Brown Pundits
A discussion about all things brown, aka desi or South Asian. The podcast covers topics related to South Asian culture, politics, and history, often featuring guest experts and commentators.
Episodes
Latest from Bangladesh
Jyoti Rahman and Shafiqur Rahman give an update on political developments in Bangladesh.
The Great India-US Tariff Tamasha
Amey, Dr. Omar Ali and Kushal Mehra of The Carvaka Podcast discuss the Indo-US blowup over trade negotiations and where things could go from here onwards... Links - The Carvaka Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKPxuul6zSLAfKSsm123Vww
Brown Pundits - Operation Sindoor
A freewheeling and an emotionally charged conversation between Omar, Poulasta and Amey on Operation Sindoor.
A Brown Pundit visits the Mahakumbh
KJ took a dip at the Triveni Sangam, here he is in conversation with Dr Omar Ali and Maneesh on what was the experience like. His travels across Lucknow and Varanasi make an appearance too. We conclude the episode with a hat tip to the greatest Indian Dessert.
Conversation with Vishal Ganesan on Dharma in the Diaspora
This Brown Pundits podcast episode features hosts Amey and Dr. Omar Ali in conversation with Vishal Ganesan, a lawyer and thinker, about his essay "Frontier Dharma" and the meaning of being Hindu in the diaspora. Vishal discusses how his observations of mainstream media and academic discourse led him to research the historical representation of Hindus, which he found to be distorted by a lens stem
Hussein Ibish on Middle east
Hussein Ibish talks about the middle east with Brownpundits
Maha Saffron Landslide
In this episode, KJ and Gaurav talk about the assembly election results in Maharashtra with Indian Mango (a Maratha from Marathwada) and a Kannadiga from the coast.
BP analysis US Election results
In this chat our 2 Resident US citizens and 2 Indians analyse US elections and its implications
Maharashtra elections and its politics with IndianMango
In this episode KJ and Gaurav talk to a Marathi commentator from Marathwada-Vidarbha region about upcoming MH elections and the role of Maratha politics in it.
Kushal Mehra on the Canadian Khalistani kerfuffle
In this episode of Browncast we have Kushal Mehra talk with Amey and Omar on the recent attacks on Canadian Hindu temples by Khalistanis during Diwali. We also touch upon the diaspora politics in Canada, the Khalistani influence on the Canadian state apparatus and lastly how Trudeau's radical immigration changes have contributed to the problem. Please follow Kushal on Twitter as well as his popul
Hussein Ibish on the MIddle East in 2024
Omar Ali talks to Hussein Ibish about the current events in the Middle East.
Dr. Edward Luttwak on Israel, Iran and the Grand Strategy in the Middle East
In this edition of the browncast, Amey and Dr. Omar Ali talk to Dr. Edward Luttwak on the current escalating situation between Israel and Iran in the Middle East, the unique individualistic culture of the IDF and arc of 2000 years of Jewish and Persian history that informs both their strategic cultures.
Brocast: Fitness and weight in 2024
Amit, Amey and Razib revisit their health trajectory since 2020, and the optimum mix of dieting and working out to be fit in the 21st century.
Bangladesh's New Order and the end of the Shiek Hasina regime
Omar Ali, Jyoti Rahman, Shafiqur Rahman, Karol Karpinski and Razib Khan discuss the end of the Sheikh Hasina regime.
Color revolution in Bangladesh?
Amey, Karol, Paulasta and Omari Ali react to the overthrow of Sheik Hasina as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
A Conversation on World Cinema
KJ and Bansi dive into the captivating world of non-English, non-Indian cinema, exploring hidden gems and diverse stories from across the globe.
A Catch-up with Major Amin
It's 2024 and Major Amin shares his thoughts on what's happening with Dr Omar Ali.
Ashvamedha Interrupted
In this podcast we gathered together a band of brownpundits (Mukunda Raghavan, Srikanth Krishnamachary, Maneesh Taneja, Gaurav Lele, KJ and myself) and talked about the Indian elections in details. As expected the BJP's setbacks get a lot of play, but we discuss much more than that and hope to follow up with more focused episodes on some issues (such as the future of Hindu Nationalism). How many
The origin of Indo-Europeans and Indians
Amey and Razib talk about a new paper, The Genetic Origin of the Indo-Europeans, and its relevance to the origins of Indians.
Brown Pundits Talk to Indic Explorer
Mukunda and Omar talk to Vineet on Indic Modernity.
Brown Pundits on 2024 Elections in India.
