The Times Of India Podcast

Political scientist and author Hilal Ahmed from CSDS explains what we get wrong about the Muslim voter and what's wrong with the many preconceived notions that are there about Muslims and politics.

The Indian cricket board is seeking a new coach for the men's cricket team as Rahul Dravid's tenure winds down. Columnist and author Anand Vasu talks about Dravid's tenure, explains who are the frontrunners to replace him, what sort of candidate the board is seeking and the benefits (and pitfalls) of being Team India's coach.

Shakir Mir, who writes for TOI Plus on Kashmir, explains the high turnout in the first phase of polling in Kashmir reveals about politics in the region.

Former RBI governor and IAS officer Duvvuri Subbarao talks his new book, what the civil services need, centre-state clashes over finances and what worries him about India's economy

Former diplomat and minister Mani Shankar Aiyar spoke with Harinder Baweja about why he has always favoured people-to-people ties with Pakistan. He also talks about controversies sparked by statements made by him, and Rajiv Gandhi, and why he thinks they're overblown.

It's been half a century since delimitation or the reorganisation of Parliamentary constituencies took place in India. Former IAS officer and founder of the Lok Satta movement, JP Narayan, spoke with TOI's Alka Dhupkar about the need to reorganise India's electoral map and what needs to be done to ensure no region feels shortchanged.

Editor of The Shillong Times Patricia Mukhim explains why it will be an uphill task to achieve peace in Manipur, a year after clashes broke out in the state.

The Times of India's Shivani Azad explains the worrying spread of forest fires in Uttarakhand this year and what experts say are the bigger lessons to be learned from such calamities.

Journalist and author of 'H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars' Kunal Purohit explained the emergence and rise of a popular subculture, and its political implications.

Neelanjan Sircar, senior fellow at Centre for Policy Research, explains why turnouts may be low this election and why the political parties' campaigns feel more low-energy. He also explains the implications of this for the results of this election.

Two actors have already filed cases over fake videos of them endorsing a party during the ongoing elections. Karen Rebelo, deputy editor at fact-checking organisation Boom Live, had decoded how misinformation has evolved over the years in India and why artificial intelligence tools will make it so much harder to detect misinformation.

It turns out packaged baby food and 'health' drinks may have the same problem. Dr Arun Gupta from Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest explains how we can regulate our packaged food better so that we're not just eating sugar

Retired diplomat and expert on the Middle East, Talmiz Ahmad decodes the attacks by Iran and Israel and how to read into the pause of hostilities that the two countries seem to have settled for.

Author and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik explains why the attempts to make faith and rituals scientific are unnecessary and why being scientific shouldn't mean a discarding of faith.

Vikram Doctor, one of India's best chroniclers of the food industry, explains why we may pay more for chocolate-based treats this year and whether we are going to face a chocolate apocalypse.

Zeba Sikora from Project 39A at the National Law University in Delhi explains the concerns with the three new criminal law bills that are expected to be implemented later this year and how much they really reform the criminal justice system

Dr Jayesh Lele, honorary secretary general of the Indian Medical Association, talks about why a petition was filed against Ramdev and Patanjali and what action the case should have prompted.

The screening of 'Kerala Story' has prompted a political furore ahead of elections. Kabir Taneja, who's an author and Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, had explained why Islamic State failed to gain ground in India

Defence minister Rajnath Singh has said India will target its enemies on foreign soil if needed. Professor Rory Cormac from the University of Nottingham, who specialises in the study of covert action, and Ajai Sahni, who is Executive Director of the Institute of Conflict Management, explain the fallout of operations that take place outside India.

Policy analyst and commentator N Sathiya Moorthy explains why the agreement on Katchatheevu island was arrived at between India and Sri Lanka and why the campaign over the island isn't a great political or diplomatic strategy.