ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash

Monika Halan is a finance writer, speaker, and author who helps families make better money decisions. She is the founder of Dhan Chakra Financial Education and the author of the best-selling book Let’s Talk Money. She also serves as the Chairperson of SEBI’s Advisory Committee for the Investor Protection and Education Fund. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Halan explains why...

M.A. Ganapathy is a former NSG Chief and senior IPS officer with decades of experience in internal security, counter-terrorism, and policing. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Ganapathy breaks down ‘PRAHAAR’, India’s first national counter-terror policy, and explains what it means for the country’s security strategy. He talks about the lessons India can draw from the West Asia...

Pankaj Saran is a former diplomat with over 40 years of experience in foreign policy, strategy, and national security. He has served as India’s Ambassador to Russia and Bangladesh, Deputy National Security Adviser, and worked in the Prime Minister’s Office under Dr Manmohan Singh. He has also been posted at the Indian Mission in Washington, D.C. He is currently the Convenor of NatStrat, a Delhi-ba...

Manickam Tagore is an Indian National Congress MP representing the Virudhunagar constituency in Tamil Nadu. He serves as Whip of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha and is the All India Congress Committee in-charge of Andhra Pradesh. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he discusses the Opposition’s strategy in Parliament, the DMK–Congress alliance, actor Vijay, freebies politics...

Swaminathan Gurumurthy is the editor of the Tamil political weekly Thuglak. An auditor by training and an ideologue by conviction, he has spent decades at the intersection of economics, politics and civilisational debate. From his investigations into corporate power in the 1980s involving Reliance Industries to his critique of globalisation and role in shaping the intellectual ecosystem of the RSS...

Daniel Benaim served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the U.S. State Department. He previously advised President Joe Biden on West Asia policy and has worked at the White House and the U.S. Senate. He also wrote speeches for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other senior U.S. officials. He closely follows developments in West Asia and U.S. foreign po...

What lessons can India learn from the Iran war? How have drones proved to be a game-changer in modern warfare? How is Iran using ‘Shahed’ drones to carry out attacks on Israel and Gulf nations? How can Artificial Intelligence be integrated into defence systems? What impact could this conflict have on the global defence industry? How are Gulf nations looking at their security today? In this edition...

Kanwal Sibal is a former Foreign Secretary to the Government of India. He has served as India’s Ambassador to Turkey, Egypt, France and Russia, and as Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington DC with the personal rank of Ambassador. He was also a member of India’s National Security Advisory Board from 2008 to 2010. With over 41 years of diplomatic experience, he explains geopolitics and foreign affai...

Gautam Gambhir is the Head Coach of the Indian cricket team. Under his leadership, the team has won two major ICC tournaments — the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. He is the first Indian head coach to win two ICC trophies. Gambhir is also the most successful Indian cricketers in terms of trophies, both as a player and as a coach. In this edition of the ANI Podcast w...

Jon Finer is an international affairs expert and former Principal Deputy National Security Adviser to Jake Sullivan during the presidency of Joe Biden. Before that, he served in the White House under Barack Obama as a White House Fellow, working in the office of the Chief of Staff and the National Security Council. Finer was a foreign and national correspondent for The Washington Post. He reported...

Dr. Swasti Rao is a geopolitics and defence expert, commentator, and author. She is currently an Associate Professor at the Jindal School of International Studies and a Consulting Editor for Strategic and International Affairs at ThePrint. She explains key geopolitical and security issues from an Indian perspective. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, she discusses what could ha...

Ashish Chauhan is the MD & CEO of the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE). A technocrat from IIT Bombay and IIM Calcutta, he was part of the founding team that built the NSE. He is credited with bringing several key innovations to India’s stock market. He also served as the MD and CEO of the Bombay Stock Exchange for 10 years. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he speaks...

Abhinav Pandya is an author and scholar who has studied the concept of jihad in great depth. He has also advised the former Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik, on security matters. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, the conversation focuses on the challenges India faces as a target of global jihad. With what appears to be an emerging axis involving Turkey, Pakista...