Omar, Mukunda, Maneesh, Gaurav and KJ have a freewheeling chat on the upcoming elections in India.
A Conversation on Politics in Tamil Nadu
Omar and Maneesh talk to K Jayaraman on political movements and the political parties in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu
Dr Omar Ali on the latest in Pakistan
It's election time in and Maneesh speaks to Dr Omar Ali on the latest in Pakistan
Bangladesh 2023 status update
On this episode of the Browncast Amey and Razib talk about Bangladesh with Karol, our Polish economist South Asia expert who lived in Bangladesh for two years and is fluent in Bengali. Karol discusses the upcoming elections, the role of party politics in Bangladeshi life, and Bangladesh's role in the geopolitics of the region.
Conversation with Christine Fair
Omar and Mukunda talk to Prof. Christine Fair on state of affairs in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan and her upcoming book.
Israel and India: a new love affair?
Amey and Razib talk about the philoSemitism of Indians, and the pivot to Israel of the BJP. Amey discusses the longstanding role of Jews on the Konkan coast, the pro-Palestinian stance inherited from Nehru, but eventually pivoted away by the BJP do to Indo-Israeli cooperation and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Discussion with Vamsee Juluri
In this podcast, Omar and Mukunda talk to popular author, columnist and intellectual Vamsee Juluri.
A Maratha on Sri Lankan Genetics, Casteism, Immigrating to America and Dalrymple
Amey returns to the Browncast to do a "bro caste" on genetics in Sri Lanka, casteism in America and India and the new legislation in California, talk about his immigration odyssey and how it's stacked against Indians, and finally, how William Dalrymple gives Marathas short shrift.
Castes of the American Mind
BPers Razib Khan and Mukunda Raghavan chat with Pushpita Prasad and Sudha Jagannathan of the Coalition of the Hindus of North America discuss the newfound relevance of caste in the USA, and how a toxic brew up self-interest, identity politics and social justice have caught Indian Americans in a vortex of anti-discrimination legislation.
Frank talks to Akshar and Omar about modern India, the Nehruvian elite and the evolution of the Hindutva phase in Indian politics
History and Evolution of Malayalam Cinema
Arun speaks to Maneesh on the history and evolution of Malayalam Cinema.
Major Amin on the Current Situation in Pakistan: May 2023
Status update, May 2023.
Pakistan Crisis: The Arrest of Imran Khan
Maneesh speaks to Dr Omar Ali in the aftermath of Imran Khan's arrest.
Episode 22 - The British East India Company
In this episode, Shrikant, Gaurav and Omar talk to Maneesh about the beginning and consolidation of British East India rule in India. We end the episode on the 1857 revolt.
Major Amin on the Current Crisis in Pakistan
Dr Omar Ali speaks to Major Amin on the current crisis in Pakistan.
A Conversation on Caste with Dr. Prakash Shah
Dr Prakash Shah, Reader in Culture and Law at School of Law Queen Mary University of London, talks to Dr Ali on the framework of studying caste in India and it's colonial antecedents.
Conversation with Chitra Iyer: Founder- Space2Grow A Social Impact Firm
Chitra Iyer, Co-founder and CEO of Space2Grow, talks to Maneesh about Anti Child Trafficking, Digital Safety and making Indians employable.
Episode 21: South India Post Vijayanagar Empire till 1857
Shrikanth talks to Maneesh about the History of South India post Vijayanagar kingdom till the year 1857.
Conversation with Pooja Sharma: Founder The Sarvodya Collective
Maneesh is in a freewheeling conversation with Pooja Sharma, founder of The Sarvodya Collective. A NPO working to build awareness and allyship for Neurodiversity as a cause.
Episode 20: Europeans in India
Prathamesh and Omar talk to Maneesh about Europeans in India. This a precursor to a dedicated episode on the history of British in India.
Conversation with Prof. Aseem Shrivastava
Omar and Maneesh talk to Aseem on Ecospohy and the challenges posed by Modernity.
Episode 19 - The Rajputs
In this episode, we discuss the Rajputs - their origins, wars and alliances in the medieval time. The speakers are Jay Vardhan Singh, Gaurav Lele and Maneesh Taneja.
Mr. Tilak Devasher on his book The Pashtuns- A Contested History
Author of multiple books on Pakistan Mr. Tilak Devasher joins Maneesh, Somnath and Dr. Omar Ali to talk about his new book The Pashtuns-A Contested History.
