Beyond the Indus
Beyond the Indus is a monthly podcast hosted by Tushar Shetty that explores South Asia, a region of remarkable cultural diversity, economic dynamism, and political turbulence. Each episode features expert guests who provide analysis and insights into the complex issues shaping the region. The show covers a range of topics, from politics and economics to culture and society, offering listeners a deeper understanding of one of the most consequential regions in the world.
Episodes
Rahul Bajoria, BofA India Chief Economist, on India's Manufacturing Ambitions
Rahul Bajoria, head of India and ASEAN Economic Research at Bank of America, joins host Tushar Shetty to examine why India's manufacturing sector has remained stuck at around 15 percent of GDP despite decades of rapid growth. They discuss the colonial and planning-era roots of India’s weak industrial base, the regulatory and compliance burdens that keep Indian firms small and push them into in
Siddhant Kishore on BRICS and the New Geopolitics of Asia
In this episode of Beyond the Indus, Siddhant Kishore, a New Delhi and Washington D.C.-based national security and foreign policy analyst, and former analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, joins host Tushar Shetty to examine the BRICS summit in New Delhi and the strategic realignment underway across Asia. They discuss the consensus preserved in the New Delhi Declaration and India’s diploma
Ayesha Siddiqa on the Pakistan Army's Police State
Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, senior fellow in the Department of War Studies at King's College London and author of “Military Inc.,” joins host Tushar Shetty to examine the Pakistan Army's role in the country's governance. They discuss the origins of the military's dominance in the years after 1947, its influence over domestic politics and the economy, its conduct of foreign policy from Ayub
Dhaka’s Balancing Act: Post-election Bangladesh Between India, China, and the US
Dr. Smruti S. Pattanaik, a research fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, joins host Tushar Shetty to examine Bangladesh six months after its first election since the 2024 uprising. They discuss the BNP’s record on converting the July Charter mandate into actual reform, the legalization of the ban on the Awami League, the National Citizens Party’s collapse, She
The Cockroach Uprising: How the CJP Protest Exposed India's Broken Institutions
Independent journalist and author Snigdhendu Bhattacharya joins host Tushar Shetty to examine what the Cockroach Janata Party protests reveal about the erosion of India's democratic institutions. They discuss the satirical origins of the movement and the exam-leak grievances that fueled it, Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike and the government’s effort to brand the protesters as foreign funded, an
Afghanistan’s Former Spy Chief on Russia, China, and the Taliban’s Legitimization Strategy
Masoud Andarabi, former interior minister of Afghanistan and former acting director of the National Directorate of Security, joins host Tushar Shetty to examine the international re-engagement of the Taliban regime and what it means for the regional order. They discuss the distinction between the Taliban’s consolidated control and its absent legitimacy, the geopolitical logic behind Russia’s recog
The Future of BRICS After the Iran War
In this episode of Beyond the Indus, Carlos Frederico Pereira da Silva Gama, founder of Brazil's BRICS Policy Center and an international relations scholar at the Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, joins host Tushar Shetty to examine the future of BRICS as the postwar order fractures in the wake of the Iran war. They discuss the priorities and divergences of India’s BRICS presidency ahead of
Democratizing Technology: India Stack 3.0 and the Future of Digital Public Infrastructure
Dr. Pramod Varma, chief architect of Aadhaar, UPI, and the India Stack, and co-founder of Networks for Humanity, joins host Tushar Shetty to discuss the design philosophy and the next stages of India's Digital Public Infrastructure.We discuss the core principles that distinguish the India Stack from platform models like Alipay and PayPal, the Account Aggregator framework's consent architec
Pakistan and the Economics of Diplomacy
Khurram Husain, one of Pakistan’s most widely read business and economy journalists and a columnist at Dawn, joins host Tushar Shetty to examine whether Pakistan’s recent diplomatic gains are translating into meaningful economic progress. They discuss the tangible but limited economic benefits of Pakistan's geopolitical revival, the impact of the Iran conflict and Hormuz blockade on Pakistan&#
The Thorium Gamble: India’s Nuclear Breakthrough
In this episode of Beyond the Indus, Dr. Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of India's Atomic Energy Commission and one of the principal architects of India’s civilian nuclear program, joins us to discuss the history and future of India’s three-stage nuclear program in the wake of this year’s landmark breakthrough at Kalpakkam. We discuss the strategic logic behind Homi Bhabha’s 1950s vision for a
Is the Indian Army Ready for the Next War?
