The Discover India Podcast by Professor Pankaj Jain: Bhārat Darśan

Raja Parva is a unique festival from Odisha that treats the Earth as a living, feminine being. During this time, farming stops and women rest, symbolising the Earth’s menstrual cycle. Long before the term ecofeminism existed, Indian traditions, such as the Raja Parva, connected women, nature, care, and sustainability. This short explores how indigenous Indian festivals offer ecological wisdom for...

Kavi Pradeep, born Ramchandra Narayanji Dwivedi in Badnagar, Madhya Pradesh, became one of India’s most influential patriotic lyricists. His 1943 song “Door Hato Ae Duniya Walo,” from the film Kismet, angered the British Raj and reportedly prompted attempts to arrest him. Two decades later, “Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon,” sung by Lata Mangeshkar, moved Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru totears. In 1997,...

Albert Einstein openly admired Mahatma Gandhi and believed he represented the moral future of humanity. This short explores why one of the world’s greatest scientists saw Gandhi as proof that ethics, restraint, and Dharma matter more than power or weapons.#gandhi#einstein#gandhiandeinstein#mahatmagandhi#alberteinstein#dharma#nonviolence#ethicsinscience#historyofideas

On 30 January, India commemorates Mahatma Gandhi and the ideals he championed. Mani Bhavan in Mumbai, where Gandhi lived and worked from 1917 to 1934, offers a quiet space to reflect on satyagraha, nonviolence, and ethical leadership rooted in Dharma. This modest house shaped India’s freedom movement and later inspired global leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama. For M...

India today stands as a global knowledge powerhouse. It leads in social media and AI adoption, with the largest user bases on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, ChatGPT, and Grok. Supported by one of the world’s cheapest data rates, this digital penetration fuels innovation and connectivity. At the same time, India boasts the most significant number of newspapers and TV news channels, re...

In Western music, microtonality usually refers to minute intervals smaller than a semitone and is often seen as a unique and experimental practice. However, in Hindustani classical music, these subtle pitch movements are not rare or unusual; they are part of common musical expression. This talk explores how Hindustani musicians use delicate shifts in notes (Swaras) to bring music to life, make phr...

Rezang La, 1962, is one of the most powerful chapters in Indian military history. This short documentary-style video remembers the legendary story of 120 Bahadur of the Kumaon Regiment and the unmatched leadership of Major Shaitan Singh, who was honoured with the Param Vir Chakra. Their sacrifice later inspired the iconic film Haqeeqat. His legacy lives on even today, with a village near Jodhpur n...

This lecture offers a fresh and critical reinterpretation of Swami Vivekananda, moving beyond popular inspirational narratives to examine his role as a knowledge thinker within Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS). Rather than viewing Vivekananda only as a religious reformer or spiritual orator, this talk reframes him as an epistemic innovator who challenged colonial ways of knowing, reasserted Vedanta...

In this video, we explore Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15, known as Purushottama Yoga, where Krishna explains the famous inverted tree of life and the deeper meaning of human existence. What does the upside-down ashvattha tree really represent? How can one cut the roots of attachment and reach the highest reality? We discuss the perishable and imperishable aspects of existence, the role of the individual...

Why do mothers worship the cow on Sakat Chauth? This short explains the deeper Dharmic meaning behind Gau Pūjā—where motherhood, ahimsā, and ecological responsibility come together. In Dharma traditions, prayer is not just asking; it is an ethical action. Feeding and protecting life becomes a way of protecting the future. Sakat Chauth shows how Dharma links personal devotion with care for land, wa...

Kohra (1964) is one of the most atmospheric and intellectually rich mystery films of classic Hindi cinema. Starring Waheeda Rehman and Biswajeet, directed by Biren Nag, written by Dhruva Chatterjee, and produced by Hemant Kumar, Kohra stands apart for its haunting visuals, psychological depth, and poetic suspense. Inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca , the film transforms a Gothic Western novel...

राज कपूर की अंतिम निर्देशित फ़िल्म राम तेरी गंगा मैली केवल एक प्रेम कहानी नहीं है। यह फ़िल्म गंगा नदी की यात्रा के माध्यम से भारत की आत्मा, नैतिकता और पर्यावरणीय चेतना पर गहरा प्रश्न उठाती है। इस वीडियो में हम फ़िल्म को एक सिनेमैटिक और वैचारिक दृष्टि से समझते हैं — गंगोत्री की निष्कलंक पवित्रता से लेकर ऋषिकेश, वाराणसी, कोलकाता और अंततः गंगासागर तक की यात्रा को प्रतीकों और रूपकों के माध्यम से देखते...

