In Focus by The Hindu

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A podcast from The Hindu that delves deep into current developments with subject experts, and brings in context, history, perspective and analysis.

  1. 6 HR AGO

    In Focus-Parley | Have AI products begun disrupting India’s IT services sector?

    Artificial intelligence has moved from experimentation to enterprise adoption in under two years, with industry estimates projecting AI services revenues of $10–12 billion in FY26 and rapid growth thereafter. Yet, this moment of expansion coincides with layoffs, automation, and the vulnerability of entry-level roles in India’s IT and BPO sectors. It also coincides with India’s top tech firms contracting AI products into their workflows. Is this transformation or disruption? Are we witnessing productivity gains, structural shifts, and early signs of displacement, all at the same time? And what does this mean for India’s services-led growth model? Guests: Kishan Sundar and Alaganambi Welkin Host: Kunal Shankar Producer: Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    34 min

  2. 9 HR AGO

    ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ case: Can Supreme Court’s observations help reverse the declining protection for free speech in India?

    Recently, the producers of a Netflix movie titled ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ were taken to court. A PIL had been filed in the Supreme Court, seeking a ban on the movie. The PIL had been filed by a man claiming to be the National Organisation Secretary of the Brahman Samaj of India. His petition argued that the movie portrayed the Brahmin community in a negative light, by “equating” bribe-taking with the title ‘Pandat’. It said it would provoke disharmony, and a law and order problem. The film’s producers offered to relinquish the title, and release the movie under a different name. So, the case was closed. However, the associate judge on the Bench handling the case, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, has authored a separate opinion, where he has sought to restate first principles, dwelling on the themes of fraternity and free speech. On the one hand, the opinion states that it is “constitutionally impermissible” for state or non-state actors to “vilify or denigrate any community”. Many have expressed concerns that this could be used to impose further restrictions on free speech and artistic expression. But the judge has also observed that the effects of words must be judged from the standards of ordinary men of common sense and prudence, and not “on the basis of standards of people who always have a sense of insecurity, or of those who always perceive criticism as a threat to their power or position”. Free speech is the most critical element of a democracy, and there seems to be enough here for those who want to spin the opinion as pro-free speech or as anti-free speech. What is the broader context of this commentary, and what are its legal implications? Guest: Supreme Court advocate Deepak Joshi Host: G Sampath Producer and editor: Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    32 min

  3. 1 DAY AGO

    Can Mumbai lead India’s clean energy transition while battling climate risks?

    As Mumbai hosted its first Climate Week, the spotlight is on how India’s fast-growing cities will navigate the accelerating energy transition. Renewable power is now cheaper than ever, electric vehicles are expanding globally, and India has emerged as one of the world’s largest generators of wind and solar energy. Yet the shift away from fossil fuels is proving uneven. Regulatory bottlenecks and financing gaps are slowing the pace of change even as electricity demand surges. That demand is set to climb further with the rapid expansion of AI and data centres, raising fresh questions about energy sources and long-term lock-ins. At the same time, Mumbai faces intensifying heatwaves, heavier rainfall and the long-term threat of sea-level rise, vulnerabilities that sit uneasily alongside large-scale infrastructure projects and rising air pollution levels. Urban planning choices made today, from coastal development to transport electrification, could determine whether the city builds climate resilience or compounds future risk. Can India’s growth story remain compatible with its climate commitments? Will rising power demand from technology and infrastructure revive fossil fuel dependence, or accelerate clean electrification? Can India’s financial capital turn climate pressure into an opportunity to lead? Guest: Helen Clarkson, CEO, Climate Group Host: Vinaya Deshpande Pandit Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    21 min

  4. 2 DAYS AGO

    India’s Rare Earth strategy: Digging beneath the Budget announcements

    Rare earth elements (REEs), a group of 17 minerals, have become central to global industry and geopolitics. They power electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, semiconductors, consumer electronics and advanced defence systems. While moderately abundant, they are difficult and expensive to extract and process. China has built overwhelming dominance in this sector, controlling nearly 90% of global processing and about 70% of production, despite holding only around 30% of global reserves. In 2025, China imposed a series of export restrictions on these elements, disrupting supply chains worldwide. Since then, supply restrictions have eased since then. For India, the vulnerability was stark. Despite holding around 8% of global reserves, the country produces less than 1% of global output and imports to meet its requirements. In a bod to increase domestic capacity, the government launched the ₹34,300-crore National Critical Mineral Mission in January last year, and followed up in the Union Budget this year. In her Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the government's plans to set up dedicated rare earth corridors in Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and manufacturing of Rare Earth Permanent Magnets. Can meaningfully reduce India’s dependence on imports, strengthen strategic industries, and position the country as a serious player in global advanced-material supply chains? Guest: Shobhankita Reddy, Research analyst for the High Tech Geopolitics Programme, Takshashila Institute Host: Nivedita V Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min

  5. 3 DAYS AGO

    After the Hockey Pro League setback, how ready is India for this year's World Cup and Asian Games?

