NL Hafta

This week on Hafta, Manisha Pande and Raman Kirpal are joined by Anuradha Nagaraj, founder of The Migration Story, and Arghya Sengupta, Founder and Research Director at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Amit Pandey with production assistance from Sourav and Abhay Kumar. Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Manisha Pande and Raman Kirpal are joined by Anuradha Nagaraj, founder of The Migration Story, and Arghya Sengupta, Founder and Research Director at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy. The discussion begins with the labour protests in Noida, where nearly 40,000 workers took to the streets. Manisha observes a distinct shift in worker sentiment, noting, “I saw a very clear class kind of commentary – that we can't afford cycles, but these guys [are] in BMWs.” Anuradha explains that the “trigger” for this unrest was a survival crisis fueled by inflation. She notes, “It's just becoming difficult to have one square meal.” This desperation, she adds, is compounded by the black-market prices of cooking gas, making daily life a relentless struggle. The precarity of these workers’ lives is absolute. Anuradha highlights that for these labourers, “the idea of getting fired is a daily thing.” Whether it’s being a minute late, falling sick, or failing to meet high production targets, the threat of losing one’s livelihood is constant. The conversation then shifts from the streets to the courtroom as the panel discusses Arvind Kejriwal’s request seeking the recusal of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma in the liquor policy case. Arghya breaks down the principle of recusal, explaining, “The fundamental principle at play is a very old legal principle that no person can be a judge in their own cause.” While Arghya is sceptical about using a judge’s family connections or their past as sole grounds for recusal—warning it could open a “Pandora’s box”—he acknowledges a deeper issue. Arghya notes that public perception of the courts has reached a breaking point: “The key issue, which is really the elephant in the room here... is that now politicisation of the judiciary is now in the open.” He argues the judiciary can no longer hide behind technicalities, as “that ship has sailed” regarding their public image. All this and more. Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements 00:04:25 - Headlines 00:11:07 - Noida labour protest 00:43:53 - Anuradha’s recommendation 00:46:01– Kejriwal seeking recusal 01:25:00 - Arghaya’s Recommendation 01:26:51 - Letters 01:37:11 - Recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Amit Pandey with production assistance from Sourav and Abhay Kumar. Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, and Anand Vardhan are joined by Bashir Ali Abbas, Research Associate at Council for Strategic and Defence Research (CSDR) and Amit Kumar, executive editor of East Mojo. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Amit Pandey with production assistance from Sourav and Abhay Kumar. Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, and Shardool Katyayan are joined by senior journalist Sreenivasan Jain and Dhanya Rajendran, editor-in-chief of The News Minute. The panel dives into the high-stakes 2026 assembly elections across Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Amit Pandey with production assistance from Priyali Dhingra and Abhay Kumar. Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Manisha Pande are joined by The New York Times journalist Mujib Mashal and Aishwaria Sonavane, research analyst for Pakistan studies at the Takshashila Institution. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Amit Pandey with production assistance from Priyali Dhingra and Abhay Kumar. Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Shardool Katyayan are joined by independent journalist Nidhi Suresh and Mridul Dudeja, a freelance technologist who has been engaged with queer-trans community spaces in Mumbai and across India for over 15 years. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Amit Pandey with production assistance from Sourav Ranjan and Abhay Kumar. Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, Raman Kirpal and Anand Vardhan discuss three big themes: Nitish Kumar’s succession politics in Bihar, religion creeping into sport, and the ethics of euthanasia. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Amit Pandey with production assistance from Saif Ekram and Abhay Kumar. Sound by Naresh. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Shardool Katyayan are joined by AFP’s chief US correspondent Shaun Tandon and Aditya Ramanathan, research fellow at Takshila Institution. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Amit Pandey with Production assistant by Saif Ekram. Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Anand Vardhan are joined by academic and columnist Fahad Zuberi and Kallol Bhattacherjee, the foreign affairs editor of The Hindu. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and subscriber letters. Produced by Amit Pandey & Priyali Dhingra Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande and Shardool Katyayan are joined by Amba Kak, a tech policy expert and researcher, and Alex Travelli, the South Asia business correspondent for The New York Times. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and subscriber letters. Produced by Ashish Anand & Amit Pandey. Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, Raman Kirpal and Anand Vardhan are joined by filmmaker Sudhir Mishra and senior journalist Arati Jerath. