The Point Blank Show

Devdutt Pattnaik probably has one of the most unique designations that one might come across. He is the Chief Belief Officer at Future Group of Big Bazaar and Pantaloon fame. Devdutt, a student of mythology, has several books to his name and writes several mythology related columns in newspapers. In this point blank, we talk about mythology, its relevance and what one can learn from it. Devdutt pr...

Indicast got a chance to catch up with Sanjay Manjrekar, a technically sound batsmen who doesnt believe in the significance to technique in cricket. We start the conversation talking about about the on field energy during the 1996 India-Pakistan World Cup match and then move on to other topics like why Indians struggled in fielding, his career as a commentator and then his passion for singing. He...

Its a tough gig... to work for one of the most acclaimed publications of the century during the day time, work everyday independently towards writing a book in a half lotus position, research like hell so as to get all the facts and the perspectives right, update a book blog almost daily, then come home late at night to crash on the bed! Andreas Kluth, the humble tech correspondent from The Econom...

Any fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. Prof Kanu Doshi is back. This time he fires away on Indias convoluted tax structure in a user friendly manner that makes a technical subject like taxation lnteresting and entertaining. All our finance ministers from Chanakya to Chidambaram have steered...

It is said that having a good conversation is one of the great joys of being human. When Zanny Minton Beddoes, the Economics Editor of The Economist ruthlessly dismembers jargons like foreclosures, sub prime crisis, inter bank rates, etc, all I can say is that I enjoyed every bit of it. Economics is a fascinating field and Zanny makes it palatable for all of us who do not have a background in the...

It has been a roller coaster ride for the equity markets over the last few months. From being one of the best investment options, the global markets have fallen to new lows. Recession fears in the US have knocked down stock prices from their high pedestal. But how does one define a recession, and what is its impact on the common man? Can the genesis of this slow down be attributed to a particular...

Daniel Franklin is The Economists Executive Editor and the Editor-in-Chief of economist.com. He completes quarter of a century in the organisation this year! He wouldnt be too happy if I say that modesty is his middle name, because he is a man who despises tired metaphors and insipid language. This podcast is a lesson in humility as much as it is on What makes the Economist have a cult following?

A lot has been said about the Union Budget 2008 already. The experts have fashionably shunted this as a shamelessly populist and a cloyingly sweet Budget. So, do we need another voice adding to the noise? Yes, if the voice is that of Prof Kanu H Doshi who is reputed to create music in all the cacophony. In this Podcast, he does not play the proverbial Economist with one hand. He is point blank and...

Adam Roberts, the News Editor of economist.com is fresh from having penned a brilliant Special Report (published at least once a month) on Migration and its impact on the lives of billions from across the planet. His report estimates that there are around 200 million migrants across the world which make up 3 per cent of the population. This number will only grow and so will the xenophobia surround...

Harsha Bhogle is a man with multiple personalities. When he is not in the commentary box, he contributes as a columnst in The Indian Express and writes on espnstar. While he has an art to draw opinions from the experts in the commentary box, he is forthright and calls spade a spade in his writings. Its a 30 MB download but worth it.

Brendan Greeley is the Web 2.0 Guy of The Economist. Currently, a week old in the organisation (at the time of the conversation) literally this one man army is spending his time to help The Economist embrace the nuances of the new media! He has shuffled many roles over the past few years and had also served as the Blogger in Chief of the public radio show, Open Source of which he was the founding...

The beatific smile of Gurcharan Das is a function of myriad personalities that live within him. In this podcast, he is his modest self, describing his early life and his time as a the VP and MD of PG Worldwide and more. An unabashed supporter of capitalism, he believes that the business of the Government is not to be in business. However, he maintains throughout that healthy competition is a resul...

Anns work is akin to intense method acting which actors like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino use to get under the skin of the character that they play. While the two actors do that once or twice a year for a role and a few million dollars, Ann has mastered the art week after week by writing about anyone who is merely famous (read: Anna Nicole Smith) or unexpectedly facinating like Inder Jit Rikhye, t...

In this talk about telecom convergence and the mesmerising magical world of mobile telephony, broadband, and Internet TV, Tom orchestrates a perfect symphony by explaining in a jargon free language that the distinctions between these technologies are blurring. He believes utility and substance coupled with stlye and grace in products such as iPhone makes them a beautiful combination. And then, the...

This week, we chat up with James Astill from The Economist, the recepient of the annual Gerald R. Ford prize for distinguished reporting in National Defence. James business card a few months ago read, Defence and Terrorism Correspondent. Meeting terrorists or fairly rough characters as he likes to call them is an occupational hazard for someone who bears the tag of a Defence Correspondent. Over th...

This week, listen to us chat up with Andreas Kluth , the award winning journalist from The E onomist, who has been lauded for his contribution in Media reporting. His survey on New Media is reader friendly, crisp and interspersed with humor. Go read the series of articles here . They are a gold mine of information for anyone wanting to know about the new media!

Avnish Bajaj, co-founder of Baazee.com and now with Matrix Partners. He agreed to have an informal conversation about enterpreneurship, VC funding and about his journey as an entrepreneur to a VC. The interview is a bit long (40 mins) but contains a lot of experiential thoughts.