EP-415 | Ramayana & Mahabharata in Urdu, and Art of Storytelling | Fouzia Dastango

Meera Shankar is India's former Ambassador to the United States and Germany. She has decades of diplomatic experience and a deep understanding of India's relations with major world powers. Dr Zorawar Daulet Singh is a foreign policy analyst, historian and author whose work focuses on India's foreign policy, the balance of power in Asia and the changing world order. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Meera Shankar and Zorawar Daulet Singh discuss India-US relations, Trump's foreign policy, trade tensions and allegations of American interference in Indian politics. They also talk about the Iran war, India's relations with China and Russia, the H-1B visa debate and the challenges India faces in making its own foreign policy decisions in a changing world.

M. Farook Sait is an attorney at law who moved to America from India in 1963, at the age of 23. He served as Special Counsel to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1972 to 2012. Over the past six decades, he has witnessed some of the most defining moments in American history. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Farook Sait discusses his early years in America, his experiences with racism, and the realities of the American Dream. He also talks about the H-1B visa debate and how life in America has changed for the Indian diaspora. For more information on PILOT's initiatives to support girls' education, visit https://impilot.org/

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, senior journalists Neerja Chowdhury, Rasheed Kidwai and Nistula Hebbar discuss the BJP’s strategy, the CJP protest, Rahul Gandhi’s political approach, the SIR controversy and the challenges facing the NDA government. They also examine whether the opposition can turn public anger into votes and what the road ahead looks like for the BJP.*Timestamps* 00:00 – Introduction 01:40 – BJP on Protests 06:36 – NEET vs SIR Protests 12:26 – BJP Losing the Plot? 16:56 – SIR Controversy 19:49 – Indira Gandhi and Protests 22:32 – BJP’s Political Response 23:06 – SIR vs Mandal 25:59 – BJP’s Protest Strategy 29:24 – What Should CEC Do? 30:58 – INDIA Bloc’s Strategy 35:10 – Rahul Gandhi’s Spies Claim 40:34 – Social Media’s Power 42:51 – Rahul Gandhi’s Impact 44:47 – Is BJP Scared? 46:00 – Vote Bank Politics 48:01 – SIR in UP 50:49 – Akhilesh vs Congress 54:30 – Social Media and Voting 55:48 – New Blood in Congress 1:03:34 – Mamata’s National Ambitions 1:09:15 – Owaisi’s Vote Strategy 1:12:21 – Goa Politics 1:14:34 – Punjab Polls 2027 1:17:20 – BJP’s Punjab Strategy 1:24:13 – Rahul Ignoring State Polls? 1:26:29 – BJP Nervous About UP? 1:31:08 – BJP’s Biggest Challenge 1:33:50 – Reshuffle and Modi’s Successor 1:37:16 – Amit Shah as Deputy PM?

Pramod Sawant has been the Chief Minister of Goa since 2019. An Ayurvedic doctor by training, he succeeded Manohar Parrikar and led the BJP to victory in the 2022 Goa Assembly election.

Shehzad Khan is an actor best known for his role as ‘Bhalla’ in the cult classic ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ and is the son of legendary actor Ajit. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he talks about his father Ajit’s journey from hero to iconic villain, his friendship with Dharmendra and bond with Salim Khan. Shehzad also looks back at his career in Bollywood and why Ajit never wanted him to use his name or influence to get work. *Timestamps* 0:00 – Introduction 0:32 – Role of ‘Bhalla’ in ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ 9:27 – Father Ajit’s Rules for Shehzad 16:21 – ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ Story 22:23 – Why ‘Razia Sultan’ Flopped 26:25 – Ajit & Salim Khan’s Bond 31:17 – Bollywood’s Iconic Villains 35:28 – Ajit’s Entry Into Films 38:25 – Love Story of Ajit 43:43 – Ajit’s Early Retirement 47:52 – Screenwriting of Salim-Javed 52:03 – Working in ‘Tirangaa’ Movie 54:13 – Unpaid Bollywood Projects