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and subscriber letters. Produced by Amit Pandey Assistant production by Ashish Sound design by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by musician and author T.M. Krishna and defence analyst Ajai Shukla for a conversation that spans Parliament flashpoints, billionaire ownership in journalism, and the deeper cultural fight over India’s national symbols. The panel opens with a discussion around the furore in Parliament over former Army chief General M.M. Naravane’s yet-to-be-released memoir this week. Questioning Om Birla’s claim that the Opposition was planning an attack on PM Narendra Modi, Manisha says, “It’s fear-mongering… the same story as what prime time had done back when the Prime Minister got stuck in a traffic jam.” Ajai Shukla opines that the very fact that a former Army Chief’s account is stuck in clearance limbo shows how tightly the government controls uncomfortable narratives around national security and China. The discussion then transitions to the layoff purge at The Washington Post, which Jayashree describes as a symptom of a world where media outlets are “bought by a billionaire” and then “gutted to maximise profits”. Abhinandan argues that economics is not just a study of money, but a study of societies, adding that journalism is a public good that cannot be left to the mercy of a billionaire. Finally, TM Krishna discusses his new book, We, the People of India, which examines India’s anthem, flag, and other national symbols. Krishna contrasts Vande Mataram with Jana Gana Mana, arguing they reflect very different ideas of India. He also points to a deeper democratic failure. “We entirely failed in making democracy a culture,” Krishna says, arguing that constitutional values were reduced to textbook lines you “just mugged up to write in an examination.” This and a lot more. Tune in! Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introductions and birthday announcements! 00:05:25 - Headlines 00:28:14 - T.M. Krishna on his book and being an artist today 01:28:00 - Controversy over General MM Naravane’s book 01:49:11 - Letters 02:08:10 - Recommendations If you want to write to Hafta, click here. Click here to contribute to our Sena project. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Check out Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Priyali Dhingra, with assistant production by Ashish Anand. Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Anand Vardhan are joined by journalist Nikhil Inamdar and Sudipto Mondal, executive editor of The News Minute. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Amit Pandey, with assistant production by Ashish ,Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande and Jayashree Arunachalam are joined by journalist and entrepreneur Govindraj Ethiraj. The discussion opens up with the recently concluded World Economic Forum held in Davos. Abhinandan sharply questions the performative nature of Indian participation at the forum, criticising chief ministers for announcing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Indian companies on foreign soil. “We are funding the circus,” Jayashree remarks bluntly, calling Davos a “clown show” driven by optics rather than outcomes. Govindraj also agrees that announcing MoUs, especially with Indian firms, is a misallocation of time and attention, given how the WEF offers leaders “an opportunity to gauge the temperature of what is happening in the world order right now”. The discussion also touches on the much-touted India-EU free trade agreement, which European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen described as the “mother of all deals”. Govindraj, however, tempers expectations, warning that free trade agreements are often narrow and slow-moving. “The first bottle of cheaper Scotch won’t arrive tomorrow – it could take five years,” he quips. He further adds, “The red lines for India are clearly dairy and agricultural products… You can’t do something which immediately jeopardises your farming lobby. ​So, if you take away agriculture and cheese, what’s left now?” From Davos, the conversation shifts to press freedom in Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking on the recent summonses sent national media reporters by the J&K Police, Manisha remarks, “Over the last one year, at least 25 journalists have been summoned by the J&K Police… anything at all can just land you in a police station being questioned, because it’s ‘public disorder’, you’re causing ‘public safety’ disorder.” Drawing a contrast between reporters in New Delhi and Kashmir, Abhinandan says, “It’s very difficult for someone in J&K to tough it out because there is no insulation. Delhi provides great insulation; that’s why those headquartered in Delhi have to step up and protect their reporters who are not in Delhi. This and a lot more. Tune in! Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introductions and announcements 00:04:40 - Headlines 00:17:15 - WEF Davos / India- Eu trade deals 00: 55:59 - Govind’ recommendations 01:08:51 - Kashmir reporter’s summoning 01:17:35 - Letters 01:28:07 - Recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Amit Pandey, with assistant production by Ashish, Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam and Anand Vardhan are joined by Chander Shekhar Luthra, a veteran sports journalist, and Suhasini Haidar, diplomatic affairs editor of The Hindu. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Amit Pandey, with assistant production by Saurav Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam and Raman Kirpal are joined by Ishaan Tharoor, a foreign affairs columnist at The Washington Post and Advocate Vrinda Grover. Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Produced by Amit Pandey, with assistant production by Ashish Anand. Sound by Anil Kumar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam and Anand Vardhan are joined by Kallol Bhattacherjee, Senior Assistant Editor at The Hindu. