Himal Southasian Podcast Channel

Available Episodes

5 of 210

Sharda Ugra on the rise (and the challenges) of women’s cricket: State of Southasia #35
As the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup reaches its final week, veteran sports journalist Sharda Ugra examines the progress that women’s cricket in Southasia has made in recent years – especially since 2017, when the ICC televised the tournament, drawing in a wider audience and greater interest – as well as persistent gaps shaping women’s cricket today. In this episode of State of Southasia, Ugra reflects on the growth in performance and professionalism across India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, while also pointing to the uneven marketing, sponsorship, and administrative support that continue to hold the game back. Despite rising viewership and a handful of breakout stars, she notes that the sport still fights for the kind of institutional investment and fan enthusiasm long guaranteed to the men’s side.Amid the challenges, there are clear signs of change – from the Women’s Premier League opening new pathways for talent to the growing visibility of women in the sport. “One of the other really good things about this World Cup has been the presence of women everywhere,” Ugra says. “You see them – they're umpires, they're match referees, they’re officials, they’re in the commentary panel. It becomes normal for women to be in this space, which is a great thing.”You can also listen to this episode on: 🎧 YouTube: https://youtu.be/1E6nW76WOD0🎧 Apple podcasts: https://apple.co/3Wsiax4Episode notes:Sharda Ugra’s recommendations:- She Dared: Women in Indian Sport – Abhishek Dubey and Sanjeeb Mukherjea (non-fiction)- Unveiling Jazba: A History of Pakistan Women’s Cricket – Aayush Puthran (non-fiction)- The Fire Burns Blue: A History of Women's Cricket in India – Karunya Keshav and Sidhanta Patnaik (non-fiction)- Free Hit – Suprita Das (non-fiction)Further reading from Himal’s archives:A sports journalist’s journey alongside the rise of Sri Lankan women’s cricketThe 2025 Women’s World Cup could be India’s biggest cricketing moment in over 50 yearsBeyond the boundary: When a pandemic takes hold, even cricket knows when to stop buying its own hypeThe costly spectacle of cricket: What COVID-19 reveals about the spectacle of cricket and inequality within the cricket fraternityChanging the rules: The Supreme Court verdict on the Lodha committee report heralds radical shift in Indian cricket administrationCricketing rivalry with India can transform Australia’s view of Southasia – and of itselfJasprit Bumrah embodies a better kind of Indian cricketer – and a better IndiaHimal Southasian is Southasia’s first and only regional news and analysis magazine. Stretching from Afghanistan to Burma, from Tibet to the Maldives, this region of more than 1.4 billion people shares great swathes of interlocking geography, culture and history. Yet today neighbouring countries can barely talk to one another, much less speak in a common voice. For three decades, Himal Southasian has strived to define, nurture, and amplify that voice. Read more: https://www.himalmag.com/Support our independent journalism and become a Patron of Himal: https://www.himalmag.com/support-himalFind us on: https://twitter.com/Himalistanhttps://www.facebook.com/himal.southasianhttps://www.instagram.com/himalistan/
--------
46:07
--------
46:07
Kamal Nayan Choubey, Tariq Thachil & Harsh Mander on the RSS and Adivasis
Political scientists Tariq Thachil and Kamal Nayan Choubey speak to Harsh Mander about how the RSS and its offshoots have made inroads into and are influencing tribal and Adivasi society. They discuss the role of the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and Ekal Vidyalayas in co-opting tribal communities into broader Hindu society and their stated goals of countering Christian missionaries and alleged conversion. You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-un2dGnUbs8This episode is part of Season Two of Partitions of the Heart. In this season, Harsh Mander speaks to leading scholars and observers who have studied the RSS closely. Together, they examine its roots and core principles, its Hindutva agenda, and its corrosive role in India’s public and social life across a century. “Saffron Siege” runs from 17 September to 3 December 2025, with a new episode releasing every Wednesday. Himal’s podcasts are available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Production: Imaad ul Hasan, Ayushi Malik, Lydia Smith, Ritika Chauhan, Nayantara NarayananSupport Himal Podcasts and Himal's independent journalism for just USD 5 per month: https://payhere.lk/pay/oee1bdaf1 Himal Southasian is Southasia’s first and only regional news and analysis magazine. Stretching from Afghanistan to Burma, from Tibet to the Maldives, this region of more than 1.4 billion people shares great swathes of interlocking geography, culture and history. Yet today neighbouring countries can barely talk to one another, much less speak in a common voice. For three decades, Himal Southasian has strived to define, nurture, and amplify that voice. Read more: https://www.himalmag.com/Support our independent journalism and become a Patron of Himal: https://www.himalmag.com/support-himalFind us on: https://twitter.com/Himalistanhttps://www.facebook.com/himal.southasianhttps://www.instagram.com/himalistan/
--------
1:01:44
--------
1:01:44
Amrita Mahale on writing a Himalayan literary mystery: Southasia Review of Books podcast #35
