Join Sidharth Bhatia on an engaging episode of The Wire Talks as he sits down with Salman Khurshid, the Former Minister of External Affairs of India. As the nation edges closer to the 2024 elections, their conversation delves into various topics, including the recent victory of the Congress Party in the Karnataka elections, discovering whether the party is making strategic adjustments in light of the approaching elections and gain valuable insights from an experienced political figure. Stay informed and engaged with the latest developments in Indian politics on this compelling episode. Follow Salman Khurshid on Twitter: @salman7khurshid Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms. Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and statements expressed in the episodes of the shows hosted on the IVM Podcasts network are solely those of the individual participants, hosts, and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of IVM Podcasts or its management. IVM Podcasts does not endorse or assume responsibility for any content, claims, or representations made by the participants during the shows. This includes, but is not limited to, the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information provided. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. IVM Podcasts is not liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of or in connection with the use or dissemination of the content featured in the shows. Listener discretion is advised.

Get ready for an enthralling episode of The Wire Talks as Sidharth Bhatia engages in a captivating conversation with Ujjal Dosanjh, a renowned Canadian lawyer. Embark on a journey through Ujjal's remarkable life story, beginning from his humble origins in Jalandhar, Punjab, India, to his eventual settlement in Canada. During this engaging dialogue, Ujjal Dosanjh shares captivating anecdotes from his personal journey, shedding light on the experiences that shaped his life. Also gain valuable insights into his literary works, as well as his profound inclination towards politics and the intricate dynamics of religious extremism in Canada. Follow Ujjal Dosanjh on Twitter: @ujjaldosanjh Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms. Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and statements expressed in the episodes of the shows hosted on the IVM Podcasts network are solely those of the individual participants, hosts, and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of IVM Podcasts or its management. IVM Podcasts does not endorse or assume responsibility for any content, claims, or representations made by the participants during the shows. This includes, but is not limited to, the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information provided. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. IVM Podcasts is not liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of or in connection with the use or dissemination of the content featured in the shows. Listener discretion is advised.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing a case on whether same-sex partners should be permitted to marry. The petitioners argue that marriage is a union between two individuals regardless of their gender, but the government appears to disagree with this perspective. Meanwhile, there is a proposal to establish an administration to examine this issue further. LGBTQIA+ community too having significant interest in this case; our host Sidharth Bhatia invited Filmmaker Onir to discuss the matter on our podcast, The Wire Talks. Reach out to Onir on Instagram: @iamonir To know more tune into this episode of The Wire Talks.  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms. Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and statements expressed in the episodes of the shows hosted on the IVM Podcasts network are solely those of the individual participants, hosts, and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of IVM Podcasts or its management. IVM Podcasts does not endorse or assume responsibility for any content, claims, or representations made by the participants during the shows. This includes, but is not limited to, the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information provided. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. IVM Podcasts is not liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of or in connection with the use or dissemination of the content featured in the shows. Listener discretion is advised.

The recent revelation by Jammu & Kashmir's former governor Satya Pal Malik about the death of 40 soldiers in Pulwama attack in 2019 to The Wire, has caused a major political stir. While the government remains tight-lipped, it was then blamed on Pakistan. Back then the former governor mentioned PM Narendra Modi had asked him to stay quiet when he had raised questions regarding security issues and more. In August 2019, Article 370 which had given Kashmir a special status was revoked, thus left everyone shocked.   This week on The Wire Talks joining Sidharth Bhatia is Anuradha Bhasin, the executive editor of The Kashmir Times. The duo talks about Kashmir as what happened after Article 370 was revoked till now, in her book A Dismantled State. She has written about Kashmir's politics for over 3 decades.  Know more about Anuradha Bhasin on Twitter @AnuradhaBhasin_ To know more tune into this episode of The Wire Talks.  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms. Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and statements expressed in the episodes of the shows hosted on the IVM Podcasts network are solely those of the individual participants, hosts, and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of IVM Podcasts or its management. IVM Podcasts does not endorse or assume responsibility for any content, claims, or representations made by the participants during the shows. This includes, but is not limited to, the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information provided. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. IVM Podcasts is not liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of or in connection with the use or dissemination of the content featured in the shows. Listener discretion is advised.

This week on The Wire Talks, Sidharth is in conversation with Mridula Mukherjee, Noted Historian. Historic movements are always penned in textbooks in order to let the readers know about the rise and fall of that particular era. And this compilation of various happenings in the past is nothing less than painstaking efforts by experts over decades. But post Independence, the history chapters reflected in the Indian textbooks focused more on the Indian perspective over the Colonial. Currently, as per news regarding NCERT, it is observed that many cuts were made in the textbooks, thus sending shock waves amongst academics and educationalists. There is no mention of Moghuls, Maulana Azad and more, this has led to protests. Why do these changes matter?   To know more tune into this episode of The Wire Talks.  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms. Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and statements expressed in the episodes of the shows hosted on the IVM Podcasts network are solely those of the individual participants, hosts, and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of IVM Podcasts or its management. IVM Podcasts does not endorse or assume responsibility for any content, claims, or representations made by the participants during the shows. This includes, but is not limited to, the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information provided. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. IVM Podcasts is not liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of or in connection with the use or dissemination of the content featured in the shows. Listener discretion is advised.

