

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

Dec 16, 2021 • 1h
163 - Discussing Vasudeva Krishna and Mathura With Padmashri Meenakshi Jain | Culture | Bharatvaarta
Professor Meenakshi Jain is a renowned Indian political scientists and historian, along with being a scholar on relations between caste and politics. In 2020, she was conferred with the Padma Shri for her work in the field of literature and education. From dealing with the rebirth of temples, to making the case for the Ayodhya temple, to exploring Hindu-Muslim relations in India, her deeply researched books have dealt with historical issues of national importance. In this episode, she spoke about her new book Vasudeva Krishna and Mathura. This book explores the history of image worship in India, with a focus on the Bhagavata religion that evolved around Vasudeva Krishna. it covers the destruction and reconstruction of the Keshavadeva temple at Mathura, through Mughal rule to the modern court case with the Trust Masjiid Idgah. Reportedly, the documents provided in the book "attest to the dogged Hindu commitment to the site."

Dec 12, 2021 • 51min
Bharatvaarta Weekly #70 | Gen. Rawat Accident, Omicron Variant Updates, Farmer's Protest Called Off
The Bharatvaarta Weekly is our reaction to the news headlines of the week that was. This week we spoke about the new PLIs worth 76000 crore proposed by the government, India beating New Zealand in the test series, updates on the Omicron variant, and the farmer's protest being called off. 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).

Dec 11, 2021 • 1h 20min
Quo Vadis, Eurodollar System? - Jeffrey P. Snider, Emil Kalinowski, Velina Tchakarova
Eurodollars are time deposits denominated in U.S. dollars at banks outside the United States, and thus are not under the jurisdiction of the Federal Reserve. Consequently, such deposits are subject to much less regulation than similar deposits within the U.S. The term was originally coined for U.S. dollars in European banks, but it expanded over the years to its present definition. A U.S. dollar-denominated deposit in Tokyo or Beijing would be likewise deemed a Eurodollar deposit (sometimes an Asiadollar). There is no connection with the euro currency or the eurozone. The offshore locations of Eurodollar make it exposed to potential country risk and economic risk. Since the Eurodollar market is not run by any government agency its growth is hard to estimate. However, the Eurodollar market is by a wide margin the largest source of global finance. In 1997, nearly 90% of all international loans were made this way. In December 1985 the Eurodollar market was estimated by J.P. Morgan Guaranty bank to have a net size of 1.668 trillion. As Chief Investment Strategist for Alhambra Investment Partners, Jeff directs the day-to-day investment processes and spearheads the investment research efforts while providing close contact to Alhambra’s client base. Emil Kalinowski, CFA, is employed in the metals and mining industry writing about how socioeconomic and geopolitical trends affect the supply, demand, and price of base and precious metals. His present focus is on the 2007 malfunction of the monetary system and its continuing disorder

Dec 4, 2021 • 30min
161 - Urban Architecture And Spaces With Shirish Beri | Bharatvaarta
Shirish Beri’s works have been bearing a distinct mark on modern Indian architecture since 1975 Initially as Director (Design) with “Beri architects and engineers pvt. ltd.” and later through his company “Shirish Beri and Associates”. His work is free, spontaneous, as it is not bound by conditioning and constrains of a particular style or ism. It is intensely responsive to the site, the socio cultural behavior-values and Life as a whole. His designs address his concerns in life and contribute towards a better quality of life. Besides adding a new immeasurable dimension in the users’ lives, these design have won him National-International awards and coverage. His deep search for meaning in life has made him explore various mediums of understanding and expression such as painting, poetry, philosophy, deep ecology and extensive travelling.

Nov 30, 2021 • 1h 5min
160 - The Midway Battle: Modi's Rollercoaster Second Term - Gautam Chintamani (Author)
Gautam Chintamani is a film historian and the author of Rajneeti (Penguin-Random House, 2019), the first biography of Rajnath Singh. He is the author of the bestselling Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna (HarperCollins, 2014), The Film That Revived Hindi Cinema (HarperCollins, 2016) and Pink- The Inside Story (HarperCollins, 2017). About the Book: In 2019, the BJP came into power once again on the back of one of the most significant electoral mandates in recent years. Since then, the Narendra Modi-led government has seen a tumultuous few years as they have implemented far-reaching legislative changes including the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, triple talaq, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as well as farming laws. These laws, when implemented, caused widespread protests and upheaval across the country. While the country grappled with internal strife, it also faced challenges from its neighbors in the form of one of the most intense military stand-offs in decades after an unprovoked attack by China’s People’s Liberation Army at Galwan as well as a global pandemic. While the Modi government took swift steps to limit the spread of the pandemic in 2020, the second wave of COVID-19 in early 2021 hit the country hard, claiming thousands of lives. Bringing a well-researched and nuanced understanding to Modi’s second term, The Midway Battle sheds light on the sociopolitical issues facing India as it continues its struggle against enemies both known and unknown, and puts into in perspective what lies ahead for the world’s biggest democracy. Buy the book on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/GCMidwayBattle Connect with Gautam on Twitter @GChintamani or gautamchintamani.com

