382. Mobile Merchant Bankers of South India

What was the process of wealth generation and accumulation by the most prominent business community of South India?  A journey that was marked by risk and courage; a journey that carried them to the greener pastures of South and Southeast Asia; and a journey that was shaped by the power of global events. In this conversation, scholar Prof. Carol Upadhya and veteran journalist K N Hari Kumar and Prof. Raman Mahadevan shall unravel and illuminate not only the making, but also the relative weakening, of the Nattukottai Chettiars as a business community, and the significance of their journey for our times. In this episode of BIC Talks, Prof. Carol Upadhya and Prof. Raman Mahadevan will be in conversation with veteran journalist K N Hari Kumar. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Jul 2025. 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.

What happens when the promise of equal citizenship begins to fade for one of the world’s largest Muslim populations? In today’s India, the question is no longer theoretical, but urgent and deeply personal for over 200 million people. This session explores the shifting political landscape of Indian Muslims through the lens of Shikwa-e-Hind, the new book by political scientist Mujibur Rehman. He examines what he calls their “third political moment,” a phase marked by the erosion of constitutional equality and the rise of a majoritarian ethos since 2014. Tracing the arc from the aftermath of 1857, through the hopeful vision of 1947, to today’s polarised climate, Rehman invites a critical look at the future of democratic participation for Indian Muslims. The conversation features Mujibur Rehman in dialogue with author and columnist Aakar Patel and moderated by journalist Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed. They will explore the tension between constitutional ideals and majoritarian pressures, the structural challenges of representation, and the possibilities for reclaiming dignity, rights, and democratic participation for Indian Muslims. The session will conclude with a Q&A, offering space for your questions in what promises to be an inclusive and engaging discussion. In this episode of BIC Talks, Mujibur Rehman and Aakar Patel  will be in conversation with Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Jul 2025. 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.

Around 15 years ago, the then UPA government had launched an all-out offensive (commonly known as ‘Operation Greenhunt’) targeting the armed cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) (also known as Naxalites) across the ‘Red Corridor’ which consisted of Naxal-affected districts spanning Central and Eastern India and spilling into Southern India as well. According to reports at the time, Naxal cadres were active (to varying degrees) in at least 165 districts across this corridor which was also coterminous with the most backward, primarily tribal and the most resource rich parts of the country. The BJP government, which came to power in 2014, continued this policy of an all-out offensive against the Naxalites extending this to target the urban activists/ sympathisers of the CPI (Maoist) as well. There has been a marked decline in Naxalite activity since then with the number of affected districts falling to 70 in 2021 and newer reports suggesting that the Naxalite presence is restricted to fewer than 50 districts now. In a strong policy statement, Home Minister Amit stated that “Naxalism will be completely eliminated by 2026.” Human rights activists have questioned the state’s all-out approach of using overwhelming force to quash Naxalism as this method is not addressing the fundamental grievances of the residents of these tribal parts which is of their displacement and exploitation of the rich natural resources by large corporations. Several Naxalites have surrendered over the past two decades but questions have also been raised on the efficacy and sincerity of the surrender policy. Karnataka was also impacted by the wave of Naxalism and, commencing in the 1980s, cadres were recruited for this cause in the State as well. In the 1990s, it seemed like the movement was spreading its base in Karnataka aggressively but a series of encounters including that of Saketh Rajan, the charismatic Naxal leader, in 2005, ensured that the movement did not become widespread in Karnataka. There was also intense churn among a section of the cadres of the CPI (Maoist) in Karnataka after this as well with one group exiting the party as it had ideological differences with the central leadership of the party. Over the two decades since that time, the Naxalite movement has ebbed in Karnataka with several Naxalites also surrendering. Early in 2025, with the “surrender” of the last group of Naxalites in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah declared the state to be Naxal-free. The Karnataka model presents a template of how Naxalism, in its violent form, can be ended. By all accounts, the Karnataka model is unique for the manner in which former Naxalites joined the mainstream of activism. The role of the mature civil society in Karnataka that played a crucial role in facilitating this process is also important. The discussion proposes to dwell on the trajectory of Naxalism in Karnataka from its inception in the 1980s till early 2025, and whether the state is willing to seriously engage with the grievances of marginalised people who became Naxals. Is the state empathetic to the concerns of the Naxalites who came overground? The discussion proposes to dwell on all these aspects while broadly focussing on the success of the Karnataka model of mainstreaming Left-Wing Extremists. In this episode of BIC Talks, K P Sripal, Noor Sridhar and Tara Rao will be in conversation with Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed . This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Jun 2025. 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.

