Bharatvaarta

We have seen a spate of startup funding activity in recent times.  Just in the last couple of weeks we have seen Fintech startup, Groww, raised $83 million in its Series D funding, in a round led by Tiger Global; Gupshup raised a 100M from Tiger again; sharechat raised 500M from Tiger too; Meesho raised 300M from Softbank; epharmacy startup Pharmeasy raised 350M, Cred raised 200+ million from Falcon Edge. There have been 10 unicorns created in this year already! And this is aside from more mature startups like Zomato and Policy Bazaar raising large rounds ahead of their proposed IPO this year. To make sense of all of this, we invited Nimish Joshi (Senior Corporate Development Exec) and Rajeev Mantri (Managing Director, Navam Capital) on the podcast. Nimish and Rajeev begin with describing the significance of the current fundraising frenzy and then talk abou how the Indian startup ecosystem has evolved and why it’s attractive for investors at the moment. Along the way they also discuss nuances of listing in the Indian markets through IPO, second order effects of the fundraising, and criticism on sacrificing profits for growth. We end with our guests talking about sectors that are ripe for innovation and will attract more capital in the time to come. This is a very comprehensive overview and is unmissable for anyone interested in Indian startups. 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.

The Bharatvaarta Weekly is our reaction to the news headlines of the week that was. This week, we'll be talking about Citibank's India exit, USA blocking export of vaccines, Nirav Modi's extradition, 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).

The Indian Railways are the backbone of the country, connecting the various remote parts of our country. It is the largest network in the world by size. Beyond the immense utility of the railways, there is also a rich cultural and historical significance to it. In this episode, we delve deeper into the history and culture of the Indian Railways. An officer with the Indian Railways, Vinita Srivastava is presently the Executive Director, Railway Heritage heading the Heritage Directorate of the Railway Board in Rail Bhavan, New Delhi. Ms Srivastava qualified as a Mechanical Engineer (IMechE) in 1996, and studied for an Executive Masters in Management from IIM Ahmedabad in 2011. More recently, in 2017 she became a Chevening Science and Innovation Fellow from St Cross College, Oxford University. Her work experience spans two decades in rail transportation and her previous posting was in the Ministry of Culture where she developed her knowledge of cultural studies, museology and conservation architecture. She took up her present post in April 2019 after three years  administrating the National Mission on Cultural Mapping and the IGNCA.  In 2018 she was instrumental in developing a bilateral MoU for cultural and conservation information for the UNESCO WHS temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Her remit includes the UNESCO protected Railway Industrial Heritage sites like the CSMT building and the Mountain Railways of Darjeeling, Shimla & the Nilgiris.

Manohar Parrikar was India's first IIT-qualified Chief Minister. But that description doesn't capture even a fraction of his achievements. He used his natural brilliance to serve the country, first as a committed grass-roots volunteer, then as four-time popular Chief Minister of Goa and finally contributed to strengthening India's national security as Defence Minister between November 2014 and March 2017.  Nitin Gokhale, one of South Asia's leading strategic and defence analysts, became acquainted with Parrikar quite by accident during the latter's stint in New Delhi, but by sheer coincidence the two became very close friends. This book is as much a personal tribute by the author to his friend, as an honest attempt to capture the persona of Parrikar the man,the politician and patriot. Through the eyes of his family, friends and countless admirers the book dwells deep into his early influences, his journey from a small village in Goa to one of the highest posts in the country.

The Bharatvaarta Weekly is our reaction to the news headlines of the  week that was. This week, we'll be talking about the production-linked  incentives for solar & LED, Punjab Farmers' DBT, unicorns in rapid  succession, 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).  #Bharatvaarta #BVWeekly

Robert 'Bob' Blackman is a Conservative Party leader from the United Kingdom, who has served as the Member of Parliament from Harrow East since 2010. He has also served as the Executive Secretary of the 1922 Committee since 2012.    Bob is a great friend of India, representing a constituency, where a third of his voters are of Indian origin. He has made great attempts to integrate and assimilate his constituents of the Indian origin in the business, social and political mainstream over the years. In the Labour dominated politics of the London area, he is one of the few Conservative MPs who win consistently with his strong local connect.   Bob understands the UK - India relations very well. He has been advocating a trade deal between the two countries. He tweeted the myths being spread on the recent Indian farm reforms and appealed to his fellow British MPs to not fall to the propaganda being spread about these laws. Bob had met PM Narendra Modi one on one during his last UK visit.   Bob was awarded the Padma Shri for exemplary public service in 2020. In this wide ranging conversation, we discussed India-UK relations and what the future holds.

The Bharatvaarta Weekly is our reaction to the news headlines of the week that was. This week, we'll be talking about the Yoga ban in Alabama, Indian Railways' electrification, highest ever exports in March 2021, 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).   #Bharatvaarta #BVWeekly

Gautam Bambawale is a retired Indian diplomat with a distinguished  career in key foreign missions like the USA, China, Pakistan and  Germany. Mr Bambawale retired in 2018 from the Indian Foreign Service  and is now settled in Pune. His last posting was India's Ambassador to  China,  Mr Bambawale has had several difficult situations in his career to deal  with. He was in Beijing during India's nuclear tests in 1998. He was  again in Beijing when the Doklam crisis unfolded in 2017. He was in the  USA around the time Indian nuclear deal was signed.  Mr Bambawale has  had an exemplary career guiding Indian diplomacy through choppy waters.  In this episode, Mr Bambawale spoke about these experiences but also  more broadly about India's foreign policy imperatives especially with  China and Pakistan. He explained the border situation on both the fronts  in detail.  Mr Bambawale also spoke about how India can engage the  Biden administration further. The discussion was conducted by Amit Paranjape, who you have heard on  several Bharatvaarta podcasts earlier, and Aashish Chandorkar, who is  part of the Bharatvaarta team.  Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBfBd-1kvCOPxVll8tBJ9Q/join

The Bharatvaarta Weekly is our reaction to the news headlines of the week that was. This week, we'll be talking about the Suez Canal blockage, H&M and Nike's Chinese boycott, Lloyd Austin's India visit, the MMDR bill, 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).

Sridhar Vembu is the co-founder and CEO of Zoho, one of India’s best known software companies. He is also among the most avant-garde thinkers today, reimagining how India should view Education, Economy, and Entrepreneurship.In this quickfire conversation with Roshan Cariappa, he speaks about receiving the Padma Shri award, his learnings from running Zoho, and hiring, retaining, and nurturing talent in his copnay. He went on to speak about increasing productivity in the Indian workforce, additions to the India stack, and possible steps that can be taken by the government to enable innovation.He also expounded upon the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission and offered his opinion on Building for Bharat. This podcast is at once insightful and informative and is a must listen for anyone interested in India’s development. The podcast is available on YouTube, Apple, Google, Spotify, Breaker, Stitcher, and other popular platforms. If you liked this episode, then please rate, subscribe and share! #Bharatvaarta #BVPolicy #AatmanirbharBharat