Frontline Conversations

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Frontline Conversations

  1. 1D AGO

    Why we can’t control trust: Professor Thomas Müller on media, AI, & love in modern society

    In this thought-provoking episode of Frontline Conversations, Professor Thomas Müller, who teaches at the University of Würzburg, reflects on one of the most fundamental yet elusive elements of social life: trust. Elaborating on his talk at the Madras Institute of Developmental Studies, Müller challenges the idea that trust can be planned, measured, or engineered in an age dominated by algorithms, ratings, background checks, and AI-driven decision-making. Can trust be rationally chosen, or does it always involve vulnerability and risk? And what happens when societies begin to “trust mistrust” instead? Müller distinguishes trust from reliability, explores how trust forms before conscious reasoning, and examines the psychological and political consequences of widespread distrust—particularly in institutions such as the media, the police, and democratic systems. He also reflects on how social media, algorithms, and artificial intelligence are reshaping how young people relate to each other and to institutions. Highlights: Why trust cannot be fully controlled, measured, or manufactured The difference between trust and reliability, and why it matters How social media and algorithms encourage control rather than trust Declining trust in media institutions and the rise of “trusting mistrust” The emotional and moral dimensions of trust in personal relationships Trust, risk, and vulnerability in the age of AI and reputation platforms What young people should unlearn about trust in hyper-connected spaces Perfect for: Students of sociology, psychology, education, and political theory Journalists and media professionals examining public trust and credibility Young people navigating relationships in algorithm-driven environments Anyone interested in trust, institutions, democracy, and social change Credits: Host: Saatvika Radhakrishna Camera: Kavya Pradeep M and Mridula Vijayarangakumar Editing: Razal Pareed Producer: Mridula Vijayarangakumar Subscribe to Frontline: https://frontline.thehindu.com/online... Follow us on: Facebook -   / frontlineindia   Twitter -   / frontline_india   Instagram -   / frontline.magazine   LinkedIn -   / frontline-magazine-b12921295   #Trust #Frontline #AIandSociety #thomasmüller #MediaCrisis #SocialMedia #GenZ #Algorithms #MediaStudies #PodcastIndia #IntellectualContent #Frontlinemagazine #CriticalThinking #PublicDiscourse

    21 min

  2. FEB 9

    Why India doesn’t know how many denotified tribes exist | G. N. Devy

    In this episode of Frontline Conversations, public intellectual and activist G. N. Devy explains why India’s upcoming caste census risks repeating a historic injustice by failing to properly count denotified and nomadic tribes (DNTs)—communities criminalised under colonial rule and still living with its consequences. Tracing the origins of stigma to the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, Devy details how entire communities were branded as criminals, confined to settlements, forced into unpaid labour, and subjected to surveillance. Although these communities were officially “denotified” in 1952, he argues that the prejudice never ended—it merely shifted into policing practices, judicial indifference, and social exclusion. Devy, who founded the Denotified and Nomadic Tribes Rights Action Group, explains why the absence of reliable census data has kept DNTs invisible in policy-making for decades. He makes a strong case for a separate census column and subcategorisation, arguing that the central issue facing these communities is not just poverty, but a deep loss of dignity rooted in historical criminalisation. Highlights: -How the Criminal Tribes Act continues to shape modern policing -The demand for a separate DNT column in the caste census -Why dignity, not just welfare, is the core issue -How nomadic and semi-nomadic livelihoods complicate enumeration -What census data means for justice, planning, and democracy -Why missing this census could delay justice by decades Perfect for viewers interested in: -Denotified and nomadic tribes in India -Caste census and enumeration politics -Colonial legacies and modern governance -Policing, stigma, and preventive detention -Human rights and constitutional justice -Marginalised communities and state accountability Credits: Host: Amey Tirodkar Editing: Razal Pareed Producer: Kavya Pradeep M Subscribe to Frontline: https://frontline.thehindu.com/online... Follow us on: Facebook -   / frontlineindia   Twitter -   / frontline_india   Instagram -   / frontline.magazine   LinkedIn -   / frontline-magazine-b12921295

    39 min

  3. FEB 7

    Why denotified tribes are missing from Indian cinema | Dakxin Chharra

    In this episode of Frontline Conversations, filmmaker and theatre director Dakxin Chharra speaks about what it means to grow up in a community historically branded as “criminal”—and why that colonial stigma continues to shape policing, housing, cinema, and everyday life in India. Chharra discusses his journey from community theatre in Ahmedabad to founding Budhan Theatre, one of India’s most influential grassroots cultural movements. He explains how art became a form of survival and resistance for communities routinely pushed to the margins of citizenship. Drawing on lived experience, Chharra challenges the idea that Indian cinema and cultural institutions are neutral spaces. He argues that while stories of denotified tribes are often welcomed, storytellers from these communities are systematically excluded from resources, funding, and creative control. Through personal anecdotes and industry experiences, he exposes how narratives are frequently appropriated, sanitised, or retold without those who have lived them. Highlights: -What it means to be born into a “criminalised” community -Why colonial stigma still shapes policing and public perception -How Budhan Theatre turned art into a tool for justice -The politics of funding, caste, and control in Indian cinema -Why lived experience matters in representation -How theatre helped secure housing rights through the courts -Why denotified tribes remain invisible or misrepresented on screen Perfect for viewers interested in: -Denotified and nomadic tribes in India -Caste, community, and state violence -Indian cinema and cultural exclusion -Art as resistance and political theatre -Police custodial violence and human rights -Marginalised voices in storytelling Credits: Host: Saatvika Radhakrishna Editing: Razal Pareed Camera and Producers: Kavya Pradeep M and Mridula Vijayarangakumar Subscribe to Frontline: https://frontline.thehindu.com/online... Follow us on: Facebook -   / frontlineindia   Twitter -   / frontline_india   Instagram -   / frontline.magazine   LinkedIn -   / frontline-magazine-b12921295