    The Indian men’s hockey team has begun 2026 — a year of major stakes — on a worrying note. Four matches in the Rourkela leg of the FIH Pro League ended in four defeats, including a humiliating 8–0 loss to Argentina. With the Asian Games in Japan and the Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium just months away, the results have raised uncomfortable questions. Are these early-season stumbles merely part of a longer preparation cycle, or do they point to serious issues in defence, goalkeeping, fitness and mentality? Should youngsters have been blooded in earlier? And how much pressure is mounting on coach Craig Fulton? In this episode of In Focus, we examine what went wrong in Rourkela, the search for stability in goal after P.R. Sreejesh, and why the core group of players who have been in the team for years need to be pulled up for the poor run of form. (Editor's note: This episode was recorded ahead of the Hobart leg of the FIH Pro League games) Host: Reuben Joe Joseph Guest: Uthra Ganesan, The Hindu's hockey correspondent Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    28 min

  6. 5 DAYS AGO

    What does social media do to young brains?

    This week a landmark trial is underway in the United States, where Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram is being accused of deliberately getting young users addicted to its platforms. Google-owned YouTube is also part of the trial, which hinges on the mental health problems faced by a 20-year-old who has used social media and video content platforms since childhood. Two other similar trials are scheduled for later this year, as thousands of lawsuits blame social medial for the epidemic of mental health issues including anxiety, depression, eating disorders and suicide amongst young persons. So what does social medial really do to the young brain? Is its addiction similar to the addiction of other substances? And how can parents and youngsters safely navigate the increasingly digital and connected world we live in now? Guest: Dr Lakshmi Vijayakumar Host: Zubeda hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    23 min

  7. 6 DAYS AGO

    Rubio’s Munich speech: A call for unapologetic Western domination?

    In his speech at the Munich Security Conference last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio shared the MAGA vision of American foreign policy -- which has been dubbed by some as ‘Make the West Great Again’. At one level, it marked a clear shift from the speech that Vice President JD Vance gave last year, when he accused Europe of suppressing freedom of speech and democracy. Rubio, in contrast, played up the shared history and civilisational values between the US and Europe. He painted a future where the West, under American leadership, will boldly assert itself as the dominant geopolitical force on the planet. He also spoke fondly of the five centuries of Western domination right up to the Second World War. What does the vision outlined by Rubio, and the seeming nostalgia for Western empire signify for the Global South? Does it mark the start of another phase of colonial-style extraction mounted on unilateralism and economic coercion? Where does a middle power like India figure in this scheme of things? Guest: Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic Affairs Editor, The Hindu Host: G. Sampath Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    42 min

  8. 19 FEB

    In Focus-Parley | Does football suffer because of cricket?

    Last weekend, the Indian Super League (ISL), the highest league in Indian football, kicked off after months of uncertainty. The disruption, which compelled some clubs to halt their operations and consigned the players and coaches to a state of desperation, emanated from the absence of a commercial partner for the league once the Master Rights Agreement between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) expired in December. The Indian football team, which is 141st in the FIFA rankings, failed to even qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup after a loss to Singapore last October. The contrast with cricket in India could not be starker. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the richest and most powerful cricket board in the world right now, and India’s cricketers enjoy demigod status across the length and breadth of the country. Does football suffer because of cricket? Guests: Abhik Chatterjee, CEO of ISL club Kerala Blasters; Yannick Colaco co-founder of FanCode (the media rights partner of the ISL) Host: Vivek Krishnan Producer: Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min
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About

A podcast from The Hindu that delves deep into current developments with subject experts, and brings in context, history, perspective and analysis.

Information

  • Creator
    The Hindu
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.2K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Hindu
  • Show Website
    In Focus by The Hindu

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