NL TeamFour months after Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the moon, Newslaundry dives into the tricky questions that lie behind it. What are the benefits of a moon mission? Do we need a space programme at all? What does it take to run the Indian Space Research Organisation?Welcome to Let’s Talk About: ISRO and Chandrayaan, where host Abhinandan Sekhri sits down with EK Kutty, former director (project planning program management) at ISRO, and Jayaram Kolangara, former deputy director at ISRO. They’re joined by subscribers too who got to ask questions during a live Zoom session.Tune in for a free-wheeling chat on ISRO’s role in development communication, the future of space travel, the efforts of people behind the scenes at ISRO, and a lot more.Produced by Chanchal Gupta, edited by Chanchal Gupta and Samarendra K Dash.ReferencesIndia in Space: Between Utility and Geopolitics by Marco AlibertiChristopher Nolan’s InterstellarRobert Zemeckis’s ContactAlfonso Cuarón’s GravityAdam McKay’s Don’t Look UpWhy Civil Rights Activists Protested the Moon LandingThe Moon Landing was Opposed by Majority of US List of 6 manned moon missions: People who stepped on the moon after Neil Armstrong How Many Times Has the US Landed on the Moon? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

शराफत की दुनिया का किस्सा ही खत्म, अब जैसी दुनिया वैसे हम… फिल्म जज्बा के इस आमफहम डायलॉग को इरफान ने जिस कविताई के साथ अदा किया वह करोड़ों हिंदुस्तानियों के दिलों में उतर गया. लगभग इसी बहते हुए अविकल झरने की तरह अपनी अदायगी से इरफान हम हिंदुस्तानियों की दुनिया का हिस्सा बने थे. फिर  29 अप्रैल 2020 को अचानक वो हमारी इस दुनिया से अलग हो गए. यह सिर्फ इरफान के परिजनों, दोस्तों, रिश्तेदारों या उनके प्रशंसकों के लिए दिल तोड़ने वाली खबर नहीं थी बल्कि फिल्मों से जुड़े, फिल्मों में दिलचस्पी रखने वाले हर शख्स के लिए एक बड़ा झटका थी. इरफान तिरपन की कच्ची उम्र में हमारे बीच से चले गए. इरफान न्यूरोएंडोक्राइन नाम की एक असाध्य बीमारी से घिर गए थे. यह बीमारी दुर्लभ किस्म का कैंसर है, जिस पर दुनिया में बहुत कम खोजें और रीसर्च उपलब्ध हैं. लेकिन इस कच्ची उम्र में इरफान ने बहुत ही पकी उम्र वाले मुकाम हासिल किए. इरफान ने लगभग हर तरह का किरदार निभाया. न सिर्फ निभाया बल्कि उसे जीया भी. मार्च 2020 में आई फिल्म 'अंग्रेजी मीडियम' इरफान की आखिरी फिल्म थी.  न्यूरोएंडोक्राइन ट्यूमर की बीमारी के बारे में खुद इरफान खान ने साल 2018 में ट्विटर के जरिए  जानकारी दी थी. उनका ट्वीट कुछ इस प्रकार था- "जीवन में अनपेक्षित बदलाव आपको आगे बढ़ना सिखाते हैं. पता चला है कि मुझे न्यूरोएंडोक्राइन ट्यूमर है. इसे स्वीकार कर पाना मुश्किल है. लेकिन मेरे आसपास जो लोग हैं, उनका प्यार और उनकी दुआओं ने मुझे ताकत दी है. कुछ उम्मीद भी बंधी है. फिलहाल बीमारी के इलाज के लिए मुझे देश से दूर जाना पड़ रहा है. लेकिन मैं चाहूंगा कि आप अपने संदेश भेजते रहें.”इरफान की मौत के बाद उनके बेटे बाबिल ने उनकी आखिरी याद को कुछ इन शब्दों में साझा किया था- 'उनकी मौत से दो तीन दिन पहले मैं अस्पताल में था. वो होश खोते जा रहे थे. अंतिम पलों में उन्होंने मेरी ओर देखा, मुस्कुराए और कहा- मैं मरने वाला हूं, मैंने उन्हें कहा ऐसा नहीं होगा, वो फिर मुस्कुराए और सो गए.' इरफान ने मौत को भी हंसते हंसते ही गले लगाया. लेट्स टॉक अबाउट में न्यूज़लॉन्ड्री के कार्यकारी संपादक अतुल चौरसिया ने फिल्म समीक्षक शुभ्रा गुप्ता और अजय ब्रह्मात्मज के साथ इरफान के सफर, शख्सियत, अदायगी, कला, फन और जीवन के अन्य पहलुओं पर लंबी बातचीत की है. तो आनंद लीजिए..  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

सच्चिदानंद हीरानंद वातस्यायन अज्ञेय. जितना भारी भरकम नाम, उतना ही भारी भरकम व्यक्तित्व. अज्ञेय का जिक्र आने पर एक मूर्धन्य कवि, शैलीकार, कथा साहित्य को एक महत्त्वपूर्ण मोड़ देने वाले कथाकार, निबन्धकार, दिग्गज सम्पादक की छवि हमारे सामने आती है. लेकिन अज्ञेय का व्यक्तित्व इससे भी विराट और बहुआयामी था. अज्ञेय की लेखकीय पहचान से अलग उनका विद्रोही अतीत, क्रांतिकारी झुकाव, उनका सैन्य अतीत, उनका राजनीतिक झुकाव, उनका निजी जीवन इतना परतदार और विशद हैं, जिसे समग्रता में आज तक समेटा नहीं गया है. अज्ञेय के तमाम अनछुए पहलुओं को भारी-भरकम किताब की शकल में हमारे सामने लेकर आए हैं पत्रकार और लेखक अक्षय मुकुल. अक्षय की हालिया किताब ‘राइटर, रेबेल, सोल्ज़र, लवर- मेनी लाइव्स ऑफ अज्ञेय’, अज्ञेय की ज़िंदगी के तमाम अनदेखे पक्ष उजागर करती है. लेट्स टॉक अबाउट के इस अंक में हम बात करेंगे अक्षय मुकुल और उनके साथ ओम थानवी से. अज्ञेय के बहुत करीब रहकर काम करने का सौभाग्य रहा है ओम थनवी को. चार दशकों तक पत्रकारिता का अनुभव, हिंदी पत्रकारिता में मील का पत्थर रही जनसत्ता अखबार के संपादक पद से पदमुक्त हुए ओम थानवी के नाम अज्ञेय की जन्मशती के मौके पर एक ग्रंथनुमा पुस्तक अपने-अपने अज्ञेय का संकलन-संपादन का श्रेय है. तो अक्षय मुकुल और ओम थानवी के साथ लेट्स टॉक अबाउट अज्ञेय. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lets Talk About the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is our three-part deep-dive podcast into the RSS and how it became the formidable force that it is.This live session is in conversation with Abhinandan Sekhri, Shardool Katyayan, and Vijai Trivedi.Tune into Let's Talk About the RSS here: https://www.newslaundry.com/podcast/lets-talk-about/lets-talk-about-rss Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 1 of this three-part series, we left off in 1947. After the horrors of Partition, political leaders across the spectrum were battling disenchantment among their followers. The RSS was no exception, but its work during Partition stood it in good stead. Then came the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, and the goodwill generated by the RSS came crumbling down.How did the RSS pick itself up and what were its primary motivations at the time? What is the truth behind the conflicting narratives on Godse’s ties to the Sangh? And what changed between the Golwalkar years and the Deoras years that followed?To listen to the full episode, subscribe to Newslaundry. If you’re not a subscriber, use the discount code LTA20 and get 20 percent off our annual plans (and score some free merchandise too)! This coupon code is only valid if you buy the subscription on our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Check out Part 1 of the conversation here.In part two of this special edition of Let’s Talk About, the Newslaundry team of Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, Anand Vardhan, Shardool Katyayan, and Mehraj D Lone continue their conversation on religion, this time focusing on the intersection of religion and politics.Abhinandan asks the panel whether it thinks mixing religion and politics is inevitable or desirable. He says politics has merely “replaced” religion while still keeping aspects of it intact. Manisha thinks religion is an important part of people’s lives and, therefore, “politics is always going to be a feature of it”.Listen.Subscribe and avail our Independence Day offer: https://bit.ly/NewslaundryIDayOffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special edition of Let’s Talk About, the Newslaundry crew of Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, Anand Vardhan, Shardool Katyayan, and Mehraj D Lone sit down for a freewheeling discussion about religion, its place and significance in our world.Primarily, the theme is whether religion has done more good or more harm. Abhinandan and Mehraj both argue that religion has done more good than harm while the rest of the panel express mixed views.Subscribe and avail our Independence Day offer: https://bit.ly/NewslaundryIDayOffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On July 12, 2020, a team from the National Investigation Agency and the Pune police landed at Sadiya Shaikh’s doorstep. Sadiya, 22, was arrested on suspicion of being in contact with “ISIS sympathisers” and helping to plan attacks in India. It wasn't her first interaction with the police; she had been “deradicalised” at the age of 17. By 2017, ISIS had lost most, if not all, of its territory in the Middle East, but it survived and thrived in the dark corners of the internet, keeping itself on life support.Tune into this snippet of Let's Talk About: ISIS in India, where host Priyank Mathur tries to understand if and how the terror group’s influence has reached India, using Sadiya’s case as context, and how law enforcement agencies have reacted to it. Subscribe to Newslaundry and listen to the full episode here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is estimated that a child goes missing in India every eight minutes. That’s one full classroom of students disappearing every few hours. Almost 40% of