The protests in Israel against PM Benjamin Netanyahu have been in the headlines for quite some time now. To decode and discuss the current scenario in the country, joining Sidharth Bhatia on The Wire Talks is documentary filmmaker Danny Ben Moshe.   To know more about Danny Ben Moshe follow him on Twitter @dannyb_m Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms. Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and statements expressed in the episodes of the shows hosted on the IVM Podcasts network are solely those of the individual participants, hosts, and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of IVM Podcasts or its management. IVM Podcasts does not endorse or assume responsibility for any content, claims, or representations made by the participants during the shows. This includes, but is not limited to, the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information provided. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. IVM Podcasts is not liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of or in connection with the use or dissemination of the content featured in the shows. Listener discretion is advised.

The Punjab government recently shut down internet access which created a huge havoc in the state. This move was taken as its law and order wanted to chase the most wanted criminal Amritpal Singh. The move which was taken with the intention to continue for a short while has been unfortunately being in action in some cities and districts in Punjab for longer time now. Media bodies criticized this move, as over 27 million people were deprived of connectivity.  To discuss this joining Sidharth Bhatia on The Wire Talks is Internet Policy Expert, Namrata Maheshwari who works at Asia Pacific Policy Counsel at Access Now.  To know more about Namrata Maheshwari follow him on Twitter @NamrataM_ Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms. Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and statements expressed in the episodes of the shows hosted on the IVM Podcasts network are solely those of the individual participants, hosts, and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of IVM Podcasts or its management. IVM Podcasts does not endorse or assume responsibility for any content, claims, or representations made by the participants during the shows. This includes, but is not limited to, the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information provided. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. IVM Podcasts is not liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of or in connection with the use or dissemination of the content featured in the shows. Listener discretion is advised.

In the past few days, Mumbai has recorded the worst air pollution ever. City's air quality level has surpassed the alarming level recorded in the country's capital, Delhi. This led to India being ranked 8th spot of the most polluted country in the world. The research was conducted by a Swiss company IQAir. To discuss this, our host Sidharth Bhatia talks to Dr. Anju Goel on The Wire Talks. An expert in Air Quality Management at the Tata Energy and the Resources Institute in  Delhi. She is a fellow in TERI's Earth science and climate change; she studied at IIT Delhi and also has a PhD in her respective field. She is currently leading Clean Air Project focusing on 4 cities along with a team of 15 researchers.  During her conversation, Anju takes us through the techniques, measurements taken by other nations to control pollution, how not just urban but rural areas in India too faced pollution issues, will government's moves help reduce this ever-increasing pollution in the country and more.  Follow Dr. Anju Goel on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anju-goel-341a7060/ To know more about Neeraj Kumar follow him on Twitter @neerajkumarexcp Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms. Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and statements expressed in the episodes of the shows hosted on the IVM Podcasts network are solely those of the individual participants, hosts, and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of IVM Podcasts or its management. IVM Podcasts does not endorse or assume responsibility for any content, claims, or representations made by the participants during the shows. This includes, but is not limited to, the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information provided. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. IVM Podcasts is not liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising out of or in connection with the use or dissemination of the content featured in the shows. Listener discretion is advised.

Cricket is not a game, but religion in the country. BCCI, the body that has helped this game flourish in the country for years now, has become one of the richest associations in the world. Thus, giving to rise corruption and more unhealthy techniques to make a big moolah out of it. Later in 2015, former Police Commissioner, Neeraj Kumar was appointed as the chief advisor of the BCCI's Anti-Corruption Unit.  But did this move of BCCI, clean the dirt in the world of cricket? Well in his new book, A Cop In Cricket released in 2023, he pens down some candid chapters from his tenure between 2015-18. His account tells us this move of the BCCI to clean up the corruption, was just taken for granted. Tune into this episode of The Wire Talks as Neeraj unveils some unheard chapters in his conversation with Sidharth Bhatia.  To know more about Neeraj Kumar follow him on Twitter @neerajkumarexcp Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms.

On 21st February, Seattle emerged as the first city in the United States that explicitly banned discrimination on the basis of caste, after the city council passed an ordinance. The ordinance passed by council member Kshama Sawant introduced it termed as profound and historic. Kshama who moved to the USA to complete her Ph.D. in Economics, has served the council for a decade now, she talks about what makes people elect her, rent control, why taxes should be levied on billionaire bosses, how it helps society, and more.  Tune in to The Wire Talks with Sidharth Bhatia, as he talks in peaceful conversation with Kshama Sawant.   Find Kshama Sawant on Twitter  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms.

