Bharatiya Junta Podcast

Gang reflects on their failures on not being able to be astro talk. They also listen to Shashi uncle singing offkey and apologize that they wanted him to be INC chief and then Yogi Ji movie trailer. MV from PCCIPod is with us on the episode too.

Had Nilakantan RS on the pod for a conversation around how societies shape themselves around trust, why is India a low trust society, what it means for us as we fantasize about development while we are such low trust and are there ways to move us up the spectrum in trust.

What does it mean when a nation fears a poem? When an actor is boycotted not for what he says, but for who he shares a screen with? We unpack the growing wave of cultural censorship in India from the backlash against Diljit Dosanjh for starring alongside a Pakistani actor, to the banning of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry, to the rise of hyper-nationalist films.We explore how art becomes resistance, how silence becomes complicity, and why, despite the weariness, we must still speak. Because, as Faiz said—Bol, ke sach zinda hai ab tak.

TW- Sensitive subject discussed. Gang offers condolences but then does a commentary on how the sad news of the crash is being covered by Indian media and how right before this they were doing Hindu-Muslim on Eid. They talk of the things that happen only in India and the Indian delegation abroad singing. Tune in for the thoughts.

Arundhati Roy, an acclaimed Indian author and activist known for her sharp criticisms of societal issues, delves into the troubling normalization of violence and propaganda masked as patriotism. She critiques the commercialization of war and the manipulative theatrics of grief that shape national identity. Through poignant discussions on the dynamics of Hindutva and resistance movements, Roy urges a reevaluation of nationalism and accountability in governance, all while expressing her enduring love for India and its marginalized communities.

In this episode, the gang talks about a lack of sombreness in discussions around the recent conflict, the liberal readiness to lap up feminist tokenism by the govt. Also, Godi media and the helplessness around the lack of credible sources for news.Clip used by Nidhi Suresh

In this emergency episode, we talk of how we have reduced ourselves to become obedient spectators. We talk about modern nationalism and the silent complicity that sustains it.We try to understand why citizens cheer war like sport, and thinking becomes the enemy. Then end on why true love for a country might begin with saying no.Song- Dastoor Habib Jalib by Ammar Rashid in JNU

Gang gets to talk about a movie called G20 where there is a role played by a fictional Indian PM and expands that to India's image in the world. Then they talk about how the PM spoke about the Muslim Youth by calling them Puncture Wala and then there is a bit on what happened in Pahalgam.Episode Art thanks to NeilteeTune In !

Another Pop Culture Deep Dive by the women at BhaJa Pod, this time they look at the influencer landscape, how they are shaping our views, selling us things and providing us a peek into their heavily curated lives. We start with Kusha Kapila who’s arguably one of the biggest success stories amongst influencers on Instagram, and we go through male feminists (?), flying beasts, curly tales and the biryani elaichi at every famous party Orry. They are joined enthusiastically by Dr. Medusa, a satirist and content creator herself, to provide her insight into influencing. 

In this special episode, the hosts of our sister pod, the desi academia pod and the PCCI pod join us namely- Megh, Vatsal, Richa, and MV; they talk about their professional experiences in education and workplaces. We also talk about how we got here: our degree choices and motivations, experiences growing up in different parts of India, exposure, and moving away from home.We discuss the impact of Liberalisation and 2014, creating reliable knowledge sources and reading, visiting India, the thoughts of moving back, and the impact of education systems and degrees on our lives.Check out our sister podcasts!Desi Academia Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2v6ymNb9uoxMc9gaCKJYLpPCCI Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oGfaWZ5cbsc18sfeP8g3o