Frontline Conversations

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Anita Rampal, Educationist and Former Dean, Faculty of Education, Delhi University, examines the NEET paper leak controversy, the growing power of the coaching industry, and the larger crisis surrounding India’s centralised entrance examination system. She argues that NEET and the National Testing Agency (NTA) have transformed education into a high-press...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Suhas Palshikar, political scientist and retired professor from Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, analyses the growing controversy around the delimitation debate in India, the recent defeat of a Constitution Amendment Bill linked to women’s reservation, and the larger political implications for federalism, representation, and democratic consensus....

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, sociologist, writer, and Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Royal Global University, Guwahati, Surajit Mukhopadhyay analyses the changing dynamics of the West Bengal Assembly election 2026, focusing on how identity politics has come to shape electoral outcomes in the State. Drawing on historical and sociological insights, he explains how Ben...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, part of a special interview series for Dalit History Month, acclaimed Tamil writer Bama reflects on over three decades of Dalit writing, the enduring legacy of B. R. Ambedkar, and the evolving realities of caste, resistance, and identity in India. She traces how Ambedkar’s call to “educate, organise, and agitate” transformed Dalit consciousness, while al...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, discusses the ongoing crisis in Gaza, the global response to the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the role of international institutions in addressing alleged war crimes and human rights violations. Drawing on her reports, field insights, and legal analysis, she...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, political strategist and former head of the AIADMK IT wing, Aspire Swaminathan, analyses the shifting dynamics of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election. Drawing on his experience in managing campaigns, setting up war rooms, and travelling extensively across the State, Swaminathan explains how what was once a clear two-front contest has evolved into a com...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, part of a special interview series for Dalit History Month, historian and MacArthur Fellow Shailaja Paik discusses her work on caste, gender, and Dalit women’s history in India. She explains how her research challenges dominant narratives by centring the lived experiences of Dalit women, whose voices have long been absent from mainstream archives. Paik s...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Felix Gerald, spokesperson for the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), discusses actor Vijay’s entry into politics and the party’s vision ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election. He explains how Vijay’s long-standing social work through Vijay Makkal Iyakkam has built grassroots support and argues that the current political momentum is not merely driven by...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Maidul Islam, Professor at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata, examines the growing communalisation of politics in West Bengal and its implications for the 2026 Assembly election. He explains how the rise of the BJP, the spread of RSS networks, and the emergence of localised Muslim political formations are reshaping Bengal’s political lan...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Manuraj Shunmugasundaram, national media spokesperson of the DMK, speaks about the key political narratives shaping the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election. The discussion centres on the DMK’s latest manifesto, the Rs.8,000 coupon scheme debate, and the broader ideological framework of the Dravidian model of governance. It also discusses whether welfare me...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, former Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy speaks about the political landscape ahead of the 2026 Puducherry Assembly election. The discussion looks into the performance of the BJP–N.R. Congress government, with criticism on governance, corruption, and the unfulfilled promise of statehood. He explains the alliance politics and electoral strategy, w...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, psephologist Arun Krishnamurthy joins Frontline to break down the evolving dynamics of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election. The discussion explores whether the State is moving beyond the traditional DMK–AIADMK binary and what the rise of Vijay’s TVK means for the political landscape. It looks at the role of women voters, Gen Z, and first-time voters, e...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Kovai Sathyan, National Spokesperson of AIADMK, speaks about the high-stakes Tamil Nadu Assembly election, the AIADMK strategy under Edappadi K. Palaniswami, and the party’s battle against DMK. He addresses key issues shaping Tamil Nadu politics today, from the debate over NEET and the impact of the 7.5% internal reservation for government school student...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, former MP and founder of Telangana Jagruthi, K. Kavitha speaks about the Delhi liquor case, her five months in Tihar Jail, and the personal and political fallout that followed. Reflecting on the court’s verdict discharging the accused, Kavitha raises questions about the use of investigative agencies in political battles. Kavitha also addresses the intern...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Physician-scientist and scientific consultant Dr Karishma S. Kaushik speaks about the realities of building a career in science—beyond awards, breakthroughs, and public recognition. Drawing from her book "The Real Deal", Kaushik reflects on the often-unseen side of scientific life: failed experiments, long periods of uncertainty, and the emotional resili...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, defence analyst, author, and director of the Force Institute, Pravin Sawhney, examines the rapidly escalating war in West Asia following US–Israel strikes on Iran, and Iran's retaliatory attacks across the region. He argues that the conflict is fundamentally a “war of survival” for Iran and contends that it is unlikely to lose so long as it preserves its...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, author and journalist Sanjoy Hazarika speaks to writer Samrat Choudhury about his latest book, "River Traveller: Journeys On The Tsangpo-Brahmaputra From Tibet To The Bay Of Bengal"—a sweeping blend of memoir, reportage, history, and river journey spanning Tibet, Northeast India, and Bangladesh. The discussion traces the 2,900-kilometre journey of the Br...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Rajya Sabha MP and CPI(M) leader John Brittas reflects on what may be the most consequential State election in India today: the Kerala Assembly Election 2026. As Kerala heads into a high-stakes contest, Brittas examines whether the Left Democratic Front (LDF) can retain power for a third consecutive term, what anti-incumbency really means on the ground,...

In this thought-provoking episode of Frontline Conversations, Professor Thomas Müller, who teaches at the University of Würzburg, reflects on one of the most fundamental yet elusive elements of social life: trust. Elaborating on his talk at the Madras Institute of Developmental Studies, Müller challenges the idea that trust can be planned, measured, or engineered in an age dominated by algorithms,...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, public intellectual and activist G. N. Devy explains why India’s upcoming caste census risks repeating a historic injustice by failing to properly count denotified and nomadic tribes (DNTs)—communities criminalised under colonial rule and still living with its consequences. Tracing the origins of stigma to the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, Devy details ho...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, filmmaker and theatre director Dakxin Chharra speaks about what it means to grow up in a community historically branded as “criminal”—and why that colonial stigma continues to shape policing, housing, cinema, and everyday life in India. Chharra discusses his journey from community theatre in Ahmedabad to founding Budhan Theatre, one of India’s most influ...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Author Asha Gopinathan speaks to Nandita Jayaraj about her book "Anna Mani: The Uncut Diamond", a biography of one of India’s most important yet overlooked scientists. The discussion traces the life and work of Anna Mani, a pioneering meteorologist whose contributions shaped India’s weather science, atmospheric research, and scientific instrumentation in...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, former Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat speaks about the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the growing controversy around large-scale voter deletions across several States. Drawing on his experience at the helm of the Election Commission of India (ECI), Rawat examines the legal basis of the SIR, the administrativ...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Vamsi Vakulabharanam, co-director of the Asian Political Economy Program and associate professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, unpacks how caste operates in Indian cities, often invisibly, but no less powerfully than in villages. Speaking from the Madras Institute of Developmental Studies, where he delivered a lecture on Caste...

In this episode of Frontline Conversations, writer and journalist Rudraneil Sengupta speaks about his debut crime novel, “The Beast Within”, a gritty, dark work of crime fiction set in Delhi. Drawing on years of crime reportage, Sengupta explains why fiction, rather than non-fiction, allowed him to capture the deeper truths of crime, policing, and the nature of evil. Sengupta discusses how his clo...