Global Indian Times Podcast

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  1. 3d ago

    Vijay’s Election as Chief Minister Confirms Power in Tamil Nadu Flows from a Cinema Screen

    (Photo: Joseph Vijay, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. Courtesy TVK party.) By Anand Kurian, Shirish Kavadi and M Guruprasad September 12, 2026 Extracts from the podcast: In Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state of roughly 80 million people, Tamil cinema did not simply produce the occasional politician. It is the crucial launching pad for politicians, including Chief Ministers. They include C. N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi, both popular writers and screenwriters, and film stars M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) and J. Jayalalithaa. In May 2026, actor C. Joseph Vijay, founder of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (Tamil Victory Party), TVK, took over as Chief Minister after the state assembly election. However, the rule of film stars was not entirely benign. They faced widespread allegations of corruption and nepotism. Leader worship and dynastic succession weakened internal party democracy and civil liberties. The death of Jayalalithaa exposed how she had assumed total power in the AIADMK, leaving no clear heir. Similar concentration of power was evident during Karunanidhi’s long dominance of the DMK and, since 2021, after his son M.K. Stalin became Chief Minister. Alby Anand Kurian is senior faculty and Director of Post Graduate Programmes in International Business & Strategy, as well as Business & Management, at the University of Exeter, UK. His book, ‘The Peddler of Soaps’, was on the India Today best-seller list. Shirish N. Kavadi is a historian, academic and independent researcher based in Pune. His work focuses on the history and politics of health, medicine and philanthropy in India. He has taught and published widely on healthcare, social policy and development. M. Guruprasad is Associate Professor and Director of Student Research at Universal AI University, specializing in economics, marketing and research methodology. A prolific scholar, he has authored seven books and more than 200 articles. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.globalindiantimes.com

  2. Sep 6

    Can Anil Chakravarthy, as CEO, Boost Adobe’s Revenues and Profit Margins

    (Photo: Anil Chakravarthy, Adobe, President Customer Experience.) September 6, 2026 SOME EXTRACTS FROM PODCAST Investors were not pleased with Adobe’s board appointing an insider as the next chief executive, noted Barron’s and other Wall Street publications. Yesterday, Adobe’s stock fell 7% on the news that Anil Chakravarthy, President of Customer Experience, will replace Shantanu Narayen as CEO starting December 1, 2026. Adobe’s stock, at $267, sells at 15 times estimated fiscal 2026 earnings per share. In April, the board announced a $25 billion stock buyback program. The buyback alone may not be enough to lift the stock price and appease employees. Much of the growth in employee compensation depends on a rising stock price. Stock based compensation totalled $2 billion in fiscal 2025, and $1.9 billion in fiscal 2024. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.globalindiantimes.com

  3. Aug 29

    Will New Visa Rules Jolt More Indians to Avoid Debt for US Degrees

    August 28, 2026 Extract: US universities expect the allure of the American dream, and their marketing strategies, will continue to attract students from India. In fact, in their pitches to Indian students, officials of US universities avoid mentioning that most of them will need to borrow large sums to study on their campuses. It is easy to see why US universities view India as a very fertile place to recruit students. Several Indian students, as well as their parents, mistakenly view admissions to a US university as a better income-earning alternative to a low-paying job in India. Many are willing to take on huge debt to pursue degrees at little-known US colleges, including for programs which have very low job placement rates. In fact, few Indians check on the job placement rates of a program at a US university, before enrolling. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.globalindiantimes.com

