Dear NL-Hafta Team,

It’s a long-due letter! We (me and my husband) can proclaim that we are one of yours earliest followers, from the times of Dhobi-ghat and NL-interviews.

One day we were just searching for some videos on Youtube and came across Madhu’s interview with Arun Shourie (Can you take it)? . We were completely blown away by the quality of the discussion, questions and of course Madhu! And then and there started the Newslaundary addiction .  अब तो आलम ये है की  wherever we go, Newslaundary is with us.

After Can you take it, Hafta is one of your best program. It’s our compulsory Saturday morning routine and we never ever miss it. We have listened to Hafta at random time zones at random places, Thank You guys!

We both have very different political views and we argue a lot. But most of the time our argument ends with Hafta, especially with Madhu’s point of view. We sort of end up aligning us with her thoughts; Yes, we both love her! She is superb! I so much look forward to instances when she shares her experiences and anecdotes, like the recent one about her interview with Nawaz Shareef. She is an invaluable, irreplaceable asset to you guys and for us, the audience. And I am so so grateful to her for all the enormously informative interviews she has done, whether it was with Raghu Rai (my favourite), RC Guha, Sanjay Baru, Tavleen Singh, Natwar Singh and many more. Those interviews have immense influence on my thinking and outlook. Madhu, you are amazing (from your biggest true fan!)

Deepanjana is a refreshing addition to the Hafta team. Its good to have an objective Leftie (if I can say so) in the team. I lover her podcast with Rajayshree Sen . It needs a bit of editing/tweaking at times as sometimes they get stuck one issue for long; nonetheless these girls are so much fun! Keep going 

अपना  अभिनन्दन तो सदाबहार है, बुर्रा!! Abhinandan, I can’t even imagine Hafta without you. So eat your food timely (even if you are recording) and be there for each and every episode. We love your energy AND your moustache .

Its so good to have one of our own, i.e. a scientist (Anand) on the show (We both are research-scientists working at Max-Planck and EMBL, Germany).  I am still not sure about his political inclinations (which is good!), though I do think that sometimes he gets too much carried away by data/statistics (professional-hazard I guess). And yes he should write more-often; I still keep going back to his article “Delhi’s Political Cemetery”, it was fabulous!

By the way, I tried hard to meet Anand when I was in JNU this January, but he never responded to my emails I was so much waiting to have my celebrity-moment (for the rest of NL team, I don’t know how to reach to you guys, but would love to visit your office once and see the recordings).

Manisha is being missed for last two episodes as she often surprise us with her unconventional and interesting perspectives on many issues.

Overall, you have a perfect combination of ideologies and people; and your choice of guest-editors is perfect, like It was very educational to hear Kishlay on the armed-forces crisis in the last Hafta episode.

Oh yes, we have been a subscriber since 1 year and we are going to increase our contribution for sure next time (अभिनंदन अब चैन की साँस ले लो आप!). However, I think it will be really helpful if in the ‘Subscription Successful’ email, you can give us the details like how long is the subscription and when it will end, so that we can keep a track of it.

I have tried to convince people about following you and there have been few successes (and few failures!). Hopefully they will subscribe too! I do think that you guys should promote aggressively as people are generally not aware of this awesome initiative. May be use the online portals like TVF, put an ad out in the paper, use famous faces… I know I am not being helpful but I really want this to reach to as many people as possible. Because I know once they dive into Newslaundary, they will be addicted like us 

So keep the ball rolling and more power to you guys!

Love and Wishes,
Rashmi
Bad Nauheim, Germany

Hi NL Team,

I am a law student from Mumbai. I have been following Newslaundry for over a year now, the reason I discovered it being, partly, Arnab Goswami. I liked what Mr. Abhinandan had to say as a panelist on a Newshour Debate where the question was “Are our MPs losing their sense of humour?”, and a quick google search led me to your website. Initially, I planned to subscribe once I started earning. However, I turned 21 this week and thought that since I am now officially required to be a ‘responsible adult’, I might as well do it now. Also, having followed the US elections, I have realised the damage that corporate-owned media can do. I have realised the importance and urgent need for an economic model like Newslaundry’s, which is why I got my father Mr. Jacob to pay the subscription for me.