Institutions and Public Policy for India’s Sustainable Development – Perspectives on Governance, Technology, and Finance, is an edited volume in honour of Professor Vinod Vyasulu (Edited by – Sukhpal Singh, Jyotsna Jha, A. Indira and A. V. Arunkumar). The book addresses one of the most urgent challenges of our time – sustainable development. Across the globe economies are grappling with the combined pressures of climate change, inequality, and unsustainable growth. Basic needs remain unmet for large sections of the population, prompting a growing recognition that we must rethink how we define and pursue development. Sustainability is no longer a peripheral concern—it is central, complex, and evolving, requiring new approaches and frameworks. The book brings together diverse perspectives on the critical drivers of sustainable development, namely, governance through institutions, readiness through technology and accessibility to finance. While technology is often seen as a key enabler, its transformative potential depends deeply on the institutional and policy environment in which it is embedded. Institutions—formal and informal—shape development outcomes, and public policy plays a crucial role in aligning these efforts with sustainability goals. Focusing on the Indian context, the book event will have eminent panel members exploring the three interconnected themes of (1) Institutions and Development; (2) Technology and Innovation; and (3) Policy and Governance. In this episode of BIC Talks, Vinod Vyasulu, Ashwani Saith, Chiranjib Sen and Supriya Roy Chowdhury will be in conversation with Gurucharan Gollerkeri. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Jun 2025. 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.

Was Indira Gandhi a pragmatic nation-builder or an authoritarian disruptor or both? Historian Srinath Raghavan’s new book, Indira Gandhi: The Years That Transformed India, explores her complex legacy, from her central role in reshaping India’s political structure to the controversial imposition of the Emergency. In this conversation with constitutional scholar Arun Thiruvengadam, the session will explore the making and unmaking of democratic institutions, the long shadow of the Emergency, and the resonances of Indira’s era in the India of today. A Q&A with the audience will follow. In this episode of BIC Talks, Srinath Raghavan will be in conversation with Arun Thiruvengadam. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Jun 2025.

The years between ages 10 and 19 are marked by intense physiological, psychological, and social change. Adding to the challenges of this already turbulent phase are mobile devices and social media. These platforms often exploit insecurities, creating echo chambers and negative feedback loops. While digital life can connect us, it also has the power to isolate. The TV series Adolescence highlights the potentially dangerous consequences of these overlapping forces. In this conversation, a panel of experts, drawing from both professional knowledge and lived experience, explores what adolescence looks like in the age of social media, particularly in urban India. Taking the TV show as a starting point, the discussion will look at the realities young people face today and consider how parents, schools, and other adults can help support individual and collective well-being. In this episode of BIC Talks, Shekhar Sheshadri, Neena David, Saurabh Shashi Ashok, Sansita Nambiar will be in conversation with Maitri Gopalakrishna. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Jun 2025. 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.

