

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

Sep 5, 2021 • 27min
Bharatvaarta Weekly #57 | India @ The Paralympics, Partnership With Moscow, GDP Update
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). #Bharatvaarta #BVWeekly

Sep 3, 2021 • 46min
141 - Rise of OBC Politics | Rohit Jayaraman | Bharatvaarta | Politics
The politics of backward caste assertion in India is undergoing a new resurgence. The possible culmination of a series of events, mostly unrelated to each other, is likely to transform Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from an administrative category to a political one. And this has the potential to irreversibly change the nature and character of Indian democracy. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s victory in 2014 (and 2019) was not just due to greater consolidation of the upper castes, but also because of the deep inroads the party made among the lower castes, especially among the lower backward castes. In this episode, our resident political expert Rohit Jayaraman speaks about the rise of OBC politics in the wake of Shri. Kalyan Singh's death. He talks about topics such as the state-wise classification of OBCs, Kalyan Singh's influence in OBC politics, his relationship with Mulayam Singh, and much more. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBfBd-1kvCOPxVll8tBJ9Q/join

Aug 29, 2021 • 24min
Weekly #56 - Narayan Rane Arrest, India @ The Paralympics, Kabul Airport Attack
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).

Aug 22, 2021 • 31min
Weekly #55 - Taliban in Afghanistan, New COVID-19 Vaccine, CCP Against Tech Companies
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). #Bharatvaarta #BVWeekly

Aug 18, 2021 • 57min
140 - Discussing 'The Maratha Century' with Uday Kulkarni | Bharatvaarta | Culture
The Marathas began their quest for Swarajya in 1646 under Chhatrapati Shivaji. From this year until 1818, the Marathas remained a formidable power in the Indian sub-continent. This is a story of their rise to paramountcy in the Eighteenth century – and their fall in early Nineteenth century. It was the first indigenous Empire after centuries of foreign rule…and the last before the British took over. Dr. Uday Kulkarni is an author of 6 excellent books on 18th century Maratha history. He is an AFMC, Pune graduate and a retired navy surgeon. Dr Kulkarni started writing about Maratha history a decade back, while still practicing medicine. His first book Solstice at Panipat, describing the 1761 Panipat War, released in 2011 on 250th anniversary of what perhaps is the most significant war in Indian history. He followed it with Bakhar of Panipat (2014), The Era of Baji Rao (2016) and James Wales: Artist & Antiquarian in the time of Peshwa Sawai Madhavrao (2019). The Maratha Century is the latest in his series of books on Maratha history. In this discussion, we talk to Dr Kulkarni about this book, his passion for writing about Maratha history and the very intriguing 18th century India. He talks about how the impact of Chhatrapathi Shivaji, his campaign on Surat, Aurangazeb's 25-year war with the Marathas, and more. Amit Paranjape, the anchor for this conversation, is a Pune-based history buff and technology entrepreneur. Amit himself has deep knowledge of Maratha history and has helped Dr Kulkarni with the production process of his latest book. Amit also compered the book launch program, where Madhya Pradesh minister Smt Yashodhara Raje Scindia was the chief guest. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBfBd-1kvCOPxVll8tBJ9Q/join 0:00 - Introduction 3:30 - About the book "The Maratha Century" 10:05 - Impact of Chhatrapati Shivaji 19:06 - Strategies and innovations used by Shivaji in war 22:10 - Shivaji's Campaign on Surat and his famous letter 23:52 - 25 Year War: Aurangazeb vs. the Marathas 31:00 - Maratha campaign to capture North India 34:50 - Last decades of the 18th Century: Nana Phadnavis and Mahadji Shinde 39:39 - Why were there no new Maratha rulers after Nana Phadnavis? 42:40 - Life in the 18th Century 48:20 - Khunya Murlidhar Temple 50:40 - Final thoughts on the legacy of the Maratha empire 52:47 - Conclusion

