In the finale of the Stepwell podcast, Patrick French talks to the acclaimed director Mira Nair about why she shifted from documentary film-making to fiction, her adaptation of Vikram Seth's masterpiece 'a Suitable Boy' and whether film-making is a political act.By Express Audio

In the finale of the Stepwell podcast, Patrick French talks to the acclaimed director Mira Nair. They start by discussing Mira's beginnings and how her love for theatre eventually led to filmmaking. Mira discusses her connection to Odisha and to Delhi (4:08), why her films have an element of social realism (5:15), why she shifted from documentary m…

Swapan Dasgupta, author of 'Awakening Bharat Mata: The Political Beliefs of the Indian Right' and a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, joins Patrick French in this episode. Dasgupta talks about how his journey towards the right wing began with observing Margaret Thatcher (3:04), the rise in populist nationalism across the world and whether India …

Author Swapan Dasgupta details the history of the Hindu nationalist movement in India, discusses figureheads like Savarkar and Deendayal Upadhyaya and talks about the current Indian right wing, represented by the BJP government.By Express Audio

On the latest episode of the Stepwell podcast, Patrick French and renowned Harvard historian Maya Jasanoff explore themes of globalisation, imperialism, identity and how these factors shape the modern world. Jasanoff explains why novelist Joseph Conrad's early life gave him a unique perspective on globalisation and imperialism (1:25), what his writ…

On the latest episode of the Stepwell podcast, Patrick French and renowned Harvard historian Maya Jasanoff explore themes of globalisation, imperialism, identity and how these factors shape the modern world.By Express Audio

On Thursday, the BJP-led government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept back to power for a second consecutive term. This episode of Stepwell, which was recorded on 20th April while polling was still on, provides an insight into why the 2019 general election was radically different from any other. In the episode, Patrick French talks to Mukuli…

Patrick French talks to Mukulika Banerjee, the Director of the South Asia Centre at LSE, about why India votes, why the 2019 elections were radically different, how our voting system could be improved, whether India is part of the global trend of rising populist nationalism that can be seen in other liberal democracies, EVMs, electoral bonds and mu…

Are complex problems like Climate change or inequality more likely to be solved through collaborative, interdisciplinary work? How do you go about it and what are best practices to follow? Is there space for developing ideas to be presented? In what instances would such interdisciplinary work not work? Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek Literature …

The Professor of Greek Literature and Culture from Cambridge University joins academician Patrick French to discuss how collaborative, interdisciplinary work can solve complex problems.By Express Audio

Why is creating art a journey and a process? How do musicians train their bodies to perfect their craft? In this episode, Patrick French talks to the wonderful Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan about how their journeys into music started, what they have learnt along the way, their views on current methods of music production and how they honed their…

In this episode, Patrick French talks to the wonderful Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan about how their journeys into music started, what they have learnt along the way, their views on current methods of music production and how they honed their craft. Tune in now.By Express Audio

While Conservatism hasn't emerged as a political ideology in India, it has had a continuing influence on political thinking. On this episode of the Stepwell podcast, Patrick French talks to Shruti Kapila, a Historian at Cambridge University, about how Conservatism can be seen as a disposition rather than an ideology. Why can we consider Gandhi a ra…

On this episode of the Stepwell podcast, Patrick French talks to Shruti Kapila, a Historian at Cambridge University, about how Conservatism can be seen as a disposition rather than an ideology. Kapila details how this disposition has influenced politicians in India for eras, from Gandhi and Tilak to present day Congress.…

How did cotton trade, slavery and colonialism play a role in the emergence of capitalism? What role did cotton play in India's struggle for freedom? How was capitalism re-imagined around the 1950s? This enlightening conversation between historian and author of Empire of Cotton, Sven Beckert and Patrick French, sheds some light on how the present gl…

Join the historian and author of "Empire of Cotton" in conversation with Patrick French about how cotton trade, slavery and colonialism played a role in the emergence of capitalism.By Express Audio

Why are 20% women "missing" from Indian democracy? What happens when there is better representation of women in electorates, Parliament or even boardrooms? Shamika Ravi, who is an economist and Director of Research at Brookings India, talks to Patrick French about economic growth, investing in human capital, skewed sex ratios, factors working again…

The Economist and Director of Research at Brookings India talks about economic growth, factors working against getting more women in Parliament and much more.By Express Audio

Patrick French talks to climate scientists Jim Skea and Minal Pathak of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about how they weigh the evidence on global warming. Are intense summer temperatures, rising sea levels and the melting of the Himalayan glaciers now inevitable? Can climate change be mitigated? And what was it like to negotiate wit…

Can climate change be mitigated? Patrick French talks to climate scientists Jim Skea and Minal Pathak of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about how they weigh the evidence on global warming.By Express Audio

Srinath Raghavan, Senior Fellow at the Center for Policy Research discusses how power, ideology and culture shaped US-South Asia relations over the years. How can we understand current US-India policies in the context of past events? How did America's relationship with Pakistan affect India? Why did previous American presidents refer to South Asia …

Srinath Raghavan, Senior Fellow at the Center for Policy Research discusses how power, ideology and culture shaped US-South Asia relations over the years.By Express Audio

Political scientist Ornit Shani's book How India Became Democratic: Citizenship and the Making of the Universal Franchise examines the way the Indian democratic system was conceptualized and executed, beginning with the unprecedented choice of universal franchise. How were these decisions made? What was the process? How did they execute this incred…

Join historian and biographer Patrick French on Stepwell, the Ahmedabad University podcast, as he talks to eminent scholars from around the world, covering a broad range of topics and perspectives that challenge and transform conventional views. You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @expresspodcasts, or send us …