Sunny Narang in Conversation with Dr. Omar Ali
Sunny Narang, a punjabi born and brought up in Delhi with ancestral roots in Pakistan, speaks for Dr. Ali on punjabis; they also talk about culture and people who have and continue to shape history of the sub-continent.
Episode 18- The Marathas
In this episode, Prathamesh Godbole and Amit Paranjpe discuss the Maratha empire - spanning from its humble origins as a Jagir of Adilshahi to the largest power in the subcontinent before the British conquest. We discuss the great maratha rulers Shivaji Raje, Sambhaji Raje and the Peshwas.
Episode 17: Mughals-the socio-cultural milieu and their decline
Maneesh talks to Jay and Omar on the socio-culutral milieu of the Mughals and their decline.
Episode 16: The Rise of the Mughals
In this episode, Omar and Jay discuss the rise of the "Great" Mughals. We start from the rise of Babur and follow through the empire his descendants. We do not cover the challengers to the Mughal hegemony (Maharana Pratap, Chattrapati Shivaji and Lachit Borphukan) OR the fall of the Mughal empire or other softer aspects in this episode. All that will be covered in the coming episodes.
Discussion with J Sai Deepak
In this episode, Gaurav talks with J Sai Deepak - the prolific author about Bharat, Hindu civilization, politics and his books.
Pakistan 2022: Things Fall Apart ?
Omar is in conversation with Ambassador Kamran Shafi and Dr. Mohammad Taqi on the ongoing political upheaval in Pakistan.
Episode 15: The Vijayanagara Empire
Shrikanth and Gaurav talk to Maneesh about all things Vijayanagara Empire. An empire that lasted longer than Mughal empire and whose legancy thirves to this day.
Episode 14: The Delhi Sultanate
In this episode of the history podcast, Omar and Jay discuss the period of Delhi Sultanate with Jay and Gaurav. We go over all the major dynasties and also discuss the religious, economic aspects of this time. As Omar Ali puts it, the legacy of Delhi Sultanate is the legacy of Islam in the subcontinent.
Episode 13: South India from 1100-1400 CE
13th Episode of the History Podcast. Shrikanth, Mukunda and Gaurav speak to Maneesh on all things South India from 1100-1400 AD.
All Things Tamil Cinema
Maneesh talks to Sai and Arun on all things Tamil Cinema- its history, its unique relationship with the political milieu of Tamil Nadu, its evolution over the years and the cults of personalities that it has spawned.
A conversation on Hinduphobia
History Podcast Episode 12: Social Milieu of North India 700-1200AD
The History Podcast resumes on Brown Pundits. In episode 12 Mukunda and Jay talk to Maneesh about the cultural and social milieu in North India from 700-1200 AD.
Start-up Ecosystem in India
Maneesh has a freewheeling conversation with Roshan Cariappa on the Indian Start-up ecosytem.
Khalid Baig on Indian Nationalism and Islam
In this episode Gaurav chats with Khalid Baig - an Indian Nationalist on a wide range of topics - Indian nationalism, Hindu-Muslim relations, Hindutva and bright future of India. Khalid Baig and Amana Ansari Begam also run a very popular Youtube show called India This Week By Amana & Khalid - YouTube. We also chatted to his co-host Amana Ansari Begam a few months back - Amana Begam Ansari on M
Caste, Hindus in America and Hinduphobia
On this episode of the Brown Pundits Browncast I had a long conversation with Nikunj Trivedi and Pushpita Prasad of the Coalition of Hindus of North America. One of the things we talked extensively about during this podcast is the Carnegie Endowment study Social Realities of Indian Americans: Results From the 2020 Indian American Attitudes Survey. The survey is rich with data that might surpris
Episode 11: Palas, Prathiharas and early Islamic invasions
In this episode Maneesh and Gaurav chat with Jay and Omar Ali and they discuss North Indian politics and power struggles for a vast period from 700 CE to 1200 CE. We touch upon the origins of the Imperial Pratiharas and Palas and discuss the tripartrite struggle for domination of Kannauj between the 3 great kingdoms of Indian subcontinent while a storm brewed up in the west. We also talk about the
Subcontinent and Movies
Omar Ali and Maneesh Taneja have a free-flowing conversation with Gaurav about movies in the Indian subcontinent in the 20th century
Subcontinent and Movies
Omar Ali and Maneesh Taneja have a free-flowing conversation with Gaurav about movies in the Indian subcontinent in the 20th century
Episode 10: North India before and after Harsha
The history podcast returns to North India. Gaurav and Jay are in conversation with Maneesh about the changes in the North Indian landscape before and after the times of Harsha - generally considered as the last Emperor of "Ancient India". We touch upon political splintering that followed the fall of the imperial Guptas, the political Game of thrones that followed, the Kumbha Mela and the decline
Episode 9: South India from 500-1100 AD
Shrikanth and Mukunda talk to Maneesh about South India from 500-1100 AD.
