This week on NL Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal and Anand Vardhan are joined by senior journalist Nirupama Subramanian and multimedia artist Anurag Minus Verma.

The conversation begins on the recently held BRICS summit. Abhinandan asks if the expansion of the BRICS is truly “the expansion of pointlessness”. Nirupama says that BRICS doesn’t have much action to speak about, which has spurred the scepticism around it. “That’s a valid scepticism.” The panel then delves into the relevance of multilateral blocs to counterweight the West, Modi’s unusual body language at the summit and his equation with China’s Xi Jinping. Nirupama emphasises the need for a “balancing act” by India.

On the Muzaffarnagar incident involving a Muslim student, the panel delves into the state of educational institutes in India. Anurag talks about the differences observed in schools from a class perspective, and the use of corporal punishments in classrooms. In small towns, violence is accepted and employed as the primary teaching method, Anurag says. He adds that these teachers do not have formal training in empathy or identity which magnifies their prejudice.

On Chandrayaan-3, Nirupama says it’s a “great achievement” especially at a time when scientific temper has been significantly undermined. The panel then delves into ISRO space missions’ research intent and the role of billionaire businessmen in the space race.

This and a lot more, tune in!

Hafta letters: Chandrayaan-3, scientific temper and cost-benefit analysis

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