    32 min

  4. FEB 4

    Anna Mani: The story of a great Indian scientist

    In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Author Asha Gopinathan speaks to Nandita Jayaraj about her book "Anna Mani: The Uncut Diamond", a biography of one of India’s most important yet overlooked scientists. The discussion traces the life and work of Anna Mani, a pioneering meteorologist whose contributions shaped India’s weather science, atmospheric research, and scientific instrumentation in the decades after Independence. Drawing on archival material, personal letters, and scientific papers, Gopinathan reflects on Mani’s journey from C.V. Raman’s laboratory to the India Meteorological Department, and on the institutional culture of science she helped build. The discussion also examines broader questions of recognition, gender, and nation-building in Indian science, including the circumstances under which Anna Mani was denied a PhD despite completing the required work, and what her career reveals about how scientific labour is valued and remembered. Highlights: Anna Mani’s contributions to Indian meteorology and atmospheric physics Building indigenous scientific instruments in post-Independence India Science as nation-building, beyond publications and prestige Gender, recognition, and the denial of a PhD The culture of scientific institutions then and now Why Anna Mani’s legacy still matters today History of Indian science and scientific institutions Women in science and STEM in India Meteorology, atmospheric research, and weather data Science, policy, and nation-building Forgotten figures in Indian intellectual history Perfect for those interested in: Credits: Host: Nandita Jayaraj Editing: Razal Pareed Producers: Kavya Pradeep M and Mridula Vijayarangakumar Subscribe to Frontline: https://frontline.thehindu.com/online... Follow us on: Facebook -   / frontlineindia   Twitter -   / frontline_india   Instagram -   / frontline.magazine   LinkedIn -   / frontline-magazine-b12921295

    36 min

  5. FEB 4

    SIR voter list chaos: Former CEC O. P. Rawat on India's election crisis | Frontline

    In this episode of Frontline Conversations, former Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat speaks about the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the growing controversy around large-scale voter deletions across several States. Drawing on his experience at the helm of the Election Commission of India (ECI), Rawat examines the legal basis of the SIR, the administrative pressures on Booth Level Officers, and the unintended consequences of placing a heavy burden of verification on voters themselves. He flags serious concerns over arbitrary deletions, logical discrepancies, and the fear and confusion the process has generated among ordinary citizens. Highlights: -Why the current SIR has led to unusually high voter deletions -The burden placed on voters and booth-level officers -Legal limits on demanding proof of citizenship -NRC fears and how SIR differs from Assam’s NRC -Risks to electoral credibility if eligible voters are excluded -The need for a more liberal, voter-friendly approach Perfect for those interested in: -Electoral reforms and voter list revisions in India -The functioning and credibility of the ECI -Voter disenfranchisement and democratic rights -SIR controversies in UP, Bihar, and other States Credits: Host: Soni Mishra Camera: Vedaant Lakhera and Vitasta Kaul Editing: Razal Pareed Producers: Kavya Pradeep M and Mridula Vijayarangakumar Subscribe to Frontline: https://frontline.thehindu.com/online... Follow us on: Facebook -   / frontlineindia   Twitter -   / frontline_india   Instagram -   / frontline.magazine   LinkedIn -   / frontline-magazine-b12921295