From OTP scams and phone data leaks to AI misuse and digital warfare, how safe are we really? Cybersecurity affects you, your family, your workplace, and even the country you live in. Amit Dubey is a national security expert and cybersecurity specialist. He has worked closely with Indian government agencies and police departments on cybercrime investigations. In this edition of the ANI Podcast wit...

John Brittas wears many hats: parliamentarian, journalist, Managing Director and Chief Editor of Malayalam Communications Limited, which runs Kairali TV and Kairali News. He is currently the CPI(M) Parliamentary Party Leader in the Rajya Sabha. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he speaks about the decline of communism in India and across the world, and why the Left struggles t...

Karti Chidambaram is an Indian National Congress MP representing the Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he discusses the Parliament Budget Session, DMK-Congress alliance, Actor Vijay, freebies politics, money laundering investigations against him, and BJP’s presence in Tamil Nadu. He also addresses the Dhurandhar controversy and his alleged...

Nayab Singh Saini, the Chief Minister of Haryana, led the BJP to win a third term in the state, despite predictions of anti-incumbency against the party. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, CM Saini talks about the key issues shaping Haryana’s future, including farmers, job creation, and women’s safety. He also shares his vision for the development of Gurugram, focusing on bette...

Can gaming addiction push kids toward serious mental health crises? Does social media influence increase vulnerability to anxiety and depression in teens? To answer these questions, we are joined by Dr. Bhavna Barmi and Anshu Bedi. Dr. Bhavna Barmi is a Senior Clinical and Child Psychologist and the founder of Happiness Studio. Anshu Bedi is a teacher at Raghubir Singh Junior Modern School with ov...

Rekha Gupta is the Chief Minister of Delhi, following the BJP's return to power in the capital after 27 years. Her political journey began with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). She is an elected MLA from the Shalimar Bagh constituency and has previously served as General Secretary of the BJP Mahila Morcha in Delhi. She was also a member of the party’s national executive committee. In...

Neena Gupta is a versatile actress and author, known for playing a wide range of characters. She won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for 'Woh Chokri' and 'Uunchai'. Sanjay Mishra is loved for his humour and strong comic timing. He is well known for films like Golmaal, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Total Dhamaal, and Dilwale. He has also received praise for his serious roles in films like...

UGC Regulations 2026 are witnessing protests in North India with General Category students raising concerns that these rules could increase discrimination. They also worry about weak safeguards against false complaints and unclear mechanisms for addressing their grievances. What is the purpose and scope of the UGC Equity Regulations? Are the protests against the new regulations organic? How do the...

Rajeev Shukla is often described as one of India’s most well-connected public figures. Jokingly, many call him ‘Omnipresent’ Rajeev Shukla. Over the years, he has built friendships across political party lines and developed close ties with Bollywood stars, leading businessmen, and cricketers alike. In a career spanning nearly four decades, Rajeev Shukla has worn many hats. He began his professiona...

Indrani Bagchi is the CEO of Ananta Centre, a platform for dialogue, leadership, and public policy. She has many years of experience covering the Ministry of External Affairs and is known for explaining global events from an Indian point of view. Earlier, she served as the Diplomatic Editor at The Times of India. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Indrani Bagchi talks about how...

Gaddam Dharmendra is a former Indian Foreign Service officer who joined the service in 1990. He served in senior diplomatic roles for over three decades and was India’s Ambassador to Iran from 2019 to 2023. He is known for his deep understanding of West Asia, sanctions, and regional politics. Dr Waiel Awwad is a Syrian-born journalist based in South Asia who covers Middle East affairs. He has repo...

Sukanta Majumdar is a Lok Sabha MP from Balurghat and serves as Union Minister of State for Education and Development of the North Eastern Region in the NDA government. In this episode of The ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Sukanta Majumdar discusses the high-stakes politics of West Bengal ahead of the 2026 polls. He claims that Bengal government documents were found at Pratik Jain’s residence, wh...