Income tax raid on the BBC office in New Delhi or rather survey as they are being termed, after a documentary on the Gujarat riots, has been in the headlines. This conveyed the message anything against the ruling government and the Prime Minister of the country, Narendra Modi will not be tolerated. In this episode of The Wire Talks, our host Sidharth Bhatia talks to Satish Jacob, former Deputy Bureau Chief, who worked with the BBC Network for a long period. During his tenure with BBC, he covered the Punjab Violence, the Blue Star operation and several significant incidents in the past. He shared his reactions on the Income tax raid on BBC, he gave his take on the questions raised on BBC's funds, and he also claimed the network is not a commercial organization.  Tune into this episode now.  Follow guest Satish Jacob on Twitter @jacob_satish Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms.

Hindenburg report released merely two days before Adani's public issue, caused a stir in the industry. Resulting in business tycoon Gautam Adani canceling the public issue despite it being fully subscribed. Meanwhile, the free-fall of stocks continued. This raised many questions in the stock market as well as amongst the politicians who questioned why SEBI did not look into the group of companies.  Answering and discussing all this and more is investment banker, PN Vijay in conversation with our host Sidharth Bhatia, on The Wire Talks. With over 50 years of experience in the stock market, PN Vijay worked with CNBC as a stock market expert and also worked as a national spokesperson for BJP on economics affairs. He starts by answering if short-selling is an unethical activity.  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms.

There was a huge sigh of relief in 2018 when the Government of India ruled against section 377. Sexual intercourse between same-sex couples earlier observed as a crime was debunked. But has it completely removed the stigma surrounding LGBTQIA+?  In this episode of The Wire Talks joining Sidharth Bhatia, is Sharif Rangnekar, former journalist, TEDx speaker, musician and public relation consultant. Coming out of the closet, he revealed it to his mother about his identity. Following this, he penned a book titled, Straight to Normal: My Life as a Gay Man, the book speaks about his battle for identity. Now his next book, Queersapien, takes it to the next level, diving further into his life. Tune into The Wire Talks, a socio-political podcast every Tuesday on the IVM Podcast and all audio streaming platforms. Follow our guest Sharif Rangnekar on Instagram and Twitter.  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms.

Indian politician and a member of the Indian Parliament, Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra is one of the most talked about event in the current times. Starting in September 2022 from Kanyakumari, heading towards the north, the motto was to bring the nation together. But was this the only motto of this Yatra and what did this event achieve in the political term.  Joining our host Sidharth Bhatia on The Wire Talks is Professor of History & global thought, Shruti Kapila. She claims Yatra is a political intervention and also has a connection with the upcoming elections. The duo also talks about the potshots taken at the leader during his Yatra. Shruti further recalls some of the iconic events in the past as Mahatma Gandhi's Salt Satyagraha & L.K. Advani's Rath Yatra.  Tune into The Wire Talks, a socio-political podcast every Tuesday on the IVM Podcast and all audio streaming platforms. Follow Shruti Kapila on Twitter. Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms.

Every 10 years, a massive number of people assigned by the government fan out to count the number of people residing in the country. This survey also includes studying citizens' incomes, the number of family members, property owned by an individual and more. This is the government's Census that has been implemented since 1872. However, the COVID- 19 pandemic pressed a pause button on it, and the census scheduled to take place in 2021 did not happen. To discuss this delay in the census, in this episode of The Wire Talks, our host Sidharth Bhatia, reaches out to journalist and columnist Pramit Bhattacharya. He is an acknowledged columnist for The Mint and The Hindustan Times. He has extensively studied Census, therefore who better than him to understand this delay and its effect on it?   Tune into The Wire Talks, a socio-political podcast every Tuesday on the IVM Podcast and all audio streaming platforms. Follow Pramit Bhattacharya on Twitter. Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms.

On 26th January 2023, India will mark its 74th year of the republic, with a grand parade in the capital. What does this day signify? Well, this was the day back in 1950, when the constitution of India, became into existence. Thus, forming many designations to look into the country's progress. One of these designations was of the Governor of the respective states of the country. However, lately, this designation has been in the news, for not-so-good reasons. So its time to evaluate?  Joining our host Sidharth Bhatia, on The Wire Talks, is Raju Ramchandran, the senior lawyer at Supreme Court. He has practiced for more than 45 years, he was also the additional solicitor general of India from 2002 to 2004. Gujarat Riots & Ajmal Kasab's case are a few of the cases in his portfolio. In this episode, he answers the significance of the republic day of India. During his conversation, he mentions back in time, it was the Congress government that introduced the chapter of fundamental duties during the emergency in 1975, elections commission, rights and more.  Further, he throws light on why the designation of a governor, came into existence. The governor was a link between the center and the states. Also what was the thought process between the governor being appointed or elected?  They spoke about the recent outrage against Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi following his speech, as he omitted some sections, during the state Assembly held on January 9, 2023.  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms.

