

Bharatvaarta
Bharatvaarta
Bharatvaarta podcast is a commentary on politics, policy and culture focused on India. The podcast brings together people from different walks of life who have varied and interesting perspectives on what's happening around us.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 6, 2022 • 48min
203 - How Does International Trade Work? | Aashish Chandorkar | Bharatvaarta | Policy
Aashish Chandorkar is a Public Policy Commentator, Entrepreneur, and Management Consultant who has been published in leading media publications like BBC, Times of India, Economic Times, Swarajya, and more. Aashish has a deep interest on trade, geopolitics, and industrial policy. Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBf... 0:00 - Sneak peek1:07 - Introductions1:50 - Why is trade important for economy?4:31 - Post-COVID trade and how India can improve exports9:06 - Role of old trade linkages in the modern world21:03 - India in comparision to growth of other Asian countries24:10 - Import substitution explained25:47 - The role of global trade organizations29:26 - Constraints that international trade organizations have to handle37:20 - Companies that have benefited from joining international trade organizations38:19 - India's position in global trade today40:10 - Significance of FTAs for international trade41:51 - Optimism for India's trade growth45:35 - Closing comments47:15 - Conclusion

Oct 3, 2022 • 1h 1min
202 - Bharat: India 2.0 With Prof. Gautam R. Desiraju | Sharan Setty | Bharatvaarta
Buy Bharat 2.0 on Amazon: http://tiny.cc/Bharat2Amazon Bharat: India 2.0 is a brilliant vision for the nation by one of India's most prominent scientists. Through a meticulous analysis of the proceedings of the Constituent Assembly, Prof. Desiraju demonstrates the limitations of the Westminster model of governance for a country that has nurtured the longest extant human civilization. Specifically, the Indian Constitution of 1950, with its subsequent amendments, has many fault lines related to federalism, secularism and caste-based reservations that will lead to problems in the future. Going beyond conventional analyses, Desiraju argues for changes that acknowledge the civilizational aspects of a deeply religious country and proposes a unique solution to this problem. Gautam Radhakrishna Desiraju was born on 21 August 1952, in Chennai and is presently an honorary professor at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He is a recipient of several prestigious international awards such as the Alexander von Humboldt Forschungspreis, the TWAS Award in Chemistry and the ISI Medal for Science of the University of Bologna. He was President of the International Union of Crystallography between 2011–2014. As IUCr President, he proposed to the United Nations that 2014 be celebrated as the International Year of Crystallography. He spearheaded this resolution and inaugurated the Year in UNESCO, Paris in January 2014 sharing the podium with Irena Bokova, the then Director General of UNESCO. In this episode, host Sharan Setty and Prof. Desiraju delve into the various aspects of the Indian constitution, the author's idea for a new India, various facets of Indian history, and more. Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBf...

Oct 2, 2022 • 45min
Bharatvaarta Weekly #110 | India exports Missile to Armenia, Putin Annexes Parts of Ukraine & more
The Bharatvaarta Weekly is our reaction to the news headlines of the week that was. If you liked this episode, then don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and share this content. You can stay updated with everything at Bharatvaarta by following us on social media: we're @bharatvaarta on Twitter, facebook.com/bharatvaarta.in on Facebook, and @bharatvaarta on Instagram).

Sep 18, 2022 • 28min
Bharatvaarta Weekly #109 | Modi-Putin Meeting, Federer Retires, PM Modi's Birthday, and more
The Bharatvaarta Weekly is our reaction to the news headlines of the week that was. If you liked this episode, then don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and share this content. You can stay updated with everything at Bharatvaarta by following us on social media: we're @bharatvaarta on Twitter, facebook.com/bharatvaarta.in on Facebook, and @bharatvaarta on Instagram).

Sep 18, 2022 • 1h 8min
201 - Indian Geopolitics | Jyostna Mehra | Surya Kanegaonkar | Velina Tchakarova | Bharatvaarta
Surya Kanegaonkar is a commodities trader based in Switzerland. He has worked for over a decade in the natural resources sector in key roles in investment banks, mining and utility companies. He has published extensively in leading publications such as The Hindu and India Global Business. Kanegaonkar studied economics at the University of Warwick and holds a masters’ in metals and energy finance from Imperial College London. Jyotsna Mehra is a Consultant at Ministry of External Affairs, India researching Indian Foreign Policy in the Indo-Pacific. She holds a Masters In Science for Modern Asian Studies from the University of Oxford as well as a BSoc Sc (Hons) in Politics and International Relations from the University of Manchester. In this episode, Surya, Jyotsna, and Velina speak about the current state of Indian Geopolitics with respect to current global events such as the assassination of Shinzo Abe, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and inflation in the US. They also tackle topics regarding the I2U2, the International North South Trade Corridor, the state of China's BRI, and more.

