Brown Pundits - podcast cover

Brown Pundits

A discussion about all things brown, aka desi or South Asian.

Episodes

A Brown Pundit visits the Mahakumbh

KJ took a dip at the Triveni Sangam, here he is in conversation with Dr Omar Ali and Maneesh on what was the experience like. His travels across Lucknow and Varanasi make an appearance too. We conclude the episode with a hat tip to the greatest Indian Dessert.

Feb 17, 202550 min

Conversation with Vishal Ganesan on Dharma in the Diaspora

This Brown Pundits podcast episode features hosts Amey and Dr. Omar Ali in conversation with Vishal Ganesan, a lawyer and thinker, about his essay "Frontier Dharma" and the meaning of being Hindu in the diaspora . Vishal discusses how his observations of mainstream media and academic discourse led him to research the historical representation of Hindus, which he found to be distorted by a lens stemming from 18th and 19th-century missionary narratives. Vishal's essay - https://frontierdharma.subs...

Feb 03, 20251 hr 10 min

Maha Saffron Landslide

In this episode, KJ and Gaurav talk about the assembly election results in Maharashtra with Indian Mango (a Maratha from Marathwada) and a Kannadiga from the coast.

Dec 07, 20241 hr 10 minSeason 1Ep. 202

Kushal Mehra on the Canadian Khalistani kerfuffle

In this episode of Browncast we have Kushal Mehra talk with Amey and Omar on the recent attacks on Canadian Hindu temples by Khalistanis during Diwali. We also touch upon the diaspora politics in Canada, the Khalistani influence on the Canadian state apparatus and lastly how Trudeau's radical immigration changes have contributed to the problem. Please follow Kushal on Twitter as well as his popular Youtube podcast "The Carvaka Podcast" Twitter - https://x.com/kushal_mehra Youtube - https://www.y...

Nov 05, 20241 hr 7 min

Dr. Edward Luttwak on Israel, Iran and the Grand Strategy in the Middle East

In this edition of the browncast, Amey and Dr. Omar Ali talk to Dr. Edward Luttwak on the current escalating situation between Israel and Iran in the Middle East, the unique individualistic culture of the IDF and arc of 2000 years of Jewish and Persian history that informs both their strategic cultures.

Oct 02, 20242 hr 31 min

Brocast: Fitness and weight in 2024

Amit, Amey and Razib revisit their health trajectory since 2020, and the optimum mix of dieting and working out to be fit in the 21st century.

Aug 14, 20241 hr 5 minSeason 1Ep. 105

Color revolution in Bangladesh?

Amey, Karol, Paulasta and Omari Ali react to the overthrow of Sheik Hasina as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

Aug 06, 20242 hr 35 minSeason 1Ep. 104

A Conversation on World Cinema

KJ and Bansi dive into the captivating world of non-English, non-Indian cinema, exploring hidden gems and diverse stories from across the globe.

Aug 01, 20241 hr 5 minSeason 1Ep. 103

A Catch-up with Major Amin

It's 2024 and Major Amin shares his thoughts on what's happening with Dr Omar Ali.

Jul 16, 202447 minSeason 1Ep. 102

Ashvamedha Interrupted

In this podcast we gathered together a band of brownpundits (Mukunda Raghavan, Srikanth Krishnamachary, Maneesh Taneja, Gaurav Lele, KJ and myself) and talked about the Indian elections in details. As expected the BJP's setbacks get a lot of play, but we discuss much more than that and hope to follow up with more focused episodes on some issues (such as the future of Hindu Nationalism). How many fires are there, how many suns? How many dawns? How many waters? I ask this, O fathers, not to challe...

Jun 08, 20242 hr 1 minSeason 1Ep. 101

The origin of Indo-Europeans and Indians

Amey and Razib talk about a new paper, The Genetic Origin of the Indo-Europeans , and its relevance to the origins of Indians.

May 14, 20241 hr 6 minSeason 1Ep. 100

Bangladesh 2023 status update

On this episode of the Browncast Amey and Razib talk about Bangladesh with Karol, our Polish economist South Asia expert who lived in Bangladesh for two years and is fluent in Bengali. Karol discusses the upcoming elections, the role of party politics in Bangladeshi life, and Bangladesh's role in the geopolitics of the region.

Nov 19, 20231 hr 23 min

Conversation with Christine Fair

Omar and Mukunda talk to Prof. Christine Fair on state of affairs in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan and her upcoming book.

Oct 21, 20232 hr 33 min

Israel and India: a new love affair?

Amey and Razib talk about the philoSemitism of Indians, and the pivot to Israel of the BJP. Amey discusses the longstanding role of Jews on the Konkan coast, the pro-Palestinian stance inherited from Nehru, but eventually pivoted away by the BJP do to Indo-Israeli cooperation and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Oct 17, 202356 minSeason 1Ep. 100

Discussion with Vamsee Juluri

In this podcast, Omar and Mukunda talk to popular author, columnist and intellectual Vamsee Juluri.

Sep 28, 20231 hr 24 min

A Maratha on Sri Lankan Genetics, Casteism, Immigrating to America and Dalrymple

Amey returns to the Browncast to do a "bro caste" on genetics in Sri Lanka, casteism in America and India and the new legislation in California, talk about his immigration odyssey and how it's stacked against Indians, and finally, how William Dalrymple gives Marathas short shrift.

Sep 13, 20231 hr 16 minSeason 1Ep. 100

Castes of the American Mind

BPers Razib Khan and Mukunda Raghavan chat with Pushpita Prasad and Sudha Jagannathan of the Coalition of the Hindus of North America discuss the newfound relevance of caste in the USA, and how a toxic brew up self-interest, identity politics and social justice have caught Indian Americans in a vortex of anti-discrimination legislation.

Jul 19, 20231 hr 4 minSeason 1Ep. 100