Hafta 244: NRC, #GandhiJayanti, International Podcast Week, and more

Newslaundry Hafta is back with Abhinandan, Raman and Manisha, and this week they are joined by Arunabh Saikia, who reports from the Northeast for the news website Scroll, and Amit Varma, editor of Pragati and host of the podcast The Seen and the Unseen. 

They discuss Assam’s National Register of Citizens and its likely consequences. Referring to the government’s proposal to extend the NRC to the whole of India, Abhinandan says, “There’ll be these camps around the country like some dystopian Mad Max film with little townships of people who are not Indian citizens, who do not have the rights but they cannot get out of there.” 

Since India marked Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary this week, the panellists duly talk Gandhi as a person, politician, and public figure. Raman remarks that Gandhi has received “strategic attention” from the Narendra Modi government. “They are trying to appropriate Gandhi for their theme of nationalism because Gandhi is the one common binding factor of this country,” he explains.

They also discuss climate change and why it is not receiving adequate coverage in the Indian media, the FIR filed against a group of eminent persons for writing a letter to the prime minister over mob lynchings that have been taking place in India, and exchange views on how Modi and Donald Trump are representing their respective countries.

This week was also celebrated as the International Podcast Week. In the spirit of celebration, we are not putting this episode of Hafta behind the paywall. It is free. Tune in!

Hafta Letters

Hafta Letters: On reaching out to NL subscribers, climate change, and e-cigarettes

References

The Seen and the Unseen Episode 104: Understanding Gandhi. Part 1: Mohandas

The Seen and the Unseen Episode 105: Understanding Gandhi. Part 2: Mahatma

Maharashtra Election Watch: What ails the Congress in Pune?

Maharashtra Election Watch: Congress relied on ‘influential’ families and the Maratha votebank — perhaps too much

Why India and the World Need Gandhi

Gandhiji’s name etched in the history of independent India, writes Mohan Bhagwat

Bhima Koregaon case: Fifth SC judge recuses himself from hearing activist Gautam Navlakha’s plea

Why Trump Voters Stick With Him

The power of podcasts to communicate research

Recommendations

Arunabh: The story of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder and how the world looked the other way

Amit: Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events

Manisha: Authoritarian rulers are using algorithmic politics to tighten their grip – India proves the case

Unbelievable

South Asia needs a culture of commitment to human rights

Raman: The Doctor and the Saint: Caste, Race, and Annihilation of Caste, the Debate Between B.R. Ambedkar and M.K. Gandhi

महात्मा गांधी की हत्या: छठीं बार में मिली सफलता

Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates

Abhinandan: Why India and the World Need Gandhi

Gandhiji’s name etched in the history of independent India, writes Mohan Bhagwat

Why Trump Voters Stick With Him

Produced by Kartik Nijhawan, edited by Samrendra K Dash, recorded by Anil Kumar.

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