This week on NL Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Manisha Pande, Raman Kirpal and Shardool Katyayan are joined by senior journalist Monideepa Banerjie.
On the violence brewing in West Bengal in the run up to the panchayat elections and during polling, the panel deconstructs the ‘culture of violence’ that has existed in the state. They dwell into what makes West Bengal and its history more porous to such political strife. Manisha questions “whether this violence is a ‘left legacy’ or just Bengal in essence”. The panel also discusses the instrumental role of rural politics in the big picture.
The discussion then stirs to the signs we missed in the build-up to the current floods across Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. “Why is urban planning so inept at accommodating the population?” asks Shardool. The conversation then moves on to the irony presented to us, courtesy of the volatile climate, and how none of us are ready to meet the ‘El Nino Motherload’.
This and a lot more, tune in!
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Song: Arey Pagol Hue Jago
Timecodes
00:03:35 - Headlines
00:21:12 - Bengal Panchayat Polls
01:01:08 - North India Floods
01:12:53 - Subscriber letters
01:37:12 - Recommendations
References
Environment, river activist Manoj Misra passes away at 68
Recommendations
Monideepa
India's Secret War: BSF and Nine Months to the Birth of Bangladesh
Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani
Shardool
Why are rural elections in West Bengal so violent?
How will El Nino change in the future?
Raman
River bed/flood plain in urban stretch of Delhi
Manisha
Milan Kundera, Literary Star Who Skewered Communist Rule, Dies at 94
The Unbearable Lightness of Milan Kundera (1929-2023)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Abhinandan
Was the Supreme Court right to overturn affirmative action?
Shamika Ravi writes: Statisticians can be wrong
Pronab Sen responds to Shamika Ravi: No, India’s statisticians aren’t stupid
Check out our previous Hafta recommendations.
Produced and recorded by Tehreem Roshan & Prashant Kumar, edited by Hassan Bilal.
Newslaundry is a reader-supported, ad-free, independent news outlet based out of New Delhi. Support their journalism, here.