The Mumbai based author Amrita Mahale discusses her novel ‘Real Life’ – delving into female friendship, obsession, Artificial Intelligence, and what it means to live freely in a world of control: https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/amrita-mahale-himalaya-literary-mystery-novelWelcome to the Southasia Review of Books podcast, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan speaks to the Mumbai-based author Amrita Mahale about her new novel, Real Life (Penguin India, July 2025). In Amrita Mahale latest novel Real Life, the wildlife biologist Tara disappears from a remote Himalayan valley, sending her best friend Mansi on a search to retrace her steps. Meanwhile, the prime suspect, Bhaskar, unravels a disturbing labyrinth of obsession and half-truths. Against a backdrop where technology, nature, caste, class, and the pursuit of freedom collide, Mahale’s novel is a haunting exploration of love, loss, and friendship. In a world constantly pushing for conformity, Real Life is a story about the many ways women vanish – from the world, and sometimes from themselves.This episode is now available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/0gZTeTOq3pIApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4njFHLASpotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3USk3qKwYcevOEXPEMLXsl✨Thank you for listening to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian. If you like this episode, please share widely, rate, review, subscribe and download the show on your favourite podcast apps. ✉️Let’s keep the conversation going – please share your thoughts on the episode. Leave us a comment on Youtube or write to us at [email protected].🙏🏼 To make conversations like this possible, we need the support of our listeners like you. Become a paying Himal Patron to support the Southasia Review of Books: https://www.himalmag.com/support-himal📚 Sign up to receive the Southasia Review of Books newsletter for Himal’s spotlight on Southasian literature, our latest conversations, and more: https://bit.ly/southasia-review-of-books
--------
41:18
--------
41:18
Ahmed Naish on Maldives’s controversial new media regulation law: State of Southasia #34
On 18 September, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu ratified a new media law aimed at streamlining media regulation and seeking to curb disinformation. The law allowed the creation of a new commission with extensive powers, including the ability to block news websites, suspend media outlets’ registrations, issue fines to journalists and criminalise vague offences such as spreading fake news.There was a huge outcry in the country against the controversial bill that critics say could muzzle the media and stifle free speech. The journalists associations pledged to defy the bill, the main opposition party called for protests against it and a global press freedom group urged Muizzu to veto the legislation. Yet Muizzu’s government, which enjoys a supermajority, was able to push the bill through parliament.In this episode of State of Southasia, Ahmed Naish, editor of the Maldives Independent, talks to Nayantara Narayanan about the provisions of concern in the new law, including the creation of a commission that will act as a “super regulator”, the code of ethics that might be instituted for media organisations to follow and the broad and vague language of the law that might alow the government to persecute critical media on flimsy grounds.You can also listen to this episode on: 🎧 YouTube: https://youtu.be/h-3fKG2q7QI 🎧 Apple podcasts: https://apple.co/4nTrO7SEpisode notes:Ahmed Naish’s recommendations:- The Maldives: Islamic Republic, Tropical Autocracy – JJ Robinson (non-fiction)- Descent into Paradise – Daniel Bosley (non-fiction)- The Island President - John Shenk (documentary film)Further reading from Himal’s archives:JJ Robinson on how Mohamed Muizzu’s Maldives is “a free-for-all kleptocracy”: State of Southasia #25Youth protests take on the Maldives’s political culture after a woman’s fallInterview: The Maldives makes a turn with new president Mohamed MuizzuStrains between Malé and the atolls in the MaldivesThe Maldives’ ruling party is fighting itself and the opposition in the race for presidentUnpacking the Maldives’ Transitional Justice ActHimal Southasian is Southasia’s first and only regional news and analysis magazine. Stretching from Afghanistan to Burma, from Tibet to the Maldives, this region of more than 1.4 billion people shares great swathes of interlocking geography, culture and history. Yet today neighbouring countries can barely talk to one another, much less speak in a common voice. For three decades, Himal Southasian has strived to define, nurture, and amplify that voice. Read more: https://www.himalmag.com/Support our independent journalism and become a Patron of Himal: https://www.himalmag.com/support-himalFind us on: https://twitter.com/Himalistanhttps://www.facebook.com/himal.southasianhttps://www.instagram.com/himalistan/
--------
37:06
--------
37:06
Tanika Sarkar & Harsh Mander on the RSS, Hindutva and women
The feminist historian Tanika Sarkar speaks to Harsh Mander about the role of women in the #RSS, the organisation's view on gender and its reinforcement of patriarchy. Sarkar describes the creation of the RSS's women's wing, the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, and how it evolved over the years. She also speaks about the women leaders have emerged in the Hindutva fold to gain strategic power in the RSS's project of hate. You can watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ghjTuQco4vwThis episode is part of Season Two of Partitions of the Heart. In this season, Harsh Mander speaks to leading scholars and observers who have studied the RSS closely. Together, they examine its roots and core principles, its Hindutva agenda, and its corrosive role in India’s public and social life across a century. “Saffron Siege” runs from 17 September to 3 December 2025, with a new episode releasing every Wednesday. Himal’s podcasts are available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Production: Imaad ul Hasan, Ayushi Malik, Lydia Smith, Ritika Chauhan, Nayantara NarayananSupport Himal Podcasts and Himal's independent journalism for just USD 5 per month: https://payhere.lk/pay/oee1bdaf1 Himal Southasian is Southasia’s first and only regional news and analysis magazine. Stretching from Afghanistan to Burma, from Tibet to the Maldives, this region of more than 1.4 billion people shares great swathes of interlocking geography, culture and history. Yet today neighbouring countries can barely talk to one another, much less speak in a common voice. For three decades, Himal Southasian has strived to define, nurture, and amplify that voice. Read more: https://www.himalmag.com/Support our independent journalism and become a Patron of Himal: https://www.himalmag.com/support-himalFind us on: https://twitter.com/Himalistanhttps://www.facebook.com/himal.southasianhttps://www.instagram.com/himalistan/
--------
1:04:11
--------
1:04:11