The western part of Mumbai is far moreover desirable than its eastern seaboard. But this transition only happened 2 centuries ago, prior to that the eastern part of Mumbai was a hotspot for all the formal & informal gatherings, from the government bodies to a lot of spots of socializing were majorly in Eastern Mumbai. The western seaboard became a hot-selling cake only after Marine Drive was built, aka Queen's Necklace. Thus, giving rise to some iconic buildings many of which are still standing strong, introducing the citizens' to art decor and a new lifestyle. Leading many academics to study this massive transition. This week on The Wire Talks, joining Sidharth Bhatia, is Abigail McGowan, a professor at the University of Vermont. Our guest particularly focuses on what makes these architectural buildings in the western part of Mumbai, stand apart from the rest. Her book, Crafting the Nation in Colonial India, dives deep into how crafts seized the political imagination back in time, thus becoming fodder for debate for the present and future of the nation.  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media. You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms.

Another year has begun and this is a significant year for India. As it is the last year of the ruling government before the general elections. This year will see the political parties in power as well as in the opposition, revising their strategies to connect with their voters. To understand and decode how will this workout, joining our host Sidharth Bhatia on The Wire Talks is Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, journalist & author. Tune into this episode, as he makes some informed guesses as to how 2023 will unfold for the nation. Know more about the guest Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay on Twitter.  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram  You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms.

A film titled Gandhi released in 1982 helmed by Richard Attenborough, won several prestigious accolades and also introduced the iconic figure of India, to the younger generation. This was followed by many films, newsreels, and documentaries allowing the audience to know more about the Father Of The Nation. However, contrary to this, Mahatma Gandhi, himself didn't like films, as he thought the technology was distractive and harmful, claimed our guest. In this episode of The Wire Talks Sidharth is joined by Prakash Magdum, former director of the National Film Archives of India, civil servant and author. Our guest takes us through his journey about what intrigued him about Mahatma Gandhi and his perspective towards the films. Prakash titles the great leader as the 'Star of The Newsreels' era for the amazing fan following he developed across the borders in the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to this, he also talks about what made him write the book, The Mahatma on Celluloid.   Follow Prakash Magdum on Twitter.  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram  You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms. 

The Supreme Court recently raised a question on the government for hasty decision regarding the appointment of a new election commissioner. Arun Goel was appointed as the new Election Commissioner (EC) of India in recent times.  To discuss the same, joining our The Wire Talks host Sidharth Bhatia is S. Y. Quraishi. He has served as the 17th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, was appointed as the CEC as the successor to Navin Chawla in 2010 and had also served as a Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Follow S.Y. Quraishi on Twitter.  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram  You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website and all audio streaming platforms. 

A lot happened after Adani's acquisition of a certain percentage of the stake in NDTV. Our host Sidharth Bhatia of The Wire Talks is back after a short sabbatical with a big question. The question is will the acquisition get news channel to be in favour of the ruling party? Join him as he welcomes Narasimhan Ram, Former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu to discuss the same.  Follow N. Ram on Twitter.  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram You can listen to this show on The Wire's website, the IVM Podcasts website, app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS or any other podcast app. 

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida penned by Srilankan author, Shehan Karunatilaka, made him bag the Booker Prize, 2022. The delightful announcement was made on October 17, 2022, in a ceremony held in London. Thus, making him the second Sri Lankan-born author to take this prestigious award home. His novel as described in the ceremony, as "a searing, mordantly funny satire set amid the murderous mayhem of a Sri Lanka beset by civil war." The author was awarded this award, as our neighbouring healed from soaring prices of commodities that lead to a civil uprising. Tune into this fresh episodes of The Wire Talks to listen to our host Sidharth Bhatia's conversation with Shehan Karunatilaka here.  Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah andhttps://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. 

Today's episode of The Wire Talks has our host Sidharth Bhatia in conversation with Dr. Valli Arunachalam. The daughter of former Executive Chairman, MV Murugappan, is fighting against patriarchy and gender discrimination. She is the eldest daughter of the late MV Murugappan and the former Executive Chairman of the Murugappa group. During her conversation she states that for 120 years, the Murugappa Group has been operated by the sons, keeping daughters of the family out of the family business. The Murugappa group has wings spread in bicycles, sugar, abrasives, fertilisers, financial services, and manufacturing. Tune in to this episode to listen to her perspective and battle to get her seat in the family-operated business. Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah andhttps://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. 