I love NL Hafta.  Although I do often disagree with a couple of panelists, especially Ms. Madhu and Mr. Anand, on certain issues of criminal justice, I do appreciate the different perspective each panelist has to offer on various issues. bell hooks, a feminist author, has said, “You can’t force people to change their opinions but you can provoke them to think”. I believe NL Hafta, through its discourse, often does that. One thing I do want to point out is that although I understand the inevitability of it, please refrain from talking over each other as far as possible.

I also checked out the Awful and Awesome Entertainment podcast and plan to continue listening to it, mostly just to listen to Ms. Deepanjana’s snide remarks about celebrities.

And finally, keep the recommendations coming!

Regards,
Shirley Jacob

Hello Sekhri ji & the lovely NL Team,

I’ve been meaning to write to you for quite a long time but have been holding back primarily due to the shame of not having subscribed even after consuming over 30 Haftas. I’d been holding it off for after my GMAT, when I resume work full-time. However, yesterday I realised that if I can blow up Rs. 500 every Friday on beer at a pub, I should just stfu and pay up, which I did. But I don’t feel great because I really wanted to contribute a much higher sum (and I will, in due time). Another reason for writing this email is that I’ve noticed minimal representation of letters from Mumbai – either Mumbaikars aren’t listening or they’re just plain lazy or they’re waiting to subscribe I guess. 

Unlike most of your other listeners, I’m not a software engineer or a PHD candidate in Europe / US but I do have a 4-year old BTech degree in Aerospace from IIT Bombay lying somewhere in the trash, so hopefully that can qualify this letter to be included in your next Hafta. 

Anyway, I’ll cut it short. The last few Haftas have been quite awesome – especially with the inclusion of a voice from the South. That brings fresh perspective into the discussions, given that after 10-15 episodes, the average listener kind of knows more or less what the panel will say. I wish we’d finally get over Arnab though. We already have enough cranky fat retards talking out of their asses with zero facts at hand with Mr. Trump and Nawaz around. Really looking forward to your new podcasts. 

To give some quick feedback –

Sekhri saahab – for the longest time I thought you’re like 25-28 years old. Although usually very logical, sometimes you tend to be a little brash in arguments and that’s great.

Ranga uncle – probably my favourite because I love his recommendations and he speaks to the part of me which would rather deal with facts and numbers than emotions. Yet, the complete unwillingness to see grey instead of black or white kills uncle’s argument at times. Good luck for your book – I’m sure it’s going to be kickass!

Madhu mam – the calm voice of reason. Also, her two best assets are – asking the right questions and willing to bend her opinions when she hears a logical argument.

Deepanjana ji – always brings an interesting edge to the conversation. My girlfriend Amruta (who’s an ex Indian Express writer and is currently studying arts and culture journalism in Columbia University) and her best friend are quite big fans of your new podcast. Before Sekhri saahab says “arey to unse bhi subscribe karvao”, I’m already on it.

Also, thanks to everyone else on the NL team, including Kartik and “the sound guy”. You’re all awesome. 

That’s it from my side. Hope the mail is not too long. I’d love to know what your favourite news sources are. Mine are NL and Express. 

Lots of love from Mumbai,
Cheers,
Divyang Upadhyaya

Dear Newslaundry Team,

I am a paid subscriber. Abhinandan, I have also asked some of my friends and family to subscribe, I hope this satisfies you.

I am Ankush from Jamshedpur, it isn’t as fancy as New York or Berlin (where most of your letters come from), but it is a nice place.

I have been a regular visitor of your website / YouTube channel / Podcasts for a while now. While I admire much of the work you guys do, there are certain aspects of your discussions that I don’t appreciate. Please take this email as constructive criticism, even if the language used may be a bit insulting.

I hope you read my criticism, most importantly my points regarding Deepanjana.

· Abhinandan – Sir, I do understand that you have personal relationship with Mr. Kejriwal and AAP and you support them, however, there is a fine line between being an AAP Supporter and an AAPtard. I have seen you criticizing AAP, but you are generally, if not always, silent about Mr. Kejriwal’s unprofessional and disrespectful behavior. Your love for Kejriwal makes you completely ignorant. Your cognitive dissonance is appalling. I urge you to try and be critical of Arvind Kejriwal for a change as well. Also, please tell me the secret behind your youth. You look like you are still 25.

