Shivani
Hi, guys! This is regarding the request some people made for subtitles to be added on NL Hafta episodes when someone starts speaking in Hindi/Urdu. If it’s not financially feasible for you guys then I’d be happy to offer my services free of charge (I’m a professional translator and subtitler). Let me know if you'd be interested.
Anonymous
Hey NL Team!
I’ve been following your content for a long time and am a big fan of your reporting and business model. Surviving and thriving for 13 years on a subscription model is truly commendable.
I have a suggestion for a possible long-form story regarding...
[Note: The story idea has been forwarded to our editorial team.]
Supportive Critiques
For the last couple weeks, Hafta has seemed more like Abhinandan interviewing a guest, rather than a conversation with all panelists. There were hardly any inputs or questions by others on the panel. Abhinandan could probably do a single person interview as a separate podcast, he clearly has a lot to say. Love the NL work and happy 13th guys!!!
Chirag
In Hafta 523, Manisha posed an excellent question that she couldn’t direct to Govindraj as he had to leave. Her hypothesis was that Vietnam is doing economically well because of being a “police state”. It is hard to answer that question in 150 words, but I would recommend How Asia Works by Joe Studwell. The book explores how countries like South Korea, Taiwan, China, and post-war Japan achieved rapid growth. Part of Studwell’s explanation aligns with Manisha’s hypothesis – he emphasises the role of active government intervention and authoritarian leadership during the early stages of development, followed by a transition to free-market policies once exports become globally competitive. He shows this through the lens of the growth of companies like Hyundai, Sony, and TSMC, which makes it a fun read. His explanation also makes you realize where India went wrong in its industrial policy and how to fix it.
Dhruv Kumar
To be under the 150 word limit, I'll keep my question brief.
I understand why you are not taking ads from political parties, but why can’t you accept ads from brands? Like any music concert, fan, AC appliance brand. How will it limit your independence? Kindly elaborate.
Rohini
Hello!
Loved the discussion with Govindraj Ethiraj on the budget! But what intrigued me the most was Manisha's question on whether police states led to strengthened economies. Another interesting case study is of South Korea, which faced harrowing wars, colonisation, dictatorship and economic crisis and yet has re-emerged as a major economic power due to strong government control. I find their growth story fascinating. They too have a similar toxic corporate work culture like India’s corporate sector, yet they are thriving more than us.
Agitha
Hey Abhinandan,
The representation of upper-caste faculty, along with a caste census of faculty, in central institutions like IITs and Central Universities across the country. This issue has been frequently covered by The Hindu as how very few lower caste and other caste people were there in such institutions. My concern is that the underrepresentation of faculty from lower and other castes may be affecting PhD admissions. However, I may be mistaken, and it would be helpful to investigate whether this issue truly impacts PhD admissions, or if other factors contribute to the situation in these prestigious institutions.
Thank you for hearing me out.
Mohd Salman
Hi team, both Hafta and Charcha did superb deep dives into the Kumbh stampede and I’ve nothing to add to that. But can we please question the estimates of pilgrim numbers a bit more aggressively. Are we that bad at arithmetic that we believe it when someone tells us that 45 crore people will circulate in and out of a small stretch of land over a month in a massive state whose resident population is HALF that number? Who counts these visitors? What are the mechanisms to estimate that on the most important snaan days, 4-5 crore people are gonna be there in just one day?
The first thing states fudge before bandobast or administration is numbers. While cultural, national, religious pride are important, we shouldn’'t get taken in by claims as tall as these
Siddharth
The shit show at Kumbh took me into an Instagram rabbit hole for 1.30 hours which turned into a couple of sleepless nights. This re-emphasises the need for Newslaundry in the current situation, I am a very very very proud subscriber now more than ever, and will upgrade my subscription as soon as I get a new job :P
Vatsal
Just saw these posters in New Delhi constituency near Khan Market, there were few e-rikshaws too carrying the same message. Whatever be the election results you can’t beat the creativity here. I’m lost for words. This is the final boss of propaganda.
Abhishek
Hello Abhinandan, Manisha, Shardool, and Raman sir,
I have been coming across the news of Ram Rahim getting parole again and again and again. In recent news, he again gets parole for 20 days. I would love to see some stories on why and how the courts have been granting parole to a rape convict and what flaws does the judiciary have. Maybe this topic can also be part of the podcast at Hafta. It is disturbing to see no progress on the bail plea for activist Umar Khalid, and how courts blatantly grant parole to convicts of serious offenses.
Nidhi
I am a new subscriber and a doctoral student in the US, deeply passionate about Indian politics. Many tell me to focus on life here, but I feel out of place. I want to return and contribute to change. Despite its struggles, India is my country – but what kind of nation are we if we can’t even ensure clean air and water? These are basic rights, yet they remain luxuries. Our constitution grants us the right to life, but what is life without breathable air? I contributed 500 rupees to the campaign – not much, but I’m tired of politics that prioritises propaganda over people. A PM who avoids press conferences yet thrives on self-promotion – don’t we deserve better?
Dheeraj
Hello,
I had previously written to you using this form itself so it would not have crossed any word limit but that letter was not read or even acknowledged. It was about Anand’s defence of the Election Commission using too many elections as an excuse. At the same time, I had written to A&A about making a video of recommendations each year from NL for the new year – that was read.
Thanks.
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