Shiv Sena was formed by cartoonist Bal Thackeray in 1966. Its initial aim was to get Marathi speaking population in Maharashtra preferential treatment. Though the now late Bal Thackeray's headed party also stuck to the party being a non-Hindutva believer, it was in the 1970s when they began placing on weight Hindutva ideology. In this episode of The Wire Talks, Sidharth Bhatia talks to the journalist and Congress MP, Kumar Ketkar. Their conversation covers topics ranging from the inception of the political party, its alliances with other parties, Eknath Shinde's massive move in June 2022, leading to Uddhav Thackeray resigning from CM's chair and the party's future. Keep yourself updated by tuning into The Wire Talk on the IVM Podcasts networks every Tuesday. 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. 

A sudden disturbance was observed in the city of Leicester in the month of September 2022. As per cops following India's win at the Asia Cup 20 tournament against Pakistan, clashes were observed in Hindu & Muslim communities. This led to arrest of people. In this episode of The Wire Talks joining our host Sidharth Bhatia is Rohit K Dasgupta, Senior Lecturer in Cultural Industries, School of Culture & Creative Arts, University of Glasgow. Rohit interacts with Sidharth decoding these clashes and possible factors that gave rise to them. In addition to this, they also discuss the role of social media, as it spread disinformation regarding the Leicester violence attack. Keep yourself updated by tuning into The Wire Talks every Tuesday on the IVM Podcasts networks. 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.   

​Tune in to the latest episode of The Wire Talks as our host Sidharth Bhatia talks to Australian author and researcher, John Zubrzycki. The duo talks about the latter's recent book, The Shortest History of India. The book covers a wide range of topics right from the earliest humans to Harappan civilisation to the invasion of the country by Mughals and Britishers. His book is also documentation of the 5000 years of Indian history including mentions of colonisation to the Independence period. British historian John Keay says, "The Shortest History of India may be a one-day read but it's no small achievement. Nimbly navigating 5000 years of erratic documentation, Zubrzycki's narrative retains its poise, misses little and is a delight to read."  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.  

The recently released movie, Brahmastra starring Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor in pivotal roles remained in the news for varied reasons. This week on The Wire Talks Sidharth Bhatia is joined by filmmaker Nikkhil Advani. The director who has carved his niche in the industry with the films such as D Day, Batla House and more, shares his thoughts on movies. He answers how the audience’s taste in the movie is now more specific, 3 must-do for Hindi filmmakers, how the industry remains unorganized and more. He also shares if the political world has an impact on movie making business, Boycott campaigns and lastly how has COVID-19 pandemic affected the cinematic world overall. Keep yourself updated with the world happening by tuning into The Wire Talks every Tuesday on the IVM Podcasts networks. Follow Nikkhil Advani on Instagram and Twitter- https://www.instagram.com/nikkhiladvani and @nikkhiladvani respectively.  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.  

An independent judiciary is a crucial pillar of democracy, however, over the period of time, the perception has grown that institutions lean more towards the political establishments. In this episode of The Wire Talks, our guest Chander Uday Singh, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court, in conversation with our host Sidharth Bhatia, has spoken about it extensively. The duo discusses delay and procrastination being huge hurdles, and how they affected some of the prominent issues, and pending cases that required immediate attention. Keep yourself updated with the world happening by tuning into The Wire Talks every Tuesday on the IVM Podcasts networks. 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.  

Indian National Congress formed in 1885, ruled the nation for several years. However, since 2014, they experienced a decline in power with BJP winning the elections. On this episode of The Wire Talks, Sidharth Bhatia talks to Indian academic and political scientist Zoya Hasan regarding her book, Growing Polarization and the Decline of the Congress Party. The duo discusses the current scenario in the congress party, crises and its ways ahead. Keep yourself updated with the world happening by tuning into The Wire Talks every Tuesday on the IVM Podcasts networks. Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallahYou 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.  

It was noticeable of the right-wing outlet getting advertisements from the big companies and making a big moolah. Our guest today on The Wire Talks Nandini Jammi, co-founder of Sleeping Giants, studied this trend in the industry and came up with steps that left the advertisers stupefied. Her organisation led the advertisers to distance themselves from the Pro-Trump newsletters after the USA election of that particular year. Following her, Sleeping Giants venture, she now runs Check My Ads- Ad-Tech industry's watchdog. In this episode, Sidharth and Nandini discuss how the latter has taken this initiative to curtail the promotion of hate ads in the digital space and on television too. Keep yourself updated with the world happening by tuning into The Wire Talks every Tuesday on the IVM Podcasts networks.  Follow Nandini Jammi on Twitter @nandoodles 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. 

One of pharmaceutical companies spending 1000 crore to promote its paracetamol, Dolo has currently hit the headline. However, the company claims spending nothing more than 6-10 crore in marketing. However, it is no secret that Pharma companies being aggressive in pushing their products to doctors. From providing incentives, freebies, trips and much more, these pharma companies don't leave any stone unturned to make their product the top selling one. Joining our host Sidharth Bhatia on The Wire Talks this week is Dr. Sanjay Nagral, serving as Consultant Hepatobiliary Surgeon, Dept of Surgical Gastroenterology at Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai. The duo speaks about if these techniques harm or help the patients, massive promotional budgets' effect on the medical segment and the common man and more. Our guest also sheds light on the hospitals emphasizing patients to buy medicines from the hospital itself when a person is undergoing treatment or admitted. In this case how a patient is supposed to vest faith in the doctors? Don't forget to tune into this episode of The Wire Talks. Follow Dr. Sanjay Nagral on Twitter @sanjaynagral 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. 

