60 Minutes

'"RSS Doesn't Speak for All Hindus"'

'Vikram Sampath has authored four acclaimed books, Splendours of Royal Mysore: the Untold Story of The Wodeyars, My Name Is Gauhar Jaan: The Life and Times of a Musician and Voice of the Veena, S. Balachander: A Biography and Savarkar: Echoes From A Forgotten Past, 1883-1924. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi's first Yuva Puraskar in English literature and the ARSC International Award for Excellence in Historical Research in New York for his book on Gauhar Jaan. The book has also been adapted as a play, 'Gauhar', by Lillete Dubey and is being adapted to a Hindi movie by Ashutosh Gowariker. Besides being a former senior fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi, he is also a trained Carnatic vocalist. He has established the Archive of Indian Music, India's first digital sound archive for vintage recordings. He is the founder-director of the Bangalore Literature Festival, Indic Thoughts Festival and the ZEE Group's ARTH: A Culture Fest. Watch him take us through the idea of reclamation with his new book, Waiting for Shiva: Unearthing the Truth of Kashi’s Gyan Vapi.' Read more

'"Modi on Top, RSS Cant Complain"'

'Saba Naqvi is one of India's best-known journalists. The former political editor of Outlook magazine, she now writes columns in leading Indian dailies, including the Times of India, The Tribune, and several websites. Saba Naqvi has spent two decades covering the BJP and authored four books. In her very latest, 'The Saffron Storm', Naqvi tells the story of the party’s journey under two very different prime ministers drawn from the same ideological family. In 1998, tasked with covering the BJP, the author would attend the very modest swearing-in ceremony of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the courtyard of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In 2014, she would be at the much larger mega-event at the same venue when Narendra Modi would be sworn in. Watch her unravel it all with Barkha Dutt on our latest podcast.' Read more

'"An Atheist Muslim"'

'Barkha Dutt speaks Film Writer - Lyricist - Poet, Javed Akhtar in the 47th episode of our podcast, 'Inside Out'. Javed Akhtar is an Indian screenwriter, lyricist, and poet. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007, two of India's highest civilian honors. Akhtar gained recognition as part of the duo Salim–Javed, and achieved breakthrough success as a screenwriter with 1973's Zanjeer. He went on to write the films Deewaar and Sholay, both released in 1975. Later, he garnered praise for his work as a lyricist, winning the National Film Award for Best Lyrics five times and the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist eight times. Notably, Akhtar campaigned for the Communist Party of India (CPI) and their candidate in the 2019 Indian general election and served as a member of parliament in the Rajya Sabha. In recognition of his contributions, he was honored with the Richard Dawkins Award in 2020. Catch him in candid and most heartfelt conversation with Barkha Dutt. From dealing with the critics from both left and right to his identity as an "atheist muslim" , he takes you on a personal journey which reminds him of his young days when he had no food to eat for three days straight. You don't want to miss this conversation.' Read more

'"Congress Happy To Be Unhappy" - Rasheed Kidwai'

'Barkha Dutt speaks senior journalist Rasheed Kidwai in the 46th episode of our podcast, 'Inside Out'. Rasheed Kidwai, an author and political analyst, specializes in tracking politics and governance in India, particularly within the Congress party. With four authored books to his credit, including '24 Akbar Road' and 'Sonia — A Biography', Kidwai offers unparalleled insights into decoding the intricacies of Congress politics. Can Congress rejuvenate itself as a formidable opposition? Is Rahul Gandhi the first "Nehru-Gandhi" political failure? Tune in to the full podcast to explore these questions and more because when it comes to politics, this is where you park.' Read more

'SC:" Disclose Electoral Bonds" Details By Tomorrow'

'The Supreme Court firmly declined the State Bank of India's (SBI) plea for more time to disclose the specifics of the electoral bonds program, emphasizing the need for expediency. SBI was instructed to furnish the necessary details to the Election Commission of India (ECI) by the following day, with a clear mandate for the ECI to promptly publish the information on its website by 5 pm on Friday. The court issued a stern warning, indicating that failure to adhere to this directive would result in contempt proceedings against SBI. This decision came in the wake of the court's landmark ruling on February 15, which nullified the electoral bonds program and instructed the ECI to unveil donation details by March 13. Despite SBI's request for an extension, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a petitioner opposing the program initiated by the Narendra Modi government in 2017, voiced its dissent. Senior Advocate Harish Salve, representing SBI, cited logistical challenges, explaining that the bank followed a prescribed protocol for storing program-related data outside its core banking system. Nevertheless, the court underscored the imperative of transparency in the electoral process, urging SBI to promptly disclose the information.' Read more

'Exclusive: The Bureaucrat Who Executed Electoral Bonds'

'The State Bank of India (SBI) is facing a contempt petition in the Supreme Court filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The petition is in response to SBI's request for an extension until June 30 to reveal the specifics of each electoral bond encashed by various political parties. The Supreme Court had set March 6th as the deadline. Barkha Dutt speaks to Subhash Garg, Former Finance Secretary Maj Gen Anil Verma, Head Of ADR' Read more

