This week, we have an in-house panel, with Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, Jayashree Arunachalam, and Anand Vardhan. 

Back from Jammu and Kashmir, Manisha takes us through the ongoing elections in the conflicted land. “I was shocked at the level of suppression...It’s silly to look at the voter turnout and come to the conclusion that all is well in Kashmir,” she says. On statehood, Anand says, “Restoration of statehood has been promised by every party. The question is the timeline.” 

Jayashree explains the controversy behind the Tirupati Devasthanam’s laddu being purportedly adulterated with animal fat. The panel discusses the over-demonstration of religiosity in recent times. While Raman points to politics and social media, Abhinandan explains why commerce may be the reason behind it. “In a pandal in Bengal, I saw more Airtel stickers than the goddess Durga,” he says.

The panel also discusses the death of an EY India employee and the central government’s subsequent decision to investigate the company for an “exploitative and unsafe” work environment. 

This and more, tune in!

Hafta letters: First Amendment, India as single entity, NL-TNM alliance