Midweek Matters with Dr. Parakala Prabhakar
56 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingMidweek Matters is a podcast aimed to speak on current topics and issues relating to Politics and Economics and Dr. Parakala Prabhakar presents his incisive analysis and critique of current developments and public policies impacting all of us.
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Episodes
Class Room & New India || Midweek Matters 47 || Parakala Prabhakar
February 23, 2022 07:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MBIn this Episode, Dr Parakala shares with you some of his thoughts about class room, and the experience of his journey through that sacred space. He also talks about the changes that are beginning to take shape in the class rooms in our New India.
Hijab Vs Saffron Scarf | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (44)
February 16, 2022 07:00 - 14 minutes - 9.73 MBIn this Episode Dr Parakala examines the hijab controversy, understand what is being played out in Karnataka, and reflect on the sub text these unfolding events contain.
Decoding Deccan Messages | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (43)
February 11, 2022 09:00 - 13 minutes - 9.03 MBTwo different messages came from the Deccan last week. One from the Prime Minister and the event he participated. The other, to the Prime Minister from the Chief Minister of Telangana. In this week's Episode, Dr Parakala Prabhakar decodes those messages, interprets them and shares his reflections on what these messages could mean to the Idea of India.
Subhas Bose & New India's Legacy Raid | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (42)
February 02, 2022 08:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBNew India's latest attempt is to appropriate the legacy of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. In this episode, Dr Parakala Prabhakar reflects on the dark attempts by the New India's leadership not only to appropriate the legacies of the heroes of India’s freedom movement but also to portray them as righting the wrongs done to them by the leadership of Old India, especially Jawaharlal Nehru.
Oxfam Inequality Report, Piketty & New India | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (41)
January 26, 2022 09:00 - 14 minutes - 10 MBDr Parakala speaks about Thomas Piketty's absorbing book, Capital and Ideology and the recently released Oxfam's report, Inequality Kills which has an India supplement also. He suggests that we all engage with these two works, challenge them. And, even if we do not agree with them, we should allow ourselves to be troubled by both them. He points out that New India is not troubled by inequality. It also tolerates it and justifies it. And it added social and cultural inequality to the existing...
Bolted Horses, Burnt Chariot & Uttar Pradesh Polls | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (40)
January 19, 2022 08:00 - 16 minutes - 11.7 MBIn this Episode Dr Parakala Prabhakar shares his reflections on the state of play in Uttar Pradesh.
Farmers, Economists & Democracy | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (39)
December 24, 2021 11:00 - 19 minutes - 13.8 MBThere is an insidious project underway with regard to the now repealed Farm Laws. The ruling party, an influential section of our economists, a large and vocal section of the urban middle class, and the mainstream media are stealthily, but effectively, pushing a narrative. In this Episode Dr Parakala interrogates this narrative and shows that the farm laws are merely aimed at accelerating market dynamics in the sector without addressing the core issues that plague the agriculture sector in t...
New India: How Not To Be Gaslighted By It | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (38)
December 15, 2021 09:00 - 17 minutes - 12.4 MBDr Parakala dwells on the main features of India's dominant national public discourse in the Episode. Today in India political discourse has come to such a stage that if you support the government and praise the Kashi Vishwanath corridor you’re a nationalist and a patriot. And if you speak about hunger and unemployment you’re are branded an anti national and an urban naxal. This is the narrative the government, the ruling party and its supporters are very effectively pushing. Our social medi...
New India & Modi's Squandered Mandates | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (37)
December 08, 2021 07:00 - 18 minutes - 13.1 MBIn this Episode Parakala Prabhakar meditates on the import of the rapidly parading events since New India's journey began in 2014, and asks if the 2014 and 2019 mandates are squandered, the trust reposed in the leadership by the people belied and shares his reflections with you.
New India & Modi's Squandered Mandates | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (37)
December 08, 2021 07:00 - 18 minutes - 13.1 MBIn this Episode Parakala Prabhakar meditates on the import of the rapidly parading events since New India's journey began in 2014, and asks if the 2014 and 2019 mandates are squandered, the trust reposed in the leadership by the people belied and shares his reflections with you.
BJP & Five State Elections: State of Play | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (36)
November 10, 2021 09:00 - 18 minutes - 12.7 MBThe BJP has concluded its National Executive Committee meeting in New Delhi three days ago. Newspapers told us that among other things, the party's top leadership has discussed its Rana Niti, meaning strategy, for the impending elections to the five state Assemblies. We all know that real strategies are not discussed in such formal and large forums. Therefore, the gathering in Delhi is not important for what the party's spokespersons told us about its agenda and speeches. It is important for...
