Let's Talk About

Brigadier BK Ponwar, the Director of the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in Chhattisgarh, compares the Naxal insurgency to fish in a pond. He explains this analogy by giving examples from insurgencies in other parts of India, particularly the Northeast. Amit Bhardwaj also questions him about the alleged incidents of sexual assault by security forces on civilians. Tune in to this snipp...

In 1968, Narayan Singh Chauhan joined an uprising that was painting Indian jungles red. Joined by comrades from different parts of the country, he was there to fight feudal lords, emancipate the peasants and crush the state. In his three year-long involvement with the Naxalite insurgency, Chauhan was involved in multiple encounters and also admits to killing a revenue-collector. Tune in to this sn...

The word 'objectivity' has garnered increasing usage in the world of journalism in recent years. Yet, its meaning remains elusive to many. For some, it represents a method that must be followed by those who claim to present the truth to the wider world, while for others, it's a mental skill that allows for impartial and balanced judgment. Speaking to several prominent journalists and writers, Abhi...

Let's Talk About... has gone behind the paywall, but because we love our listeners, here's a sneak peak into the latest episode. Here's Let's Talk About: Privacy.  Privacy -- is it a personal or a policy issue? The dictionary defines privacy as a state in which one is free of attention and today, that state is harder and harder to achieve. Our privacy is often being invaded without us even re...

Let's Talk About... has gone behind the paywall, but because we love our listeners, here's a sneak peak into the second part of our deep dive into the Kashmir conundrum. This time, we look at the issue of protests and how they're quelled in one of the most turbulent parts of India. We speak to historians, military men who have served in Kashmir, Kashmiri refugees, journalists who have covered the...

It was once described by poet Amir Khusro as paradise on earth, but in the 21st century, Kashmir is better described as paradise lost. The conflict in Kashmir is perhaps the most complex issue of our times. From a northern kingdom to a region ravaged by insurgency, it has suffered generations of unrest and turbulence.   In the second part of Let’s Talk About… Kashmir, we speak to historians,...

This week, we launch our new, fortnightly podcast, Let’s Talk About. In this series, we bring you nuanced explorations into one subject in every episode. No short cuts, no crash courses, but a deep dive that offers you perspective. The first subject we consider is Kashmir, coveted by two countries and home to one of the longest-running insurgencies in the world. Abhinandan Sekhri tries to figure o...

It was once described by poet Amir Khusro as paradise on earth, but in the 20th century, Kashmir is better described as paradise lost. The conflict in Kashmir is perhaps the most complex issue of our times. From a northern kingdom to a region ravaged by insurgency, it has suffered generations of unrest and turbulence. In Let’s Talk About … Kashmir, we speak to military men who served there, y...