In this episode of The Wire Talks host, Sidharth Bhatia is joined by Seema Chishti, a journalist-writer for three decades. The duo discusses inter-religious marriage back in time and now, with the help of Seema's new book, Sumitra and Anees: Tales and Recipes from a Khichdi Family. 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. 

Our National Flag came into existence keeping in mind the resemblance of courage and sacrifice (saffron), honesty, peace and purity (white) and faith & chivalry (green). But there were several controversies behind the emergence of our Indian National Flag. In this episode of The Wire Talks, let’s dive deep into the birth of our National Flag. Listen to our host Sidharth Bhatia in conversation with Professor Arundhati Virmani. Our guest Arundhati is an Indian historian and teaches at École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Marseille. One of her many books is A National Flag for India: Rituals, Nationalism and the Politics of Sentiment published in 2008. The book sheds light on the fact that the Indian flag strongly connects to the ethos of colonialism. Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallahYou 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. 

On several instances, people in India are asked to submit their unique identification cards such as PAN cards and Aadhar cards. However, there have been occasions when this private information is leaked into the public domain, thus leading to some misuse of this information. In this episode of The Wire Talks, our host Sidharth Bhatia talks to Apar Gupta. Founder of Internet Freedom Foundation, lawyer, activist and writer on technology from India. Apar gives his take on it. The duo talks about the Private Data Information Bill which was targeted to address this issue, however, was later withdrawn. Follow Apar Gupta on Twitter @apar1984 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. 

On The Wire Talks this week in conversation with Sidharth Bhatia is the Lecturer in International Relations at University of Oxford, Kira Huju. She spoke about her recently released paper, Saffronizing diplomacy: the Indian Foreign Service under Hindu nationalist rule.  Link to the article - https://academic.oup.com/ia/article/98/2/423/6522060 Follow Kira Huju on Twitter @KiraHuju 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. 

Recently when the Lok Sabha secretariat released a list of words to be banned in parliament, it created headlines in the political world. Words such as Jumlajeevi, drama, corrupt and more were banned from being used in the Parliament. The Indian politician and a member of the Indian Parliament, Rahul Gandhi took a dig at the current ruling party for the same. On The Wire Talks, our host Sidharth Bhatia talks to P. D. Thankappan Achary. An ex-officio administrative head of the Secretariat of the Lok Sabha, Achary explains the reason behind the ruling party releasing a booklet of the banned words and their pros and cons. So don't forget to tune in to the latest episode of The Wire Talks on IVM Podcasts. Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallahYou 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. 

This week on The Wire Talks hosted by Sidharth Bhatia, we have Manish Tewari, MP Sri Anandpur Sahib-Punjab, former Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Government of India and former MP Ludhiana Punjab. In this episode, we have our guest Manish Tewari giving us a round-up of what's happening in his own party (Indian National Congress), his stand on certain things which are distinctive and his take on the current political scenario. Following his opinion on Agnipath Scheme, when asked if this is a pathway out of the party, he replied, "And my stock answer has been, I will repeat it to you, that after having spend 42 years I consider it to be demeaning to be really be answering this question also." He shares his opinions about the upcoming organisational election and if Mrs. Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi will contest for it in any capacity. He speaks about the Congress party's journey from the time it ruled till now. Don't miss his answer when asked, "Once a congressman, always a Congressman?" He also adds about his recently released book, 10 Flashpoints 20 Years: National Security Situations that Impacted India. Tune in to this episode now. Follow Manish Tewari on Twitter @ManishTewari 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.

Tune in to listen to our The Wire Talks host Sidharth Bhatia in conversation with professor of History at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, R. Mahalakshmi. The duo decodes and talks about the ongoing Kaali movie poster controversy that has arrested the attention of the nation. Our guest speaks about the what lies behind this outrage and shares the mythological aspect of the deity of the Hindu culture. For the uninitiated ones, Leena Manimekalai's documentary Kaali's poster has a character portraying Hindu Goddess Kali, smoking a cigarette, holding a trident in one hand and the LGBTQ flag in the other. This poster has created a stir in the society. 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.

Is India inching closer to dictatorship in the current times? or is the country in an emergency without any declaration? This week on The Wire Talks, listen to our host Sidharth Bhatia in conversation with French political scientist and Indologist, Christophe Jaffrelot. Our guest has penned books such as MODIS INDIA: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy and India's First Dictatorship: The Emergency, 1975 -1977 and more. During their conversation, they discuss Christophe's perspective behind penning down these books. He adds how the current political ruling party has massive budgets for promotion, why one should study about politics has goes in between the elections phase and more. Tune in to this episode of The Wire Talks Follow Christophe Jaffrelot on Twitter @jaffrelotc 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.