1 Billion Jabs: Let’s Join the Celebration! | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (35)
October 27, 2021 08:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MBIndia administered the Billionth dose of COVID-19 vaccine on 21 October. The government and the ruling party are marking the occasion with huge celebrations across the country. Dr Parakala unpacks the core messaging contained in these celebrations, what it set out to say as well as what it tried to hide. He also dwells on what this entire thing tells us about what is an achievement worthy of celebration in the reckoning of the present regime and what it tells us about what it thinks of its c...
RSS: Stronger Presence & Wronger Vision | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (34)
October 20, 2021 06:00 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBThe Vijaya Dasami Address of the Sasanghchalak of RSS is an important annual event. His address to the would be citizens of the Hindu Rashtra that is in the making is supposed to be an occasion to guide them on how to think about the world around them. And provide them with an agenda for action on the movement's foundation day. For people like us who are beyond the pale, it offers a clue to its thinking, what is likely to inform its actions in the course of the next year, and equally importa...
Lakhimpur Kheri: Modi-BJP's Mann Ki Baat | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (33)
October 13, 2021 05:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBIt is important that we need to carefully unpack the ghastliness of Lakhimpur Kheri event. Recall what happened before and after the SUV ran over and killed the farmers. Connect those events to understand the context of the event. And to decipher its loud as well as the quiet messaging that it contains for our Republic, it’s implications for our democratic polity and for us the people in general. In this Episode, Dr Parakala Prabhakar attempts to do that.
Congress: Unsure of Conscience & Constituency? | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (32)
October 06, 2021 05:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBThe deep organisational crisis in the Congress Party is apparent. It is yet to confidently settle for a full time President since its massive defeat in the 2019 general elections, its second successive defeat. In this Episode, Dr Parakala shares his reflections on the background to this sorry state of the Grand Old Party and the humongous challenge it faces.
Abnormalise & Eventify: Modi’s BJP Shuns The Normal | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (31)
September 29, 2021 05:00 - 17 minutes - 12 MBIn this Episode, Dr Parakala reflects on the attempts by the BJP, the union government and the PM Modi himself to shun the ordinary and normal, embrace the extraordinary and the abnormal, their collective need for eventification of everything done by the PM and his government, and what this collective need both reveals and hides about him, the party he dominates, and the government he leads.
Yogi Adityanath's Abba Jaan Remark | Mid Week Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (30)
September 22, 2021 12:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MBIn this Episode, Dr Parakala speaks about how UP CM Yogi Adityanath's Abba Jaan remark was so very predictable, and how it simply followed a pattern that is now quite normal under the New BJP. He also traces the origins of such dog whistle remarks, calculated to summon the base instincts of hatred in people, to the past two decades which also coincide with the meteoric rise of the political career of our present Prime Minister. This period also saw the shaping of the New BJP.
Our Universities: Our Best Are Not Good Enough? | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (29)
September 15, 2021 07:00 - 15 minutes - 11 MBLast week NIRF 2021 report was released by the union education minister. In this Episode, Dr Parakala speaks about its findings, and shares his reflections on them by putting them in a global perspective. . . . Link to NIRF portal: https://www.nirfindia.org/2021/Ranking.html Link to WIPO Portal: https://www.wipo.int/portal/en/ Link to The Times Higher Education World University Rankings: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2021/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/...
Bhabanipur: Has the BJP Blinked? | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (28)
September 08, 2021 16:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MBIn this Episode Dr Parakala looks at the contrasting findings of surveys conducted by india Today (Mood of The Nation) and Morning Consult, and shows how they could help us understand BJP's present reluctance to engagement in Bengal, especially with regard to Bhabanipur by-election. Link to the portal of Morning Consult: morningconsult.com
New BJP's New India & Nehru | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (27)
September 01, 2021 14:00 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MBParakala talks about the extraordinary act of omission of Jawaharlal Nehru from the Amritmahotsav poster by ICHR and points out it’s pettiness. He contrasts this brazen attempt by the funding body and its minders with the assessment of Nehru by his colleagues, and those the architects of New India claim to draw inspiration from. He says that it is important to see what the ICHR has done in the context of the seemingly sporadic and unconnected incidents of violence against and intimidation of...