Nov 28, 2021 • 47min
Bharatvaarta Weekly #69 | Omicron Variant, Crypto Bill, INS Vela, India Challenges OPEC, and more
The Bharatvaarta Weekly is our reaction to the news headlines of the week that was. This week we spoke about the Omicron variant of the pandemic, the digital bills tabled in the parliament, the rise of TMC, INS Vela, India challenging the OPEC and more. 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).

Nov 25, 2021 • 33min
159 - View From The Inside - Aashish Chandorkar | Policy | Bharatvaarta
Mr. Chandorkar is director of Bengaluru-based policy think tank Smahi Foundation of Policy and Research. He was recently appointed to the post of Counsellor, Permanent Mission of India (PMI), World Trade Organisation (WTO), Geneva (at DS/Director level) for a period of three years. In this episode, he speaks about the view from the inside on the functioning of the Indian government and geopolitics. With his appointment to the WTO, Mr. Chandorkar expresses his unique insider perspective on multilateral trade relations, how other countries are dealing with a post-COVID world, how much of the perception of India is being built by Western media and more. This podcast is available on YouTube, Apple, Google, Spotify, Breaker, Stitcher, and other popular platforms. If you like this episode, then please rate, subscribe and share! For more information, do check out www.bharatvaarta.in. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBfBd-1kvCOPxVll8tBJ9Q/join

Nov 23, 2021 • 1h 17min
158 - India At COP-26 With Vaibhav Chaturvedi | Policy | Bharatvaarta
For nearly three decades the UN has been bringing together almost every country on earth for global climate summits – called COPs – which stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’. In that time climate change has gone from being a fringe issue to a global priority.This year will be the 26th annual summit – giving it the name COP26. With the UK as President, COP26 takes place in Glasgow.In the run up to COP26 the UK is working with every nation to reach agreement on how to tackle climate change. World leaders will arrive in Scotland, alongside tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, businesses and citizens for twelve days of talks.Not only is it a huge task but it is also not just yet another international summit. Most experts believe COP26 has a unique urgency. Vaibhav is an economist who leads The Council's work on Low-Carbon Pathways. His research focuses on energy and climate change mitigation policy issues, especially those impacting India, within the integrated assessment modelling framework of the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM). Vaibhav’s recent work includes studies on pathways and policies for achieving India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Mid-Century Strategies within the context of sustainable development and national priorities, the climate policy–energy–water nexus, transportation energy and emission scenarios, HFC emission scenarios and mitigation policy, and nuclear energy scenarios for India. In this episode he speaks about topics such as India's agenda at the COP 26 conference, alternative energy transitions, changes in the mobility sector, agriculture and climate change's effect on it, and more.

Nov 21, 2021 • 43min
Bharatvaarta Weekly #68 | Vir Das Controversy, Delhi Lockdown, Farm Laws Repealed
The Bharatvaarta Weekly is our reaction to the news headlines of the week that was. This week we spoke about the Vir Das controversy, delivery of the S400 air defence systems from Russia, Delhi lockdown due to smog, repeal of the farm laws, and more. 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).

Nov 19, 2021 • 49min
157 - A Conversation With Vikram Sood - Former Head R&AW | Velina's Talk | Bharatvaarta
Vikram Sood is the former head of India's foreign intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), and an advisor to the Observer Research Foundation, an independent public policy think tank in New Delhi. Sood was an officer of the Indian Postal Service (IPoS) before he joined the intelligence organisation R&AW and later served as its spymaster from 2000 to 2003. He retired as a career intelligence officer with 31 years of service on 31 March 2003. He trained under the mentorship of B. Raman and interviewed by Gentleman R.N Kao. He is the author of the book The Unending Game: A Former R&AW Chief's Insights into Espionage published in 2018, which according to Sood is not a memoir but a beginner's guide to intelligence and espionage. In this episode, Velina Tchakarova speaks to him on his take about the current state of global geopolitics.