Comprising over 200 million people, Uttar Pradesh (or UP) holds a decisive influence over Indian politics. In the 2017 state elections, the Hindu-nationalist came to power with a thumping majority, largely due to a campaign based on promises of development and 'keeping the Muslims in check'. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Abdullah Khan, a political activist from Aligarh and a scholar of media studies, about the recently concluded 2022 state elections, and specifically the role of Muslims in local politics. Historically, the community has been seen either as a 'threat' that can be used to pull votes in the name of Hindutva, or as a captive vote bank of 'secular parties' who have nowhere else to go. This time too, a lot of the political opposition avoided direct/visible engagements with the Muslim community in order to not be seen as anti-Hindu/pro-Muslim (the two go together unfortunately). Furthermore, the ruling BJP, frequently targeted the community in order to garner votes.

Hence, in this podcast, Dr. Khan talks about the election, the frustrations of the Muslims, and the future of secular politics in India

You can follow him on Twitter: @fascismcombat

Language: Urdu-Hindi, English

In this episode, we peel apart the layers of the gentleman's game and talk about the role played by caste, race, and religion in cricket. We start with Azeem Rafiq's testimony in England, and then move on to the subcontinent, where we answer the most important question of all - In the film Lagaan, Why was Captain Russell sent to Africa?

How does the media suffocate freedom of press, and what role does the government play? In this episode, we discuss these matters with Dr. Swati Maheshwari, a Media Studies researcher based in Singapore. She completed her PhD from the Hong Kong Baptist University investigating the relationship between journalism and the ruling elite  in the Indian context. Her research interests centre on freedom of the  press and political communication. She has published in journals like Journalism and International Journal of Communication. Before joining academia, she was a journalist with the leading Indian news channel NDTV for ten years.

Swati's interview begins at 4:20