ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash

Tilak Devasher is the author of four widely acclaimed books on Pakistan and a former member of the National Security Advisory Board. He lives and breathes Pakistan, closely tracking its politics, military, and society. Uttam Kumar Sinha is a scholar and commentator on transboundary rivers, climate change, and the Arctic. He is a Senior Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies an...

Rahul Bajoria is the Head of India and ASEAN Economic Research at Bank of America (BofA). In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Rahul Bajoria discusses the impact of falling rupee, inflation, foreign investment, AI's impact on jobs, and what lies ahead for the Indian economy. He also explains why strengthening India's energy security is essential to protecting the economy from fut...

Talmiz Ahmad is one of India’s most experienced diplomats, with decades of work across West Asia, the Gulf, and global strategic affairs. A former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the UAE, he has watched world politics change from the front row. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he says Benjamin Netanyahu misled Donald Trump by promising a quick victory in Iran, only for...

Pathikrit Payne has over 20 years of experience in journalism and policy analysis. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation. Sanjay Bhardwaj is the former Chairperson of the Centre for South Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University's School of International Studies. He specialises in India's foreign policy towards its neighbours, including Bangl...

From Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to Punjab, political equations are shifting across India. Is Prime Minister Narendra Modi still the defining force in Indian politics? Can Rahul Gandhi transform the Congress into a credible alternative? What role will regional parties play in shaping the next phase of Indian democracy? And is India moving towards a two-coalition political system? In this episode...

Reuven Azar is Israel's Ambassador to India. A career diplomat, he has held several key positions in Israel's foreign service and has been closely involved in shaping his country's foreign policy and international relations. In this edition of the ANI Podcast, Reuven Azar speaks to Smita Prakash about the Iran–U.S. peace deal, Israel's position on Lebanon, the future of the Middle...

Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran is the Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India. He is also a writer, author, and teacher. He has taught at several business schools and management institutes in India and Singapore. He was a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India from 2019 to 2021. In this edition of the ANI Podcast, Dr. Nageswaran speaks to Smita Prakas...

Pawan Kalyan is the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, the founder and chief of the Jana Sena Party, an actor, and a philanthropist. He is the younger brother of Telugu cinema megastar Chiranjeevi. Over the years, he has carved a unique place for himself in Andhra Pradesh politics and has become one of the biggest stars in Telugu cinema, with a devoted fan following that extends far beyond t...

Neelkanth Mishra is an Economist and a part-time member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. He has recently been appointed India’s Executive Director at the World Bank. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Mishra breaks down India’s current economic position amid the West Asia crisis. He discusses the impact of the falling rupee, energy problem, capital flows,...

Dr Shamika Ravi is a Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and a Secretary to the Government of India. Her research focuses on development economics, with a special emphasis on finance, healthcare, urbanisation, gender equality, welfare, and poverty. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Dr Shamika Ravi discusses how the West Asia crisis impacts India's...

Indrani Bagchi is the CEO of Ananta Centre, a platform for dialogue, leadership and public policy. She has spent many years covering India's Ministry of External Affairs and is known for explaining global events from an Indian perspective. Prof. C. Raja Mohan is one of India's leading experts on foreign policy, national security and international relations. He has taught at major universit...

In the latest edition of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, we are joined by Kuldeep Mishra, better known as Sardar, the Executive Editor of The Lallantop; Asif Khan, fondly known as Khancha, the Executive Editor of India Today Group Digital; and Kamlesh Singh, or Tau, a senior journalist and columnist. Together, the trio host Teen Taal, one of India’s most popular Hindi podcasts. From hostel tales a...

Major SPS Oberoi (Retd.) served as an Artillery Officer in the Indian Army for 11 years. He is currently a UPSC mentor and Academic Director at Ekam IAS Academy, Hyderabad. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Major SPS Oberoi (Retd.) shares his journey from serving in the Army to becoming a UPSC mentor. He challenges the popular belief that the UPSC is the toughest exam in India...

From Tejas fighter jets and the AMCA programme to drones and missile systems. India is pushing aggressively towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing. Can India truly become “Aatmanirbhar” in defence? Or is complete self-reliance impossible in a world dependent on global supply chains? What role will private companies play in India’s growing drone ecosystem? In this episode of the ANI Podcast...

In this edition of ANI Podcast, Smita Prakash speaks to India’s first female Dastango, Fouzia Dastango, about Urdu, theatre, storytelling, women in traditional art spaces, and her journey of keeping the 16th-century art of Dastangoi alive in modern India. She explains why people should not have any problem with her reciting the Ramayana and Mahabharata in Urdu, and how the art of storytelling must...

Geetam Tiwari is an Emeritus Professor at the Transportation Research & Injury Prevention Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. She has over 25 years of experience in transportation planning, road safety, and urban mobility. Her work focuses on safer roads, better footpaths, bicycle infrastructure, and protecting pedestrians. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, she t...

Dr Arvind Gupta is Director of the Vivekananda International Foundation and a former Deputy National Security Advisor of India. Ambassador Veena Sikri is a former Indian diplomat who served as High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Malaysia, with decades of experience in foreign policy. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, the discussion focuses on how the global power structure is...

The much-awaited episode of The ‘Real’ Samosa Caucus – Edition 8.0 is here, packed with raw, uncensored, and no-holds-barred conversations. Joining the panel are: Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow at ORF Tehseen Poonawalla, TV personality and political analyst Anand Ranganathan, author and scientist Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies This episode discusses...

In this live session of the ANI Podcast, the guests discuss the lessons India has drawn from the Iran war and the learnings from Operation Sindoor as it completes one year. The conversation explores military readiness, evolving threats, and the role of technology and strategy in shaping India’s defence posture. Participants Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow, ORF Tilak Devasher, Author; Former Member,...

Sanjeev Kapoor is one of India’s most well-known chefs, authors and entrepreneurs. From ‘Khana Khazana’ to global restaurants, and from cookbooks to food innovation, he has influenced how India looks at cooking and flavour over the last few decades. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Chef talks about how eating habits in India are changing, with busy lifestyles and ready-to-eat...

Vikas Tiwari, also known as Ranu Tiwari, runs the YouTube channel Bastar Talkies. He has helped over 200 Naxals surrender and return to mainstream society. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he talks about how Naxalism began in Chhattisgarh, the challenges of reporting from Bastar, and the goal set by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to make India Naxal-free. He was awarded the Ra...

India’s financial markets are going through a complex global situation, shaped by changing geopolitics and shifts in domestic growth. To help us understand what lies ahead, the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash is joined by one of the most respected voices in the investment world, Nilesh Shah, Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company. He is also a part-time member of the Economic...

In this episode of ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, we take a deep dive into Women’s Reservation Constitutional Amendment Bill, which was defeated in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026. Joining the conversation are Varghese K. George, resident editor at The Hindu, and Swapnil Tripathi, lead at Charkha (Centre for Constitutional Law) at Vidhi. Together, they explain what the bill aimed to do and why li...

Kangana Ranaut is a BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi and an actress known for speaking her mind. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, she shares her journey in Bollywood and reflects on whether her bluntness has cost her opportunities in the industry. She also speaks about her controversies with Karan Johar and her ‘tapori’ remark on Rahul Gandhi. The conversation covers the...

Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor (Retd) has served as the Director General (Inspection and Safety) of the Indian Air Force. He has also held the position of Commandant at both the Air Force Academy and the National Defence Academy. With over 7,800 hours of incident-free flying on various trainer, transport, and strategic aircraft, he is considered one of the stalwarts of Aerial Refuelling Operations in...