Wages Of Violence: Naming And Identity In PostColonial Bombay, with the recent one being, The Law Of Force: The Violent Heart Of Indian Politics. Tune to this latest episode on IVM Podcast as our guest throws light on escalation of violence in the country.

Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallah

You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fake news has become an endemic problem all over the world. With the advent of social media and sharing platforms, fake news travels in seconds and often ends up hitting the target much before the real news even begins to go out. Refuting or exposing every bit of fake news is a futile task because the damage is done. People seem to be more inclined to believe the fake news that conforms with their well-set beliefs.

So far, authors have not engaged with the issue in any kind of major way, but a writer-journalist reacts much faster. Author, writer and journalist Amitava Kumar is just such a person.

On this episode, Sidharth Bhatia is joined by Amitava Kumar, teacher, journalist and author, Amitava Kumar has come out with a new novel - 'A Time Outside This Time' which grapples with fake news and the harm it can do. Of course, the novel is far more complex than just that - it talks about Hindutva, about identity, and about the narrator's own personal story.

Amitava Kumar teaches at Vassar College, a small but exclusive liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, and has written for very prestigious newspapers and magazines, along with writing 11 books!

Sidharth and Amitava talk about his book, the spread of fake news in today's India through Whatsapp and other means, the real world consequences we have seen due to this blind belief in fake stories, how people succumb to lies, the art of satire and how satire can be a liberating way to contest and critique the truth, getting put on the 'hit-list' of the New York offshoot of the Bajrang Dal, and lots more. Tune in for an extremely important and fascinating episode.

Follow Amitava: https://twitter.com/amitavakumar and https://www.instagram.com/amitavawriter

Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallah

You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a tough time to be a comedian or satirist in India today. They are being harassed online and even jailed, like Munawar Faruqui was. Munawar has been prevented from holding a show anywhere in the country.

In such a climate, Akash Banerjee is thriving. His YouTube channel and show 'The Deshbhakt' has more than 2.3 million subscribers on YouTube and 500k Twitter followers, and 450k on Instagram. Akash is a former radio jockey and TV anchor, and has worked in print, publishing, television, radio, and is now on a digital platform. He makes pointed comments about the hypocrisy of politicians, journalists, and even judges.

Akash Banerjee joins Sidharth Bhatia on this year ender episode of The Wire Talks, to sum up 2021 in his inevitable style, talk about the state of satire in India, the need to be aware and cautious, and what he would do if he ever got targeted for his videos and other content criticising and asking questions of the status-quo.

Follow Akash and The Deshbhakt: www.youtube.com/c/thedeshbhakt/ and https://twitter.com/TheDeshBhakt

Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah

bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallah

You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Beatles are back in the news. Not that they ever were out of it, but now with the release of the three-part series 'The Beatles: Get Back' by director Peter Jackson, with so far unseen footage, has put them back in the limelight. What is the secret of their longevity that their music sounds fresh to every new generation of music lovers?

On this episode, Sidharth is joined by Oliver Craske, author and freelance editor, has been associated with several prominent projects about The Beatles. He was one of a team of four editors of the huge official The Beatles Anthology in 2000, and he was Project Editor of the new Get Back book which has come out along with the movie. Oliver's book 'Indian Sun: The Life of Music of Ravi Shankar' was published in 2020 to rave reviews. It's been extremely well-received everywhere. Among the many books he has edited was Olivia Harrison's book on her husband George Harrison, which is yet another Beatles connection in Oliver's career. Tune in for an amazing conversation.

Follow Oliver on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ocraske

Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah

bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallah

You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than a year after the farmers' protests started, PM Narednra Modi recently announced that the three laws that had angered the farmers would be repealed. The farmers, on their part, have refused to budge, and will now intensify their agitation. They have faced accusations from BJP spokespersons of being Khalistanis and terroroists, but the farmers haven't budged. Many people have worked behind the scenes to ensure that the farmers' point-of-view is heard, especially in the media. One such person is Harinder Happy, himself the son of Dalit landless farmers in Rajasthan. He is currently Media Coordinator of the protests. He has an MA in Rural Development and Governance from TATA Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad, and was about to pursue his PhD in Agrarian Sociology when the protests began.

On this episode, Sidharth talks to Harinder about how he got involved with the farmers protest, why he felt the need to do so, the three laws that angered the farmers in the first place, why eventhough the repeal of the laws has been announced, the farmers will continue to protest, the progress that's been made, what is still left, why the farmers distrust the government so much, and tons more.

Follow Harinder on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarenderHappy

Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallah

You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facial recognition technology is a contentious and controversial subject all over the world. It enables law and order forces to identify faces and check them against databases, except that the technology has in-built biases because of which minorities and other marginalised communities suffer. There are other issues with it as well. A new worldwide campaign 'Ban The Scan' has been launched by Amnesty International and the Delhi-based Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), a digital liberties organisation, is leading it in India. The campaign demands that police stop using this tech. The IFF has files an RTI request asking the police in Hyderabad, where it is apparently being used, to reveal its database. Thus far, the police have not complied.

On this episode, Sidharth Bhatia is joined by Anushka Jain, lawyer and policy researcher, Associate Counsel: Surveillance & Transparency at Internet Freedom Foundation, who is interested in disruptive technologies such as facial recognition and artificial intelligence. She is the one spearheading the Ban The Scan campaign on behalf of the IFF. She joins Sidharth to talk about the issues and dangers of this kind of tech are, and why facial recognition by machines is so sinister and perhaps shouldn't be allowed to proceed, and how it affects all of us.

Follow Anushka on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anushka-jain-a0396b175

Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallah

You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Violence against Muslims has escalated in different parts of the country. The recent incident of many houses belonging two Muslims in Tripura being burnt down, is the latest in a long series of attacks that begin in 2014. Add to that, the many new legislative measures to marginalize the community, such as the Citizens Amendment Act and the so-called 'Love Jihad Law' in Uttar Pradesh. The coming elections in UP may have something to do with it, but this anti-minority campaign goes much deeper than that.

On this episode, Sidharth is joined by Ghazala Wahab, Executive Editor of FORCE magazine, who just published her new book 'Born a Muslim: Some Truths About Islam in India'. The book explores some of the issues mentioned above, and brings together history, politics, and Ghazal's own personal stories. Some of the stories are quite distressing and discomforting, but they make essential reading because it gives a perspective and insight into what could happen to any Muslim - from middle-class, upper-middle class to the marginalised and the poor. The book is extremely relevant in these fraught times.

Follow Ghazala on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ghazalawahab

Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah.

You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.