NL Hafta

In this week’s episode, host Abhinandan Sekhri is joined by Newslaundry’s Editor-in-Chief Madhu Trehan, Nwslaundry’s Managing Editor Raman Kirpal, Author & Journalist Puja Mehra, and France 24 Correspondent Surabhi Tandon. The podcast kicks off with Puja Mehra, author of The Lost Decade, explaining the relevance of surplus funds with the Reserve Bank of India and how the way these funds will be used by the government could decide the country's economic future. When Madhu wonders if people who didn't care much about business earlier will reform now, Puja says, "I think they'll come up with new ways to do exactly what they did earlier." She adds, "The key policy challenge right now is that policies are not thought through. Decisions are taken but not followed up with what needs to be done to make implementation painless." The panel also notes the kind of changes in statistical calculations the administration is trying to make and how it'll all lead to a crisis. Talking about the humanitarian crisis' cases in Kashmir, Surabhi says, "It's also a lack of respect for ordinary life and for human beings. I think the Indian state and the machinery repetitively demonstrates a complete disregard for the dignity of ordinary human beings" before the panel wonders why both the Supreme Court and the Press Council seem to be in support of the government. Abhinandan then questions the need of journalists gloating over their closeness with Arun Jaitley. Madhu feels that maintaining a certain kind of distance is important in personal/professional relationships before most of the panel goes on to share anecdotes involving politicians' attempts to get close to journalists. Everyone in the panel then expresses opinions about Modi's demeanor whenever he goes abroad. Raman says, "Over the years, I think he has really groomed himself up very well to the camera. Every time he speaks out a word, I feel like doing a fact-check" to which Abhinandan adds, "The contrast in his body language when he's dealing with his own people and when he's dealing with people who aren't his people is so off-putting." The panel also discussed the significance of renaming Feroze Shah Kotla stadium and the United States backing out from the Indo-Pak dispute amongst other things. For this and more, listen up! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So here's a little sneak peek into the complete episode. Journalist Maya Mirchandani, senior fellow at ORF and an assistant professor at Ashoka University joined Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal and Meghnad in this week’s episode of Newslaundry Hafta. Maya, who recently visited Kashmir talks about the ostensible state of normalcy in the Valley. She describes how mainstream media’s unchecked discourse of the so-called normalcy in Kashmir has caused a crisis of real reportage from the Valley. The panel discusses the government’s recent ban on e-cigarettes and how it is being executed. They also talk about Modi’s birthday and the unprecedented importance it was given by some TV news channels.For more, listen up to the complete episode here: https://www.newslaundry.com/2019/09/21/hafta-242-kashmir-ecigarettesban-happybirthdaymodi-and-more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So here's a little sneak peek into the complete episode. Apart from Manisha Pande and host Abhinandan Sekhri, this episode of NL Hafta features Jaskirat Singh Bawa, Senior Editor at The Quint and Vivek Kaul, author and a columnist for Newslaundry. The podcast begins with the stories that made it to the week's headlines, including Faye D’Souza stepping down as Mirror Now’s executive editor, recent arrests of journalists, and Tabrez Ansari’s case, amongst others.Abhinandan talks about Modi’s speech on the prevention of livestock diseases in Mathura and the follow up it received on primetime debates. Vivek Kaul thinks these are regular deviations from important issues while Manisha is of the view that these prime-time debates are completely ‘made-up’. The podcast includes conversations on a series of other issues including the rise in traffic fines, news coverage of Chandrayaan 2, Pallav Baghla and Ram Jethmalani’s death.For more, listen up to the complete episode here: https://www.newslaundry.com/2019/09/14/hafta-241-medialayoffs-piyushgoyal-trafficfines-and-more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, host Abhinandan Sekhri is joined by Madhu Trehan, Raman Kirpal, the political editor of The Caravan magazine Hartosh Singh Bal, and a Newslaundry subscriber of Kashmiri origin.The podcast kicks off with the Newslaundry subscriber expressing her sentiments on the abrogation of Article 370 and the heavy deployment of troops in the region. She says, "For us, it is a progression of the loss in the faith in the Indian Constitution." The panel talks about why Ladakh and Jammu will soon