Episode 8: Guptas and the Classical Age of India
In this episode of the History series, we return to North India and talk about the Age of the Guptas. We touch upon the military genius of Samudragupta and various Gupta emperors, the emergence of Classical Hinduism and various forms of Art, Music, Science which consolidated during this era. The speakers of the episode are Gaurav Lele and Jay Vardhan and the discussion is moderated by Maneesh
Pakistani politics today
Omar talks with Mohammad Taqi and Kamran Shafi about Pakistani politics.
Episode7: South of India from 200 BC to 500 AD
Maneesh talks to Jay and Shrikanth on the history of Southern India for the period 200 BC to 500 AD
Episode 6: North India from 200 BC to 200 AD
Sixth Episode in the series of podcasts on the History of Indian sub-continent. Shrikanth and Jay talk to Maneesh on all things North of Vindhyas for the period 200BC to 200 AD.
The war in Ukraine, part 1
Omar, Amey, Conrad Barwa and Karol discuss the war in Ukraine (part 1 of 2).
Episode 5- The Magadh Era: From Bimbisara to Ashoka
The History podcast passes through the Magadh era. Mukunda Raghavan and Gaurav Lele talk to us about the sub-continent at the end of the Vedic age and take us all the way to the ruler whose symbols are part of the Modern Indian Republic's mythology. Alexander and Vishnugupta Chankaya make an appearance and we speculate on the first recorded caesarean birth.
Major Amin on the Ukraine crisis
Omar and Major Amin discuss what's going on Ukraine with the invasion of Russia.
Conversation with Salman Rashid
In this episode of Browncast, 3 ethnic Punjabis - Omar, Maneesh and Salman Rashid have a free wheeling discussion.
Conversation with Indic Explorer
In this podcast Mukunda and Omar chat with theindicexplorer (@theindicexplor1) /. Indic explorer is is pretty active on Club house
Amana Begam Ansari on Muslims and Women in India
In this episode Maneesh chats with Amana Begam Ansari on Muslims and women in India. Please follow Amana @Amana_Ansari on twitter and also follow her show India this week https://bit.ly/Indiathisweek - https://www.youtube.com/c/IndiaThisWeekByAmanaKhalid
Karnataka hijab issue
In this podcast, Omar Mukunda Shahada and Gaurav discuss the Karnataka hijab controversy and also touch upon other issues related to it. https://theprint.in/india/viral-photos-bruised-egos-radical-student-groups-inside-story-of-karnatakas-hijab-crisis/827262/
Core Agenda and India as a Hindu State: Conversation with Arihant Pawariya
Maneesh is in conversation with Arihant Pawariya. Arihant is a senior editor with the Swarajya magazine and an influential voice in the right-wing ecosystem in India. In a freewheeling conversation, Arihant talks about the 'Core' agenda and how he sees the Indian state behaving were India to turn into a Hindu state. @maneesht and @haryannvi on Twitter. Authors and books mentioned in the epis
Episode 4 - The Vedic Age
The History Podcast reaches the Vedic age. Our speakers talk about its origins, its literature, its culture, and the legacy of the Vedic Age. Varna system makes an appearance as does Pythagoras Theorem. Among other things, our speakers talk of Vedic recitation techniques and different layers of Vedic literature.
Both sides of the Aryan debate
Razib, Gaurav, Mukunda, Kushal Mehra from Carvaka, and Kartik Mohan discuss both sides of the Aryan debate.
Episode 3 - All about IVC
Episode 3 of The History of the Indian Sub-continent series takes us to the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC). Our panel journeys from the banks of the Oxus River to the Deccan plateau. We connect the genetic and archaeological dots, speculate about people whose scripts we are yet to decipher, talk about what they did for a living, their towns, and what are the missing blocks in our understanding of
Episode 2- Indian history through genetics
In this episode, Razib Khan explains the revolution in genomics and how it helps us reconstruct facets of Indian prehistory.
History of India Series : 30000 feet view
In the first episode, Maneesh Taneja is in conversation with Dr. Omar Ali, Shrikanth Krishnamachary and Gaurav Lele. We take 30,000 feet view of the history of the sub-continent.
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