'Understanding Narendra Modi & The Saffron Wave'

'Author and journalist Saba Naqvi speaks to Barkha Dutt in the 45th episode of our podcast, 'Inside Out with Barkha Dutt' about her book Saffron Storm- From Vajpayee to Modi. Saba Naqvi is one of India's best-known journalists. The former political editor of Outlook magazine, she now writes columns in leading Indian dailies, including the Times of India, The Tribune, and several websites. Saba Naqvi has spent two decades covering the BJP and authored four books. In her very latest, 'The Saffron Storm', Naqvi tells the story of the party’s journey under two very different prime ministers drawn from the same ideological family. In 1998, tasked with covering the BJP, the author would attend the very modest swearing-in ceremony of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the courtyard of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. In 2014, she would be at the much larger mega-event at the same venue when Narendra Modi would be sworn in. Watch her unravel it all with Barkha Dutt on our latest podcast.' Read more

'“Sheena Is Alive”: Indrani Mukerjea’s Exclusive Interview'

'Indrani Mukerjea, once one of India's most powerful media tycoons, went on to become one of India's most reviled women. She has been accused of killing her daughter, Sheena Bora. In her memoirs, 'Unbroken', Mukerjea says Bora was born after she was raped by her father while still a teenager. For much of her life, Indrani Mukerjea told people that Bora was her sibling. Bora and Mikhail, her son from a former partner, were raised by her parents. Mukerjea was married to former STAR TV Chief Peter Mukerjea who also went to jail in the murder case. Sheena Bora was dating Mukerjea's son and this was claimed to be one motive for the murder. Mukerjea has claimed innocence and also claimed that Sheena Bora is "out there and still alive" She speaks to Barkha Dutt in the 21st episode of our podcast, "Inside Out".' Read more

'Why Is The Himachal Pradesh Govt In Deep Crisis?'

'BJP won 10 Rajya Sabha seats on Tuesday in the elections held for the upper house of the parliament. The saffron party had won 20 seats unopposed earlier. With the latest win, the BJP-led NDA is just 4 short of the majority mark of 121 in the 240-member House. BJP now stands at 97 and NDA at 117 in the Rajya Sabha. The Congress now has only 29 members in the upper house. But, what is more interesting in this Rajya Sabha elections held for 15 seats across three states, was the cross-voting. BJP won 10 seats, Congress 3 and the Samajwadi Party won 2 seats. BJP won an additional seat in Uttar Pradesh and one in Himachal Pradesh. The results in Karnataka were on expected lines with the Congress winning three seats and the BJP one. The BJP-JDS candidate Kupendra Reddy lost the polls. BJP MLA ST Somashekar voted in favour of the Congress. BJP won 8 seats in the Rajya Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh and the Samajwadi Party, which had put up three candidates, could win only two seats. Congress' Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost to BJP's Harsh Vardhan in the hill state, after 6 Congress MLAs cross voted for the BJP. BJP has now demanded floor test claiming Sukhu govt is in minority. Sukhu has reportedly offered to resign. This comes after Vikramaditya Singh- minister in Himachal govt, quit his post on Wednesday morning. This was followed by suspension of 14 MLAs from Himachal assembly.' Read more

'Meet Abhilash Tomy: Indian Navy's Heroic Solo Sailor'

'Commander Abhilash Tomy (Retd), speaks to Barkha Dutt in the 44th episode of our podcast, 'Inside Out with Barkha Dutt'. Commander Abhilash Tomy, KC, NM (Retd) is a retired Indian Navy officer, naval aviator and yachtsman. In 2013, he became the first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world under sail. In 2018, Commander Tomy participated in the same Golden Globe Race. His boat was caught in a violent storm in the Indian Ocean which sadly, injured him and left him with a broken spine. He went through a spine surgery the same year which involved fusing 5 vertebrae and inserting two titanium rods. Thereafter, he taught himself to walk and then sail! But instead of deterring his spirit, wining the Global Race became his life’s only mission. In January 2019, he quit the Indian Navy and started training yet again. He finished second in the race, becoming the only Asian skipper to win a podium finish in a round the world race.' Read more

'Manipur HC Tweaks 2023 Order On Meiteis In ST List'

'Manipur High Court has modified its 2023 order about the inclusion of Meiteis in the list of Scheduled Tribes that led to massive ethnic violence in the state and claimed over 200 lives. The detailed order deleted the direction to the state government to consider the addition of the Meiteis to the ST list 'expeditiously, preferably within 4 weeks," which had incensed the Kukis. Barkha Dutt speaks to Dr. Thangzakhup Tombing, Assistant Professor, NLU & Judicial Academy Ngangom Junior Luwang, Advocate, Supreme Court of India Col Gaurav Chaturvedi, Former Commandant Assam Rifles Rami Niranjan Desai, Author, Columnist & Scholar specialising in Northeast India' Read more