Grand Tamasha

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Each week, Milan Vaishnav and his guests from around the world break down the latest developments in Indian politics, economics, foreign policy, society, and culture for a global audience. Grand Tamasha is a co-production of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Hindustan Times.

23 HR AGO

The Indian Who Helped Build Silicon Valley

Over the past several decades, the story of Silicon Valley has been deeply intertwined with the story of Indian immigrants—engineers, entrepreneurs, and investors who helped shape the technology revolution while building new bridges between the United States and India. Few individuals embody that journey as vividly Kanwal Rekhi. Rekhi was the first Indian-American founder & CEO to take a venture-backed company public on the NASDAQ. He also co-founded and built The Indus Entrepreneurs—or TiE—into the largest global network of Indian entrepreneurs, and cofounded Inventus—where he is building the venture franchise into a catalyst for India’s tech revolution. He writes about his life in his new memoir, The Groundbreaker: Entrepreneurship, the American Dream, and the Rise of Modern India, which traces his remarkable journey from a modest upbringing in India to becoming one of the most influential figures in the Indian diaspora in the United States. To talk more about his book, Kanwal joins Milan on the podcast this week. They discuss his lifelong passion for entrepreneurship, his modest upbringing and challenging early family life, and his role in building the modern Internet. Plus, the two discuss Kanwal’s role in India’s landmark telecommunications reforms and his recent efforts to boost entrepreneurs in India. Episode notes: “The Secret to Indian Americans' Success (with Meenakshi Ahamed),” Grand Tamasha, June 4, 2025. Meenakshi Ahamed, Indian Genius: The Meteoric Rise of Indians in America (New Delhi: HarperCollins India, 2025). Kanwal Rekhi, “I’m a tech founder from India. Here’s why I’m worried about the future of America,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 3, 2026. Zofeen Maqsood, “Kanwal Rekhi’s next mission: 10 million entrepreneurs by India at 100,” American Bazaar, March 3, 2026.

1 hr
15 APR

India’s Middle Class Hits a Breaking Point

For decades, India’s growth story has rested on the spectacular rise of its middle class. But a new book argues that this very group—roughly 40 million income-tax–paying households—is now under acute strain. Facing a convergence of job disruption, wage stagnation, and rising debt, the middle class may no longer be the engine of growth it once was. This is the argument made in a new book titled, Breakpoint: The Crisis of the Middle Class and the Future of Work. It is authored by Saurabh Mukherjea, along with Nandita Rajhansa and Sapana Bhavsar Saurabh is the founder of Marcellus Investment Managers and the author of six previous books. Prior to setting up Marcellus, Saurabh was the CEO of Ambit Capital. He is also a Founding Director of the Association of Portfolio Managers in India Nandita is an economist and a small and midcap analyst at Marcellus. She’s the co-author of a national bestseller, Behold the Leviathan: The Unusual Rise of Modern India, which was published in 2024. Milan speaks with Saurabh and Nandita about the Indian middle class’s most vulnerable moment since 1991, the hollowing out of middle-skill jobs, the structural challenges with India’s education system, the worrying trend in declining placement rates and salaries, and the explosion in household debt. Plus, the trio discuss how AI and automation are remaking the Indian economy—both for good and for ill. Episode notes: Saurabh Mukherjea and Nandita Rajhansa, “Educated and employed but still struggling: India's middle class under strain,” BBC, March 30, 2026. “A Sixth of Humanity and the Dreams of a Nation (with Devesh Kapur and Arvind Subramanian),” Grand Tamasha, October 22, 2025. Saurabh Mukherjea, Nandita Rajhansa and Sapana Bhavsar, “Graduate and unemployed: India’s middle-class rulebook for career & success no longer works,” ThePrint, March 23, 2026.

56 min
8 APR

Inside The Complex: Family, Power, and India in Turmoil

On this week’s show, Milan sits down with the novelist Karan Mahajan, author of a much-anticipated new novel, The Complex. Karan and Milan discussed the book at our first ever live Grand Tamasha event at Carnegie headquarters in Washington, DC on March 16. Karan is an associate professor in Literary Arts at Brown University and the author of the books Family Planning and The Association of Small Bombs.

52 min
1 APR

Can India Thrive in Trump’s World?

Donald Trump’s return to the White House has once again altered the contours of international politics. For India, this evolving context raises several important questions about the viability of its foreign policy approach. This week on the podcast, Milan sits down with three of the contributors to a new compilation published by the Carnegie Endowment—Shoumitro Chatterjee, Sameer Lalwani, and Tanvi Madan—to discuss the uncertain trajectory of Indian foreign policy.

55 min
25 MAR

Inside Washington: Ami Bera on Shifting U.S.–India Ties

Over the past two decades, Washington and New Delhi have drawn steadily closer—driven by shared concerns about China, expanding economic ties, and a growing Indian diaspora in the United States. To help us unpack all of this, this week Milan spoke with Congressman Ami Bera in his office on Capitol Hill.