Badshah Khan – The Frontier Gandhi Who Built the World’s Largest Nonviolent Army | Indian Freedom Hero Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan — known as Badshah Khan or the Frontier Gandhi — was one of the greatest champions of nonviolence in world history. From the rugged mountains of the North-West Frontier Province, he created the Khudai Khidmatgar, the largest nonviolent army the world had ever seen. He spen...

In this lecture, Dr Pankaj Jain, Professor and Head of Humanities & Languages and Director of The India Centre at FLAME University, explains the Ten Theories of Religion used across anthropology, sociology, psychology, and phenomenology. Drawing on global scholarship and Indian traditions, the lecture examines how religion functions, why humans practice it, and how Dharma shapes culture, ethic...

Jawaharlal Nehru’s The Discovery of India is often celebrated as a masterpiece of modern Indian thought. But what did Nehru really “discover”? In this video, we critically examine how Nehru reinterpreted India’s ancient civilisation through a Western rationalist lens — admiring spirituality but filtering it through the lens of science and modernity. Was his India rooted in dharma, or in modern lib...

FLAME University's India Centre hosted the 37th webinar on India Studies, featuring Dr Shylaja B S., Visiting Scientist, Bangalore Association for Science Education, Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bangalore. Titled 'Ancient Indian Astronomy - efforts to achieve the right model of planetary motion,' the talk will outline the methods used by Indian astronomers to predict planetary positio...

R. K. Narayan’s The Guide remains one of the most powerful stories in modern Indian literature—an exploration of love, ambition, morality, and transformation. In this video, I trace Raju’s incredible journey: from a charming tourist guide to a selfless guru for life. We’ll examine the climactic fasting scene, his spiritual awakening, and the symbolic rain that signifies redemption. I also discuss...

Several Indian religious traditions associated with Vedānta offer conflicting descriptions of the ultimate reality, Brahman. A prominent example is found in the Bhedābheda Vedānta tradition, which posits that Brahman is both different (bheda) and non-different (abheda) from the world and individual selves. At first glance, this appears to be a contradictory statement. However, most Bhedābheda Vedā...

Vanshidhar Shukla – The Poet Who Awoke a Nation 🇮🇳 | Gandhian Freedom Poet | #VandeMataram When India was bound in colonial silence, one poet’s voice rose like a call to awakening — Vanshidhar Shukla . A devoted follower of Mahatma Gandhi, Shukla transformed poetry into a movement. His iconic works, such as  “Uth Jaag Musafir,” “Utho Sone Walo,” “Khooni Parcha,” “Rashtrapita,”  and the legendary I...

Within Jainism, an ancient Indian religion based on nonviolence ( ahimsā ), non-possessiveness ( aparigraha ), and austerity, farming and flora hold a complex and nuanced place. Although the teachings of Jainism emphasize compassion for all living things (Jain, 2021), Jains face moral dilemmas when it comes to farming, as it involves harming insects, soil organisms, and plants. Although no Jain wo...

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan — philosopher, teacher, President of India, and Bharat Ratna — believed that Indian philosophy is not just about ancient texts but a living guide for life, truth, and the self. This short video celebrates his timeless message: that knowledge, humility, and compassion form the true essence of life. It also shares how his humility gave birth to Teachers’ Day — a tribute...

Where did the mighty cry Vande Mataram come from? This short video delves into the true story behind India’s most inspiring song and its profound roots in Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1882 novel, Anand Math. The novel portrayed ascetic warriors rising against oppression, chanting “Vande Mataram” as a call to awaken the spirit of Bharat Mata and Dharma. We also examine how the 1952 film Anand Mat...

Who was Rabindranath Tagore, and why is his book Gitanjali so special? In 1913, Tagore became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature for Gitanjali, a collection of deeply spiritual poems written originally in Bengali. This short video explores the meaning of Gitanjali, its most beautiful lines, such as “Where the mind is without fear” and “Thou hast made me endless,” and how Tagore’s...

What did Veer Savarkar mean by the “Six Golden Pages” or “Six Glorious Epochs” of Indian history? In this short video, discover how Savarkar redefined Indian history through six powerful moments, from Chandragupta and Chanakya’s unification to Shivaji’s Maratha resurgence and India’s freedom struggle. We explore Savarkar’s vision of Indian pride, courage, and unity across these six epochs that he...

Why are Rajagopalachari’s Ramayana and Mahabharata still the most popular retellings of India’s great epics? What makes Rajaji’s storytelling so powerful, simple, and spiritual at the same time? Discover how Rajaji brought the wisdom of the Ramayana and Mahabharata to modern readers. This is perfect for anyone seeking to understand Indian philosophy, dharma, and the deeper meaning of life through...