All Indians Matter

Did you know that warnings about the likely fate of the pilgrim town in Uttarakhand were issued in 1976, 2001 and 2006? But little was done as the town struggled under the weight of power and road projects, a pilgrim and tourist influx and unplanned construction. Today, it’s had to undergo an emergency evacuation as homes and roads crack and crumble. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indi...

What is ‘home’? What does it mean to belong to a place? Being forced to leave what you consider home can leave emotional scars that are handed down the generations. That is why the migration forced by Partition continues to evoke such strong reactions. India hasn’t treated all migrations equally. While the exodus on our western borders has been detailed and found expression in popular culture, the...

There have been too many incidents of flyers behaving shockingly in recent times – from urinating on women to brawling and making cabin crew cry. Why does such behaviour persist? One of the problems is that strong punitive action has been rare in such cases. There is also a theory that mental health issues, including soaring stress levels, entrenched during the COVID-19 pandemic haven’t gone away...

From powering immersive experiences to revolutionising the consumer experience, technology is transforming the Indian retail industry. How will technology shape the future for the consumer and the retail industry? Pramod Sudhindra, Partner - Technology Consulting at EY India, who’s working at the intersection of business, experience and technology, speaks to All Indians Matter. Learn more about yo...

As predictions of a recession or slowdown in advanced economies grow louder, India has reason to be concerned. Globally, 2022 witnessed the highest level of inflation in 50 years, the most aggressive monetary tightening in nearly 40 years and the strongest dollar in 20 years. India faces the prospect of costlier energy and commodities, slowing investment, even higher interest rates, and severely s...

The Indian news media are facing a credibility crisis. Naked bias, toxicity in presentation, fake reporting – these are just some of the ills plaguing the media as they do a poor job of asking questions of and speaking truth to power. This has coincided with a shrinking space for dissent. What can the news media do to restore their credibility? Are they even interested? Vasundhara Sirnate, politic...

The arrest of former ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar should make us focus on corporate governance. Don’t be under the false impression that it concerns only listed or large companies. Poor practices, across the corporate spectrum, add up and, in the end, impact you – the small shareholder, the small savings account holder, the corporate employee, the legitimate credit seeker. Please listen to...

Climate change and unusual weather events are hurting Indian agriculture. At particular risk are small farmers, who account for 85% of the farming population. All farmers urgently  need to de-risk themselves from climate change because it has implications on issues that impact our lives, from food security to economic growth. How can weather-predictive technology provide a coordinated methodology...

Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan is only the latest to sound a warning about slower economic growth next year. There are various reasons for this but, at a fundamental level, India hasn’t implemented the reforms it should have to support small businesses and manufacturing. With exports, especially, the lack of a stable policy is worrying. Slowing growth has a profound impact on you, from employm...

India’s creator economy is on fire, fuelled by easy content creation and consumption devices as well as cheap data access. But most of the revenues go to a small pool of creators, while the others struggle. What lies ahead for India’s creator economy? Will it continue to boom or will there be a reckoning? What about sustainable revenues? And how will its evolution as a marketing tool play out? Meg...

India has made several international commitments to shift to cleaner sources of energy. Yet, it continues to burn coal in ever increasing volumes and open up more mines. The domestic coal requirement is expected to rise to 1,018.2 million tons by 2031-32 from 678 million tons in 2021-2022 – an increase of 40%. India justifies this by pointing out that other fossil fuels are expensive and it needs...

The Centre is displaying a disturbing tendency to undermine federalism. For instance, increasing the monetary share of states in centrally sponsored schemes, imposition of demonetisation, outsourcing statutory functions of the Smart Cities Mission, delays in transfer of GST compensation, Government of National Capital Territory Amendment Act, etc. There is a concerted move to weaken states’ autono...

Ravish Kumar’s exit was to be expected after the Adani Group, which is close to the BJP, took over the channel. What does this mean for Ravish’s journalism? What did Ravish teach us about a duty that is increasingly under siege? And why does his voice matter? Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is estimated that 70% of Indians’ calories come from carbohydrates, most of them of poor quality. These include sugar, flour-based products, snacks loaded with starch, loaves of bread and white rice. Shockingly, the average Indian consumes an estimated 15 teaspoons of sugar in the form of juices, sweets, sugary drinks and snacks every day. What’s going wrong with our diet and how do we fix it?...

Two and a half years after his arrest, Elgar Parishad case accused Anand Teltumbde has finally got bail. But it’s been much delayed and a huge price has been paid for it. Activists and lawyers say the message from the government is clear: dissent will not be tolerated and the Dalit movement must be crushed. What does this say about the state of the nation? Please listen to the latest episode of Al...

There are an estimated 7 crore stay dogs and cats in India, and several other homeless animals. They face unimaginable cruelty – from maiming to sexual abuse – on a daily basis. In addition, India’s urban areas are not animal-friendly at all. What can we do to make life better for our animals? Animal rescue and rehabilitation veteran Aditi Nair, of the Mypalclub Foundation, speaks to All Indians M...

From the sensationalism in the coverage of the Shraddha Walkar murder to the shockingly insensitive memes and the brazen Islamophobia, we have failed to give her dignity in death and exposed our malfunctioning social compass. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The climate crisis is also a justice crisis. Across India, in the name of development, the government refuses to listen to communities most affected by climate impacts – tribals driven out of their forest homes for mining projects, rural populations who have seen their farm yields dwindle, riverine populations who’ve seen their rivers change colour and die due to industrial pollution. We won’t sol...

Nowhere is the impact of climate change more stark than in the plight of India’s internal climate refugees – those displaced and forced to migrate within the country due to extreme weather events, such as floods, landslides, droughts and forest fires. India is highly vulnerable to climate change with 80% of the population living in districts at risk of extreme hydro-met disasters. It is estimated...

The ‘Great Resignation’ is well and truly on. Several people are quitting their jobs, choosing to prioritise themselves, their passions or simply dump the traditional definition of achievement for whatever counts as happiness for them. A recent study said 86% of employees plan to resign this year with 61% willing to accept a lower salary or forgo a promotion for overall well-being and happiness. T...

For a rape survivor, the trauma is repeated time and time and time again. First, there is the assault itself. Then comes the trauma of reporting the assault to apathetic policemen. Then a long drawn out judicial battle. And amid all this, the victim also battles societal taboos and mindsets that blame the victim for the crime. No wonder it’s so difficult for rape victims to get justice in India. P...

Business leaders have been vocal about colleges producing engineers that are not industry-ready or employable. Indian engineering education falls short on various parameters, from a syllabus that does not include analytical or critical skill development to colleges being focused solely on their bottomlines. Dr Vijay Wadhai, who’s been principal and professor at reputed engineering colleges and the...

The collapse of the bridge in Morbi that killed at least 135 people is indicative of the quality of India’s infrastructure. There’s been a lot of emphasis on creating infrastructure, but it also fail frequently. That can result in tragedy and also be a drag on economic growth, business, investment and even social progress. Our creaking infrastructure desperately needs an overhaul. Please listen to...

The protests led by women, demanding the right to not wear the hijab and other freedoms, in Iran are being watched with great interest in India. In India, too, women are leading movements asserting their right to choose. This includes the right to wear the hijab in educational institutions. These might seem like contradictory protests but they’re not. At their core, they’re both about the freedom...

India’s religious and cultural diversity has huge economic significance. We have at least 51 festivals a year, 17 of which are nationally recognised. These festivals are a vital part of the overall economy, accounting for a large portion of the annual sales of especially consumer goods and have a huge role in keeping consumption and employment going in tough times like these. In the latest episode...