Voting in all the five states have concluded, and as we wait for the results to be announced, news channels are busy predicting the results. Some news channels are relying on pollsters and some are asking parrots and tarot card readers. But can anyone actually predict the results? Saurabh Dwivedi, editor, TheLallantop.com, joins us on Hafta this week. Dwivedi has just returned to Delhi after travelling in Uttar Pradesh and covering as many constituencies as Akhilesh Yadav did. Dwivedi reflects o...
Mar 10, 2017•43 hr 33 min
Chances are, you know journalist, author and economist Mihir Sharma. You've read his columns, dissecting social, cultural and political phenomena. You've seen the tweets in which he highlights some news, debunks myths or gets into an argument. Who better to discuss the role of technology and journalists in this hi-tech future? At Jaipur Literature Festival, Sharma sat down to chat about the media, the narratives politicians create to connect with their voters, and that which everyone talks about...
Mar 09, 2017•53 hr 20 min
This week #justsports discuss India’s win in the Bangalore test match and Virat Kohli's comments on the use of the Decision Review System. Rahul Puri and Samar Khan argue if cricket is ready to make a comeback in Pakistan, and the worth of promises made by politicians to winning athletes. The two also debate the fate of Arsene Wenger whose contract with Arsenal expires at the end of the season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 08, 2017•18 hr 14 min
This week, Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen discuss Hugh Jackman's latest film, Logan. It's Wolverine's last stand and both our culture vultures gave the films two thumbs up. They also discuss Karan Johar blaming Kangana Ranaut for playing the victim card and nepotism in Bollywood. Also, Johar is now a father, which is a good reason to discuss surrogacy in India. On Air With AIB is back. Tanmay Bhat, Rohan Joshi, Gursimran Khamba and Ashish Shakya chatter about nationalism. Could they be India's...
Mar 08, 2017•66 hr 37 min
Manu Joseph, a journalist, novelist and the former editor of OPEN magazine speaks to Editor in Chief Madhu Trehan about journalism in India, Post-Truth and the rise of the right and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 07, 2017•96 hr
British journalist Luke Harding is the foreign correspondent for The Guardian, and has also served as South Asia Bureau chief in Delhi.To his distinction, he was deported from Russia because his reports upset the Putin administration. He speaks to Editor in Chief Madhu Trehan about the freedom to report, the era of President Donald Trump in America, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 06, 2017•30 hr 7 min
The Halfta gang discuss how the debates surrounding Gurmehar Kaur's appeal for peace amidst the chaos of the Ramjas College protests is indicative of all that is wrong with mainstream television journalism in India. Our panelists Abhinandan Sekhri, Madhu Trehan, Anand Ranganathan, Manisha Pande, Deepanjana Pal are on fire. Joining them is Sandeep Bamzai, Editor-in-Chief of the Financial Chronicle. Bamzai think that Ramjas College's literary society was "baiting" the rest of the students by invit...
Mar 03, 2017•79 hr 37 min
This week, Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen go from Bollywood to Oscars, to films the Central Board of Film Certification doesn't want you to watch. Find out what Pal thought of Rangoon. Hear them weigh in on the controversy surrounding the award-winning film, Lipstick under my Burkha. AIB has a new video titled A Woman's Besties, and our two culture vultures have differing opinions on it. And how can they not talk about the Oscars, which celebrated the cuteness of Sunny Pawar and ignored the da...
Mar 02, 2017•96 hr 2 min
In 2016, Oxford Dictionaries declared post-truth as word of the year. The word post-truth dominated debates during the recent American President elections. It’s been bandied about in debates and in essays, but, what exactly does post-truth mean? Is it destructive and damaging? Is there a solution? In this episode of Let’s Talk About, Madhu Trehan, Editor in Chief of Newslaundry, speaks to several Indian and international journalists, authors and academicians who were at this year’s Jaipur Litera...
Mar 01, 2017•87 hr 20 min
Samar Khan and Rahul Puri are back with their weekly round up of sports.This week, they talk about how overconfidence killed the Indian team in the Pune Test and how that could be their Achilles heel going forward. Khan even goes on to make a bold prediction of the final score. Puri and Khan give their take on the unceremonious sacking of Claudio Ranieri and discuss whether Manchester United has turned a corner with their victory in the League Cup final. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...
