Re:Orient

Recent political and economic upheavals have profoundly changed the world order. The relevance of veteran post-war institutions such as the UN are being questioned. New alliances are emerging as countries, especially those in the global south, are working towards securing their own interests. In this episode, Taimur Baig, Managing Director and Chief Economist at DBS Bank; foreign policy analyst C....

This is a challenging time for the social sector, which is reeling from global funding cuts. Organisations working in healthcare are particularly affected. In this episode, Vikram Patel, Paul Farmer Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School; Dr. Balakrishna Korgaonkar, Associate Director at The Global Development Incubator and Diwakar Mitt...

Can creative industries drive economic growth in South Asia? With automation threatening traditional employment sectors, this episode investigates the untapped potential of culture as an economic driver. From film and music to fashion and crafts, we explore how cultural industries can generate sustainable jobs, foster entrepreneurship, and even serve as a tool for soft diplomacy in the region. Fea...

If you're on the internet, you've made a Faustian pact - you have unlimited access to knowledge and information, and the ability to make connections in exchange for your data. With AI, the subject of data privacy has renewed significance. Tech companies freely and without permission use the vast amounts of data available online to train AI models. But do we care? Does it matter that we h...

South Asia is home to some of the most polluted cities in the world: with alarming death tolls, widespread respiratory illness, and growing concerns around equity, access, and resilience. Yet, despite the scale of the problem, responses across the region often lean toward adaptive fixes rather than long-term, preventive action.   In this episode, we explore how the clean air movement is being shap...

In an ideal scenario, a child’s educational journey begins in a classroom and culminates in an office. In school, the child acquires a solid foundational education, which equips her years later for a good job. That is the popular picture of success.  In an ideal world, this journey should be a pipeline delivering workforce-ready students. However in reality, the collective journey suffers pitfalls...

Welcome to Re:Orient, a podcast by Asia Society India and Dalberg that covers the most pressing issues in South Asia, from AI and education to air pollution and the changing geopolitical order. Over six episodes, we speak to educationists, policymakers, thinkers and experts to gather meaningful – and often surprising – insights.