Taliban & India’s Own Great Game | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (26)
August 25, 2021 10:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MBParakala dwells on what the recent developments in Afghanistan signal about the west's preparedness to fight for the values of liberal democracy world wide, and their potential to alter the terms of the global discourse on democracy, autocracy, identity, and political legitimacy. And how these events in India's neighbourhood are likely to further precipitate the contest between the sharply contrasting ideas of India that are locked in a mortal combat with each other now. Parakala deals with ...
Modi Vs Modi 2014-2021 | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (25)
August 18, 2021 10:00 - 19 minutes - 13.4 MBIn this Episode of Midweek Matters, Dr Parakala looks back at all the seven speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 2014 until last year, and puts this year's speech against the back drop of his utterances in those. And tries to understand from them the shift that has taken place between 2014 and 2021 in the Modi persona and his political and governance discourse. PM's Independence Day speech 2021: https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/pms-address-from-the-red-fort-on-75th-indepe...
BJP-RSS & The Rabbit-Duck Illusion | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (24)
August 11, 2021 09:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBIn this Episode, Dr Parakala speaks about how the Rabbit-Duck Illusion is helpful for us to understand the current political scenario in India. He dwells on how for a large and significant section of the people the Hindu-Hindutva construct of Indian identity did not appear as an acceptable political project for a long time in the country's history. It was a liberal and diverse idea of India that was predominant. However, eventually with some had work, the the Hindu identity, began to appear ...
India's Unemployed, Unemployable & Unskilled | Parakala Prabhakar | Midweek Matters (23)
August 04, 2021 12:00 - 16 minutes - 11.4 MBIn this Episode Dr Parakala returns to the population question and examines it from the point of view of demographic dividend. He would also look at the employment and unemployment figures that came out a few days ago, and tries to place the demographic dividend in the context of our population's skills and labour participation rate. Annual Report of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship: https://www.msde.gov.in/sites/default/files/2020-12/Annual%20Report%202019-20%20Engli...
Pegasus & Turning India Into Surveillance State | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (22)
July 28, 2021 08:00 - 18 minutes - 12.6 MBRevelations by Pegasus Project have created a storm across the globe. A list of about 50,000 phone numbers from across the globe are accessed by a Paris based non-profit journalism portal. The list of potential and intended targets identified by the clients of NSO Group, the Israeli company that sells military grade spyware Pegasus. In this Episode, Dr Parakala speaks to you about what these revelations mean for our democracy, our union government’s response to them, and flags the danger tha...
BJP’s Population Politics & India's Population Policy | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (21)
July 22, 2021 08:00 - 25 minutes - 17.4 MBUttar Pradesh announced a new population policy recently. Assam implemented one from 2017. PM Modi expressed concern about population explosion in 2019. In this episode, Dr Parakala examines the data on India's population growth, the trends of total fertility rates over the years, and the projections about India's population growth in the years to come in an attempt to understand the nature of concerns expressed by Prime Minister Modi and his lieutenants in various states.
Who Killed Father Stan Swamy? | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (20)
July 14, 2021 07:00 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBShould Father Stan Swamy have died? Died in this way? Why did it happen? Who is responsible for it? Was the Indian State threatened by Stan Swamy? Why was it threatened? Is our Republic safer today with his death? These questions haunted Dr Parakala. He tried to search for answers. In this Episode, Parakala tells you where the search led him to.
Religious India, Political India & PEW Report | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (19)
July 07, 2021 05:00 - 21 minutes - 14.6 MBIn this episode, Parakala speaks about the important findings of the PEW Report on Religion in India and explores what could be their implications for our polity. He teases out the not so very obvious political messages those findings contain. And examine what do they tell us about the foundations of the present regime's political power. He also tries to explore what they might portend for the future of the socio political fabric of our country.
India's Covid Children | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (18)
June 30, 2021 08:00 - 19 minutes - 13.1 MBObserving the schooling as well as the lack of it of two boys prompted Parakala to look at the larger picture of what’s happening with our children across the country during the Covid lockdown. In this week's episode, Parakala shares with you what he found and speaks about the direct and indirect impact of COVID-19 on our children.