Feb 28, 2017•11 hr 24 min
NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So, here’s a little sneak peek into what was discussed on this episode. We talk about ABVP’s clash with AISA students at Ramjas College, PM Narendra Modi’s kabristan vs shamshan remark and Shobha De’s attempt to troll the Mumbai police. All this and a lot more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 24, 2017•77 hr 27 min
Students of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and All India Students Association (AISA) clashed during protests after the cancellation of Umar Khalid’s talk at Ramjas College. A Delhi University professor was roughed up, students were assaulted and a few journalists were attacked too. We have Abhinandan Sekhri, Madhu Trehan, Anand Ranganathan and Manisha Pande to discuss this, Amit Shah’s Kasab jibe and PM Narendra Modi’s kabristan versus shamshan remark -- was it communal or not? An...
Feb 24, 2017•75 hr 32 min
It’s a very special episode this week because Jerry Pinto joins Rajyasree Sen and Deepanjana Pal, all the way from America. Pinto has written a new novel, Murder in Mahim. Set in Mumbai, the novel begins with a dead body that’s found in a local train station toilet. As the bodies pile up, it falls upon retired journalist Peter Fernandes and Mumbai cop Shiv Jende to figure out who is responsible for this killing spree. While unspooling this crime, Pinto takes the reader on a walk through Mumbai’s...
Feb 23, 2017•24 hr 20 min
Samar Khan and Rahul Puri are back with their weekly round up of all things sporty. This week, they talk about Indian Premier League auctions and the crazy amounts of money being spent on 'buying' cricketers. Speaking of cricket, Shahid Afridi has announced his retirement again. Does he meant it or will he do another U-turn? Meanwhile, in the world of football, Barcelona seems to be struggling after losing some good players. Its performance on the field has been going from bad to worse, lament K...
Feb 22, 2017•21 hr 29 min
Last year, we started the NL Sena initiative, where you, our readers and subscribers, help us to do stories that are important, expensive and deserve to be told. The first NL Sena project was titled The Curious Case of the Bellary Brothers, and was born out of our curiosity to know more about the secrets that lurked in the suicide note that a Karnataka bureaucrat's driver left behind. That story led us to Bellary, where we found new players had entered the mining arena.In Session with Sena, thos...
Feb 17, 2017•34 hr 47 min
NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So, here’s a little sneak peek into what was discussed on this episode. Neha Dixit joined us and we talked about Uttar Pradesh elections, Narendra Modi taking digs at media, Sagarika Ghose's attempt at humour, and lots more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 17, 2017•83 hr 28 min
Uttar Pradesh is going through legislative elections, but the media has been busy with the political fiasco that's been unfolding in Tamil Nadu. The action in UP elections hasn't enjoyed as much spotlight on prime time news as a result. Independent journalist Neha Dixit joins us this week on Hafta to talk about the profile of Mayawati she wrote for The Caravan magazine and what is happening on the ground along in Bundelkhand. Our regular Hafta gang of Abhinandan Sekhri, Madhu Trehan, Anand Ranga...
Feb 17, 2017•48 hr 16 min
This week, Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen have everything from books to award shows on their mind. Find out what they thought of Adele, James Corden and Beyonce's performances at the Grammys. Sen has a crush on Stephen Fry and she might just be turning into a fan of Akshay Kumar after watching Jolly LLB 2. They discuss a bunch of ads, including with Patanjali's ad for a new range of beauty products and Tata Tea's new Jaago Re campaign. Sen and Pal also have for you a quick review of Jerry Pint...
Feb 15, 2017•14 hr 23 min
Let's Talk About... has gone behind the paywall, but because we love our listeners, here's a sneak peak into the second part of our deep dive into the Kashmir conundrum. This time, we look at the issue of protests and how they're quelled in one of the most turbulent parts of India. We speak to historians, military men who have served in Kashmir, Kashmiri refugees, journalists who have covered the insurgency, and activists who have raised their voices against human rights violations. Aided by the...
Feb 15, 2017•6 hr 12 min
It was once described by poet Amir Khusro as paradise on earth, but in the 21st century, Kashmir is better described as paradise lost. The conflict in Kashmir is perhaps the most complex issue of our times. From a northern kingdom to a region ravaged by insurgency, it has suffered generations of unrest and turbulence. In the second part of Let’s Talk About… Kashmir, we speak to historians, military men who have served in Kashmir, Kashmiri refugees, journalists who have covered the insurgency, an...