What would justice look like if it spoke in a queer voice? How might legal judgments shift if they were written through the lived experiences and realities of LGBTQIA+ individuals? In this session, we explore the bold and imaginative work of The Queer Judgments Project, an initiative that seeks to re-think, re-write, and re-invent legal judgments through queer and complementary perspectives. Emerging from a series of conversations among scholars, activists, and legal thinkers, the project asks a vital question: how could legal decisions involving sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics be expressed differently, more inclusively, more justly? At the heart of the discussion is the project’s first major output: an edited collection that offers 26 re-imagined judgments and commentaries from across the globe. Through this collection, contributors bring their diverse disciplinary backgrounds and personal insights to bear on the law, queering traditional frameworks and imagining alternative approaches to legal reasoning. This session will engage with the creative, critical, and deeply personal work that underpins these re-written judgments. It will reflect on how the project aims not just to critique existing legal structures but to open up new possibilities for justice that better reflect the experiences of LGBTQIA+ and other minoritized communities. This year, BIC celebrates Pride Month through a series of programs that embrace Queerness as it is — unconforming, changing and alternative. Every program aims to embody the fluid and non-normative possibilities of existence that queerness creates, while fostering a community that welcomes difference in an unbending society, whether that be through new models of living or unique modes of self-expression. Pride, Insists Upon Itself! In this episode of BIC Talks, Divya Kandukuri, Siddharth Narrain, Manavi Atri and Senthorun (Sen) Raj will be in conversation with Raju Behera. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Jun 2025. 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.

When it comes to climate change and the environment, they are part of  the problem and part of the solution – Plastics and Lithium-ion. We cannot ignore the role these materials play in today’s world. They have revolutionized many industries even while they have been the cause of negative ecological and social impacts. Mainly because their end-of-life management remains a significant global challenge. Is it possible to bring them into the circular economy in positive and equitable ways? This discussion is with three innovative companies that not just think so, they also walk the talk. The discussion will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience. Presented by: OORJA In this episode of BIC Talks, Srinidhi Kashyap, Vishal Mehta and Darshan Virupaksh  will be in conversation with Jenny Pinto. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in Jun 2025. 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.

What happens when a defiant chronicler and an idealist revolutionary converge in the playground that is India’s freedom struggle? Urdu newspaper Pratap, launched in pre-partition India, was a torchbearer against the British Raj. The man who publicly defended it against colonial censorship was none other than Jawaharlal Nehru. The pen picked up by freedom fighter Virendra, the paper’s editor and the founder’s son who once walked shoulder to shoulder with stalwarts like Bhagat Singh was equally fearless despite threats by the imperial government, Indira Gandhi’s Emergency and a parcel bomb sent to Pratap’s office during terrorism in Punjab. Virendra was first arrested in the historic Saunders murder case. He was also in jail with Bhagat Singh the day the legendary revolutionary was hanged, sharing a rare first-hand witness account. In Independent India, too footsteps filled Pratap and its editors with dread and terror. Pratap: A Defiant Newspaper is a timely reminder of the ethos of a struggle, a template for speaking truth to power at all costs. It is the story of a perfect storm. The book is written by Virendra’s son, distinguished editor Chander Mohan and journalist granddaughter Jyotsna Mohan. Jyotsna and Azeezullah Baig will be in conversation with Maya Sharma. There will be a Q&A session with the audience. In this episode of BIC Talks, Jyotsna Mohan and Azeezullah Baig will be in conversation with Maya Sharma. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in June 2025. 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 refreshingly jargon-free session, Lavanya Mohan, author of Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees, gets real about why personal finance often feels confusing, boring, or just plain overwhelming. From spending in your 20s to planning in your 40s, Lavanya’s approach is simple, meme-filled, and judgment-free. Whether you’re dealing with your first paycheck, lifestyle creep, or just trying to adult responsibly, this conversation covers how to spend smarter at every life stage—without spreadsheets or guilt. Lavanya will be in conversation with Dipika Jaikishan, Co-Founder and COO of Basis, a platform focused on financial independence for women. Together, with their understanding of how financial literacy intersects with everyday life, especially for younger and often overwhelmed audiences, Lavanya and Dipika bring both insight and clarity to a conversation that promises to be as useful as it is fun. Expect memes, pop culture references, stories from the book, and zero jargon. Just real talk about money—how we use it, why we fear it, and how to make it work for us. In this episode of BIC Talks, Lavanya Mohan will be in conversation with Dipika Jaikishan. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in May 2025. 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.