ask the government to ban people from other states from buying land in the region, and the chances of a plebiscite. Hartosh notes the impact of the Modi-Shah-Doval trinity on the minds of the Indian people.The panel goes on to discuss how members of the Congress who didn’t even want to share space with P Chidambaram earlier are now supporting him inside and outside court. Raman wonders if political influence caused the CBI to dramatise the arrest and questions the credibility of Indrani Mukerjea's statement. Abhinandan tries to understand the reason behind primetime reporters spitting venom against the former finance minister.The deficient media coverage this week on recent protests over the Ravidas Temple demolition urges the panel to thrash out why this wasn’t given space on primetime news. The panel also discusses this movement’s rise in Punjab. Hartosh says, “The thing angering them the most was that green zone exceptions have been made for hundreds of thousands of reasons and it couldn’t be made for this?”The group also discusses fake news and why people don’t mind spreading it, before moving on to remember legendary music composer Mohammed Zahur Khayyam Hashmi.For this and more, listen up! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So here's a little sneak peek into the complete episode. In this episode of Newslaundry Hafta, The Caravan’s Staff Writer Praveen Donthi and Independent Journalist Makepeace Sitlhou join host, Abhinandan Sekhri, Newslaundry’s Managing Editor, Raman Kirpal and Correspondent, Gaurav Sarkar.The podcast begins a discussion on the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Abhinandan wonders if NRC is “some sort of a political masterstroke”. Makepeace, who covers stories from Northeast India and has been covering NRC, draws out the details of the situation. The panel moves on to talk about recent developments in Kashmir, including reports of human rights violations, with inputs from The Caravan’s Praveen Dhonty. Later, Gaurav Sarkar, who has been covering the Chidambaram case, joins the conversation. Abhinandan asks him to spill the beans on the informal happenings in the court that did not make into his report. Abhinandan also talked about Ravish Kumar’s acceptance speech for the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the rise of fake news and the choice and plight of young journalists.Listen to the full Hafta here: https://www.newslaundry.com/2019/09/07/hafta-240-nrc-kashmir-chidambaram-and-more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, host Abhinandan Sekhri is joined by Anand Vardhan, Washington Post's India correspondent Niha Masih, and Sneha Koshy, the head of NDTV's Kerala bureau. The podcast starts with the panel’s take on BBC’s report on Kashmir, which was rumoured to be untrue. Niha was in Kashmir for five days and she talks about the communication shutdown there, also describing how restrictions on movement for the media was different on each day. Abhinandan asks: “Why does a Washington Post correspondent get a curfew pass [while] a HT bureau chief who has been working for three decades in Kashmir is denied one?” Niha responds, “It was not my pass, but I was travelling with someone who had a curfew pass. But a lot of people said that the local Kashmiri journalists found it harder to get curfew passes, but the ones from Delhi found it easier.” Abhinandan expresses how he felt about the sound of bullet firings in the BBC video. Anand points out: “It could be a deliberate message to suppress information and then release it later.” He urges the audience and the panel to read his piece on Kashmir to have a clearer view of the limitations of constitutional patriotism and why the claims of the nation-state are still thriving.Moving to the Pehlu Khan case verdict, Anand feels the problem in India is “more of mob justice than about mob lynching”. About the recurring floods in Kerala and most of South India, Sneha explains how environmental exploitation and urbanisation has taken a toll on Kerala. Paddy plantation in Kerala has seen a downward graph, and the sustenance of the growth of paddy has also become an issue. She describes how mono-cropping is becoming a huge challenge.The panel then discusses Sonia Gandhi stepping up as the interim president of the Indian National Congress. Anand says charisma or tradition is the appeal of leadership. Abhinandan feels there is no representation in the Congress and jokes that the party should get Kanhaiya Kumar as president, saying: “In today’s’ day and age, a good speaker is what you need.”For more, tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So here's a little sneak peek into the complete episode.In this week’s episode, host Abhinandan Sekhri is joined by Madhu Trehan, Raman Kirpal, author & journalist Puja Mehra, and France 24 correspondent Surabhi Tandon.The podcast kicks off with