    Will New Visa Rules Jolt More Indians to Avoid Debt for US Degrees

  4. Aug 21

    Are Indians, Who Use Electronic Payment Systems, Protected from Theft

    By Sunil Mani August 21, 2026 SUMMARY When a consumer in India buys a toothpaste on Flipkart, or sweets at a local store, or bananas from a street vendor, or pays for an Uber ride, she pays by scanning a QR code, sent by the vendor, via her Google Pay App on her cell phone. To protect themselves, consumers are expected to use a security PIN. The vendor receives immediate confirmation from their bank that the payment was received, assuming there are enough funds in the customer’s bank account which is linked to her App. Once approved by the sender’s bank, the funds move directly to the recipient’s bank account. Google Pay, PhonePe and other apps also enable consumers to receive electronic payments from employers, banks, and government programs. These platforms replace similar transactions made in the past using cash and checks. There is hence an urgent need for an annual study to examine consumer losses, arising from fraud and other risks, especially for the elderly and those who have not completed secondary education. The study should also identify the true, total costs for a consumer to use the electronic payments system. Such studies should be both easy to conduct and accurate since the data is electronic, offering all the details of every transaction. The studies, perhaps funded by the Reserve Bank, ought to be done by a reputed, independent research institution. Until such studies provide insights on consumer losses and costs, there will be legitimate doubts when Indian officials claim that the country’s rapidly expanding digital-payment system is a major success. Sunil Mani is a visiting professor, Centre for Development Studies, and Ahmedabad University, both in India. The views expressed are personal. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.globalindiantimes.com

  5. Aug 13

    NEET Exam Scandal Brings Global Attention to India’s Massive Unemployment

    (A poster of the Cockroach Janta Party.) August 13, 2026 Extract from the Podcast: As CNBC, as well as The New York Times, BBC, and other Western media reported, many of the millions, who joined the protests in India over the NEET scandal, were unemployed students and youth demanding jobs. Indeed, 40 percent of graduates report they are unemployed, according to the State of Working India 2026, a report from Azim Premji University, Bangalore, India. Some other reports suggest the level of unemployment is even higher. So, there are anywhere from 50 million to 135 million college graduates in India, including post-graduates, who are unemployed. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.globalindiantimes.com

  6. Jul 11

    From the Kerala Model to the Kerala Question

    (Book cover: design by Visaskh Menon, based on his painting series Tremors, archival ink on xuan rice paper, 2018-2021.) CLICK HERE TO BUY A COPY OF KERALA AND KERALITES By Paul Kattuman July 11, 2026 This podcast is based on Paul Kattuman’s foreword for the book, Kerala and Keralites: The Promise and Challenges, to be published in July 2026. Kattuman is Professor of Economics at Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. Extracts from the foreword The central concern of this volume is a conversion problem. Kerala created a capable and aspirational society, but it has not always created the institutions or economic conditions in which those capabilities can be fully used. This is why the same achievement returns in the book as a difficulty: education without enough suitable work, migration without adequate protection for migrants, welfare without an assured fiscal base, and women’s advancement without corresponding power in the economy and public life. Kerala’s achievements were produced by social pressure. Communities, especially those denied status, wanted education because it brought dignity, mobility, employment, and bargaining power. State schooling, social movements, labour politics, and electoral mobilisation helped create a culture in which literacy and health became expectations. Kerala’s achievements in female literacy, health, and education do not by themselves amount to economic power. Women’s autonomy through work is shaped just as much by everyday conditions of freedom, such as safety in movement and a fairer distribution of care within families. The chapters in this volume approach Kerala’s development from different angles, but a common theme runs through them. They ask us to look at Kerala plainly: as a society of real achievements and serious contradictions. The Kerala Question is no longer whether human development matters. It is whether Kerala can turn human development into secure livelihoods, greater autonomy for women, environmental security, and a future that more people can imagine within Kerala itself. Paul Kattuman is Professor of Economics at Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, and Director of Studies in Management and Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. His research focuses on econometric methods and applied modelling, especially in public health, the space economy, and the Indian economy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked with Andrew Harvey, Professor of Econometrics in the Faculty of Economics at the University of Cambridge, to develop time-series models for tracking and forecasting epidemic trajectories as they evolved over time. This work contributed to operational forecasting in the UK and India, particularly Kerala. He is an Associate Editor of the Harvard Data Science Review and is affiliated with the Centre for India and Global Business and the Space Economy Initiative, both at Cambridge Judge Business School. Paul holds a BA and MA from the University of Calicut, Kerala, and an MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge, all in economics. Paul Kattuman’s essay is part of the book, Kerala and Keralites: The Promise and Challenges. The book is a collection of essays and interviews from the Global Indian Times, edited by Ignatius Chithelen and Cherian Samuel. Bryant Park Publishers. Publication: July 24, 2026. CLICK HERE TO BUY A COPY OF KERALA AND KERALITES This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.globalindiantimes.com

  7. Jul 9

    Why did St Thomas College in Kerala Cancel Journalist Vinod Jose’s Speech on Democracy