Aug 17, 2021 • 58min
139 - Understanding China - A Geopolitical Perspective | Shri Vijay Gokhale | Bharatvaarta | Policy
More than three decades later, the Tiananmen Square incident refuses to be forgotten. The events that occurred in the summer of 1989 would not only set the course for China's politics but would also re-define its relationship with the world. China's message was clear: it remained committed to market-oriented reform, but it would not tolerate any challenge to the supremacy of the Chinese Communist Party. In return for economic prosperity, the Chinese have surrendered some rights to the state. A democratic future seems far away. Vijay Gokhale, then a young diplomat serving in Beijing, was a witness to the drama that unfolded in Tiananmen Square. This unique account brings an Indian perspective on an event in China's history that the Chinese government has been eager to have the world forget. India's relations with the People's Republic of China have captured the popular imagination ever since the 1950s but have rarely merited a detailed understanding of the issues. Individual episodes tend to arouse lively debate, which often dissipates without a deeper exploration of the factors that shaped the outcomes. Mr. Gokhale's book 'The Long Game' explores the dynamics of negotiation between the two countries, from the early years after Independence until the current times, through the prism of six historical and recent events in the India-China relationship.

Aug 15, 2021 • 28min
Weekly #54 - Independence Day, Twitter vs. Rahul Gandhi, Alcohol Reforms
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). #Bharatvaarta #BVWeekly Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBfBd-1kvCOPxVll8tBJ9Q/join

Aug 15, 2021 • 34min
138 - Decolonising The Indian Mind | Swaminathan Gurumurthy | Bharatvaarta | Culture
Shri Swaminathan Gurumurthy is a chartered accountant and corporate and legal adviser of high standing. Having qualified in the intermediate and final examination of the CA examination in 1972 with all India ranking in both examinations, he has been in practice for the last 42 years. Shri Gurumurthy is a very well known adviser to many corporates on law and finance and also on macro economic issues affecting corporates. As a professional he has mediated and solved some of the most complex corporate issues. Being a keen thinker on geo political and strategic issues, he is the vice chairman of the well known strategic think tank in Delhi, the Vivekananda International Foundation. Being an adviser to many corporates and drawn by larger national interest, Shri Gurumurthy began studying the impact of globalisation on an economy and economic and political culture habituated to command economy. For the last three decades Shri Gurumurthy is highly rated as a journalist for his investigative writings. He has since then ceaselessly campaigned against corruption at high places. He has been a powerful opinion maker in India on issues national importance, particularly in the field of economics. He is now the editor of the famous and powerful socio-political weekly Thuglak in Tamil.

Aug 11, 2021 • 55min
137 - Discussing 'Mahabharata Unravelled' | Ami Ganatra | Akshaya Sivaraman | Bharatvaarta | Culture
Millennia have passed since the dharma yudhha of the cousins shook the land of Bharata. But this history of our ancestors continues to fascinate us. Even today, we have passionate discussions about the people and their actions in the epic, fervidly defending our favourites and denouncing others. The number of works on the Mahabharata-adaptations, retellings and fiction-that still get written is a testimony to its enduring relevance. While the general storyline is largely known, a lot of questions and myths prevail, such as-What was the geographical extent of the war? Did Drona actually refuse to take on Karna as his disciple? What were Draupadi's responsibilities as the queen of Indraprastha? Did she ever mock Duryodhana? Were the women in the time of the Mahabharata meek and submissive? What were the names of the war formations during the time? What role did the sons of the Pandavas play? Does the south of India feature at all in the Mahabharata? What happened after the war? These and many other intriguing questions continue to mystify the contemporary reader. Author Ami Ganatra debunks myths, quashes popular notions and offers insights into such aspects not commonly known or erroneously known, based solely on facts as narrated in Vyasa's Mahabharata from generally accepted authentic sources. For a history of such prominence and influence as the Mahabharata, it is important to get the story right. So pick this book up, sit back and unveil the lesser-known facts and truths about the great epic.

Aug 8, 2021 • 26min
Bharatvaarta Weekly #53 | India @ The Olympics, Khel Ratna Award Renamed, Retrospective Tax Overrule
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). Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBfBd-1kvCOPxVll8tBJ9Q/join