Feb 14, 2017•77 hr 47 min
Samar Khan and Rahul Puri are back with their weekly round up of all things sporty. This week, they talk about spot fixing in cricket and the latest scandal involving the Pakistan Cricket Board.Khan and Puri also discuss the BCCI's attitude towards blind cricket despite India having won the world championship twice. They also examine the impact of the Olympics on Rio and the difficulty the city faces in using the stadiums built for the games. Listen up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...
Feb 13, 2017•69 hr
A lot has been happening in Chennai. Current Chief Minister Panneerselvam has revolted against J Jayalalithaa loyalist Sasikala and has refused to vacate the chief minister's post for her. The regular Hafta gang, that is, Abhinandan Sekhri, Madhu Trehan, Anand Ranganathan, Deepanjana Pal and Manisha Pande are joined by Dhanya Rajendra, editor-in-chief of The News Minute, who sheds light on the political drama unfolding in Tamil Nadu. We also discuss the contempt notice sent to the Calcutta High ...
Feb 10, 2017•24 hr 15 min
NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So, here’s little sneak peak of the episode where we discuss the political drama unfolding in Tamil Nadu, The Telegraph lay-offs and lots more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 10, 2017•83 hr 22 min
This week, Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen are unimpressed by Badrinath Ki Dulhania but giddy with excitement about Phillauri, Anushka Sharma's new film. Find out what Sen thought of the most expensive film tonne made in China – The Great Wall, starring Matt Damon. There's a brand new series on Netflix - Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. And how can we talk pop culture and not mention Lady Gaga’s half time performance at Super Bowl 2017. All this and more discussed and dissected ...
Feb 08, 2017•20 hr 40 min
Samar Khan and Rahul Puri are back with their weekly round up of all things sporty. This week, they discuss Leicester City's relegation battle, Alastair Cook's legacy and his captaincy. Puri is surprised by Cook's decision to step down but finds it appropriate. The two also talk about ICC's proposed format for test match world cups. Listen up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 08, 2017•19 hr 39 min
NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So, here’s a little sneak peak to the complete episode where we discuss Union Budget, the US’s immigration ban, attack on Sanjay Leela Bhansali and lots more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 03, 2017•58 hr 50 min
The Union Budget was announced this week and we discuss some key highlights of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s speech. The regular Hafta gang, that is Abhinandan Sekhri, Madhu Trehan, Anand Ranganathan, Deepanjana Pal and Manisha Pande, are joined by journalist Vivek Kaul who tells us if this Budget is different from the previous ones. The team also discusses US President Donald Trump’s immigration ban, the Rs 2,000 cap on cash donations to political parties, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress...
Feb 03, 2017•99 hr 25 min
This week, Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen discuss Sanjay Leela Bhansali being assaulted and the demands of the Karni Sena that is offended by Bhansali's Padmavati. Did you think there would come a day when a Hindu Right-leaning group would raise hell to defend the honour of a Sri Lankan princess as imagined by a Sufi Muslim poet? Sen and Pal certainly hadn't. Find out what our resident culture vultures think of Kaabil, Raees and the much-awaited new film from the MSG series. There's also David...
Feb 01, 2017•16 hr 29 min
Samar Khan and Rahul Puri are back with their weekly round up of all things sporty. This week, they talk about two of the greatest tennis players of all time, Roger Federer and Serena Williams. Khan and Puri also discuss the devaluation of FA Cup. Nobody seems to be taking it seriously these days. The other big news from the world of sports was the appointment of four new administrators for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). There's disagreement between our two hosts on the inclus...
Feb 01, 2017•49 hr 13 min
It was once described by poet Amir Khusro as paradise on earth, but in the 20th century, Kashmir is better described as paradise lost. The conflict in Kashmir is perhaps the most complex issue of our times. From a northern kingdom to a region ravaged by insurgency, it has suffered generations of unrest and turbulence.In Let’s Talk About … Kashmir, we speak to military men who served there, young Kashmiri stone pelters, journalists who have covered the insurgency, and activists who have raised th...
Jan 30, 2017•57 min