Is the economics of the film industry changing? Has the audience become pickier when it comes to consuming films in theatres? Are OTT platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and others proving to be game-changing factors in the film business. In this episode of The Wire Talks our host Sidharth Bhatia decodes all these during his conversation with international award-winning film director and screenwriter Alankrita Shrivastava. She has written and directed three feature films - Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, Lipstick Under My Burkha and Turning 30. She has created the series Bombay Begums and written and directed for it. She has also written and directed for the series Made in Heaven. Most recently she has written and directed a segment for the series Modern Love Mumbai. Tune in to this episode to listen to Alankrita's opinion on the changing movie business. Follow Alankrita Shrivastava on Twitter @alankrita601 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. 

This week on The Wire Talks our host Sidharth Bhatia talks to writer, columnist, public speaker and educator, Aparna Piramal Raje. The former chats with her about her book, Chemical Khichdi- How I Hacked My Mental Health, where she spilled the beans about suffering from bipolar disorder. When asked why did she write the book and didn't she feel inhibited to let it out in the open she replied, "I wrote because we all want to tell our stories." She adds in today's time opening about your not-so-pleasant parts of our lives is called owning your truth.  She shares when she was suffering from bipolar disorders she was not in control of herself, experiencing some sharp highs and lows in her emotions. During the conversation, she takes us through her very first incident, followed by how she struggled and coped with it. Sharing about her uncharacteristic behaviour which left many mystified, she shared experiencing decrease in her sleep, being energetic, several thoughts about saving the world rushing her mind, eventually making life for the people around her difficult. She advocates in such phases family's support is of utmost importance. Follow Aparna Piramal Raje on Twitter, Instagram and her portal @aparnapraje, @aparnapiramalraje and www.aparnapiramalraje.com Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallahYou 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.

This week on The Wire Talks listen to our host Sidharth Bhatia in conversation with American Indologist Wendy Doniger. The episode unfolds her keen interest in the Indian tradition and the motto behind her book, An American Girl in India: Letters and Recollections 1963–64. During the interaction, Wendy Doniger shares that her mother gave her a book, A passage to India by E. M. Forster when she was 10-11 years old, which led to her developing interest in India and its tradition.In the chapters of her book, she has penned an incident when she fainted while she attended an animal sacrifice event, thus giving up on the thought of being an anthropologist, witnessing of Indo-Pak war in 1965 and more.  Recalling her days in India and why she decided to drape saree, she said, "When I first came to India, I wore my European clothes, I wore dresses and short skirts, and when men started staring at my legs because they weren't used to seeing women's legs at that time, so I started wearing saree and they are more comfortable."She further added adoring Ali Akbar more than Ravi Shankar. Through her books, she debunked myths in terms of politics and gave the readers a different perspective on it. Tune into this brand new episode now. Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram @bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallahYou 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.

Our guest on The Wire Talks is Ashok Vajpeyi, a Hindi-language poet, essayist,, who published over 20 books of poetries. A Sahitya Akademi Award winner; he was the former chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi India's National Academy of Arts, Ministry of Culture, Govt of India, 2008–2011. In this episode of The Wire Talks in conversation with our host Sidharth Bhatia, he spoke the Hindi language, and the challenges and victories of this language. He says, “Hindi is one of the most hospitable languages.” When asked if there is a readership when popular South Indian languages are translated into Hindi, he claims the readership in Hindi is limited. The Hindi literary world’s reaction to Geetanjali Shree’s victory, he mentions it was welcoming, but the negative reviews did exist. In addition to it, he shared about the challenges faced by beyond the borders created novel in the country, as government creates unavoidable hurdles. He speaks about being in favour of the Education Minister who recently gave a statement that there is no national language in India, which is a pluralist country. He feels the government should give equal opportunity to the regional languages as it gives to English. He added, “Language is more ancient than state,” says Ashok Vajpeyi. Listen to his opinions in this fresh episode of The Wire Talks here. 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.

Sri Lanka is in a bad state, as the country is suffering from severe inflation, scarcity of fuel, with things turning worse as the country also defaults with its international debts. Thus, causing turmoil in the social and political arena as well. It has resulted in countrymen protesting against the government and the Prime Minister of the country, stepping down from designation. In this episode of The Wire Talks, our guest Sasanka Perera who teaches sociology at South Asian University, New Delhi, helps us understand the crisis in Sri Lanka. When asked, our guest if he was shocked by the current state of Sri Lanka, he responded, after observing the situation for the last two years, it was likely to happen and added that the state of the country was not unknown. Our guest was the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences from 2011 to 2018 and the University’s Vice President from 2016 to 2019. His publications in English include Fear of the Visual? Photography, Anthropology and the Anxieties of Seeing (2020); Warzone Tourism in Sri Lanka: Tales from Darker Places in Paradise (2016); and Violence and The Burden of Memory: Remembrance and Erasure in Sinhala Consciousness (2015). Follow Sasanka Perera on Twitter @sasmester 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.