these children are never found. Families are torn apart.Tune into this snippet of Let’s Talk About where Newslaundry’s Snigdha Sharma delves into the complexities of child trafficking in India: how and why is it so prevalent? What forms does it take? Who is most vulnerable? What is being done to prevent it? Through a series of sobering interviews, she speaks to victims, experts, and journalists on the frontlines to understand the many aspects of India’s child trafficking crisis.Subscribe to Newslaundry and listen to the full version here.https://www.newslaundry.com/subscription Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In May 2017, a PIL in India’s Supreme Court kickstarted a hot debate on one of the most controversial practices in the 21st century—female genital mutilation (FGM). Described by activists as a "heinous crime" and "cruelty of the first order", the case stretched over several months and drew attention to a practice that has remained one of the most guarded secrets in the subcontinent and around the world.Tune into this snippet of Let’s Talk About: Female Genital Mutilation where Gaurav Sarkar explores the religious, legal, mythological and medical aspects of FGM.Subscribe to Newslaundry at bit.ly/paytokeepnewsfree to listen to the full version here: https://www.newslaundry.com/2019/02/06/lets-talk-about-female-genital-mutilationYou can also listen to all our podcasts on iOS and Android.iOS: http://apple.co/2iZhEq1Android: http://bit.ly/2jTtG3x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brigadier BK Ponwar, the Director of the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in Chhattisgarh, compares the Naxal insurgency to fish in a pond. He explains this analogy by giving examples from insurgencies in other parts of India, particularly the Northeast. Amit Bhardwaj also questions him about the alleged incidents of sexual assault by security forces on civilians. Tune in to this snippet of Let's Talk About: Naxalism - Part 2 to listen to what he has to say.Subscribe to Newslaundry to listen to the full version here: https://www.newslaundry.com/2019/01/23/lets-talk-about-naxalism-part-2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1968, Narayan Singh Chauhan joined an uprising that was painting Indian jungles red. Joined by comrades from different parts of the country, he was there to fight feudal lords, emancipate the peasants and crush the state. In his three year-long involvement with the Naxalite insurgency, Chauhan was involved in multiple encounters and also admits to killing a revenue-collector.Tune in to this snippet of Let's Talk About: Naxalism - Part 1 to listen to his story. Listen to the full episode here: https://www.newslaundry.com/2019/01/02/lets-talk-about-naxalism-part-1Subscribe to Newslaundry to listen to the full version.You can also listen to all our podcasts on iOS and Android.iOS: http://apple.co/2iZhEq1Android: http://bit.ly/2jTtG3x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The word 'objectivity' has garnered increasing usage in the world of journalism in recent years. Yet, its meaning remains elusive to many. For some, it represents a method that must be followed by those who claim to present the truth to the wider world, while for others, it's a mental skill that allows for impartial and balanced judgment.Speaking to several prominent journalists and writers, Abhinandan Sekhri tries to grapple with the various definitions and facets of objectivity—has the term always had a fixed meaning? Is it better suited for science than for journalism? Using thought experiments, literary allusions and big philosophical words, he seeks an answer to the ultimate question: is objectivity even desirable?Subscribe to Newslaundry at http://bit.ly/paytokeepnewsfree to catch the full episode here: https://www.newslaundry.com/2018/10/15/lets-talk-about-objectivity-in-journalism Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's Talk About... has gone behind the paywall, but because we love our listeners, here's a sneak peak into the latest episode. Here's Let's Talk About: Privacy. Privacy -- is it a personal or a policy issue? The