· Deepanjana – Mam, you are the perfect specimen of a regressive liberal. Your arguments, though constructed beautifully, remind me of pseudo-intellectual philistines like Reza Aslan and Cenk Uygur. It is people like you who have defiled the term liberal for most of us. You get triggered every time someone criticizes Islam or the doctrine of Islam and you start bashing other religions. Your visceral hatred for Mr. Modi arises mostly of ignorance or a personal bias. You are incapable of objectively analyzing anything remotely related to the Prime Minister. I am adding a link to a video below for you. I hope you watch it. The video is titled “5 Signs you are a regressive liberal”.

· Manisha – Please participate more in the discussions and don’t get influenced too much by the regressive views of Deepanjana.

· Anand Ranganathan – I have utmost respect for your views. You are one of the few people who bring logic and reason to the podcast. However, I have noticed that Abhinandan is playing passive aggressive mind games with you and it has influenced your political views. These are very subtle manipulation techniques, for instance calling you a “Hindu Pandit” in a discussion or vaguely implying that you are a right winger. I consider you a balanced commentator, a true centrist.

· Madhu – Mam, I love clothesline. I hope you do it more frequently. I loved your interviews with Rajdeep and Barkha, I hope one day Arnab gives you an interview as well, though I doubt he will. Don’t you think Arnab has gone into a free fall after Modi was elected as the Prime Minister? He wasn’t that bad till 2014.

Thanks for not getting offended till now. I have a few humble suggestions and requests for you guys. I hope you consider a few of them.
· Please try to get an interview with Richard Dawkins or Sam Harris. Sam is a relatively approachable guy. It would be interesting to see Ranga uncle interviewing him. On second thoughts, it would be more interesting to see Deepanjana interview Sam Harris.

· Please try to get a Pakistani journalist on the podcast. Don’t get retired generals.

· Please take the interview of Tarek Fatah or Brahamdagh Bugti, please discuss Balochistan as well. Are the human rights violations really worse than Kashmir or Palestine?

I hope you read my email and I hope you read it on the podcast. It has always been a pleasure listening to you guys and I wish you all the best for future.

P.S – The article http://www.newslaundry.com/2016/09/24/indias-defence-preparedness-is-up-against-the-wall/ gave me PTSD.

Regards,
Ankush

Hi,

I am a mufatkhor turned “Liberator” subscriber from Mumbai (but born and studied in Kolkata). So a bong at heart. I am a news junkie and also like my news jingoistic sometimes but not the Times Now variety. Although i must confess i do enjoy the Arnab vs Barkha vs Rajdeep rivalry and i take it as reality tv drama and not news or journalism but simply entertainment entertainment entertainment. I used to be an avid reader of newspapers (read The Statesman most of my life), but now I don’t read newspapers at all. I get my news from podcasts, blogs or other online sources and NL is becoming my go-to reading source.

And now that India has carried out surgical strikes against Pakistan , I have no doubt about what the top issue will be this week on NL Hafta. And I loved Madhu’s tweet on sarejahan se acha #modipunishespak. At the risk of sounding like Arnab, I would like to add that the nation needed catharsis. This is small slap on the wrists for the Pakis.

My quick scan of the news channels – suggests this
Arnab – Kid in a candy shop. My daddy strongest.
Barkha – Oye, yeh kya ho gaya. She was literally stuttering.
Rajdeep – On one hand …. but on the other.

Coming back to NL, I enjoy listening to NL Hafta and it a refreshing way to receive long form journalism. The language, camaraderie, discussion format etc. is good to listen to. So keep the good work on. I have listened to about 10-15 podcasts and am going to go back and listen to the older ones also. After that I may upgrade next year to Game Changer.

I like Madhu’s perspective, wisdom and comments, especially in the latest podcast. I have watched a few of her interviews on clothesline. I also saw her recently on the Lutyens Delhi program (good hair cut Madhu) with Uncle Bhoopie (the poor boy from Banaras ;-)) on CNNIBN18. Any behind the scenes gossip on why Suhel and Nalini Singh were going after each other? The decibel levels had reached so high that I almost thought I was watching Times Now. Btw this could also be a good topic to focus on in your Deep Dive – The Power Broker Network in Lutyens Delhi.

DJ – the accent and focus on enunciation is so Bong. I love it.
Ranga Uncle – Amazing treasure trove of trivia.
Abhinandan – Control your f$%^&ing language dude. I have to put on headphones and listen to to the podcast at home. But I must say , you do a pretty good job of moderating the discussion. I really liked the Kanhaiya interview. You guys had mutual love for each other. Just kidding.

Other topics to focus on in Deep Dive (if you haven’t already as I haven’t heard the earlier podcasts)