Cabinet Reshuffle Or Farm Laws Reset: What’s The Priority? | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (17)
June 23, 2021 09:00 - 23 minutes - 16.4 MBThere are reports that the Prime Minister is planning to rejig his Cabinet.In this edition, Dr Parakala Prabhakar argues that a Cabinet reshuffle is unlikely to yield much political dividend. What’s more important now is for the government to reset its policies. Especially to reset its policy on the controversial Farm Laws and address the agrarian question comprehensively.
Egocracy, Digital Freedom & Data Privacy | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (16)
June 16, 2021 19:00 - 21 minutes - 15.1 MBIn this episode, Parakala deals with Indian Government's attempts to throttle our freedom of expression on the digital platforms; the tech companies unbridled collection of our personal data without our consent, and the safety of our data in the hands of both government and tech companies.
Mired in Past, Messing with Present, Muddled about Future | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (15)
June 09, 2021 06:00 - 21 minutes - 15 MBParakala Prabhakar speaks about how the Narendra Modi government's thinking is mired in the past, how its actions are messing with the present and how muddled it is about the way forward for the country.
An Independent Public Inquiry - We Must Have | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (14)
June 02, 2021 05:00 - 20 minutes - 14 MBParakala Prabhakar speaks about the inescapable need to immediately constitute an Independent Public Inquiry to scrutinise the roles of our central and state governments, as well the conduct of the public in handling the tragic situation arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Vaccine Mess, Moral Paralysis & Egocratic Government | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar
May 26, 2021 08:00 - 20 minutes - 14.2 MBIn this episode Dr Parakala Prabhakar talks about the nature and extent of India’s COVID-19 vaccine mess.
Covid Agony: The Unseen Psychological Part | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (12)
May 19, 2021 13:00 - 15 minutes - 10.6 MBPsychologically, what does Covid mean to the families who lost their dear ones? What does it mean to people who are infected and waging a battle for their lives? What does it mean to those who are treating them? And helping them? What does it mean to the rest of us who are so far safe. But who knows, could be a prey to the deadly virus anytime, any day? In this episode, Parakala Prabhakar looks at the psychological and emotional impact of the pandemic. He looked up several research papers i...
Covid-19, Governance & Mother's Day | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (11)
May 11, 2021 04:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBThis week I talk about his mother, and about the condition of migrant labour whom he sees everyday on his street, and tries to understand what does governance in India mean to their lives during the current deeply troubling times of raging Covid-19 pandemic and breakdown of health infrastructure in the country.
Covid-19, Governance & Mother's Day | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar
May 11, 2021 04:00 - 1 second - 12.3 MBThis week I talk about his mother, and about the condition of migrant labour whom he sees everyday on his street, and tries to understand what does governance in India mean to their lives during the current deeply troubling times of raging Covid-19 pandemic and breakdown of health infrastructure in the country.
2021 State Elections: Make No Mistake, It’s A Saffron Surge! | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (10)
May 05, 2021 07:00 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MBLet's examines what the outcome of the state elections, the results of which were announced on May 2nd, would mean to different political formations that were engaged in a bitter fight in four states and one union territory. What implications would the results have for our democratic polity in the coming years. And assess the performance of the ruling BJP in these elections.
2021 State Elections: Make No Mistake, It’s A Saffron Surge! | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar
May 05, 2021 07:00 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MBLet's examines what the outcome of the state elections, the results of which were announced on May 2nd, would mean to different political formations that were engaged in a bitter fight in four states and one union territory. What implications would the results have for our democratic polity in the coming years. And assess the performance of the ruling BJP in these elections.
India is crying for Maitri: Maitri from its Government | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (9)
April 28, 2021 06:00 - 19 minutes - 13.1 MBThis week Parakala Prabhakar examines the narrative of denial of the large scale human tragedy inflicted by Covid-19 that’s unfolding before our eyes, the compelling and inescapable reality on the ground, and then calls out the Faustian bargain some influential sections of India's civil society seemed to have entered into.
India is crying for Maitri: Maitri from its Government | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (9)
April 28, 2021 06:00 - 19 minutes - 13.1 MBThis week Parakala Prabhakar examines the narrative of denial of the large scale human tragedy inflicted by Covid-19 that’s unfolding before our eyes, the compelling and inescapable reality on the ground, and then calls out the Faustian bargain some influential sections of India's civil society seemed to have entered into.
Covid Surge, National Numbing & Accountability | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (8)
April 21, 2021 08:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MBThis week, we will take a look at the health emergency caused by Covid-19 that is overwhelming us and try to understand what this crisis reveals about the preparedness of union government, accountability in our political system, and numbing of our senses to the large scale human tragedy that’s unfolding before our eyes.
