x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Wire Talks

The Wire Talks is a weekly podcast, in which each week host Sidharth Bhatia, Founder Editor of The Wire, will chat with guests on politics, society and culture. The guests may or may not be in the headlines, but they will definitely have a lot of interesting things to say. With a running time of 30 minutes and maybe more, these chats will not be like much of the mainstream media today, or like the instant gratification provided by social media.

news politics

All Episodes

59:20

We See Ugly Jingoism During India-Pak Matches feat....

The Wire Talks ·

2021/11/02

Cricket in India is a national obsession. Some say, even our national religion. Crowds turn up where ever India is playing in whichever format, from IPL to test matches. The team's fortunes are closely followed and most of all, players can make big money, especially those who perform well. Indians have always been fans of cricket and stadiums are packed on all five days during test matches going back to the 60's. But players got modest salaries well upto the 80's.On this episode, Sidharth Bhatia is

en

40:28

The Congress Must Hold Internal Elections feat. Neera...

The Wire Talks ·

2021/10/26

The grand old party of Indian politics is in shambles. With a weak presence in Parliament of only 44 seats, the Congress has lost much of its voice and influence. Its state governments are racked by internal dissent and the leadership cannot seem to makeup its mind.Much of the blame is laid at the door of the Gandhi family - Sonia Gandhi and her two children Rahul and Priyanka - and their grip on the party. But is that the only reason?On this episode, host Sidharth Bhatia is joined by Prof. Neera

en

46:23

Communalisation is a Feature of Society in UP feat....

The Wire Talks ·

2021/10/19

The forthcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh are crucial for the current incumbent Yogi Adityanath and his party, the BJP. The communal temperature has risen quite a bit in the last few years, and especially so in the last few months. Recently, new tensions were added after 8 people, including 4 farmers, died after a car, allegedly driven by the Union Minister's son, ploughed into them. Opposition parties, especially the Congress, have condemned the incident and are sure to focus on it during the

en

52:43

Aadhar is Just the Beginning to Link All Databases...

The Wire Talks ·

2021/10/12

On this episode, Sidharth is joined by Srinivas Kodali to talk about Aadhar, the problems with it, what the original intention for it was, what its transforming into now, and tons more. They talk about how the idea of Aadhar was to remove fraud in a major way, the current move to link Aadhar with voter ID, the ability to transfer money digitally, why it seems to have grown to such an extent such that we can't seem to manage our lives anymore without it, people who were warning against such an ID

en

46:01

It is Difficult for India and Japan to Work Together...

The Wire Talks ·

2021/10/05

Author and Journalist Pallavi Aiyar has led a life of wanderings all around the globe. As a student, she lived in England, worked in Delhi after that, and with her diplomat husband Julio, she has lived in China, Indonesia, Japan, and now lives in Spain. From her travels have emerged books that are fascinating studies of societies quite alien from her own personal experience in India. She writes about the countries' society, culture, behaviour, and most of all, how she acts and reacts. Her latest

en

44:16

Lynchings in India Are Worrying feat. Dilip Menon

The Wire Talks ·

2021/09/28

In recent years, Indian history is being rewritten. Cities are being renamed, historical events are being reinterpreted, and old books are being discarded for portraying what is called 'discarded history.' Naturally, historians are aghast and are challenging this tendency to overwrite past history. But, what does all of this mean? Does it mean that there is a campaign or are these local assertions?On this episode, host Sidharth Bhatia is joined by Dilip Menon, a historian of modern India, a

en

35:12

Climate Change is Visible in Mumbai feat. Nikhil Anand

The Wire Talks ·

2021/09/21

Climate Change is a harsh reality and it is getting closer than we think. Coastal cities are in great danger because of rising temperatures in the oceans. Mumbai, which is on the Arabian Sea, is going to be particularly hit by the effects of climate change, like many other cities, like many other coastal cities of the world. A few days ago, the civic authority, i.e. the BMC, announced the creation of a climate adaptation and mitigation plan and invited experts to submit ideas and proposals.One of

en

38:06

Hindutva RW Trolls feat. Dr. Audrey Truschke

The Wire Talks ·

2021/09/14

Trolling on social media is serious and menacing problem which has gone far beyond just heckling and what-about-ry. Trolls now threaten violence and worse. Women, especially activists, journalists, academics and celebrities routinely face threats to them and even their family.On this episode, Sidharth Bhatia is joined by Dr. Audrey Truschke, historian of South Asia and Associate Professor at Rutgers University, who has been attacked ceaselessly for her allegedly 'anti-Hindu' views. She writes about

en

29:27

The Jallianwala Bagh Redesign is INSENSITIVE to the...

The Wire Talks ·

2021/09/07

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre is a story every India knows. On April 13, 1919, a crowd that had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar to protest against the arrest of Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlu and Dr. Satya Pal, was fired upon by soldiers led by Brigadier General REH Dyer. As the crowd tried to exit from this one solitary path open that day, hundreds of people were killed and the estimated now are said to be anywhere between 400 to 1000 people who were killed in the massacre. Over 1200 people

en

41:18

Religion as Politics Does Not Work in Kerala feat....

