Puliyabaazi Hindi Podcast

Even today, India’s armed forces largely conduct their operations in silos. It is for this reason that the Chief of Defence Staff position was created and specifically mandated to create integrated theatre commands that would allow systematic cooperation of all three forces in large numbers during war. So in this Puliyabaazi, we are joined by Lt Gen (Dr) Prakash Menon to discuss jointness in India’s military. एयरफोर्स, नेवी, आर्मी - यह तीनों सेनाएँ भारत में आज भी काफी हद तक अपनी अपनी अलग...

It’s rare to find a narration of earthshaking political events by a commoner of those times. That’s precisely why Vishnu Bhat Godse Varsaikar’s Maazaa Pravaas is special. This book provides an eyewitness account of the 1857 mutiny. In this puliyabaazi, we discuss a few counter-intuitive and lesser-known facts from that era based on Varsaikar’s account. १८५७ की लड़ाई से हर भारतीय कुछ हद तक तो वाक़िफ़ ज़रूर है | कुछ लोगों ने इसे ग़दर कहा तो कुछ लोगों ने इसे आज़ादी की पहली जंग की उपाधि दी | लेकिन इस...

Indian governments run hundreds of policies in the name of social protection. Given the adverse economic impact of COVID-19, the focus is back on these policies to provide some relief to the worst-affected. So this episode is all about understanding social protection policies better. Joining us is Saksham Khosla (@khoslasaksham), Associate Consultant at Dalberg. सामाजिक सुरक्षा क्या है? भारत की सरकारों के खर्च का कितना हिस्सा सामाजिक सुरक्षा विषयों पर किया जाता है? यह PDS, UBI, ICDS, नरेगा...

This Puliyabaazi is a deep dive on the Hindi language - the origins, relationship with Urdu and Sanskrit, and about concerns over its imposition. We are joined by Abhishek Avtans (@avtansa), a linguist and lecturer of Hindi at Leiden University. Abhishek also gives a fascinating account of the politics of language in India. यह है पुलियाबासी पुलियाबाज़ी की जुबां पर | अभिषेक अवतंस (@avtansa), भाषावैज्ञानिक और लीडेन यूनिवर्सिटी में हिंदी शिक्षक, दे रहे है एक मास्टरक्लास हिंदी के इतिहास और...

Why is India’s foreign policy the way it is? What are the principles and interests underlying India’s relationship with the world? What influence has the colonial rule had over India’s foreign policy conduct? Listen in to this puliyabaazi on foreign policy with Dr Aparna Pande (@Aparna_Pande) to find out. Aparna is Director, Initiative on the Future of India and South Asia, at the Hudson Institute, US. She’s the author of two books on India’s foreign policy — From Chanakya to Modi and Making...

Between 1915 and 1941, Gandhi and Tagore wrote many letters to each other freely expressing viewpoints and often disagreeing with each other on core issues such as nationalism, charkha, reason, and swaraj. Eight decades later, these discussions are still relevant in understanding India better. Not only are the debates engaging, they are also a lesson in expressing disagreements in a civil, cordial, and respectful manner. So this puliyabaazi is about the Gandhi-Tagore puliyabaazi. Saurabh and...

Chinese Taipei. Republic of China. Taiwan. All refer to the same country that has stood up to the People’s Republic of China’s arrogance in recent years. So in this episode, we discuss all things Taiwan with Sana Hashmi (@sanahashmi1), Taiwan Fellow at the National Chengchi University and a scholar of Chinese Foreign Policy. In this conversation, we discuss: What are the similarities and differences between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan)? What...

षि जिनपिंग-संचालित चीन के अहंकार को तोड़ने के लिए भारत के पास क्या विकल्प है? चीनी कम्पनी के ऐप्प बैन करने के कदम के क्या फ़ायदे-नुक़सान है? आर्थिक क्षेत्र में चीन से लड़ाई में कितनी समझदारी है? इन्हीं सवालों पर सुनिए पुलियाबाज़ी सौरभ और प्रणय के साथ| What are India’s options against the People’s Republic of China’s arrogance? What are the costs and benefits of banning apps of Chinese companies? Can economic power be exercised to hurt China without incurring significant costs? Saurabh and Pranay...

In this episode, we spoke to Manoj Chandran (@manoj1chandran), CEO of White Swan Foundation — a not-for-profit organisation that offers knowledge services in the area of mental health. Manoj busts many myths about mental health, and illness. Going beyond the clinical aspects, Manoj talks about the role of individuals, society, and the state, in improving mental health. मानसिक आरोग्य और शारीरिक आरोग्य के बारे में हमारी धारणाएँ काफ़ी अलग है | ये ग़लत धारणाएँ अक्सर मानसिक रोग की चिकित्सा में आड़े...

In this episode, we discuss India’s economic trajectory before, during, and after COVID-19 with Ajit Ranade, Senior Fellow at the Takshashila Institution. Ajit talks about the factors that derailed the Indian economy and suggests concrete actions that Indian governments can take to bounce back from the economic crisis. Listen in! इस एपिसोड में चर्चा भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था पर जाने-माने अर्थशास्त्री अजीत रानडे के साथ. अजीत तक्षशिला इंस्टीटूशन में सीनियर फेलो है और उनके अर्थव्यवस्था पर लेख भारत...