Puja Mehra, author of The Lost Decade, explaining the relevance of surplus funds with the Reserve Bank of India and how the way these funds will be used by the government could decide the country's economic future.Talking about cases of human rights violations in Kashmir, Surabhi says, "It's also a lack of respect for ordinary life and for human beings. I think the Indian state and the machinery repetitively demonstrates a complete disregard for the dignity of ordinary human beings." The panel also discussed the significance of renaming Feroze Shah Kotla stadium and the United States backing out from the Indo-Pak dispute amongst other things.Listen to the full Hafta Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri is joined by Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal, Anand Vardhan, and R Jagannathan, Swarajya's Editorial Director. The discussion kicks off with the panel talking about the abrogation of Article 370, and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Abhinandan said, “I thought it would be impossible in my lifetime." R Jagannathan also weighs in about the government’s actions. The panel also discussed the triumphalism portrayed by a majority of the Indian public. Manisha said that rhetorics like “teaching them a lesson” are demeaning. Focusing on the current state of communications in the former state, the panel examines the role of the media in providing information to the rest of the country. The panel discussed claims such the move being for improvement of employment opportunities and literacy rates in the state. The panel also talks about the inability of individuals in Jammu and Kashmir to communicate. Jagannathan states, “The first job of any state is to ensure law and order.” The panel also speaks about Sushma Swaraj's demise, her legacy and achievements are also discussed. Anand speaks on the glorification of famous individuals after their demise. Abhinandan recalls his personal interaction with her when he was in his twenties. There’s this and so much more, tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, host Abhinandan Sekhri is joined by Manisha Pande, Madhu Trehan, Raman Kirpal, and author and columnist Sushant Sareen.The podcast kicks off with a discussion on the life and times of Sheila Dikshit. Sushant says, “There was decency about her, the way she managed to get things done. She was a performer.” The panel talks about her achievements as Delhi's chief minister and the political maneuvering that made her successful. Speaking about her death, the panel notes Rahul Gandhi’s absence and what that means.Up next is the RTI amendment and its impact. According to Abhinandan, “The RTI was the only good thing to come out of policy and Parliament that actually impacted citizens.” They discuss the probable reasons behind the government pushing this amendment and the lacklustre coverage in the media. Raman says, “The government was foolish in bringing in the amendment because the RTI is more or less dead.”The podcast moves on to Donald Trump’s offer to mediate on Kashmir and the furore that followed. Sushant thinks India’s response should have been a lot firmer. They discuss the reasons behind Trump’s statements and the US president's capabilities when it comes to such a situation. In Madhu’s opinion, the Indian government's response was appropriate and avoided a direct confrontation between Trump and Modi. Finally, the panel talks about the open letter issued by celebrities and its counter-letter. They analyse the underlying issue of the weaponisation of the phrase “Jai Shri Ram”. Abhinandan says: “We as a nation are so disempowered that when people do something vile, they feel empowered.” The panellists also talk about Arnab Goswami’s response to the letter which leads to a heated discussion on Arnab’s way of covering issues.For this and more, tune in! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So here's a little sneak peek into the complete episode.In this week’s episode, host Abhinandan Sekhri is joined by Madhu Trehan, Raman Kirpal, the political editor of The Caravan magazine Hartosh Singh Bal, and a Newslaundry subscriber of Kashmiri origin.The podcast kicks off with the Newslaundry subscriber expressing her sentiments on the abrogation of Article 370 and the heavy deployment of troops in the region. She says, "For us, it is a progression of the loss in the faith in the Indian Constitution." The panel goes on to discuss how members of the Congress who didn’t even want to share space with P Chidambaram earlier are now supporting him inside and outside court. They also talk about the lack of media space given to the protests over the Ravidas Temple demolition.Listen to the full Hafta here: https://www.newslaundry.com/2019/08/24/hafta-238-article-370-chidambaramarrest-ravidas-temple-and-more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.