BIC TALKS

As conflict erupts in West Asia, the consequences are rippling across the globe, threatening to reshape the international order in ways not seen in decades. This session will bring together experts to explore the geopolitical, economic, and security implications of this crisis for the world and, for India. With deep insights from Ranjan Mathai, former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to Israel, an...

By the canons of orthodox social science, countries like India are not supposed to have an environmental consciousness. They are, as it were, "too poor to be green." In his new book,  Speaking with Nature,  Ramachandra Guha challenges this narrative by revealing a virtually unknown prehistory of the global movement set far outside Europe or America. Long before the publication of Rachel Carson's ...

In 2018, Rahul Bhatia left his job as an investigative reporter to understand the necessity of the Aadhaar project. But over time, as he explored its roots, questions about citizenship and belonging began to grow louder in public life, culminating in extreme violence in New Delhi. As this happened, he discovered that India's technological identity project was linked to a cultural identity project...

This discussion will explore how the Constitution of India frames the concept of economic freedom. We often think of the constitutional guarantee of freedom in terms of the freedom of speech and expression. This discussion moves beyond this framing to examine the oft-ignored aspect of economic freedom for individuals and organisations. The panellists will discuss the balance between state interven...

In this session, Kunal Shah, Founder of CRED, and Archana Rai, Senior Editor at The Economic Times, will explore the exciting journey of India's startup ecosystem. They will discuss how consumer practices in India have evolved, from e-commerce to the rapid growth of quick commerce, and how startups are adapting to meet these changing demands. The conversation will also highlight the importance of...

A discussion based on the book Poles Apart: The Military and Democracy in India and Pakistan . This session delves into the starkly different roles played by the military in the political landscapes of India and Pakistan, and how these choices have shaped the democratic trajectories of both nations. While Pakistan's history is marked by frequent military interventions that have hindered its democr...

What does the life of an ordinary working-class Indian look and feel like? Join us for a panel discussion discussing this and more with the author of  The Many Lives of Syeda X  Neha Dixit and commentator and editor Priya Ramani. In her book  The Many Lives of Syeda X   journalist Neha Dixit traces the story of one such faceless Indian woman, Syeda X, from the early 1990s to the present day. What...

Every day we hear something unusual. A fire here, a flood there, a storm surge, a cloudburst. These events affect all of us, our well-being, our health, our family, our work. Their frequency and intensity are increasing. Fortunately, however, we no longer lack explanations for these events. We know fossil fuels and the destruction of Nature by us humans are the primary reasons for the alarming acc...

Abu Abraham's career as a cartoonist, columnist and artist spanned over 50 years, from the late 1940s to the early 2000s, during which his work appeared in a range of newspapers and magazines in India and the UK. Throughout this period of significant political change and upheaval, he critically responded to the political landscape, producing a rich and complex oeuvre that reflects these shifts. Th...

Democracy, representing the will of the people, is the least imperfect form of government in the present day world.  Yet even this will of the people can't  remain unfettered, for without constitutional limits,  democracy is often distorted. What then are the challenges to India's constitutional democracy? In this episode of BIC Talks, Rajeev Bhargava, Founder-Director, Parekh Institute of Indian...

What went wrong with capitalism? Ruchir Sharma's account is not like any you will have heard before. He says progressives are right, in part, when they mock modern capitalism as "socialism for the rich." For a century, governments have expanded in just about every measurable dimension, from spending to regulation and the scale of financial rescues when the economy wobbles. The result is expensive...

HS Shivaprakash's new book of poetry,  ಮಹಾಕಾಲ | Mahakala , consists of poems that articulate experiences beyond the time of history and the time of the unconscious. Written during home confinement following the covid tragedy, these poems seek to break out of the paralyzing hold of historical time to rearticulate still time, and also express the light and beauty of the spirituality hidden away in t...

Magsaysay Award-winning social activist Aruna Roy's memoir is the story of two parallel journeys—a fifty-year-long engagement with public action in India, and a personal narrative that traces how the author has striven to convert her ideological convictions into practice. For long decades, Aruna Roy has lived with and worked for the benefit of marginalised communities in rural India, fighting for...

In the early 1970s, India was experiencing severe poverty and hunger due to the great droughts of the previous decade. Although the Green Revolution was starting, agriculture and rural issues were largely ignored by urban residents and the media. Reports on monsoons, crops, and prices were seldom highlighted, lacking the appeal for widespread attention. Significant studies like those by V M Dandek...

The mandate of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was claimed as a victory by both the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Even though BJP's brute majority in the Lok Sabha was dented, the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a third consecutive term was portrayed as a stupendous victory by suppo...

This discussion is set in the context of the recent ruling from the Karnataka High Court that limits public protests in Bangalore to a designated space within one park in the city, that too subject to police approval. It aims to explore how art can serve as an alternative medium for voicing dissent and fueling public discourse. The panel will discuss the ramifications of the Court's ruling and its...

Wild Women: Seekers, Protagonists and Goddesses in Sacred Indian Poetry  [Penguin India, 2024], edited by poet and seeker Arundhathi Subramaniam, is a new anthology of compelling women mystics in Indian literature. These poems are the cries of women who refused, quietly, and sometimes not so quietly, to be bullied into submission. Women who surrendered not to the authority of the world, but to the...

In the final episode of  Safe Spaces , we unpack gender identity and sexuality in adolescents, the elderly, and people with disability. In our society, discussing sexuality openly with family, friends, and peers has often been taboo, shrouded in misconceptions and stigma. Many of us experience shame, guilt, and embarrassment when it comes to sexuality and intimacy, and we may not know how to engag...

In the third episode of  Safe Spaces , we discuss a commonly misunderstood reality — child  sexual development. We also look at child sexual abuse and restorative practices that can lead children to grow into more balanced, healthy adults. In our society, discussing sexuality openly with family, friends, and peers has often been taboo, shrouded in misconceptions and stigma. Many of us experience s...

In the second episode of  Safe Spaces , we take a look at the factors that shape our beliefs and behaviours in the bedroom. Join Dr. Sangeeta Saksena and host Anishaa Tavag as they explore how societal norms and misconceptions about gender have developed over time, setting the stage for a deeper understanding of contemporary issues in sexuality and gender equity. In our society, discussing sexuali...

In the premiere episode of Safe Spaces , we delve into the history of human evolution to uncover the roots of gender bias. Join Dr. Sangeeta Saksena and host Anishaa Tavag as they explore how societal norms and misconceptions about gender have developed over time, setting the stage for a deeper understanding of contemporary issues in sexuality and gender equity. In our society, discussing sexualit...

The Great Flap of 1942  is a narrative history of a neglected and scarcely known period—between December 1941 and mid-1942—when all of India was caught in a state of panic. This was largely a result of the British administration's mistaken belief that Japan was on the verge of launching a full-fledged invasion. It was a time when the Raj became unduly alarmed, when the tongue of rumour wagged wild...

At the start of his career as sub-collector of Parvathipuram sub-division in north-coastal Andhra Pradesh way back in 1974, Subbarao learnt – the hard way – that tribal development requires more than enthusiasm; it requires most of all an understanding of poverty. Nearly forty years later, in 2013, as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India in the midst of a fierce exchange rate crisis, Subbarao...

In this episode of BIC Talks, Author & Historian- Hindol Sengupta discusses the relevance of a relatively lesser-known but fundamental text of the Advaita Vedanta School of Hinduism called the Ashtavakra Gita at a time of global conflict. It will focus on the personal experience of the transformative and redeeming power of the text amidst the turmoil, grief, and uncertainty that is the fate of hum...