Comprising over 200 million people, Uttar Pradesh (or UP) holds a decisive influence over Indian politics. In the 2017 state elections, the Hindu-nationalist came to power with a thumping majority, largely due to a campaign based on promises of development and 'keeping the Muslims in check'. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Abdullah Khan, a political activist from Aligarh and a scholar of media studies, about the recently concluded 2022 state elections, and specifically the role of Muslims in local politics. Historically, the community has been seen either as a 'threat' that can be used to pull votes in the name of Hindutva, or as a captive vote bank of 'secular parties' who have nowhere else to go. This time too, a lot of the political opposition avoided direct/visible engagements with the Muslim community in order to not be seen as anti-Hindu/pro-Muslim (the two go together unfortunately). Furthermore, the ruling BJP, frequently targeted the community in order to garner votes.

Hence, in this podcast, Dr. Khan talks about the election, the frustrations of the Muslims, and the future of secular politics in India

You can follow him on Twitter: @fascismcombat

Language: Urdu-Hindi, English

In this episode, we peel apart the layers of the gentleman's game and talk about the role played by caste, race, and religion in cricket. We start with Azeem Rafiq's testimony in England, and then move on to the subcontinent, where we answer the most important question of all - In the film Lagaan, Why was Captain Russell sent to Africa?

How does the media suffocate freedom of press, and what role does the government play? In this episode, we discuss these matters with Dr. Swati Maheshwari, a Media Studies researcher based in Singapore. She completed her PhD from the Hong Kong Baptist University investigating the relationship between journalism and the ruling elite  in the Indian context. Her research interests centre on freedom of the  press and political communication. She has published in journals like Journalism and International Journal of Communication. Before joining academia, she was a journalist with the leading Indian news channel NDTV for ten years.

Swati's interview begins at 4:20

In this episode, we talk to the Afghan activist Sahar Saba about the situation in Afghanistan, its impact on the population (especially women and minorities) and finally, how *not* to talk about Afghanistan. Hence, we eschew all talk of lashkhars this and networks that dominate mainstream coverage of the country.

Completely subverting the point of the video, Usman and I yap on till 8:00, please skip to the that point in case you would prefer just listening to Sahar

About the guest:
Sahar Saba is an Afghan women rights' activist. She has worked for many years in refugee camps in Pakistan and in Afghanistan in educational, advocacy, communication, and human rights fields. She has conducted training workshops on gender and human rights and communication in Kabul and other cities of Afghanistan. She has travelled to many countries in the past several years to speak on Afghanistan. She has a law degree from London University, and MA in Media from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She writes on issues facing Afghan women. Sahar has keen interest in gender issues in media, human rights, and women’s gross root activism in Afghanistan. Currently, she is studying at Lukeå  Technical University.

In this episode, we discuss mangoes in the modern era, beginning from Ghalib's donkeys, Mao's gift of mangoes, and how democracy was restored in Pakistan, thanks to a case full of mangoes.

Executive Producer: Natallia Khaniejo

 

In this two-episode series, we discuss all things mango, and how it has affected both our past and the present. In the first part we look at the history of the mango in the subcontinent, and how it is the Forrest Gump of fruits - present wherever the action is.

Executive Producer: Natallia Khaniejo

In the first episode of this series, we interview the renowned Pakistani journalist Tahir Imran Mian on various problems faced by journalists in Pakistan, ranging from press freedom to cyber bullying and the mental toll it takes on them (and their families).

Tahir Imran Mian is an award winning investigative journalist & was previously the Social Media Editor for BBC Urdu. You can follow him on @TahirImran

Timestamps
4:50 - Starting point of the interview
9:00 - Credibility of media
11:30 - Self Censorship
12:55 - Threats, accusations faced by journalists
13:40 - 20:24 - Cyberbullying/Mental toll on journalists
20:30 - Impact of social media vis-a-vis state censorship

In this episode, we interview Siddharth Singh, author of 'The Great Smog of India' (link below), a book on India's ongoing air pollution and environmental crisis. Apart from shedding light on the flaws of our so-called 'vikas', i.e. the developmental model, Sid tells us the real reason why you should care about the environment and air pollution - you will get diabetes, your kid will score lower in math and your sea-front property will be worth a lot less in the coming years.

This episode is dedicated to Lil B - hope you are in a place with lots of water, sunshine and happiness

Timestamps: 

8:00 Sid begins to talk
16:05 onwards - Diabetes and air pollution
27:30 Usman talks about gendered dynamics of development

You can follow Siddharth on Twitter (@siddharth3). His book can be purchased here. The audio version can be found here.