Sep 11, 2022 • 1h 5min
200 - Ramayana Unravelled With Ami Ganatra | Culture | Bharatvaarta
Purchase Ramayana Unravelled: http://tiny.cc/RamayanaUnravelledPurchase Mahabharata Unravelled: http://tiny.cc/MahabharataUnravelled No epic has moved the consciousness of millions like the Ramayana. The appeal of the story of Rama is such that it has inspired the imagination of countless storytellers over the centuries, across the length and breadth of the subcontinent. From Jain poets to Bhavabhuti, from Kamban to Goswami Tulsidas, many have retold the Ramayana in their own language, infusing their own unique flavour. Though the story of Rama is much loved and well-known, questions prevail. Ramayana Unravelled attempts to address some key concerns: How did his childhood and youth shape Rama? Why did Rama agree to go on vanvas – was it only to obey his father or was there more to it? How was the relationship of Rama and Seeta? Is the Ramayana inherently misogynist, considering the characterisation of Seeta, Shurpanakha, Kaikeyi and Tara? What led to the downfall of Ravan? Ami Ganatra takes the reader through the events of the Ramayana, resolving conundrums and underlining the reasons the epic continues to be cherished to this day. Ami Ganatra is an alumna of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). A management professional, she is also a devout yoga practitioner, a certified yoga instructor, and a student of Sanskrit and Indian knowledge systems. Her books Mahabharata Unravelled and the new one, Ramayana Unravelled, are not retellings or imaginations, but an attempt to go back to the original itihasa and present the story, learnings and nuances for what they are, and make the epics accessible to all. Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBfBd-1kvCOPxVll8tBJ9Q/join

Sep 11, 2022 • 39min
Bharatvaarta Weekly #108 | Liz Truss As UK PM, Queen Elizabeth's Death, US Approves $450Mn Package
The Bharatvaarta Weekly is our reaction to the news headlines of the week that was. If you liked this episode, then don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and share this content. You can stay updated with everything at Bharatvaarta by following us on social media: we're @bharatvaarta on Twitter, facebook.com/bharatvaarta.in on Facebook, and @bharatvaarta on Instagram).

Sep 11, 2022 • 46min
199 - Kautilyanomics With Sriram Balasubramanian | Culture | Bharatvaarta
Pre-order Kautilyanomics - https://amzn.eu/d/d3urRWJ India was an economic power to reckon with until its economic decline in the 18th century. What explains this long period of prosperity? The answer might lie in a framework of social and economic thought that lies buried in our ancient heritage, says Sriram Balasubramanian, of which Kautilya's Arthashastra is a major example. Kautilyanomics for Modern Times seeks to do three things-first, to provide a structure and a context for Kautilya's economic thoughts; second, to examine his work's relevance today; and third, to do it in a way that a lay reader can follow and grasp easily. Kautilya's thought is mainly articulated through the prism of dharmic capitalism and its components-some examples include his views on global economic outlook, state-market dynamics, and sustainable growth through observance of environmental, societal and familial responsibilities. Fathoming India's rich economic and philosophical heritage and making use of it, Balasubramanian argues, would prove to be a great asset in India's/the country's/the nation's ascent again. In this special episode of the Bharatvaarta podcast, we invited the author Sriram Balasubramanian to speak about his newest book, Kautilyanomics for Modern Times.

Sep 8, 2022 • 46min
198 - The Great Tribal Warriors Of Bharat | Tuhin Sinha | Ambalika | Vivek Khaitan | Bharatvaarta
In fact, tribal mutinies against the British began at least 75 yearsbefore the 1857 revolution. These battles were fought with traditional bows andarrows and spears, and predated the reported political movement that came tothe fore in the latter part of the nineteenth century. we complete 75 years ofIndependence, it is only fair to acknowledge that a parallel freedom movementhad existed in our far-flung villages and jungles, away from the mainstreamfreedom movement acknowledged in the books of history. The Great Tribal Warriors of Bharat is a humble attempt to honour these largely unsung heroes of an epochal movement, whose contribution remains largely unacknowledged. The book begins with Tilka Manjhi, who unleashed guerilla warfare to combat the British, and includes Jaipal Singh Munda, one of the most nuanced speakers of our Constituent Assembly, tracking the trajectory of this movement. These brave warriors came from all parts of India, including the Northeast and the South, and from all tribes existing in the country. The book is a rare collection and a journey into self-discovery for our civilization turned nation. To speak about their latest book, we invited Tuhin A. Sinha and Ambalika. In this episode, they tackled topics such as connotations of the term Adivasi, the issues faced by the tribal freedom fighters, the state of tribals post independence, and more.

Sep 7, 2022 • 1h 13min
197 - The State Of The Economy With Harsh Madhusudan | Policy | Bharatvaarta
With a GDP of $3.1 trillion, India is the world's sixth-largest economy. India's GDP will likely grow by 8-8.5% in FY22, according to the 2021-22 Economic Survey. India’s GDP growth has remained steady, stable and resilient. has steadily increased from 4.4% in the 1970s and 80s to 5.5% during the 1990s and early 00s, and further to 7% in the late 2010s. The country's large spatially diversified economy, which is not dependent on a few products, commodities, or natural resources, has further added strength to it. The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the most severe recession in the country since 1979. From April to June 2020, the GDP growth crashed by 23.9% in the wake of the nationwide lockdown imposed by the government. India’s GDP shrank 7.3% in 2020-21. To speak about the unique state of India's growth trajectory, we invited CFA, investor, and author, Harsh Madhusudan to speak about this topic. In this episode, he tackled topics such as inflation, the impact of VC funding on the Indian startup ecosystem, reference points for measuring growth and progress, and his upcoming book on the future of India.