This week’s guest on The Wire Talks is Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, Navdeep Suri. In conversation with our host Sidharth Bhatia, he speaks about his passion for translation, especially of the novels penned by his grandfather Nanak Singh. During the podcast, Navdeep shares his grandfather being the eyewitness of the dark chapter of Indian history, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Further, he shares how his mother motivated him to translate his grandfather’s novel so that the stories penned by him, don’t remain restricted to the boundary of a state. Navdeep Suri reads the verses from his grandfather's book where he described about the Jallianwala bagh massacre, "5:30 sharp the clock had struck thousand gathered in the bagh my friends..." His English translations of his grandfather’s classic Punjabi novels have been published by Penguin as ‘The Watchmaker’ and by HarperCollins as ‘A Life Incomplete’ and ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’. His translation of the first of two novels on the partition of India in 1947 has been recently published as ‘Hymns in Blood.’ Tune into the listen to this episode. Follow Navdeep Suri on Twitter @navdeepsuri 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.

Taj Mahal or TejoMahalaya? Recently there was a stormy debate about whether the Taj Mahal is a Hindu Temple, Rajput Palace or mausoleum. In The Wire Talks, our host Sidharth Bhatia interacts with Rana Safvi to get more insights on it. Rana Safvi is a writer, blogger and translator. She has published eight books so far on the culture, history, and monuments of India. She has penned books- Tales from the Quran and Hadith, the Delhi Trilogy : Where Stones Speak, The Forgotten Cities of Delhi and Shahjahanabad the Living City of Old Delhi and A Saint, A Folk Tale and Other Stories: Lesser Known Monuments of India. She has translated both the editions of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's seminal work on Delhi -Asar us Sanadid, Dastan e Ghadar and four accounts of 19th and 20th century Delhi from Urdu to English. She is also a regular contributor to various national newspapers and magazines. Follow Rana Safvi on Twitter and Instagram @iamrana and ranasafvi. 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. 

Why did India drop from 142nd rank to 150th rank on the World Press Freedom Index produced Reporters Without Borders? Today in The Wire Talks episode our host Sidharth Bhatia talks to the journalist and a media freedom activist, Daniel Bastard, Asia-Pacific Desk at Paris-based global press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders and understands the same. Our guest shares about the freedom and limitations of the journalism world; and also states India is a deadly country for journalists. Follow Daniel Bastard on Twitter @danbast 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.

In this episode of The Wire Talks our host Sidharth Bhatia talks about the rise in communal violence in the story. He speaks about violence against minorities, especially Muslims, residing in the states ruled by the political party in power currently. Joining him in this conversation is Ashutosh Varshney, a Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences and Professor of Political Science at Brown University. He also directs the Center for Contemporary South Asia. He has penned books such as Battles Half Won: India’s Improbable Democracy (2013), Collective Violence in Indonesia (2009), Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life: Hindus and Muslims in India (Yale 2002), India in the Era of Economic Reforms (1999), and Democracy, Development and the Countryside: Urban-Rural Struggles in India (Cambridge 1995). Follow Ashutosh Varshney on Twitter @ProfVarshney 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.

This episode of The Wire Talks hosted by Sidharth Bhatia is graced by Joseph Sassoon, Professor of History and Political Economy and Director of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University. The episode unveils the secret of the Sassoon dynasty's rise and fall. They were one of the greatest commercial dynasties of the 19th century. The guest talks about Sassoon spreading their wings in the trade and political arena and more. Our guest Joseph Sassoon also speaks about his book, The Global Merchants: The Enterprise and Extravagance of the Sassoon Dynasty.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.

Communalism riots in Gujarat 2002 witnessed massacre, arson and protests, these riots are considered as one of the most gruesome riots in the history of India. Our guest on The Wire Talks, activist and documentary filmmaker, Manishi Jani gives insight about these spine-chilling riots in Gujarat that went to the new depths of horror and threat with our host Sidharth Bhatia. In this episode, Manishi Jani spoke about Godhra train burning, destruction of shops, houses, restaurants owned by Muslims in Ahmedabad, more and the aftermath of these riots. He adds Godhra train burning was termed as an accident by Railway commission, while conspiracy by Nanavati commission. He continues 150 litres of petrol was used in putting this train on fire, that resulted in the death of 59 pilgrims returning from Ayodhya. Manishi Jani states, “Being a muslim in Gujarat is being nobody”. Follow Sidharth Bhatia on Twitter and Instagram https://twitter.com/bombaywallah and https://instagram.com/bombaywallah Follow Manishi Jani on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manishijani 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.