In this episode of Beyond the Indus, host Tushar Shetty sits down with Colonel Ajai Shukla – a former Indian Army officer, war correspondent, and strategic affairs editor at Business Standard – to examine the structural challenges facing India's military and what it will take to prepare for the wars ahead.Drawing on decades of experience in both uniform and journalism, Col. Shukla assesses Ope
India on the High Seas: Hormuz and the Future of Maritime Security
In this episode of Beyond the Indus, host Tushar Shetty sits down with Vice Admiral R.B. Pandit, former Commander-in-Chief of India's Strategic Forces Command and a veteran flag officer of the Indian Navy, to assess the maritime consequences of the Iran conflict and the long-term shifts reshaping the Indian Ocean's strategic order.Drawing on four decades of operational and strategic experi
The War on Oil: Iran Conflict and the Global Energy Crisis
In this episode of Beyond the Indus, host Tushar Shetty sits down with Adi Imsirovic, a veteran oil trader with over 35 years of experience in global energy markets and former Global Head of Oil at Gazprom Marketing and Trading, to assess the impact of the Iran war’s impact on global oil and gas markets.Drawing on decades of front-line trading experience, Imsirovic explains why the current disrupt
Gulf War 3.0: Iran Conflict Spreads to South Asia
In this episode of Beyond the Indus, host Tushar Shetty sits down with Siddhant Kishore, a national security and foreign policy analyst based in Washington, D.C. and former open-source intelligence analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, to examine the impact of the Iran conflict on South Asia. Drawing on his expertise in Middle Eastern security and Iran's axis of resistance, Kishore of
Nepal's Gen Z Election
On March 5, Nepal will head to the polls for the first election since Gen Z protests toppled the government of former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Beyond the Indus host Tushar Shetty sits down with BiswasBaral, editor of the Kathmandu Post and a columnist for The Diplomat, to discuss the Gen Z Revolution, the new crop of favorites – headed by Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah – and the fate of the
Bangladesh’s Make or Break Election
Beyond the Indus host Tushar Shetty is joined by Dr. Smruti Pattanaik and Dr. Mubashar Hasan to discuss Bangladesh’s February 12 election. They explore the competing electoral alliances and election manifestos, issues surrounding mob violence and its impact on electoral legitimacy, the long shadow of the Awami League and its future in Bangladesh, the challenges that the new government will face, a
Alliance of the Betrayed: The Quiet Rise of India-EU relations
Host Tushar Shetty sat down with Dr. Tobias Scholz, South Asia researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, to examine the rise of India-EU relations and the significance of their soon-to-be-signed FTA and Security & Defense partnership. They discuss how both U.S. partners, facing President Trump’s hostile and erratic foreign policy actions, accele
2026: The Outlook for South Asia
Beyond the Indus host Tushar Shetty sits down with Michael Kugelman, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and South Asia analyst, to discuss his outlook for South Asia in 2026. We review the major developments in the region in 2025, the upcoming elections in Bangladesh and Nepal, the India-Pakistan conflict and the reinvigoration of Pakistan’s diplomatic strategy, the downturn in the India-U.S. r
Brothers' War: TTP and the Pakistan-Taliban Conflict
In this episode of Beyond the Indus, leading Pakistan security expert Dr. Christine Fair, a professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, joins host Tushar Shetty to explore Pakistan's failing Afghanistan strategy and the escalating TTP crisis. We discuss the historical roots of Pakistan’s “strategic depth” doctrine and its decades-long support for the Taliban, the struct
COP30 and South Asia
In this episode of Beyond the Indus, Meera Gopal, an international legal scholar and policy professional specializing in climate law and diplomacy, joins host Tushar Shetty to examine the outcomes of COP30 in Belém, Brazil and the implications for South AsiaWe discuss the mixed results of COP30, the impact of U.S. absence on climate negotiations, the concept of the "Just Transition" mechanism and
IMEC and India’s Middle East Doctrine
In this episode of Beyond the Indus, Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad and John Calabrese from the Middle East Institute join host Tushar Shetty to examine India's evolving strategy in the Middle East.We discuss the region's critical importance to India as a source of energy and trade, India's expanding security presence from the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to Afghanistan, and the country's ambitio
‘Modi’s War?’ The Truth Behind the India-Russia Oil Trade
Toxic Allies: The Complicated Story of the Pakistan-US Relationship
After the Revolution: Bangladesh’s Long Road to Democracy
Hindutva International: The Globalization of Hindu Politics Outside India
O Kashmir: A Primer on South Asia’s Forever War
Beyond the Tariffs: Liberation Day’s Impact on South Asia
The Dragon-Elephant Dance: China and India’s Battle for South Asia
Gender Apartheid: The Erasure of Afghanistan’s Women and Refugee Populations
Legacy of a Reformer: Manmohan Singh and India’s Economic Liberalization
Trouble Brewing in Pakistan’s Wild West
Trump Sarkar 2.0: The Future of the India-US Global Partnership
Rumble in Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Election Surprise
Chip-Sourcing: India’s Semiconductor Moonshot
Mukti 2.0: Bangladesh’s Monsoon Revolution
Taliban Redux: Afghanistan 3 Years After the Fall of Kabul
Samudra Manthan: Political Churnings in Maldives and the Indian Ocean Region
The Great Indian Election Campaign
The INDIA Alliance: How India’s Opposition Plans to Take Down the BJP
Saffron Dawn: Modi’s BJP and Hindutva Politics
Chaos on the Indus: Pakistan’s Election Maelstrom
The Great Bangladesh Election Conundrum
The BJP’s Southern Strategy
The Plight of the Rohingya: The Struggle for Identity and Survival in the World’s Largest Refugee Camp
The India Stack: How India Is Revolutionizing Governance Through Digital Public Inclusion
Mr. Modi Goes to Washington: Breaking New Ground in the India-US Strategic Partnership
Crypto Mining in the Himalayas: Bhutan’s Gamble With Bitcoin
The Wrath of Imran Khan
The Ukraine War: The View from South Asia
Khalistan: A False Dawn?
A Requiem for Pakistan
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