331. Deeper Vulnerabilities of India’s Democracy

This discussion will explore how the Constitution of India frames the concept of economic freedom. We often think of the constitutional guarantee of freedom in terms of the freedom of speech and expression. This discussion moves beyond this framing to examine the oft-ignored aspect of economic freedom for individuals and organisations. The panellists will discuss the balance between state intervention and individual economic rights, exploring issues like onerous licensing and compliance requirements for businesses, property rights and the right to trade occupation, profession and business. They will also discuss the evolving interpretation of these rights by the judiciary and how constitutional provisions have shaped economic policies and reforms in India over time. This session is the second in the series titled ‘We the People’ to celebrate 75 years of our Constitution. As part of this series, DAKSH, in collaboration with BIC, are organising a series of lectures and panel discussions on various aspects of the Constitution. In collaboration with: Daksh In this episode of BIC Talks, Karthik Muralidharan is in conversation with Harish Narasappa. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in September 2024. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music

In this session, Kunal Shah, Founder of CRED, and Archana Rai, Senior Editor at The Economic Times, will explore the exciting journey of India’s startup ecosystem. They will discuss how consumer practices in India have evolved, from e-commerce to the rapid growth of quick commerce, and how startups are adapting to meet these changing demands. The conversation will also highlight the importance of digital public infrastructure and its role in empowering entrepreneurs and businesses to innovate and scale. Kunal will share his personal journey of building CRED, offering insights into the emotional highs and lows of being a founder, while Archana will provide her perspective on how Bangalore has emerged as a major tech hub. Together, they will offer practical takeaways for aspiring entrepreneurs, tech enthusiasts, and anyone interested in understanding both the business and emotional challenges of entrepreneurship in India’s digital economy. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

A discussion based on the book Poles Apart: The Military and Democracy in India and Pakistan. This session delves into the starkly different roles played by the military in the political landscapes of India and Pakistan, and how these choices have shaped the democratic trajectories of both nations. While Pakistan’s history is marked by frequent military interventions that have hindered its democratic development, India’s military has remained notably apolitical, even in moments of crisis such as the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the Emergency, and Operation Blue Star. Explore the critical moments where India’s military could have intervened but chose to uphold democratic principles, contrasting with Pakistan’s history of military dominance in politics. The discussion will also include insights into Bangladesh’s unique experiments with democracy and military rule. This session offers a rare opportunity to understand how the military’s influence—or restraint—can define a nation’s political destiny. The author, Aditya Sondhi will be in conversation with Journalist, Aunohita Mojumdar. A Q&A with the audience will follow. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in September 2024. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, Overcast, Audible and Amazon Music.

What does the life of an ordinary working-class Indian look and feel like? Join us for a panel discussion discussing this and more with the author of The Many Lives of Syeda X Neha Dixit and commentator and editor Priya Ramani. In her book The Many Lives of Syeda X  journalist Neha Dixit traces the story of one such faceless Indian woman, Syeda X, from the early 1990s to the present day. What emerges is a picture of a life lived under constant corrosive tension. Researched for close to a decade, in this book, we meet an unforgettable cast of characters for whom displacement, tragedy and hardships are the things they are used to. Written with empathy and deep insight, this book is a portal to a harsh world hidden away from elite Indians. It is the story of untold millions and a searing account of urban life in New India. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in September 2024. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, Overcast, Audible and Amazon Music.

Every day we hear something unusual. A fire here, a flood there, a storm surge, a cloudburst. These events affect all of us, our well-being, our health, our family, our work. Their frequency and intensity are increasing. Fortunately, however, we no longer lack explanations for these events. We know fossil fuels and the destruction of Nature by us humans are the primary reasons for the alarming acceleration in global warming. Awareness is the first step towards change, and Rajan Mehta’s Backstage Climate is an attempt to make you aware of global warming and climate change in a simple and interesting manner. It demystifies this grim reality—the science, the politics and the economics behind climate change. It also gives you a glimpse of the policies, technology and solutions that can help save the planet and ensure our survival. Going slightly beyond mere awareness, the attempt is to help the reader connect the dots and develop a perspective on the reasons, impact and solutions that can help us avoid a climate crisis. In this episode of BIC Talks, Rajan Mehta is in conversation with Prem Panicker. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in September 2024. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, Overcast, Audible and Amazon Music.

Abu Abraham’s career as a cartoonist, columnist and artist spanned over 50 years, from the late 1940s to the early 2000s, during which his work appeared in a range of newspapers and magazines in India and the UK. Throughout this period of significant political change and upheaval, he critically responded to the political landscape, producing a rich and complex oeuvre that reflects these shifts. The centenary exhibition, “Abu’s World,” brought together, for the first time, the breadth of Abu Abraham’s work as a cartoonist and journalist across six decades. Through Abu’s political cartoons, drawings, caricatures, and writings from the late 1940s until his passing in 2002, viewers can journey through a lively political history of India and the world. In this episode of BIC Talks, a panel of cartoonists, journalists, and a historian will explore the impact and significance of Abu Abraham’s work in their respective fields and its relevance in contemporary times. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in August 2024. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, Overcast, Audible and Amazon Music.

Democracy, representing the will of the people, is the least imperfect form of government in the present day world.  Yet even this will of the people can’t  remain unfettered, for without constitutional limits,  democracy is often distorted. What then are the challenges to India’s constitutional democracy? In this episode of BIC Talks, Rajeev Bhargava, Founder-Director, Parekh Institute of Indian Thought, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, will speak of the multiple obstacles to Constitutional Democracy but will focus on deep rooted, long standing mental and social habits that prevent the smooth functioning of constitutional democracy in India. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in August 2024. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, Overcast, Audible and Amazon Music.

What went wrong with capitalism? Ruchir Sharma’s account is not like any you will have heard before. He says progressives are right, in part, when they mock modern capitalism as “socialism for the rich.” For a century, governments have expanded in just about every measurable dimension, from spending to regulation and the scale of financial rescues when the economy wobbles. The result is expensive state guarantees for everyone—bailouts for the rich, entitlements for the middle class, welfare for the poor. Taking you back to the 19th century, Sharma shows how completely the reflexes of government have changed: from hands-off to hands-on, from doing too little to help anyone in hard times to today trying to prevent anyone suffering any economic pain, ever. Trading sins of omission and indifference for excesses of spending and meddling, governments from the United States to Europe and Japan have pumped so much money into their economies that financial markets can no longer invest all that capital efficiently. Inadvertently, they have fueled the rise of monopolies, “zombie” firms, and billionaires. They have made capitalism less fair and less efficient, which is slowing economic growth and fueling popular anger. The first step to a cure is a correct diagnosis of the problem. Capitalism has been badly distorted by constant government intervention and the relentless spread of a bailout culture. Building an even bigger state will only double down on what ruined capitalism in the first place. In this episode of BIC Talks, the author, Ruchir Sharma, will be in conversation with Chairman and Co-founder, Infosys and Founding Chairman UIDAI (Aadhaar), Nandan Nilekani. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in August 2024. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, Overcast, Audible and Amazon Music.