    (Photo: Vinod Jose, courtesy Wayanad Literary Festival.) February 7, 2026 Part of the mission of St. Thomas College is “To empower the students with deep knowledge and awareness of current developments in their chosen subject of study.” Also, given accomplished alumni and past speakers, the college management’s decision to cancel Vinod Jose’s lecture, which was presumably backed by officials of the Catholic Church, will hurt the college’s reputation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.globalindiantimes.com

  8. Jul 4

    Nature offers Keralites a major source of pride, jobs and income

    (Photo: dance, Kerala, courtesy Wikimedia.) By Sunil Mani Sunil Mani is a visiting professor, Centre for Development Studies, and Ahmedabad University, both in India. The views expressed are personal. EXTRACTS Over centuries, Keralites have advanced the use of Ayurvedic and other nature-based remedies to treat back and joint pain, allergies, diabetes, insomnia, stress and other ailments. They grow jackfruits, mangoes, pineapples, cashews, and other fruits. A long tradition of cooking offers toddy-appams, coconut-based fish and meat curries, payasams and halvas. Visitors are entertained with Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Theyyam, Kalaripayattu, and other dances and cultural attractions. Not surprising then, that, tourism and medical tourism are an important pillar of Kerala’s economy. It is one of the state’s largest employers, generates thousands of small and several big entrepreneurs, contributes significantly to a more balanced economic development across the state, and earns foreign exchange for India. However, Kerala’s tourism industry faces major challenges. They include congested roads, impact of climate-change, and, most important, competition from Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Maldives. Up until a decade ago, Kerala was far cheaper for foreign tourists. In 2026, the total costs for a ten-day trip, for a British or American couple, to Kerala, Vietnam and Sri Lanka are roughly the same. Travel to Kerala is becoming more expensive due to higher costs, especially of unskilled labor and real estate. Daily wage rates in Kerala are among the highest in India. It is being driven up by a combination of powerful labor unions and a highly educated workforce, which avoids manual labor. Ironically, Kerala, which exports labor to the Persian Gulf countries, imports unskilled labor - around three million - from the poorer regions of Bihar, West Bengal, and other Indian states. Then, demand for homes and other real estate in Kerala keeps rising, from relatively affluent Keralites working outside the state, especially those in the Persian Gulf countries. This has sharply boosted prices of land and construction costs. There is then climate-related risks, though this also applies to competing tropical tourist destinations. In 2019, for instance, the summer and monsoon tourism business, across much of Kerala, was severely hurt by heavy rain, floods, and landslides. There was also a highly publicized outbreak of the Nipah virus and fears of flood-related communicable diseases, particularly leptospirosis (rat fever), dengue fever, influenza, and hepatitis A. Given the challenges, entrepreneurs, officials, and policy makers in Kerala must recognize that the state’s advantages in tourism needs to be nurtured and strengthened, or it can evaporate quickly. There are no compelling reasons for foreign tourists to spend their money in Kerala. Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Maldives also offer beaches, forests, and birding, good food, and massages, yoga, and other nature-based wellness treatments. The example of the cashew industry in Kerala offers a good lesson. In the mid-1990s, Vietnamese delegations visited Kollam to learn about Kerala’s cashew nut processing operations. By 2006, using automation and favourable government labor and other policies, Vietnam overtook India as the leading exporter of cashew nuts. Meanwhile, Kerala’s cashew agro-industry was unable to cut costs and improve quality, severely damaging the state’s centuries-old dominance in the global supply of the nuts. Unlike Vietnam and Sri Lanka, Kerala offers a rare blend of ancient, proven Ayurveda-based medical services and numerous leisure attractions. Will Kerala’s advantage soon disappear due to complacency and neglect or since it is being copied by rivals? Or, will those in Kerala’s tourism business focus on improving quality and services and lowering costs, thereby continuing to attract more foreign tourists? This essay will be part of the book, Kerala and Keralites: The Promise and Challenges. The book is a collection of essays and interviews from the Global Indian Times, edited by Ignatius Chithelen and Cherian Samuel. Bryant Park Publishers. Publication date July 2026. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.globalindiantimes.com

    Nature offers Keralites a major source of pride, jobs and income
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Unique stories about Indians and India www.globalindiantimes.com

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  • Creator
    Global Indian Times
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    60
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ignatius Chithelen
  • Show Website
    Global Indian Times Podcast