The Wire Talks ·

2021/08/31

History has become a battle ground between those who want to change it and re-write it, though selectively, and those who say our history has been well researched and is fine the way it is. The latest target is the Moplah Rebellion of 1921 in Kerala, which has been so far seen as a revolt of the peasantry against the British colonial government. The BJP and the RSS now disagree and call the Moplahs an early example of a 'Taliban mindset'. That may have something to do with the fact that the Moplahs

en

47:38

Afghans Say the World Has Forgotten Us feat. Taran Khan

The Wire Talks ·

2021/08/24

Afghanistan, which till the other day had thousands of American troops, has fallen to the Taliban. The swift manner in which the Taliban occupied Kabul, with the Afghan army offering no resistance, has shocked the world. The Taliban said it has changed and will not revert to its old ways, but not everyone is convinced. Ordinary citizens are scared and trying to get out of the country and the biggest impact is likely to be on the women of Afghanistan, who will have restrictions imposed on them,

en

31:36

The Restaurant Sector is in a Crisis feat. AD Singh

The Wire Talks ·

2021/08/17

Among the sectors hit badly due to the prolonged lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic, is the hospitality business. This includes, not just the big hotels, but also independent it stand alone restaurants and bars and even very small joints which have been operating for years. Many of them couldn't pay their employees and rents. There was some respite during the relaxation last year, but after the second wave, it is back to another round of the lockdown. Even now, in cities like Mumbai,

en

36:36

Women Scriptwriters Have Been Ignored in Bollywood...

The Wire Talks ·

2021/08/10

The writer is a critical part of making a film. Yet, in India, the credit goes to only the director. Audiences, and even critics, ignore the screenplay writer completely, and really, who remembers the names of the writers of even well known and admired films? Women screenwriters are even more ignored and even academic books and encyclopaedias do not acknowledge them. Why is that so?On this episode, Sidharth is joined by Anubha Yadav, Professor of Broadcast Studies in Delhi University, and also a

en

44:44

Hindutva Cannot Reconcile With Kabir feat....

The Wire Talks ·

2021/08/03

School children are taught that Kabir was weaver-poet from the 15th or 16th Century, and that he wrote 'dohas'. That he spoke of unity and harmony and offered simple wisdom about love. And when he died, Hindus and Muslims both claimed him - one wanted to cremate him and the other bury him. Apart from that, very little details were given to the average student. But, Kabir was, of course, much much more than that. He was a prominent poet of the 'Bhakti Movement', one which angered the Brahmin

en

43:26

The Parsi Community Has Contributed a lot to India...

The Wire Talks ·

2021/07/27

Coomi Kapoor is a well known journalist who has been writing on the the inner workings of the corridors of power for many many years. Her last book 'The Emergency: A Personal History' chronicles the lives of her own family and her father's during the internal emergency from 1975 to 1977. Hey new book is about Parsis, or more specifically, the icons of the community ranging from Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, the tycoon of the 19th Century, to Nusli Wadia, to Freddie Mercury, who's real name, as we all know,

en

32:08

In UAPA Process is the Punishment feat. Shadan Farasat

The Wire Talks ·

2021/07/13

The death of Father Stan Swamy, an 80 year old who was in prison for 9 months, facing charges of terrorism, has once again focused sharp attention on the issue of human rights. A crusader for the rights of tribals, Father Swamy has been started under the dreaded Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which allows the police to hold the accused for almost unlimited period and bail is virtually impossible to get. 15 others including Prof. Anand Teltumbde and trade unionist and activist Sudha Bhardwaj

en

51:01

The BJP Has Not Taken Well its Loss in West Bengal...

The Wire Talks ·

2021/07/06

The general elections are are at least three years away, and already the first stirrings of political activity have already begun. Of course, the state elections seem like good indicators as to where voting patterns lie, but as we know, in the past, state elections have not been good representation of how the national vote would go. Nonetheless, the BJP, which is always in election mode, has started preparing because it also has to now go fight elections in the crucial state of UP, and the

en

46:37

The Anti Digital Drive is a Distraction feat. Mishi...

The Wire Talks ·

2021/06/29

Internet freedoms have become a topic of worldwide debate. In India, we have seen growing government interference in the digital domain. The internet has been shut down at will, digital news platforms are threatened and stringent new regulations have been imposed on independent digital news sites. What does all this indicate and how can citizens resist this encroachment on their rights?On this episode, host Sidharth Bhatia is joined by Mishi Choudhari, a technology lawyer, online civil liberties

en

39:10

Government is Becoming More Intolerant feat. Manjul

The Wire Talks ·

2021/06/18

The Indian government has been regularly asking Twitter to take down posts especially of those who are critical of it. Recently, it told Twitter to remove the tweets of a few people, and one of them was the cartoonist Manjul, whose cartoons appear all over the place. No one knows which particular department wrote to Twitter, but the social media platform, in the notice that they sent to Manjul, said, "We are writing to inform you that Twitter had received a request from Indian law enforcement

en

54:59

This Regime is Frightened feat. Jawhar Sircar

The Wire Talks ·

2021/06/15

A new set of rules imposed by the central government recently, will make it almost impossible for retired civil servants to write and publish anything that is critical of government policies. According to these rules, any writing by retired bureaucrats and intelligence officers must be cleared by their former departments before it can be published. If they don't do so, the risk losing their pensions. Regular writers for publications and websites are stunt by these new regulations, already many of

en

108 results

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

PBS News Hour - Full Show

PBS News

CD Voice

China Daily

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

Noa Levi

Jeffrey Epstein: The Coverup Chronicles

Bobby Capucci