dictionary defines privacy as a state in which one is free of attention and today, that state is harder and harder to achieve. Our privacy is often being invaded without us even realising it and many shrug at this fate. "What do I have to hide?" is the standard response to privacy being lost but the real question is "Why is your privacy so precious to others?" With the data collected by the Unique Identity project, aka Aadhaar, surfacing in unexpected, unauthorised places, you must know what your rights are and how the government helps you uphold them (or not). In this episode of Let's Talk About, Meghnad S, a public policy nerd and compulsive Lok Sabha TV watcher, speaks to lawyers, journalists, researchers, and businessmen to figure out what privacy is in the digital age and whether Aadhaar really is the way forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's Talk About... has gone behind the paywall, but because we love our listeners, here's a sneak peak into the second part of our deep dive into the Kashmir conundrum. This time, we look at the issue of protests and how they're quelled in one of the most turbulent parts of India. We speak to historians, military men who have served in Kashmir, Kashmiri refugees, journalists who have covered the insurgency, and activists who have raised their voices against human rights violations. Aided by their insights, we try to understand what azadi means for Kashmiris, the pellet gun problem, and if there is a solution that will end one of the longest-running insurgencies in the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was once described by poet Amir Khusro as paradise on earth, but in the 21st century, Kashmir is better described as paradise lost. The conflict in Kashmir is perhaps the most complex issue of our times. From a northern kingdom to a region ravaged by insurgency, it has suffered generations of unrest and turbulence. In the second part of Let’s Talk About… Kashmir, we speak to historians, military men who have served in Kashmir, Kashmiri refugees, journalists who have covered the insurgency, and activists who have raised their voices against human rights violations. With the benefit of their insights, we try to understand what azadi means for Kashmiris, the pellet gun problem, and if there actually can be a solution to the Kashmir conundrum. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we launch our new, fortnightly podcast, Let’s Talk About. In this series, we bring you nuanced explorations into one subject in every episode. No short cuts, no crash courses, but a deep dive that offers you perspective. The first subject we consider is Kashmir, coveted by two countries and home to one of the longest-running insurgencies in the world. Abhinandan Sekhri tries to figure out what is about the Kashmir problem that nobody -- from Jawahar Lal Nehru to Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Narendra Modi -- could solve it. We talk to historians, journalists, activists, authors and ex-Army officers who were stationed there, to tell us about the disappointments and complications that have made Kashmir so precious and ever more contentious with every passing year.   Since it's the first in the series, we've got two episodes on Kashmir and the first one is available to all our listeners. The second part of Let's Talk About: Kashmir will only be available to subscribers. To subscribe: https://www.newslaundry.com/subscription Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was once described by poet Amir Khusro as paradise on earth, but in the 20th century, Kashmir is better described as paradise lost. The conflict in Kashmir is perhaps the most complex issue of our times. From a northern kingdom to a region ravaged by insurgency, it has suffered generations of unrest and turbulence.In Let’s Talk About … Kashmir, we speak to military men who served there, young Kashmiri stone pelters, journalists who have covered the insurgency, and activists who have raised their voices against human rights excesses. Through their insights, we piece together what troubles Kashmir. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.