South Central

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the anti-vaccine statements made by billionaire Sridhar Vembu. In the second session, the hosts delve into the efforts of several governments, including Karnataka and Andhra, to implement a PPP model in the health education sector. The hosts are joined by Dr PV Ramesh, IAS, and Dr Sylvia Karpagam, a public he...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Anisha Sheth first discuss Kerala’s announcement that it has eradicated extreme poverty. They are joined by T.V. Anupama, IAS officer and Special Secretary, Local Self Government Department and Devaswom, and Freddy Thomas, Assistant Professor at the School of Law, Christ University. The discussion explores how families were identified, t...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Anisha Sheth first discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls across the country, and the controversies surrounding it. The hosts are joined by activist and psephologist Yogendra Yadav. In the second part of the session, the hosts discuss two High Court orders–from Kerala and Karnataka– that quash FIRs in sexual harassme...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Anisha Sheth first discuss the hijab controversy in Kerala, and whether it is a question of faith or the right to education. The hosts are joined by senior journalist Shahina KK and TNM’s Executive Editor Sudipto Mondal. In the second part of the session, the hosts discuss the newly announced Google data centre in Visakhapatnam, whether...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Anisha Sheth first discuss the Supreme Court’s acquittal of Dashwanth, convicted and sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a minor girl in Tamil Nadu. They are joined by Azeefa Fathima, TNM’s head of Breaking News. In the second part of the session, the hosts discuss the RSS’s centenary year and the outfit’s presence in the south...

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In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss whether the attack on the Chief Justice of India, BR Gavai, is more than what just meets the eye. Justice Gavai is the second Dalit CJI of India. The hosts are joined by Ajoy Ashirwad, Political Affairs Editor, The Wire, and veteran journalist K Venkataramanan. In the second part of the session, the hosts and...

This week, The News Minute's Dhanya Rajendran and Sudipto Mondal, and Newslaundry ’s Abhinandan Sekhri and Manisha Pande áre joined by senior journalist Josy Joseph for a special and South Central and Hafta crossover episode on the future of media. Josy begins the discussion by arguing that the decline of newspapers and television is accelerating, not only due to technology, but also because of a...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the controversy in Karnataka over the socio-educational survey, wrongly called the caste census. The hosts are joined by guests Anisha Sheth, TNM’s Karnataka Bureau Chief, and Shivasundar, writer and activist. In the second part of the session, the hosts discuss whether the price of movie tickets should be ca...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the safety of Indians abroad in the context of a surge in anti-immigration sentiments across Ireland, US, UK and more.  Joining them are guests Joyojeet Pal and Bharathy Singaravel. The second part of the discussion is on two court orders– one, on Reliance Vantara, which says no further complaints will b...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss the long legal process endured by Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and others who have been in prison without trial. The hosts are joined by lawyer and activist Shahrukh Alam and Poorna Ravishankar, lawyer and researcher whose focus area of study has been the Indian Constitution. In the second part of the discussi...

In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss K Kavitha’s resignation from the BRS and what it reveals about power, patriarchy, and BC mobilisation in Telangana, set against the Kaleshwaram probe and the CBI-consent twist. They are joined by Tara Krishnaswamy, Political and Policy Consultant, and C Vanaja, Senior Journalist & Founder, Mahua Media, to unp...

In this week’s South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna first discuss Anant Ambani’s Vantara project and how, under the guise of animal rescue, it may be hiding something far more sinister. They are joined by investigative journalist M Rajshekhar, who has looked into Vantara’s formation, investigating deep into the problems in law, compliance, and more. In the second part of the di...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath first discuss the ‘vote chori’ press conference by the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, issuing a seven-day ultimatum to Rahul Gandhi and anyone else casting doubts on the election process. Senior investigative journalist and Executive Editor of The Scroll, Supriya Sharma, joins them. In the sec...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath first discuss the conviction of former Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna in the first of four cases of rape against him. The panel, joined by TNM Karnataka bureau chief Anisha Sheth, weighs in on why the judgement is a milestone for survivors of sexual assault. In the second part of the discussi...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath first discuss the Bajrang Dal attack and consequential arrest of two nuns in Chhattisgarh-- Sister Preethi Mary and Sister Vandana Francis--both part of the Sister Assisi Mary Immaculate Convent. They are joined by senior advocate and founder of the Human Rights Law Network, Colin Gonsalves, who speaks ab...

In this week's episode of South Central, Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath discuss the life and legacy of V.S. Achuthanandan with environmentalist Sridhar Radhakrishnan and senior journalist Sreejan Balakrishnan. Then, they look at the recent gag orders related to reporting on Dharmasthala, and revisit older allegations and data on deaths in the temple town, with TNM’s Karnatak...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Leena Raghunath first discuss actor Vijay’s entry into Tamil Nadu politics. They are joined by senior journalist Kavitha Muralidharan and TNM’s Tamil Nadu bureau chief Shabbir Ahamed, who speak at length about whether Vijay will impact the state’s politics and if his party’s followers, who are predominantly fans of his films, are politic...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath discuss the Vijay Mallya podcast and why political patronage for big businessmen is detrimental. Joining them is senior business journalist Sucheta Dalal. In the second discussion, the hosts delve into the Bharat Mata image controversy in Kerala and the impact of university VCs and Governors endorsing suc...

In this episode of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath discuss the tussle between DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah over the state’s Chief Minister-ship. Professor Chandan Gowda joins them to unpack what this will mean for the state’s politics. In the second half, activist Shivasundar joins the hosts for a discussion on the hypocrisy of the RSS with respect to c...

In this episode of South Central hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Leena Reghunath discuss the censorship on director Honey Trehan’s film ‘Punjab95’, based on human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and what the UDF’s win in the Nilambur polls in Kerala means for the state’s politics. Guests Honey Trehan, Amandeep Sandhu, and MG Radhakrishnan weigh in. All this and more—tune in. Audio Timecodes ...

In Episode 32 of South Central, Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna speak with journalist Sivapriyan ETB about why the Keezhadi excavation challenges the Union government’s narrative and how the DMK is politicising it ahead of 2026. In the second half, lawyer Rohin Bhatt and journalist Leena Reghunath join to discuss the Sonam Raghuvanshi murder case in Meghalaya and what it reveals about caste, p...

In Episode 31 of South Central, singer Chinmayi Sripaada joins hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath to talk about her years of isolation after speaking out against sexual harassment in the Tamil film industry. From being unofficially banned despite hit songs to the emotional impact of her recent Thug Life performance, Chinmayi reflects on what it means to be remembered again...

In this episode of South Central hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath discuss the tragic stampede that occurred in Bengaluru during RCB’s post-win celebrations, and Kamal Haasan’s comment on Kannada’s origin. They are joined by journalists Venkat Ananth, Anisha Sheth and Professor Purushothama Bilemale.  Audio timecodes 00:00:00- Introduction 00:03.43 - Headlines 00.5.4...

In Episode 29 of South Central, hosts Dhanya Rajendran, Pooja Prasanna, and Leena Reghunath discuss the dichotomy of the BJP’s Muslim-messaging within India and abroad. In the second section, they also talk about whether art can be truly separated from the artist. Joining the discussion are The Wire’s editor Seema Chishti, Musician TM Krishna, and senior journalist Anna MM Vetticad. Once a month,...