Grand Tamasha

Milan Vaishnav and his team produce a first rate presentation each week of the latest trends in India. The podcast should appeal not only to people following developments in India, but also to those concerned about South Asia and developing countries generally. Each week, Vaishnav interviews knowledgeable experts on what’s happening in India and its neighboring states, and he does it with intelligence and a keen knowledge of India’s past and what’s happening today. I look forward to each week’s discussion, and I’m grateful to the Carnegie Endowment and the Hindustan Times for sponsoring the podcast.

A very talented and knowledgeable host, but way too many episodes are book reviews on esoteric topics. The latter point robs the show of its focus and impact, in my view.

Nicely constructed—just the right length, anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes, which is optimal—and a nice balance in topic selection between India’s external posture and its domestic achievements and challenges. However, the host, Milan Vaishnav, could benefit from adopting a less earnest tone. Too often, he sounds as if he is too eager to please, or maybe just wants to come across as unthreatening to the interviewee. Also can he drop the sentence filler “right?” with even the blandest declaration. This is a disingenuous device to extract an agreement with the interviewee. I wish someone would reply “no, not right”

Very informative and engaging. My only quibble is that there are more episodes of Grand Tamasha on YouTube lately than on the podcast so I can’t listen while walking or driving. But that’s a “good problem”—your audience wants more!