35 min
18 MAR

Bangladesh’s Political Reset

For decades, Bangladesh has long oscillated between competitive democracy and dominant-party rule. In 2024, mass protests brought an abrupt end to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s long tenure in power, opening the door to Bangladesh’s most consequential election in more than a decade—one that returned the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to power and reshaped the country’s political landscape. With Hasina’s fall and a new government in office, the country once again stands at a crossroads—testing whether institutional reform and electoral competition can deliver lasting democratic stability. To talk about the new political era in Bangladesh, Milan is joined on the show this week by Naomi Hossain. Naomi is Global Research Professor with the Department of Development Studies at SOAS University of London. She has researched extensively across Bangladesh and has managed large international studies spanning 20 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe. Naomi is the author of the acclaimed 2017 book, The Aid Lab: Understanding Bangladesh's Unexpected Success. Naomi and Milan discuss the abrupt end to Hasina’s fifteen-year rule, the performance of the interim government under Muhammad Yunus, and the prospects for new prime minister Tarique Rahman. Plus, the two discuss the country’s immense economic challenges and the role of the military. Episode notes: Naomi Hossain, “Ali Riaz's Big Bet,” Counterpoint, January 19, 2026. Naomi Hossain, “Dhaka pre-election diary (pt 1, possibly, of 2),” Substack, January 6-19, 2026. “How India Lost the Neighborhood (with Muhib Rahman),” Grand Tamasha, February 11, 2026. “Sri Lanka's Peaceful Revolution (with Neil DeVotta),” Grand Tamasha, January 25, 2025.

48 min
11 MAR

India’s AI Moment?

Just weeks ago, India hosted the 2026 AI Impact Summit, the latest chapter in a global process that began in 2023 in the UK. For India, the stakes could not be higher: it’s a country with immense technical talent and a data-rich digital ecosystem, but also a services-led growth model that AI could either boost or seriously disrupt. For the Modi government, the summit was part diplomatic showcase, part investment pitch, and part declaration of ambition. To talk more about the summit and its key takeaways, Milan is joined on the show this week by Anirudh Suri. Anirudh is a nonresident scholar with Carnegie India. His interests lie at the intersection of technology and geopolitics, climate, and strategic affairs. He is also a managing partner at India Internet Fund, a technology-focused venture capital fund based in India and the United States. He’s the author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations, published in 2022. And he’s also the host of a podcast by the same name, “The Great Tech Game,” which focuses on technology, business and geopolitics. Milan and Anirudh discuss the evolution of global AI summitry, the debate over India’s elusive “DeepSeek moment,” and the country’s indigenous large language models (LLMs). Plus, the two discuss the effects of AI on India’s services industry and India’s quest to marshal its domestic scientific talent. Episode notes: 1. Anirudh Suri, “Learning from DeepSeek, honing India’s AI strategy,” Hindustan Times, March 2, 2025. 2. Anirudh Suri, “The Missing Pieces in India’s AI Puzzle: Talent, Data, and R&D,” Carnegie India, February 24, 2025. 3. Anirudh Suri, “Winning the AI race with research talent,” Hindustan Times, November 3, 2024. 4. “Governing India's Digital Revolution (with Rahul Matthan),” Grand Tamasha, January 23, 2024.

48 min
4 MAR

Populism and the Politics of India’s Foreign Policy

We tend to think of populist leaders around the world as disruptive—skeptical of international institutions, impatient for change, and prone to upending foreign policy norms. But a new book by scholars Sandra Destradi and Johannes Plagemann argues that—while populists can have dramatic impacts on foreign policy—the extent of change depends on two key factors: the personalization of foreign policy and leaders’ ability to use foreign policy as a tool of domestic political mobilization. The book is called Populism and Foreign Policy, and it looks at transitions from non-populist to populist governments in Bolivia, the Philippines, Turkey, and India. To talk more about the book’s findings—especially as they relate to Indian foreign policy—Sandra Destradi joins Milan on the show this week. Sandra holds the Chair of International Relations at the University of Freiburg, Germany, and she is currently serving as a DAAD long- term Guest Professor at Reichman University in Herzliya, Israel. She is the author of several articles and books on India, including the 2012 book, Indian Foreign and Security Policy in South Asia: Regional Power Strategies. Milan and Sandra discuss the definitional debates around populism, the conditional effects of populism on foreign policy, and the reasons for the Modi government’s differential approach to Pakistan and China. Plus, the two discuss why populists might express an enhanced willingness to contribute to global public goods, the limited opportunities for mobilization against multilateral institutions, and the differences between populists in the Global North versus the Global South. Episode notes: 1. “Populism, South Asian Style (with Adnan Naseemullah and Pradeep Chhibber),” Grand Tamasha, December 18, 2024. 2. Johannes Plagemann and Sandra Destradi, “Populism and Foreign Policy: The Case of India,” Foreign Policy Analysis 15, no. 2 (April 2019): 283–301. 3. Sandra Destradi, “Domestic Politics and Regional Hegemony: India’s Approach to Sri Lanka,” E-International Relations, January 14, 2014.

51 min

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TRAILER

Special Event: #GrandaTamashaLive

YOU'RE INVITED: Join Milan, Tanvi, and Sadanand for a special LIVE episode of Grand Tamasha on Tuesday, May 19, at 11am EST / 8:30pm IST. Tune in as they break down the week's news - and join the live chat to ask questions! Add it to your calendar, and join the live show here.

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TRAILER

Trailer

Grand Tamasha debuts February 27! Here's a taste of what's coming up. Every week Milan will break down the biggest news with fellow experts in Indian politics, and interview an important guest on topics that transcend the headlines.

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Each week, Milan Vaishnav and his guests from around the world break down the latest developments in Indian politics, economics, foreign policy, society, and culture for a global audience. Grand Tamasha is a co-production of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Hindustan Times.