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this special year-ender episode, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri and Manisha Pande and The News Minute’s Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna are joined by columnist and media critic Santosh Desai. The conversation begins with a wrap of the Indian media ecosystem this year. Santosh says, “Institutions are struggling to retain credibility and resist pressure.” Dhanya argues that mainstream media exerts significant influence over people, but on social media, the results vary. Discussing the state of the media more specifically in Karnataka, Pooja notes that although it's “heavily compromised”, it can still be seen as a “lesser evil” compared to the Hindi and English media. Manisha argues that, in terms of news consumption, the internet can be very ruthless – in contrast to legacy media, which does not have to face the crash and burn. She cites the example of Beer Biceps, whose rapid rise and fall illustrate this ruthlessness. Some influencers, Dhanya says, have also realised that “credibility comes with consistency”. On the economic front, Abhinandan explains, “It is the lethargy of legacy media that is reflected in their belief about how business is done – in large spaces and studios. Hence, sustainability and viewership become two completely different things.” The panel also discusses advertisements that make them nostalgic. Dhanya says, “Now, we pay to remove ads. I cannot remember the last time I watched an ad.” Meanwhile, Abhinandan notes, “The death of ads is the death of jingles, which in turn traces to the death of radio.” While discussing Arnab Goswami's recent shows that questioned the central government, Pooja remarks, “This man can damage the country by stooping so low, but all it takes for him to be viewed as a crusader is the targeting of a soft issue as a larger strategy.” This and a lot more. Tune in! We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. And click here to contribute to our new Sena project. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Once a month, we will invite one TNM subscriber to the show. Write to us on what you would like to speak about to southcentral@thenewsminute.com Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well. You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form. Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central. Become a subscriber - Click here. Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here. To check out our other shows, Click here To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introductions & announcements 00:02:16 - Headlines 00:07:30 - Brands vs individuals: Understanding news models 00:33:15 - Karnataka Hate Speech Bill 00:38:00 - How has advertising changed? 00:59:00 - Santosh’s recommendations 01:00:00 - Arnab Goswami’s turnaround 01:07:00 - Christmas violence 01:12:00 - Letters 01:35:13 - Recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Recorded and produced by Priyali Dhingra. Production assistance by Megha Mukundan and Ajai. Edited by Saif Ali Ekram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this special year-ender episode, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri and Manisha Pande and The News Minute’s Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna are joined by columnist and media critic Santosh Desai. The conversation begins with a wrap of the Indian media ecosystem this year. Santosh says, “Institutions are struggling to retain credibility and resist pressure.” Dhanya argues that mainstream media exerts significant influence over people, but on social media, the results vary. Discussing the state of the media more specifically in Karnataka, Pooja notes that although it's “heavily compromised”, it can still be seen as a “lesser evil” compared to the Hindi and English media. Manisha argues that, in terms of news consumption, the internet can be very ruthless – in contrast to legacy media, which does not have to face the crash and burn. She cites the example of Beer Biceps, whose rapid rise and fall illustrate this ruthlessness. Some influencers, Dhanya says, have also realised that “credibility comes with consistency”. On the economic front, Abhinandan explains, “It is the lethargy of legacy media that is reflected in their belief about how business is done – in large spaces and studios. Hence, sustainability and viewership become two completely different things.” The panel also discusses advertisements that make them nostalgic. Dhanya says, “Now, we pay to remove ads. I cannot remember the last time I watched an ad.” Meanwhile, Abhinandan notes, “The death of ads is the death of jingles, which in turn traces to the death of radio.” While discussing Arnab Goswami's recent shows that questioned the central government, Pooja remarks, “This man can damage the country by stooping so low, but all it takes for him to be viewed as a crusader is the targeting of a soft issue as a larger strategy.” This and a lot more. Tune in! We have a page for subscribers to send letters to our shows. If you want to write to Hafta, click here. And click here to contribute to our new Sena project. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Once a month, we will invite one TNM subscriber to the show. Write to us on what you would like to speak about to southcentral@thenewsminute.com Send your thoughts, suggestions, and criticism as well. You can also let us know what you think by filling out our quick feedback form. Your suggestions help shape future episodes of South Central. Become a subscriber - Click here. Contribute to our reporting fund. Click here. To check out our other shows, Click here To not miss any updates, join TNM's WhatsApp Channel! Click here Timecodes 00:00:00 - Introductions & announcements 00:02:16 - Headlines 00:07:30 - Brands vs individuals: Understanding news models 00:33:15 - Karnataka Hate Speech Bill 00:38:00 - How has advertising changed? 00:59:00 - Santosh’s recommendations 01:00:00 - Arnab Goswami’s turnaround 01:07:00 - Christmas violence 01:12:00 - Letters 01:35:13 - Recommendations Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters. Recorded and produced by Priyali Dhingra. Production assistance by Megha Mukundan and Ajai. Edited by Saif Ali Ekram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Jayashree Arunachalam and Shardool Katyayan are joined by Development economist Reetika Khera & ESPN’s Anirudhh Menon. Check out the Newslaundry store and flaunt your love for independent media. Download the Newslaundry app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.