In this episode, we discuss how COVID-19 is likely to affect geopolitical and geoeconomic trends. Pranay and Saurabh discuss how the world might change due to the COVID-19 pandemic, how this new world order will affect India, the domestic policy reforms needed to prosper in this world, and India’s foreign policy outlook for a changed world. कोविड-19 की वजह से विश्व व्यवस्था में कई बड़े बदलाव आ रहे हैं | आर्थिक तौर पर सरकारें “आत्मनिर्भरता” का नारा फिर से उठा रही हैं जबकि राजनैतिक तौर पर चीन...

How and why do Indian political parties use digital platforms such as Twitter even though only a small percentage of the Indian population is on this platform? Is a techno-savvy image a bane or a boon for a politician in India? Are different social media platforms suited for different kinds of political uses? Listen to this Puliyabaazi with Joyojeet Pal (@joyopal) who researches the use of social media in mainstream politics, specifically around political brand building in India. Joyojeet is...

Pavan Srinath (@zeusisdead) returns as a guest to discuss three key elements for overcoming Covid-19: testing strategies, vaccination development, and societal immunity. यह एपिसोड है कोविड-१९ का ख़ात्मा करने के लिए ज़रूरी तीन चीज़ों पर: टेस्टिंग, टीकाकरण, और इम्युनिटी| पवन श्रीनाथ (@zeusisdead) के साथ इस चर्चा में आपको मिलेगा उत्तर इन सवालों का: 1. कितने प्रकार के टेस्ट है कोविड-१९ की जाँच करने के लिए? 2. क्यों यह टेस्ट इतनी महँगी है? 3. सामाजिक इम्युनिटी के क्या मायने है? क्या यह एक नीति...

How is it that Indian governments are good at conducting elections and organising Kumbh Melas but are terrible at maintaining public infrastructure? Why does the Indian State seem to be omnipresent and inadequate at the same time? These are some questions that ‘State Capacity’ literature deals with. So in this episode, we discuss insights on Indian state capacity with Prakhar Misra (@PrakharMisra), Senior Associate at IDFC Institute, Mumbai. सरकार की नीति और उनके कार्यान्वन में अक़्सर काफ़ी...

Karl Popper once said “We are all philosophers; we all accept certain philosophical theories, if only unconsciously.” But what does the formal academic discipline of philosophy entail? How does a philosophical inquiry help us resolve some fundamental dilemmas in our minds? This is the focus of this puliyabaazi with Sushruth Ravish, research scholar at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Department of Philosophy. इस पुलियाबाज़ी में दर्शन दर्शनशास्त्र के ! वैसे तो हम सब जाने-अनजाने में...

The world is still trying to figure a way out of the coronavirus outbreak. So in this episode, we take a step back and discuss common epidemics in India — their reasons, cures, and preparedness. Joining us is Shambhavi Naik, a cancer biologist and fellow at Takshashila Institution’s Technology Policy Programme. वायरस क्या हैं और इतने घातक क्यों हैं? महामारियाँ कैसे फैलती हैं? अब जब करोनावायरस महामारी के कहर से पूरा विश्व जूझ रहा है तो इस बार सुनिए संक्रामक रोग के विज्ञान और रोकथाम पर गहरी...

Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Extended Reality — these terms have been the town of the tech town for over half a decade now. So in this geeky episode, we discuss how these technologies are changing the world of entertainment and education. Joining us is Vineet Devaiah, Founder of TeliportMe, a virtual reality content company. Vineet takes us through the strides that virtual reality companies have made over the last five years, why the technology has lagged behind the...

Street vendors are a quintessential part of Indian cities. Yet, their right to carry out their trade in public spaces is hampered by inherent class bias and state corruption. So in this episode, we speak to Prashant Narang, lawyer and Associate Director at Centre for Civil Society in Delhi. Prashant is the mind behind the Street Vendor Compliance Index, a study that assesses the implementation of the Street Vendor (Protection and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014. His activism also...

Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer won the Nobel Prize in Economics 2019 “for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty”. This experimental approach — Randomised Control Trials (RCTs) — is an alternative paradigm for conducting economics research. Adopted from medicine, RCTs are arguably referred to as the ‘gold standard’ for establishing causality. So this episode is about RCTs, their successes, and the ethical arguments against them. We are joined by Apurva...

What does the future of electric vehicles and electric storage in India look like? Charging stations or battery swapping - which model is better for Indian conditions? What role can the government play to encourage this industry? We take stock of the EV revolution in India with Rahul Raj, co-founder of energy storage solution company, Inverted Energy. शहरों में आजकल एक-दो इलेक्ट्रिक गाड़ियाँ दिख ही जाती है, चाहे वो कार हो, रिक्शा हो या फिर स्कूटर | तो इस बार की पुलियाबाज़ी भारत में इलेक्ट्रिक...