    28 min

  6. JAN 28

    Caste in Indian cities: Why urbanisation has not brought equality

    In this episode of Frontline Conversations, Vamsi Vakulabharanam, co-director of the Asian Political Economy Program and associate professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, unpacks how caste operates in Indian cities, often invisibly, but no less powerfully than in villages. Speaking from the Madras Institute of Developmental Studies, where he delivered a lecture on Caste and Spaces in Indian Cities, Vakulabharanam challenges the popular belief that urbanisation dissolves caste hierarchies. Drawing on census data and comparative urban research, he shows how Indian cities remain deeply segregated by caste, class, and religion even when they appear socially mixed on the surface. He explains how cities can feel liberating for those escaping rural oppression, yet remain profoundly unequal spaces shaped by capitalism, housing markets, labour markets, and historical patterns of settlement. Comparing Indian cities with American cities, Vakulabharanam explores how caste-based segregation mirrors racial segregation elsewhere, while also tracing how histories of colonialism, migration, and industry continue to shape cities like Hyderabad and Mumbai. Highlights: -Why caste does not disappear in cities and how it reorganises itself -How urban segregation works through housing, labour, and credit markets -What mixed neighbourhoods can (and cannot) achieve -Drawing parallels between caste segregation in India and racial segregation in the US -The historical roots of urban inequality in cities like Hyderabad and Mumbai -Why “world-class” city visions often deepen exclusion -What fighting caste discrimination in cities realistically looks like today Perfect for viewers interested in: -Caste, class, and urban inequality in India -Indian cities, housing segregation, and labour markets -Comparative urban studies and political economy -Neoliberalism, smart cities, and development politics Credits: Host: Saatvika Radhakrishna Editing: Razal Pareed Camera and Producers: Kavya Pradeep M and Mridula Vijayarangakumar Special thanks to the Madras Institute of Development Studies for facilitating the interview and providing the venue. Subscribe to Frontline: https://frontline.thehindu.com/online...#frontlineconversations #casteandcities #urbancaste #indiancities #urbaninequality #politicaleconomy #housingsegregation #labourmarkets #ambedkar #annihilationofcaste #smartcities #neoliberalism #socialjustice #developmentstudies Follow us on: Facebook -   / frontlineindia   Twitter -   / frontline_india   Instagram -   / frontline.magazine   LinkedIn -   / frontline-magazine-b12921295

    24 min

  7. JAN 16

    How crime, policing, and evil shape Delhi | Rudraneil Sengupta on "The Beast Within"

    In this episode of Frontline Conversations, writer and journalist Rudraneil Sengupta speaks about his debut crime novel, “The Beast Within”, a gritty, dark work of crime fiction set in Delhi. Drawing on years of crime reportage, Sengupta explains why fiction, rather than non-fiction, allowed him to capture the deeper truths of crime, policing, and the nature of evil. Sengupta discusses how his close access to police officers, crime branch officials, and legal processes shaped the novel’s meticulous attention to police and bureaucratic procedure. He explains how real cases, field experiences, and encounters were decontextualised and reimagined to build a fictional narrative grounded in reality. The conversation also explores character creation, particularly the moral complexity of police officers and the city of Delhi itself as a living, breathing presence in the novel. Highlights: -Why Rudraneil Sengupta turned from non-fiction to crime fiction -How real police work and case files shaped “The Beast Within” -Inside the bureaucratic realities of Indian policing -Blending real crimes with fictional storytelling -Crime novels as social histories of cities and cultures Perfect for those interested in: -Indian crime fiction and noir -Police procedure and legal realism in novels -Delhi as a literary and social landscape -Global traditions of crime writing Credits: Host: Suhrid Sankar Chattopadhyay Camera: Jayanta Shaw Editing: Razal Pareed Producers: Kavya Pradeep M and Mridula Vijayarangakumar Subscribe to Frontline: https://frontline.thehindu.com/online... Follow us on: Facebook -   / frontlineindia   Twitter -   / frontline_india   Instagram -   / frontline.magazine   LinkedIn -   / frontline-magazine-b12921295

    21 min

  8. JAN 13

    The people of Ladakh wish to be part of the open world: Siddiq Wahid

    Published on September 29, 2025. In this exclusive interview with Frontline, Siddiq Wahid, a Distinguished Professor from Shiv Nadar University and an expert on Tibet and Ladakh affairs, comments on the escalating crisis in Ladakh. He argues that the Centre must worry as growing discontent in the region threatens to take an unpredictable turn. With 75 years of demonstrated loyalty to India now being tested, Ladakh's patience is wearing thin over unfulfilled promises made by the Central government, according to the historian. Professor Wahid, who has written extensively on the region, warns that the Centre's handling of the peaceful protest movement—which seeks protection for Ladakh's unique identity, culture, language, land, and jobs—risks pushing a new generation of Ladakhi leaders into agitational and confrontational modes. This shift in leadership from older, calmer voices to younger, more assertive ones represents a dangerous inflexion point that the Central government cannot afford to ignore, particularly in a border region of such strategic importance. What makes the current situation especially significant is the unprecedented unity among Ladakh's diverse population of 3,00,000—including Muslims (Shia and Sunni), Buddhists, and Christians—with traditional divisions between Kargil and Leh, and between religious communities, being erased in the face of common concerns. Professor Wahid says this unity is a "headache" for the Centre, especially given what he describes as the BJP's strategy of exploiting fault lines. The primary concern driving this unified movement is jobs, compounded by frustrations over outsiders controlling the region's bureaucracy, administration, and police without understanding local sensibilities. He emphasises that Ladakh is resisting attempts at fragmentation and that its demands for constitutional protections are well within India's legal framework. He challenges what he calls "plain silly" accusations against prominent activists like Sonam Wangchuk, while stressing that the real challenge for Ladakhis is maintaining their unity and keeping their struggle peaceful—even as Delhi's continued neglect threatens to undermine the faith of border communities. Perfect for: Policy experts Historians Students of Indian politics Those interested in Ladakh Credits: Host: Gowhar Geelani Camera: Adil Abass and Idrees Abbas Produced by Saatvika Radhakrishna Editing by Razal Pareed

    33 min
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Frontline Conversations

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  • Creator
    Frontline
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    92
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Frontline
  • Show Website
    Frontline Conversations