Amrutmahotsav, IMF & Reimagining Indian State | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (7)
April 14, 2021 07:00 - 13 minutes - 9.36 MBWe are readying to celebrate the Amrutmahotsav of our Independence. There are many achievements in the last 75 years of our nation's independent journey to celebrate. But there are also many unfinished tasks. Many new challenges. Many subversions of our efforts. There are explanations, justifications for not being able to do what we had set out to do. But excuses don’t wash. One thing is clear. We have underperformed. Have not realised our full potential. Amrutmahotsav provides an occas...
Amrutmahotsav, IMF & Reimagining Indian State | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar
April 14, 2021 07:00 - 13 minutes - 9.36 MBWe are readying to celebrate the Amrutmahotsav of our Independence. There are many achievements in the last 75 years of our nation's independent journey to celebrate. But there are also many unfinished tasks. Many new challenges. Many subversions of our efforts. There are explanations, justifications for not being able to do what we had set out to do. But excuses don’t wash. One thing is clear. We have underperformed. Have not realised our full potential. Amrutmahotsav provides an occas...
BJP & State Elections 2021: Saffron Surge? | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (6)
April 06, 2021 12:00 - 13 minutes - 9.48 MBIn less than a month we will know the outcome of the bitter electoral battles that are underway now. Four states and one union territory are in the midst of a no holds barred election campaign. Two major national formations - the BJP and Congress - and three important regional formations - the TMC, AIADMK and DMK - are testing their political fortunes. CPM, is in the fray: as an incumbent defending its position in Kerala and as a minor contender in Bengal. Kamal Haasan is also in the fray le...
BJP & State Elections 2021: Saffron Surge? | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar
April 06, 2021 12:00 - 13 minutes - 9.45 MBIn less than a month we will know the outcome of the bitter electoral battles that are underway now. Four states and one union territory are in the midst of a no holds barred election campaign. Two major national formations - the BJP and Congress - and three important regional formations - the TMC, AIADMK and DMK - are testing their political fortunes. CPM, is in the fray: as an incumbent defending its position in Kerala and as a minor contender in Bengal. Kamal Haasan is also in the fray le...
Poverty Data & Data Poverty | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (5)
March 31, 2021 12:00 - 13 minutes - 9.24 MBIndia’s number of poor has increased by 75 million and the middle class has shrunk by 32 million, in the wake of pandemic, according to Pew Research Centre. This need not be an inevitable consequence of the pandemic. The reason why we let so many fall into the hell of poverty is that the government was in denial. It suppressed and/or massaged data. Indian official data on important parameters like GDP, Inflation and Unemployment are viewed with suspicion. Corporates, investors and bankers ar...
Poverty Data & Data Poverty | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar
March 31, 2021 12:00 - 13 minutes - 9.24 MBIndia’s number of poor has increased by 75 million and the middle class has shrunk by 32 million, in the wake of pandemic, according to Pew Research Centre. This need not be an inevitable consequence of the pandemic. The reason why we let so many fall into the hell of poverty is that the government was in denial. It suppressed and/or massaged data. Indian official data on important parameters like GDP, Inflation and Unemployment are viewed with suspicion. Corporates, investors and bankers ar...
Bonsai Universities & Ripped Jeans | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar (4)
March 31, 2021 11:00 - 12 minutes - 8.42 MBDevelopments in the privately funded Ashoka University and the publicly funded Universities BHU, JNU and Jamia are disconcerting. Two eminent academics quit Ashoka. Prof Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Dr Arvind Subramanian. The former was eased out because the university’s founders felt that his writings, critical of the government, were a liability to the institution. The latter quit in solidarity of the eased out Professor. BHU had invited the wives of three rich business tycoons to be visiting pr...
Bonsai Universities & Ripped Jeans | Midweek Matters | Parakala Prabhakar
March 31, 2021 11:00 - 12 minutes - 8.38 MBDevelopments in the privately funded Ashoka University and the publicly funded Universities BHU, JNU and Jamia are disconcerting. Two eminent academics quit Ashoka. Prof Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Dr Arvind Subramanian. The former was eased out because the university’s founders felt that his writings, critical of the government, were a liability to the institution. The latter quit in solidarity of the eased out Professor. BHU had invited the wives of three rich business tycoons to be visiting pr...