Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy's Podcast

Hamīñ Ast? traces the constitutional and legal history of Article 370 from its origins as a placeholder that guaranteed the state a say in any future constitutional arrangement till they drafted their own Constitution until its sudden nullification whose political and legal ramifications are still unfolding.

Here Naveed Mehmood Ahmad discusses the book with co-author Jinaly Dani.

Ritwika Sharma discusses the Fundamental Values that Shaped India, from the Objectives Resolution passed in the Constituent Assembly in December 1946, to the final Constitution that came into force across India and its contemporary challenges.

The Book of India Conversations is a podcast series by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy aiming to make the Constitution of India accessible to the larger public.

Join us to Open the Book of India.

In Episode 2 of Season 2 of the Feminist City podcast series, Sneha Visakha is in conversation with Dr. Govind Gopakumar, Associate Professor and Chair, Centre for Engineering in Society at Concordia University. In this episode, they discuss Dr. Gopakumar’s work in Bengaluru on topics ranging from the politics of urban infrastructure, urban mobility policies surrounding cars, buses and car-centric urban design along with the critiques of existing solutions to decongesting Bengaluru that contribute to the very problem it is trying to solve. They also discuss the use of law in shaping the city, lack of people’s participation in determining policies and plans in cities and how this particularly affects women and other vulnerable populations in the city.

Dr. Govind Gopakumar is currently Associate Professor in the Centre for Engineering in Society in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science at Concordia University. His specific interests are in the policy dynamics of urban infrastructure change, social dimensions of the sustainability of water supply, globalisation of urban infrastructure, interdisciplinarity in engineering education and social entrepreneurship for engineers. Dr. Gopakumar received his Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prior to that he received a M.S. in Energy and Environmental Policy from the University of Delaware and completed an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. He has a B. Tech in Electrical Engineering from College of Engineering, University of Kerala, India. You can read more about him and his work here: https://govindgopakumar.net/

For background reading, we recommend perusing the literature provided below:

Installing Automobility: Emerging Politics of Mobility and Streets in Indian Cities, Govind Gopakumar, MIT Press.

Making a Feminist City – Planning Safety and Autonomy for Women, Sneha Visakha

Indian Automobility, Govind Gopakumar, Concordia.

Jaywalkers to be fined in special drive on pedestrian safety, The Hindu.

Regime of Congestion: Technopolitics of Mobility and Inequality in Bengaluru, Govind Gopakumar, Science as Culture.

Who will Decongest Bengaluru? Politics, Infrastructures, & Scapes. Govind Gopakumar, Mobilities.

JNNURM as a Window on Urban Governance, Govind Gopakumar, Economic & Political Weekly.

Bengaluru does not need a steel flyover worth hundreds of crores, voices rise against project, TNM Staff, The News Minute

Free bus ride scheme for women begins in Delhi, The Economic Times

Now, free bus rides for Capital’s labour force, Sweta Goswami, Hindustan Times

Car Country: An Environmental History (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books Series), Christopher W. Wells, University of Washington Press.

Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City, Peter Norton, MIT Press.

Participolis, Consent and Contention in Neoliberal Urban India, Edited by Karen Coelho, Lalitha Kamath, M. Vijayabaskar, Routledge India

Do Artifacts Have Politics? Langdon Winner, Daedalus, Modern Technology: Problem or Opportunity? The MIT Press

Civic Groups:

Bangalore Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV)

Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike’s Bus Manifesto for BMTC

Documentary:

Social Life of a Bus, Govind Gopakumar & Bangalore Bus Prayanikara Vedike, Youtube.

Podcast:

Installing Automobility: Emerging Politics of Mobility and Streets in Indian Cities by Govind Gopakumar (Podcast), Govind Gopakumar, Sneha Annavarapu, New Books Network.

Want to get in touch? Email [email protected] or reach out to her on Twitter, @magicanarchist.

Zoya Hasan and Lalit Panda discuss the idea of Secularism in India, its Constitutional Position and the evolution of Secularism and Pluralism across the Indian political space.

The Book of India Conversations is a podcast series by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy aiming to make the Constitution of India accessible to the larger public.

Join us to Open the Book of India.

Ritwika Sharma and Lalit Panda discuss the Constitution of India, its significance and its journey over the years. As India turns 75, the Constitution is a cornerstone of the Indian story.

The Book of India Conversations is a podcast series by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy aiming to make the Constitution of India accessible to the larger public.

Join us to Open the Book of India.

Listen to Chapter 1 of Hamīñ Ast? A Biography of Article 370 read by Kevin James. Hamīñ Ast? traces the constitutional and legal history of Article 370 from its origins as a placeholder that guaranteed the state a say in any future constitutional arrangement till they drafted their own Constitution until its sudden nullification whose political and legal ramifications are still unfolding.

Read the full book here: https://navibooks.in

Listen to Chapter 2 of Hamīñ Ast? A Biography of Article 370 read by Kevin James. Hamīñ Ast? traces the constitutional and legal history of Article 370 from its origins as a placeholder that guaranteed the state a say in any future constitutional arrangement till they drafted their own Constitution until its sudden nullification whose political and legal ramifications are still unfolding.

Read the full book here: navibooks.in

In the 11th and last episode of Justify Season 3, Dr Arghya Sengupta discusses the accomplished and award-winning movie Once Upon A Time in Calcutta with its director, Aditya Vikram Sengupta. Among other things, they discuss growing up in Calcutta, their experiences of the city, and the genesis of the film.

In the 10th episode of Justify Season 3, Dr Arghya Sengupta discusses the Gyanvapi controversy with Valay Singh, a journalist and author of the acclaimed work, ‘Ayodhya: City of Faith, City of Discord’, and Ronojoy Sen, Research Lead at National University of Singapore, and the author of ‘Articles of Faith: Religion, Secularism, and the Indian Supreme Court’. In this respect, they examine the Places of Worship Act, 1991 and the approach being taken by the judiciary in deciding questions relating to religious places.

In the 9th episode of Justify Season 3, Vidhi’s podcast on law and politics in India, Dr Arghya Sengupta discusses the software Pegasus with Subhashis Banerjee, a professor of computer science and engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. They deep dive into the social and legal issues surrounding surveillance technology, examine the concerns of privacy and national security, and the potential implications of Pegasus on common citizens.

Watch out for Vidhi’s quiz, CLATTR, at the end of the episode, and stand a chance to win a voucher for a Disney+Hotstar subscription. Write in your answer and feedback on the episode to [email protected].