

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

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

Aug 5, 2021 • 47min
136 - ECommerce Policy Changes | Rajeev Mantri | Rameesh Kailasam | Policy | Bharatvaarta
The new draft e commerce policy by the government will touch upon multiple aspects of the eCommerce business itself and has wide ranging consequences for all stakeholders involved. Understandably, there's a lot of debate, skepticism, on certain clauses of the policy. To make sense of all of these policy proposals and understand what is the right way to look at these circumstances. In this episode, we have Rajeev Mantri, investor, bestselling author and Managing Director at Navam Capital. He has appeared on many Bharatvaarta podcasts before, speaking about startups, policy, and related subjects. Joining him for the discussion is Rameesh Kailasam. He is the CEO of IndiaTech.org, a think tank and industry group setup to support Internet startups. Rameesh has over 2 decades of experience working with the industry and the government. He's also a regular columnist on Indian newspapers and appears on Indian television on policy discussions. We begin the episode by breaking down what the new reforms actually are, along with the overlap in jurisdictions between multiple ministries. Then, the guests deconstruct the effect of the proposed related party clause. They also addressed topics such as flash sales and deep discounting, redressal for grievances, and data protection. The guests also presented possible protection for small businesses and regulations for large players.

Aug 1, 2021 • 32min
Bharatvaarta Weekly #52 | India At The Olympics, India's New CM, Anthony Blinken In India
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

Jul 29, 2021 • 56min
135 - Pegasus Expose Explained | Surya Kanegaonkar | Karan Datta | Bharatvaarta | Culture
The Pegasus expose has caused a huge scandal for Indian journalists and politicians. With the high-tech modern approach of this virus, we need to take a big-picture geopolitical view of this complex situation. Today, our guests are Surya Kanegaonkar and Karan Datta. Surya is a finance professional passionate about Indic culture and global geopolitics, and a columnist for many prominent news outlets. Welcome to the podcast Surya. Karan has over 25 years of experience in the Financial Service industry and has held leadership positions at Goldman Sachs, Axis Mutual, and more. He is also a speaker on India and prominent geopolitical issues.

Jul 27, 2021 • 1h 17min
134 - Kargil Vijay Diwas | Aadit Kapadia | Mohal Joshi | Bharatvaarta | Culture
26th July is celebrated every year as Kargil Vijay Diwas. On this podcast, we look back at some of the events that unfolded 22 years ago on perhaps the toughest terrain in the world, and speak about some the history and significance of a war that everybody deemed impossible to win. To discuss this, we have Aadit Kapadia, who runs MyIndMakers, a website discussing Indian policy, politics and culture. We also have Mohal Joshi, who hosts the India Rising podcast with Kishore Narayan. He also has a deep interest in geopolitics and defence. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBfBd-1kvCOPxVll8tBJ9Q/join

Jul 25, 2021 • 36min
Bharatvaarta Weekly #51 | India At The Olympics, Pegasus Spyware, Zomato IPO
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