http://www.theindicast.com en ℗ & © 2008 Indicast Various Indicast Podcast Hosts Indicast is India's longest running and most popular Indian podcast network. This is the mother feed of all the shows produced by Indicast including a current affairs new show, a business news show, a tech show from an Indian perspective, a bollywood movie review show and a conversational interview show. Expect a good discussion with few laughs in our special India focused content. Individual show feeds are available at http://www.theindicast.com Indicast is the longest running and most popular Indian podcast network. This is the mother feed of all the shows produced by Indicast including a current affairs new show, a business news show, a tech show from an Indian perspective, a bollywood movie review show and a conversational interview show. Expect a good discussion with few laughs in our special India focused content. Individual show feeds are available at http://www.theindicast.com Indicast Podcast Network aditya@theindicast.com no India,Desi,Hindi,Bombay,IndiCast,Bollywood,India News http://feeds2.feedburner.com/IndiCast http://www.theindicast.com Whats common between Rahul Gandhi, SRK, Mukesh Ambani and Sachin Tendulkars apart from their rather envious bank accounts Yeah, its not too hard to guess. Their strong affinity towards Shiv Sena and MNS. In other news, in Egypt, some Muslim Scholar issued a fatwa stating that a woman browsing a social networking site will be considered to be a sinner. Back home here in India, Rahul Mahajan is part of an interesting reality show. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:30:35 +0000 20:05 http://www.theindicast.com The Economists Business Affairs Editor joined us to talk about his cover story on the iPad. In this podcast, Tom makes some interesting observations on how the device will be more acceptable by the grandmothers and the members of the non geek world. He also shares his opinions on how the iPad will affect the online publishing and the newspaper industry. Tom is known for speaking his mind on the subject that he loves Apple and Technology and thats exactly what he does in this podcast too. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:30:35 +0000 25:40 http://www.theindicast.com Although Cadburys is a brand from UK, it elicits a lot of fond memories from Indians here in India. Blame it on their beautiful advertising (credit goes to O and M). So when Kraft decided to make an offer that Cadbury's is mulling over, we thought why not talk about the deal from Indias perspective. Inflation in India is howering at 16 per cent and the prices of essential commodities have gone through the roof. On the other hand in Australia where Ritika is currently residing, the story is the other way around. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:30:35 +0000 25:40 http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast-110-an-encore-with-gul-panag/ Some good soul has said that Having a good conversation is one of the great joys of being human… And if it is coupled with the sustained charm, wit and energy of Gul Panag, you are in for a treat. A big shout out to Gul who did an encore of sorts by firing away on topics ranging from the controversial Padma Shree awards to the relevance of National awards in todays context. For a self confessed cricket un-fan, Gul was pretty vocal about the non selection of the Pakistani players in the IPL. And we also got some first hand dope on her forthcoming release, ‘Rann’. Gul enriches an enviable ensemble cast which include the likes of Paresh Rawal and Amitabh Bachchan. The movie releases today. Check it our over the weekend! Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:30:35 +0000 25:05 http://www.theindicast.com In the first Bizination episode for 2010, we bring you a list of top 10 Business news of 2009 that made waves in India. Tell us if you agree with our list! Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:30:35 +0000 30:40 http://www.theindicast.com/point-blank/point-blank-with-neville-roach/ Born in India, having spent a major part of his life in Australia, and having worked on building Indo-Australian ties both on the government and business level, We can think of no one better than Mr. Neville Roach to shed light on the current state of affairs between India and Australia. The latest and a significant addition to the already enviable bio is his recent appointment to the Indian Prime Ministers Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indians. Wed, 17 Jan 2010 12:30:35 +0000 30:40 http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast-109-delhi-fogged-out/ Sidin, the Managing Editor of LiveMint.com joined us to talk a bit about his forthcoming book, Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin Einstein Varghese and a bit more about the Chetan Bhagat controversy which has found a lot of newspaper space lately. This podcast was free-flowing (uh another way of saying that we were all over the place). We spoke about how beautifully the Indian Hockey Federation is handing its hockey players demands by breaking new records in unprofessionalis Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:30:35 +0000 25:15 http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast-108-ending-2009/ The last episode and week of the year 2009 and infact the decade was full of controversies and dejections. Starting with Sheila Dixit and her prayer for a successful CWG to 86 year old Governor beging serviced at Raj Bhavan. Any case, keep listening in the upcoming decade. Fri, 1 Jan 2010 12:30:35 +0000 26:10 http://www.theindicast.com If anyone can come close to playing God today, then it's unargubaly Google. In its latest move it is contemplating on charging its users (virtually all of us) for accessing news online. We cant blame Google for this since this demand has come from folks like Murdoch and the likes who claim to be losing tons of money by inviting readers to browse stories free of cost. In India, Bajaj has taken a bold (but predictable and emotional) decision to discontinue its scooters. Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:30:35 +0000 26:20 http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast-107-the-copenhagen-what/ One venue: Copenhagen. 192 countries. One goal is to reduce carbon emissions which isnt doing any good to the climate. The Copenhagen accord was reached after rigourous debate among representatives of 192 countries. What's it all about? You tell us if you have figured it out so far. Back home in India Congress has sanctioned the formation of a new state Telangana and in Gujarat, the Panchayat elections will now be made compulsory. In cricket, India and Sri Lanka give each other a run for their money in the ODI series. Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:30:35 +0000 25:47 http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast-106-25-years-and-still-waiting/ 25 years after the biggest man made tragedy and the victims are still on the streets fighting another tragedy the government. The Bhopal Gas tragedy completed 25 years and people out there are still hoping to receive fair compensation for the genocide that was caused due to a gas leak from a Multinational company. The absenteeism in the parliament is at a new time high. In soprts, India are world number one in cricket and Tiger woods beats all records off the field this time . Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:30:35 +0000 25:47 http://www.theindicast.com/featured/rocket-singh-movie-review/ An adorable experience. A drama-free which by definition includes melodrama-free execution. Super-witty dialogues that are timed superbly. And a plot that flows smoothly. What more can we ask for? Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:30:35 +0000 3:47 http://www.theindicast.com/wogma/paa-movie-review/ A film that invokes thoughts on varying subjects from single parenthood, rare diseases to politics. And it does so successfully. As if that werent enough it is all put together in a relatively unusual plot and has one superb performance by Amitabh Bachchan which overshadows brilliant performances by the rest of the cast too. Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:30:35 +0000 7:20 http://www.theindicast.com Some would say 17 years is a long time for a report to be publised especially if its a judgement coming from the Supreme Court for a genocide like a riot which killed 2000 people (reported figures) in the Babri Maszid riot (read: pogrom). 26/11 is one year old now and Maharashtra has set up a Special Task Force called Force 1 for combating any terror strikes. In another news, pilgrimage places are becoming sex hot spots. The biggest exam in town, CAT goes online and sends servers crashing. Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:30:35 +0000 25:20 http://www.theindicast.com For the last decade or so, Dubai invoked awe and admiration for the pace at which it could lead a creative growth which was not limited to building sky scrapers, but other garnishing like man made islands, artificial arctic like winter, etc. All these developments were funded by the Government through its investing arm, Dubai World which announced that it could not pay off the $59 billion loan to the banks. The stock markets came crashing down. While that happened, we also talk about the companies from India which are raising money to carry out their expansion activities. The recovery has begun. Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:30:35 +0000 25:20 http://www.theindicast.com AMD and Intel are the fiercest of competitors. And we've been taught that almost all is fair in love, war and the corporate world. Intel took it a bit too far and had to cough up 1.5 billion USD to AMD for uh cheating. This is what they call out of court settlement. In News from India, the government is on a gold buying spree from the IMF. Toyota, the Japanese auto major has put its papers in F1. We sign off this episode by talking a bit about Inflation waking up after a rather prolonged period of hibernation. Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:30:35 +0000 30:20 http://www.theindicast.com When two Sachin fans get together to talk about Him, you might expect a rather one sided conversation, but Aditya surprised me with his take on the recent unintended controversy that Sachin kicked off in the midst of his 20 years of international cricket which was spiced up a little bit with his seemingly innocent and matter of fact remark about Mumbai being a part of India and that it belongs to everyone equally. In other news, in the assembly elections, MNS MLAs beat up Abu Azmi for not taking his oath in Marathi. In Bihar, relief cheque from the state government to certain mishap victims bounced. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:30:35 +0000 26:20 http://www.theindicast.com/point-blank/point-blank-with-pritish-nandy/ A poet, a journalist, a sportsman, a publishing editor of Indias premier newspaper, a photographer, a traveler, a film maker - all in one lifetime and still going strong. If this were a quiz question, one needn't require any options to choose from. The name that comes at the top of one's mind is that of Pritish Nandy. In this point blank chat with Aditya, Nandy gets candid on his colourful career so far right from his schooling days where his poems would get him plaudits from accomplished writers and female fans to his stint as a successful producer of cult films like Hazaron Khwaishein aaisee. Wed, 17 Nov 2009 12:30:35 +0000 38:40 http://www.theindicast.com/point-blank/point-blank-with-shashi-tharoor/ 'Shashi Tharoor Jeetega Zaroor' was the campaign slogan that his supporters chanted when a precocious Tharoor was running for the president of his college union. He won then and three decades later, in 2009, Dr Shashi tharoor won again, this time as the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and a member of the Indian Parliament from the Trivandrum constituency in Kerala. In this podcast, Dr Tharoor talks about his experience as a diplomat at the UN and the eventful transition to Indian politics. In his beautiful and typical story telling style, he shares anecdotes about how he not only connected to the masses on the Internet but more importantly went the extra mile to win the hearts and minds of the labour class. He also shares his views on the unintended controversy that Twitter gave birth to. Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:30:35 +0000 13:20 http://www.theindicast.com Scams are back. Three guys from the 1983 batch of Wharton Business School have been accused of orchestrating one of the biggest hedge fund scams in a long time. This is a text book case of Insider trading. But not all news is sad news on the Wall Street. Most companies have posted Quarterly profits. In India, Lakshmi Mittal, the CEO of Arcelor Mittal threatened to quit all his projects from Orissa and Jharkhand. Ritika has strong views on the whole issue of land allocation for such projects which causes a lot of friction between the locals and the state government. In some sad news, Ranjan Das, SAP India head died of a massive heart attack. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:30:35 +0000 28:20 http://www.theindicast.com The General Elections results are out and Congress is back in power in major states. Aditya describes his experience of watching Rahul Gandhi deliver a speech in Adityas home town, Panvel. In other news, Rajdhani Express was hijacked by Maoists but the only relief was that no one was hurt. In education, Kapil Sibal makes it even more difficult to get into an IIT college in India. ISRO and IAF are fighing a healthy battle to send a representative into outer space. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:30:35 +0000 35:20 http://www.theindicast.com/ Happy Diwali Folks. In this unusually lighthearted episode, we talk about Adityas voting experience in the recently concluded state elections. Then we move on to talk about a very serious issue of Obama winning himself an Oscar. Or was it a Nobel? In Sports, Serena Williams posed nude for the body issue of ESPN magazine. Somewhere in India, a couple was asked to tie a rakhee because the Village Panchayat did not approve their love. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:30:35 +0000 24:15 http://www.theindicast.com This episode of BiziNation is dedicated to the Internet. Lately, social networking sites are showing signs of finally making some money USocial, an Australian site is selling friends to companies who can send targeted messages to its audience. On the Operating Systems front, Microsoft launched its new OS with an a very questionable but an effective ad campaign. Yahoo! is spilling $100 million on advertising in the traditional media, a sign of growing desperation. Google on the other hand has launched an ad exchange program on the web much like the stock market in the physical world. Also, back home, an IIT entrepreneur launched Phokat Copy, a service which subsidizes photocopies for students in India. Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:30:35 +0000 30:20 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com/tech-ka-masala/tkm-25-curiosity-killed-the-internet/ What can bring china's internet to a screeching halt? - Lesbians or just the myth about a lesbian city. In other topics we talk about Kindle coming to India, Microsoft, Paypal killing a user account, Microsoft office - Starter Edition and snow leopard eating up user data. This week's news update include EU giving a go ahead to Microsoft's browser ballot solution. Sun, 11 oct 2009 12:30:35 +0000 28:45 Indian tech News, India, Tech Ka Masala, Indian Podcast, Google, Microsoft http://www.theindicast.com/ We start our 101st episode by talking about how the Indian cricket team was knocked off from the Champions trophy in the second round itself. But we were a bit more fascinated with Kirsten who wanted to use sex as a weapon against other countries, but failed. In other news, 100 Indian pilots demand for VRS scheme and our PSUs are draining Rs. 31,000 crore every year. ISRO brings a smile to all our faces by launching 7 satellites in 1200 seconds. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:30:35 +0000 30:15 http://www.theindicast.com/tech-ka-masala/tech-ka-masala/tkm-23-patent-trouble.html The 3G adoption in India isnt going anywhere with only MTNL and BSNL in the market but that isnt stopping MTNL tying up with Dell to put out a 3G Netbook. After launching a subscription MP3 services, Hungama has announced a Rs.10 per download service on their website. In other news, we talk about Google SideWiki, Google Chrome Frame, Microsoft suing malvertisers, and a few updates from previous episodes. Sun, 04 oct 2009 12:30:35 +0000 28:15 Indian tech News, India, Tech Ka Masala, Indian Podcast, Google, Microsoft office web 2010 http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast-100-gul-panag-uncut/ Indicast's much awaited episode #100 is here and its in video as promised. Gul Panag was kind enough to join us in the fracas and add to it! The episode is probably the lengthiest episode of Indicast but it's worth every minute. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:30:35 +0000 59:05 http://www.theindicast.com This episode is about how businesses are adapting themselves to the changes in their environment. Levis has launched an EMI scheme to make your favourite pair of Levis jeans affordable to you. Launch of world's first digi novel is a testiment to how the publishing industry and authors are using novel ways to face the challenges thrown by the new media of internet. We talk about google being at its innovative best. India's biggest and favourite insurer LIC is no longer shying away from the equity market. PG comes to the rescue of the Olympics committee as sporting events feel the heat of recession. Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:30:35 +0000 30:20 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com There are no free lunches and so removing money from an ATM other than your bank's will now cost you but the first five in a month are free.Listen about how banks in Australia charge ATM interchange fees to customers. Sad news for all Reader digest fans as the company declares bankruptcy in US. Biking fans in India welcome the entry of Harley Davidson. Maverick CEO Michael Leary of Ryan Air teaches a few things about running a profitable airlines in time of slump. Spicejet does better than its full service rival. Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:30:35 +0000 25:20 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast-100-gul-panag-uncut/ Indicast's much awaited episode #100 is here and it's in video as promised. Gul Panag was kind enough to join us in the fracas and add to it! The episode is probably the lengthiest episode of Indicast but it's worth every minute. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:30:35 +0000 59:05 http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast/indicast-98-go-force-india-go.html The last week was an exciting one for Indian sports. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati went head to head in the US Open. In billiards, Pankaj Advani made history. In cricket, India beat New Zealand in the tri series being played in Lanka. In other news, in real estate, a 3000 Sq feet house in Mumbai was sold for a paltry Rs. 38 crore. An Hitler ad was taken off air because it was derogartory (to whom, we wonder). The political party, RSS changes its stand on BJP. Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:30:35 +0000 33:05 http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast/indicast-98-go-force-india-go.html With Force India finishing second in the Belgian Grand Prix, the news was awash with the first "Indian" team to have made it big in the Formula 1 circuit and Aditya in his sarcastic way opines about the so called Indianess of the victory. Back home, the government has rejected to invest in the 2011 Formula 1 track that Vijay Mallya is aiming for on the grounds that Formula 1 is not sport, but entertainment. In other sports news, we had Sania Mirza advancing in the second round of the US open while our cricketer, Harbhajan Singh drove his new Hummer in Chandigarh without a registration number and got fined. In politics, BJP is imploding and Aditya gives us his take on it. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:30:35 +0000 31:05 http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast/indicast-97-the-beauty-called-ladakh.html This episode is dedicated to Ladakh and it's magnificent beauty. It is said that this is the only place where you can get a frostbite and a sunburn at the same time. 14 of us did this trip on bikes and a car and it was memorable. In this episode, we end up talking about why it is one place to be visited before we die. In other stories, we had the unfortunate event of Swine flu in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi. Ganpati is here and we belive that over the years, the Ganesh Chaturthi festival is losing its sheen. What do you think? And thanks a zillion to all our listeners who are contributing your bit to the Smiletrain initiative by donating. Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:30:35 +0000 46:29 http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast/indicast-96-has-omar-abdulla-pulled-off-a-shiney-ahuja.html Omar Abdulla, the youngest CM of Jammu and Kashmir resigned from his post after being accused of being part of a sex scandal sometime back in 2006. Our illustrious politicians have many crimes to their name, but if Omar is proven guilty, it'll be hard for him to comeback considering that it's not murder or burglary. In another news, our Power minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde has optimistic hopes of 'Power to all' by 2012. In Sports, the 37 year old Lance Armstrong finishes on the podium of the Tour De France, but we have a new winner. And the Indicast team is going to Leh for the trip of our lives. Thanks for your support. We'll hope to update you from Leh if possible. Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:30:35 +0000 28:19 http://www.theindicast.com The IT sector first quarter results are out and the Sensex finally has something to cheer about. TCS is leading from the front reports better than expected profits. Anil Ambani's Reliance Big Entertainment is taking the Hollywood path by signing a deal with Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks. The Ambani brothers are at it again!! Straight out of a scene from Bollywood hit, Deewar,they are fighting for the gas in krishna Goadavri basin. The 2 brothers fight it out in the legal battlefield. Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:30:35 +0000 23:00 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast/indicast-94-calling-panipat.html The odds of Bihar being in the world spotlight are a million to one. An eclipse made it possible. NASA declared a small town named Taregna in Bihar as the best place to witness what was the longest and one of the most beautiful sights in the sky. Planed earth experienced a complete solar eclipse on July 23. Back on the ground, the Continental Airline has been taken to task because some ground crew member had the audacity to frisk our former president, APJ Kalam. Outside in France, Sarkosy has gotten tough on anyone who wears anything remotely associated with religion; the Sikhs are not too happy about it. Rahul Gandhi has taken an oath of sorts to expel all party members with criminal records. Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:30:35 +0000 35:15 http://www.theindicast.com/point-blank/point-blank/point-blank-with-gautam-rajadhyaksh.html I hate to introduce Gautam Rajadhyaksh as a "celebrity photographer". He is much more and you would realize that you you hear hiim talk about his experiences from photo shoots with film personalities, singer, musicians and even businessmen, infact, He earned his trademark while a photoshoot with one of the greatest businessman India has ever seen. We spend time talking about his all things that he is passionate about. I had to wrap up the interview at the 40 min mark and yet we had to leave a lot out! May be I will go back for a sequel but for now enjoy this point blank with Gautam Rajadhyaksh Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:30:35 +0000 38:13 http://www.theindicast.com/indicast/indicast/indicast-94-calling-panipat.html Dr Manmohan Singh is a natural remedy for sleep disorders, says a western journalist and we couldn't help but comment on that as our PM is back from an overnight visit from Paris where he attended the French National Day Parade as the the chief guest. In politics, the Supreme court has given clearance to Mayawati to erect those statues costing crores of rupees. Aditya has strong opinions on this one. Also, we call in our listener to discuss a rather amusing story of Air India stuffing in three more passengers after the house full board was up. Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:30:35 +0000 24:25 http://www.theindicast.com The Union Budget 2009-10, like any other was branded as an Aam Aadmi budget which promised inclusive growth. But the sceptics brushed it aside. Contratry to what the experts think, we reckon that this budget has something in it for both the rich as well as poor. In this podcast, we dwell not only on the Yojanas and schemes that the goverment has announced for the poor but also spend some time talking about the plans laid out for the urban poor, infrastructure, defense personnel and children. And we also introduce a section where in you can leave your comments and we'll add those in our next podcast. Listen to know how to go about it. Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:30:35 +0000 30:00 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com No one knew about Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code until the High Court fished it out, amended it and the media splashed it on prime time and front pages. Section 377 stated that no man or woman could engage in sexual activity which is against the order of nature. This archiac law was finally amended by the High Court and in this episode, we mull about how big a deal is it really? The Kargil War completes its 10th anniversary and in another international news, Bernie Madoff is sentenced to 150 years of imprisonment for his billion dollar fraud, but Aditya is not too happy about it! Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:30:35 +0000 34:32 http://www.theindicast.com The thought of the Indian aviation industry making quarterly profits is far fetched, but to find out that one company bears almost half of the entire industry's burden would send some stomachs churning especially if you are working with Air India, Indias national carrier. Story aint that different in other parts of the world. British Airways has declared its biggest loss of the century. Back home, the Bandra Worli Sea link has been unveiled and promises to take some load off the roads. This episode is a light weight one where we celebrate, in Ritika's words, our Pearl Anniversary. Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:30:35 +0000 23:00 Indian Business News, India, Businss, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com She might be the chief minister of one of the poorest state in India but that doesn't mean the state has no money to splurge. Mayawati in on a statue inaugration binge which has now been challenged in the Supreme Court. In other news, we talk about the Below Poverty Lines stats that have been anounced, Nandan Nilekani joining as a cabinet minister, Afzal Guru mercy plea, and ICC's attempt to make tests interesting. But the highlight of this episode is the Lalu and Mayawati joke by Abhishek. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:30:35 +0000 36:42 http://www.theindicast.com Censorship seems to the be flavour of the week all over the world. China government has asked computer manufacturers to start installing the Green Dam Software on every machine that they build and sell in China. India joins the cencosrhip by blocking Savitabhabhi.com for mysterious reasons but in good news coming out of India, Nandan Nilekani joins as cabinet minister to help implement the National Identity card project. In other news, we talk about activisim against Microsoft Outlook, upcoming windows 7 release and Steve back on job. Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:30:35 +0000 36:03 Indian tech News, India, Tech Ka Masala, Indian Podcast, Infosys, Nandan Nilekani http://www.theindicast.com Indians are once gain reminded about how how diverse the country is. While North India was undergoing a heat wave, the South eastern country was washed away by heavy rains. In the other significant news, we talk about our plans for the upcoming 100th episode of Indicast. We are looking forward to some generous financial support this time from you and hope that you empty your wallet for a good cause. IN other news. we talk about India's T20 exit, new lady Lok Sabha speaker, and what's up between Mayawati and Lalu? Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:30:35 +0000 38:05 http://www.theindicast.com Ritika gives us a run down of some ground realitiy in Australia on the attacks on Indians. This podcast is a mix of national and international news. Australia has just been handed out a stimulus package a good percentage of which went to the dead! Back home in India, Bharati has renewed talks with MTN for what would be the biggest Indian acquisition. The Bharti tie up with Walmart spwaned a 50000 sq feet cash and carry store in Amritsar. And in another news, Grameen America, the microfinance bank led by Mohd Yunus has an envious track record despite the recession. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:30:35 +0000 23:00 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com There is a new trend i Australia - Beat the Indians. Until a month ago, it was only on the cricket field but now its on the street. Indian students are being targetted and beaten up in hate crimes. While this is going on in Australia, Indian Sikhs are killing each other in Austria. As a result people went crazy in Punjab and caused damages worth Rs. 7000 crores that too in recessionary times. Other topcis include Afzal Guru mercy plea, air traffic woes, Cabinet ministers and other ramblings Sun, 31 May 2009 12:30:35 +0000 30:05 http://www.theindicast.com The initial euphoria of the UPA win in the recently held Indian elections refuses to die down and in this podcast we bring to you what's in store for the Indian business class following the UPA win. What can our new Finance Minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee do to accelerate the Indian GDP growth in times like these? We discuss policy issues ranging from FDI to disinvestment to deregulation of oil. The IPL has come and gone and its time to start raking the moolah. We discuss the actual winners of the IPL. Tata has done it once again!! From people's car to low cost housing, Tatas seem to be taking CK Prahlad's Botton of the Pyramid model very seriously. Listen to our 28th epsiode to know more. Wed, 27 May 2009 12:30:35 +0000 19:20 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com Congress scores a big win in the World's largest democratic election. It no longer depends on any of its alliance parties to keep it in Power but will that mean better and sensible governance remains to be seen. In the other big news, LTTE chief Prabharakaran has been killed by Sri-lankan. We talk about what the LTTE has given the world. You will be surprised to know that the list is pretty interesting. Sun, 24 May 2009 12:30:35 +0000 34:01 http://www.theindicast.com We made a passing reference to Bofors deal in the last episode which made a research it a bit and thought that it would be good to talk about what the big deal about it was and sub inspector has been punished for possibly doing his job. Other topics include women topping the UPSC exams this year, and ISI training women for terrorism. Wed, 13 May 2009 12:30:35 +0000 33:01 http://www.theindicast.com After all the drama and ruckus created by the Mumbaiites post 26/11, it was a no show on election day. Only 43% of us decided to vote while the rest most probably enjoyed a long weekend but a few voters in Madhya Pradesh decided to cast a "no-vote". This episode also covers the suprising death of the man who discovered pebbles in Ambani's helicopter, how the slowdown has resulted in the increase in UPSC applications, and why a tigress in Ranthambore was conferred the Lfetime achievement award. Tue, 05 May 2009 12:30:35 +0000 24:01 http://www.theindicast.com Satyam made headlines not too long ago. Now Tech Mahindra has brought it back in the news. Satyam will soon be bought out by Tech Mahindra. Most of this rather short podcast focuses on the deal and what is there in it for Tech Mahindra which had to pay more than a 1000 crore for this deal. Quarter 4 results are out and surprisingly a few of India's IT companies have posted profits. Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:30:35 +0000 20:39 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com The performers are ready. The biggest democracy drama is set to unveil itself. In this podcast we wonder what it would be like if Advani and Dr Manmohan Singh were to debate aka Obama and Mc Cain. But then we have Mulayam Singh Yadav wanting to ban English in schools since it soils our culture. In another news, a son kills his dad for voting for a wrong party .And IPL has kicked off and Bhajji and Dhoni are in the news for other reasons Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:30:35 +0000 34:03 http://www.theindicast.com Continuing our election updates, BJP released its election manifesto containing all the things that they would do if elected and how did congress react? Congress says that 70% of the manifesto has been ripped from UPA's manifesto. Also, you know that its election time when a leader choses to address the a rally through his cell phone. The other updates include Karnatak topping the list of voters ready to sell their votes for cash, Pooja Chopra winning the Miss India 2009, Kasab getting a lawyer and the Queen gets a new iPod from Obama. Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:30:35 +0000 34:03 http://www.theindicast.com We spent 21 of the 22 minutes talking about politics or the lack of it. Aditya and I ended up at two ends talking about Mayawati, the politician with a not so impeccable track record and Meera Sanyal, the ABN Amro bank head who has nothing to her credit yet, but is taking baby steps in contesting this years elections. Politics and entertainment are never mutually exclusive; we have SRK campaining for Congress. In another news, Congress has reserved 50 per cent seats for NRIs and Aditya is livid! Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:30:35 +0000 22:07 http://www.theindicast.com Indcast got a chance to catch up with Sanjay Manjrekar, a technically sound batsmen who doesn't believe in the significance to technique in cricket. We start the conversation talking about about the on field energy during the 1996 India-Pakistan World Cup match and then move on to other topics like why Indian's struggled in fielding, his career as a commentator and then his passion for singing. He also talked about his grossly misunderstood article about Sachin Tendulkar, his thoughts about Azharuddin getting into politics as well as the match fixing scandal. Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:30:35 +0000 38:07 http://www.theindicast.com The highlight of this episode was the JesusPhone (some call it iPhone too) and the announcement of the features that would be in its upcoming firmware upgrade. Meanwhile in India, Symantec has ranked India as the 3rd most spamming country in the world. Bebo, a little late to the game, has announced its entry into India. Other topics in the episode include, Facebook bug revealing your private data, launch of IE8, Yahoo Flickr announcing a deal with Getty Images, and the Pwn2Own Contest. Thu, 29 Mar 2009 12:30:35 +0000 31:01 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com Cut back to your school days when on the sports day, the entire class would split into two halves to play the tug of war. It was a fun PT period for us at school. But not so much for the RBI which is trying hard to pull with all its might against both inflation and deflation. Recently, RBI cut the repo rates and the reverse repo rates to boost the economy. Ritika gives us a run down of what these jargons mean. The Federal Reserve has shown its benevolence to AIG again with its third bail out package. Citibank announcing a quarterly profit was some good news at BiziNation after a long time. Thu, 21 Mar 2009 12:30:35 +0000 19:00 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com India celebrated Holi just like any other year, but this time with some organic flavour. After the bomb blasts less than a fortnight ago, Pakistan is confident of hosting cricket matches by the end of this year. Aditya opines that Pakistan has bigger problems and that list is endless. India is not making any healthy headlines either. A 19 year old lost his life to careless college ragging. In cricket, India beat New Zealand and Sehwag became the fastest Indian to score a century in an ODI. May be that's the only good news that we've read in the papers for a long time now. Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:30:35 +0000 24:01 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com The technology news on the Indian shore included the selection of companies to managed the much required Mobile Number portability and delay in launch of Bhuvan, a desi version of Google Earth being developed by ISRO. Other news included Microsoft finally providing users a tool to remove windows components including IE8, Blackberry's App World, Flock divorcing Firefox, Google Docs being careless, Flickr opening up videos for everyone now. We also have Godaddy as our sponsor for TKM. Sun, 8 Mar 2009 12:30:35 +0000 28:39 http://www.theindicast.com Pakistan cricket must have stepped closer to its grave with the recent brutal attempt to assassinate the touring Lankan team. Taliban, like a malignant tumor is spreading across Pakistan and the government seems helpless which does not bode too well for India. Back home, the election dates have been announced, but India doesn't surprise the educated world by coming up with options like one Ansari who has a string of legal charges going against him (or for him) on his resume. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:30:35 +0000 24:01 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com The interim budget was as bland as Russian food. But Pranab Mukharjee spiced it up just in time for the elections. With the benevolent excise duty, service tax and a few other rate cuts, the consumer will have to spend less on mobile phone bills, buying an LCD TV, etc. In the corporate sector, after the Satyam debacle, SEBI has asked for full disclosure from the promoters of companies who pledge their shares to raise more money. In cricket, the multi million IPL season will kick off very soon. On other side of the world, in England, Sir Allen Stanford, the man who sponsored the million dollar T20 tournament in West Indies has been booked for fraud. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:30:35 +0000 20:39 Indian Business News, India, Business, Bollywood http://www.theindicast.com Its dark and it's abstract and it'll make you think. What is it that will liberate you from the trappings of life? An outstanding performance by Rajat Kapoor and some thoughtful yet simple background music keep you company in this extremely slow-paced film. Sat, 14 feb 2008 12:30:35 +0000 02:19 http://www.theindicast.com Saket eloquently puts its in this episode that everybody and their aunt is coming up with an App Store in response to the announcements made by Nokia and Microsoft at the Mobile Web Congress. But before that we talk about the computers at Ministry of External Affairs getting hacked and the new various amendments to the 9 year old IT Act of 2000. The other topics that we covered this week include the Hotmail's Captcha cracked, facebook TOS revolt, Last.fm handing user data to RIAA, Norway's revolt against IE 6, and the pirate bay Trial. Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:30:35 +0000 30:19 http://www.theindicast.com And we are back after a pretty long time, but nothing much has changed since we spoke about bad news that surrounded the world economy. In fact, things have only gone downhill. Layoffs have begun even in India. The US economy is reeling and is hoping under Barack Obama's slogan of Hope, not fear. The US congress has approved the $700 billion odd stimulas package. In other news from India, Subhiksha, the ailing retail chain is fighting hard to survive bankruptcy. Sat, 21 Feb 2009 12:30:35 +0000 20:19 http://www.theindicast.com The Indian scientists at the Nationation Institute of Dairy cloned a buffalo cafe but unfortunately it couldnt make it beyond 4 days and they same will be said about twitter if it doesnt find a revenue stream. We talk about a possible revenue stream and hope that twitter makes it throug the current turbulent times. Google also continued its product release spree with announcing PowerMeter along with another location based feature. Microsoft also announced the upgrade policy for its awesome Windows 7 operating system which we try to explain. Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:30:35 +0000 31:10 http://www.theindicast.com This week saw the much talk about $10 laptop from India disappoint the whole world and sort of embarass India. The supposed laptop had neither a display nor an input device! The week also saw NDTV launch a new hullu like website currently having around 50000 video from its own network. Stories from the usual suspects, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook also came up during the discussions. Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com While Obama took office in the US, the Indian politics was having a ball of a time in amusing its citizens. What is the former Indian captain, Azaruddin doing in Indian politics, you may ask, but when Sanjay Dutt's wife Manyata is rumored to contest for Samajwadi Party, nothing seems weird. On a more hopeful note, our martyrs were awarded Ashoka Charkra on Independence Day for showing unparalled courage fighting the terrorists. Slumdog millionaire has made it to almost all possible award ceremonies and now it's time for the big one - The Oscars. But we are not too happy with the film makers for paying peanuts to the three young stars of the film who still wake up in their thached huts and hae nowhere to go. In another news, Qutub Minar is tilting and the authorities are doing everything to save the monumentfrom collapsing! Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com 2009 has started off with what might turn out to be the largest scam in India Inc's history. Raju revealed how ordinary people can do extraordinary things just like Satyam's website mention. But the week had some positive news with AR rahman winning at the Golden Globe for his work in SlumDog Millionaire. Talking about people in Bollywood, SRK has been listed as the 41st most influential person in the world and Sanjay Dutt has finally decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections on a Samajhwadi Party ticket. We end the episode talking about Pamela Anderson's letter to BMC about being kinder to the stray dogs. Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com As we get into the new year, we look back at 2008 and talk about the significant events that took place. Sadly, the negative events dominated 2008 and we really had to look for something that cheered us up in the year gone by. Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com A wounded tiger is far more dangerous than a hungry one. India has lived this cliche for a long time now, but only to the extent of being hungry and wounded. It is far from dangerous; in fact, if you listen closely, you might hear some whimpering. It has been a fortnight since the terrorists ripped through Mumbai. Since then, the Taj has been rebuilt; Trident announced that it will be reopening soon, the CST is back to being a host to millions of people daily and our politicians do not have any concrete answers about why it all happened, what steps should we take now and whether it will happen again. Aditya, who travels through local trains in peak time, shares his observations about how his fellow passengers now double up as detectives and how daily traveling has become an unfortunate adventure. Tue, 17 Dec 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com It's an epidemic of sorts now. It struck again. It lasted for 60 hours. Mumbai bled. As viewers stitched to the TV set like umbilical chords, it was psychologically draining to watch the footage of Hemant Karkare readying himself to take control before he was shot dead with two other ranking cops Salaskar and Kamte, to see the deserted CST station daubed in red, to stare at the burning Taj as the our men with woefully inadequate infrastructure brought it to an end. Amid the chaos, journalists became household names whose voice, sometimes desparate, sometimes hopeful blared through our TV sets. While some sensationalised it, a few others acted responsibly. Yogita Limaye is one such reporter from CNN IBN who clocked two nights straight near the Taj runing relentlessly on adrenalin and in this podcast, she gives us an on-ground perspective of the events that unfolded. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com "They can have it in any colour they want as long as it is black," Henry Ford's arrogance back in the 19th Century was justified when he was selling his cars and telling consumers what they NEEDED because he didn't believe that the customers knew what they wanted. Given a choice, Ford's customers would have demanded a faster horse, but he built the Model T anyway. CUT TO 2008. The swaggar which the auto makers had gotten used to is now reduced to a limp. With people shoving their hard earned money under the mattress, today, a sleek sports car is no more than a gas guzzling peace of metal meant for the foolish few who are skating on thin ice. With the auto industry consistently posting losses, it hope to get a 25 bn USD loan from the treasury to fix a few things. We talk about the mess and some dope from the aviation industry in India as well. Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com With companies going bust and countries filing for bankruptcy, newspapers are hunting for less cliched headlines. One story from NYT caught our attention. It claimed that pets are not recession proof. People who cannot afford to pay their rents are now forced to abandon their pets! In Sports, Sachin Tendulkar gave us a reason to celebrate his world record of scoring the highest number of runs in test match cricket. We cheered for Arvind Adiga who won himself the prestigious Man Booker Prize for his book, 'The White Tiger'. Tue, 27 Oct 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Two years after TATA announced the one lakh car, argubly a revolution of the magnitude of Henry Ford's Model T, the car industry's most binouculared project is yet to lay its foundation stone. After elaborate protests, some violence and lots of confusion, TATA took the painful call of relocating to another state. A week later, all the newspapers carried a picture of Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat shaking hands with Ratan Tata. This podcast is more about our thoughts on how politics can ruin capitalism. We want to know your take on this one. In another news, HCL is set to acquire Axon, an SAP consulting firm and TCS has bought over the back office arm of Citigroup. Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com It's been about three years now and it has been fun all along. Here's a huge shoutout to all you folks out there from across the world who have stayed with us and helped us through your comments (both nasty and encouraging!). Until this episode, we didn't know how countries could go bankrupt. Back home, Maharashtra government decided to sort of legalise the live in relationship model where the woman will be eligible for limony (conditions apply, of course!). Our beloved dada, Saurav Ganguly has announced retirement from all forms of cricket, but Aditya is still hopeful that Ganguly might reconsider it. Look forward to your comments in this podcast. Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The American stock markets are in the mood for some adventure. On their way down the cliff, they brought the Indian Sensex to one of its all time lows in the past two years. While in one news, India is all set to sign the Indo American nuclear agreement, in another, the Government has declared a nationwide smoking ban in India. Mamata Banerjee successfully tests Ratan Tata's patience and gets the better of him. The One lakh car project gets delayed. India which has been known for its religious tolerance is giving away as communal riots erupt in different parts of the country. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com It's a tough gig... to work for one of the most acclaimed publications of the century during the day time, work everyday independently towards writing a book in a half lotus position, research like hell so as to get all the facts and the perspectives right, update a book blog almost daily, then come home late at night to crash on the bed! Andreas Kluth, the humble tech correspondent from The Economist joins us to talk about Hannibal, the Carthaginian general from about 200 BC who marched with an army of elephants over the Alps, defeated the Romans over and over again, but his life ended with an anti-climax; he lost everything and committed suicide! In his book, Andreas intends to draw parallels between Hannibal's life and that of our contemperories like Steve Jobs, Al Gore,and may be even Heath Ledger! No, you won't find it in the 'Self Help' aisle of your book store. In this podcast Andreas shares all his views on this very eventful journey of writing his first book which is slated to come out sometime in 2009. Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com When they asked Tom about his occupation, he balked. He wanted to keep that as a secret. But they persisted wanting to know about what Tom does for a living. He finally relented, "I work as a piano man in a brothel." He had lied. He was too ashamed to admit that he was an investment banker. This podcast is dedicated to all the innocent Toms from the unsinkable 'Titanic' like industry in the US called Investment banking where the lifeboats are afloat with people who's jobs and families are on the line. We would love to know your take on this unceremonius downfall of goliaths likeLehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, etc. How bad is it out there? Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com China can make cheap goods. We all know that. What we did not know was that China could host the biggest event on he face of the earth in the grandest form ever imagined. We are of course talking about the Olympics which brought us all good news. Heck India won the first individual Olymipic Gold medal in 108 years. Abhinav Bindra, Vijendar Kumar, Sushil Kumar and Akhil Kumar covered the front pages. This podcast is dedicated to all sport lovers. Er we also digressed just a wee bit to talk about Mobica Bedi, condoms and a couple of movies. Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Any fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. Prof Kanu Doshi is back. This time he fires away on India's convoluted tax structure in a user friendly manner that makes a technical subject like taxation lnteresting and entertaining. All our finance ministers from Chanakya to Chidambaram have steered India through a very eventful journey in the field of taxation and Kanu bhai pulls out fascinating anecdotes from his hat to take us through this ride. Hope you enjoy it! Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com We are back after getting stuck in a rather unhealthy habit of not being on time. The last month was plump with a number of mergers and acquisitions on a national and an international scale. Spice married Idea in the telecom sector. On the global front, Anil bhais ADAG and MTN, the South African telecom giant are contemplating a merger of sorts, but Mukesh Ambani comes in his younger bro's way yet again. Ranbaxy, the Indian pharmaceutical major has been acquired by its Japanese Counterpart, Daiichi Sankyo in a landmark deal. This season, in India, as the rains pour, so do the mergers. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Though I have huge complaints in most departments, I cant deny that it's perfect packaging for kids in the 3-12 age group. With hardly any sad moments, the characters are mostly colorful and chirpy. But, given my reservations, should I actually encourage my kids to watch this when not too long ago Taare Zameen Par was around? Oh, why not? There's enough room for everybody. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com While India battles double digit inflation, our politicians find a unique way to protest against the increasing fuel prices, but the plan hilariously backfires! While in one story, a small time waiter works his ass off to clear the UPSE exams, another intelligent kid tops the IIT entrance test only to flee his hometown due to the paparazzi pressure. Shiv sena now wants to enter the hearts of the ordinary Mumbaikar by selling vada pavs. Aditya is not too happy with the air hostesses from Delta Airlines and for good reason! Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The epidemic is back. It is called inflation. USA, India, China, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Haiti, Egypt are searching for the medicine to cure themselves. The medicine itself is not only bitter, but sometimes fatal! Among the developing economies, India leads the pack. In this podcast, we talk about how relavent is this whole issue to the common man or the housewife who buys vegetables on the street in a city in India. We recorded this episode when the inflation was around 7 per cent. Two weeks later, now, as I type, it has notched up to 9 per cent. We would love to know your take on this issue that has perplexed economists from around the world. Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Big B has a new meaning now. Amitabh has a blog now and he receiving a response similar to Aamir Khan's Blog . Moving on, Who say's money cant buy happiness? With the growing affluence, atleast in the urban areas, a lot of single women have cut the middle man. The sex toy business in brazil is taking off and the same business in India is seeing a surge too. Although, the goods are legally not allowed to be sold but are easily accessible in grey market. Also, while "researching" Abhishek found the greatest iPod accessory ever and he tells us a bit about it. Wed, 14 May 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com It is said that having a good conversation is one of the great joys of being human. When Zanny Minton Beddoes, the Economics Editor of The Economist ruthlessly dismembers jargons like foreclosures, sub prime crisis, inter bank rates, etc, all I can say is that I enjoyed every bit of it. Economics is a fascinating field and Zanny makes it palatable for all of us who do not have a background in the subject. In the first few minutes, she lays a solid foundation giving us the whole build up to the current situation in the US followed by where she thinks it will all culminate into. All this and much more in these 30 minutes that Zanny squeezed in from her busy day which she attributes to America facing pretty interesting times. Presenting to you, economics for the common man. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com We cover the awesome stories submitted by our beloved listener, Anuj and encourage you to send us stories too using this page (needs you to be logged in). The episode starts with Gujrat being a dry state and then we spent sometime talking about the great indian pot belly followed by how Shivpuri district is giving out gun licenses for people who agree to get a vasectomy done. Believe it or not but its true. Abhishek and I talk about our mixed feeling for the IPL. I believe it's all money and he says he saw a speck of passion for the home team when he attended Mumbai Indians first match at Wankhede. We are also pleased to announce that Economist has setup an Intelligence office in New Delhi, India. Mon, 25 Apr 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Our first guest, Andreas Kluth from The Economist is back. The man closest to all the action at the Silicon Valley switches gears to talk about the social and charming side of technology rather than the geeky one. His Special Report on Mobility published in the April 12 issue of The Economist is circled around how the internet mobile telephony has changed the way we interact with our friends, loved ones, colleagues and strangers and has an Indian connection too. The podcast was recorded at midnight India time and hence please bear with some unintended background score of a few agitated dogs barking away outside my house once in a while. Sat, 19 Apr 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Tom Standage, the Business Editor of The Economist is back... Here is a little behind the scene story. I ask him in my email whether he would want to talk about anything beyond our main topic of discussion of the eventful 2007 that Google, Apple and Facebook have had. His two word reply to my mail reads, Potatoes perhaps... In this podcast, Tom fires away on the technological implications of the potato and how it led to the industrial revolution. As a keen baker and roaster of potatoes, Toms genuine fascination of the vegetable is evident and what more he is also writing a book on the technological implication of food as well. Edward De Bonos concept of Lateral Thinking gets a new meaning here. I will not reveal anything more. Get yourself a drink of your choice (and a potato perhaps) and enjoy the chat. Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Episode number 69 is here with lot of stories from India as well as a few weird stories from the UK. The sixth pay commission report dominates the episode after the stories about the rising divorce rates and then make a segway into US wanting hindi teacher. The railway cops have got a new revenue stream and are coning people into getting them to pay for having porn on their cell phone which is not illegal. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The first TKM with as many as four participants discussing the latest arguements and happenings taking place on the internet. The participants leanding their voice in this episode include Gaurav Mishra , Aditya Mishra , and Veer Chand Bothra. I had more than 5 topics for this episodes but we managed to cover only 2 which is an indicastion how much these people have to contribute. Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http//www.theindicast.com Richard Branson does a James Bond like stunt again. To announce his tie up with Tata Teleservices, he jumped from some high rise building to get to the front pages of all leading publications here in India. He made a bigger splash when he experimented flying one of his planes on Alternative fuel. VISA has announced its intensions for the world's biggest IPO and in another news, the Indian Banking industry boasted of the biggest deal ever. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Every year, on the last day of February, all the guns are out aiming at two men, the Railway Minister and the Finance Minister of India. This year was no different. We attempt to give you a run down of the Railway Budget presented by the flamboyant Lalu Prasad Yadav and the Union Budget announced by the calm and composed Chidambaram, the CFO of India. Everything from the huge Rs. 60,000 crore agricultural debt waiver to increasing the income tax slabs unabashedly knocked the voter's doors to draw their attention. We have our share of light moments where Ritika does a Lalu impersonation. No kidding! Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Adam Roberts, the News Editor of economist.com is fresh from having penned a brilliant Special Report (published at least once a month) on 'Migration' and its impact on the lives of billions from across the planet. His report estimates that there are around 200 million migrants across the world which make up 3 per cent of the population. This number will only grow and so will the xenophobia surrounding it. Adam opens up 4 minutes into his candid talk and we end up talking about the lighter side of Migration as well - It's called Chicken Tikka Masala! Listen to know what we mean! Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The episode starts with us being proud of a countryman who gave his life just a day after getting sena medal and then how Mumbai was ashmed over the actions of a Mumbai based political party lead by Raj Thackeray. Cabbies, bhelpuriwallas were brutally beaten up by MNS party worker for being norh Indian! Then to make matters worse for the reputation of gurgaon, a 100 cr Kidney scam has been unearthed. We thought these heavy topics were enough for this episodes and moved on to some lighter topics Sat, 9 Feb 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The stock markets around the world tumble as America faces prospects of recession. It does not help when banks like Societe General face losses due to rogue trading. Starbucks sees the back of its CEO as competition with McDonalds heats up. Meg Whitman passes on the baton to Danahoe. In another news, HPCL answers natures call rather literally and we wnder whether the Indian Premier league has got bigger than the game? Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com India celebrates another Republic Day. It was a marathon day with eminent personalities like being showered with Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan. An NGO finds another innovative way to fight corruption in India. Adam Gilchrist, the prolific entertainer and a great sportsman retires from Test match cricket. And in this era of reality shows, lets get ready for a reality sex show as well! Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com This episode was recorded a couple of days before the Auto Expo at Delhi which unveiled the one lakh car from TATA after a long long wait of two years. The Indian car industry is going great guns with some nitro boosting mergers and joint ventures. TATA Motors has bagged the Land Rover and Jaguar deal from Ford Motors and we discuss a string of tie ups that the Indian companies have been involved with. And there is some good News for Non Resident Indians who feel home sick and God sick. A unique concept now allows all you folks to outsource your pujas. Celebrity endorsements continue to rule the roost in our ad world. Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Hello and welcome to a whole New Year! The last few days of the last year were eventful and Aditya gives us a run down of he getting married in phool to Maharashtrian istyle! How different was his wedding from that of his elder brother? How many hours of poojas did he clock? Aditya willingly answers many more questions like these. The previous year belonged to women like Pratibha Patil, Shilpa Shetty and Rakhee Sawant. This episode is a special one is dedicated to all you guys for being there and rooting for us throughout 2007. Sat, 5 Jan 2008 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com If the Indian stock market is galloping, the Indian Art Market is on LSD. It is swaying to a mood swing that is helping it grow by 50 per cent year on year. And buying expensive paintings is seen as a very intelligent investment option. As the marriage season hits India, people are insuring their marriages! In HCL, you can rate your bosses and what more, the results will be displayed on the Intranet. Vikram Pandit has been named as the CEO of Citigroup and this time India can pat its back since Pandit completed his schooling in Nagpur. As Burger King competes fiercely with McDonalds, we choose to talk about the Indian McDonalds - Jumbo King Vada Pav from Mumbai. Fri, 21 Dec 2007 02:30:35 +0000 http//www.theindicast.com This week the Bollywood Movie Aaja Nachale was banned because it hurt the sentiments of a few people. So nothing new there! Mumbai is jumping on to the energy conservation bandwagon as it declares a black out on Dec 15. We urge all those who are in Mumbai to join in. And in some intimidating news, the Gujrat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi is blunt with his words and scares us all with his speeches. Aditya is all set to start his family and he has a few questions for all you guys at the fag end of the episode. Currently he is relishing his pre wedding gifts Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Andreas Kluth from The Economist joins me to talk about the big deal with Facebook. His articles are a result of research which includes interviewing people like Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. In this 20 odd minute chat, we talk about the $15 billion valuation of Facebook and what it means to the Silicon Valley. In this rather high octane topic on which almost everyone and their big brother have an opinion, Andreas lends a lot of rationality in explaining his take on it. He dismembers economic jargons like Call Options and Game Theory to reason out the bigger battle between Microsoft and Google in a very user friendly manner! Mon, 3 Dec 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Aditya mourns the loss of his Apple Mac laptop which was stolen in broad day light! He takes us through an interesting journey of filing the complaint with the humble Mumbai Police. Bada Bhai, Anil Kumble wins his first test captaining India. Taslima Nasrin, the Bangladeshi author currently in exile in New Delhi has nowhere to go and we talked about what the big deal about it is. We would like to know your take on it as well. Mumbai Marshals have taken the onus onto themselves and the slogan, Clean Mumbai is finally being implemented at the root level! And the Government has found another way to help smokers kick the habit, but, Aditya has another take on it! Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Chuck Prince of Citigroup and Stan O'Neal quit admist the sup prime crisis, but, their exit packages are getting more eye balls! We feel that they deserve the millions that they beget even after goofing up big time! Another CEO, Rick Wagoner stands strong among the ruins at General Motors as it wrote off $38 billion. Petrochina rocks the corporate world by being the most valuable company beating Exxon Mobil. Two Indian wine companies, Sula Wines and Champagne Indage are on an expansion spree. And Bollywood is finding different ways to earn revenues. It's not only about tickets anymore Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com This diwali, the fireworks industry had to do some rebrandig. Govt said no more cracker named after gods. Diwali also brought with it 2 big super hyped movies and both of them failed to impress the masses. Also, did you know About Actor's Day? We also touched upon the things happening in Pakistan and the destruction of cultural relics in the Swat district. As usual we digressed and somehow started discussing Bhutto's marital status!! Dont know how we got there!! Listen to know more.. Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Mukesh Ambani is not the richest man after all. Ever heard of peer to peer microfinance? Ask eBay about it! Also, a Microsoft former employee starts a networking site for the unorganised sector; so, you can find yourself a driver or a household maid on the web! Yuvraj Singh has pulled off a coup! He is slated to earn a 100 cr contract, but, there is more to it than just the money. The mobile telephony has too many cooks which might just spoil the broth and Bharati's Mittal is livid! GAP and sweatshops are made for each other. Fri, 16 Nov 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Harsha Bhogle is a man with multiple personalities. When he is not in the commentary box, he contributes as a columnst in The Indian Express and writes on espnstar. While he has an art to draw opinions from the experts in the commentary box, he is forthright and calls spade a spade in his writings. Its a 30 MB download but worth it. Sat, 10 Nov 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The SENSEX has crossed the 20000 mark and Mukesh Ambani is the richest man! Well, not quite. Like everyone we got this news wrong! We discuss how Participatory Notes is acting as the LSD to the big spike in the market cap of companies on the BSE. Ritika brings in a political angle to the mercurial nature of the stock market! On another flight, Singapore Airlines has flown the worlds largest aircraft. Vijay Mallay's Kingfisher will fly the super Jumbo soon. While BBC plans laying off a huge chunk of its workforce, Shiv Nader of HCL has resigned as the CEO is the chief mentor and Microsoft's Chief Software Architect has just bought his company a stake in Facebook. Mon, 5 Nov 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The podcast begins with our favourite topic- cricket and then we get into how Sri Sri Ravi shankar was present at ET awards and also about the growing trend about political leader signing book deals. Tue, 30 Oct 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Talking on a cell phone can now land yu behind bars in Mumbai. Also recently the loan recovery agents have been in the news for the wrong reasons and did you know that you will have ATMs on trains too. What for? Dont ask. Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Andreas Kluth , the author of the story was kind enough to join us for a quick chat. Andreas thinks that Google is far from threatening. He compares Google to the banking industry which acts like the custodian of our money. While Google is not as regulated as the latter, it will soon be, but, the founders whom Andreas had a chance to interact with on a few occassions are innocently idealistic; or they were to begin with...In this episode, we also talk about how Google is seeping in our DNA rather literally! Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com In this podcast, he is his modest self, describing his early life and his time as a the VP and MD of P and G Worldwide and more. An unabashed supporter of capitalism, he believes that the business of the Government is not to be in business. We recorded this over the phone when the evening celebrations of Ganapati had just kicked off. So, the background score comes with the package. So, please bear with that and I hope you will have something more to add to what Mr.Gurcharan has to say about capitalism, books, cricket, education, microfinance, etc! Wed, 10 Oct 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com SRK, Salman, Govinda, Suniel Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol, Priyanka Chopra... the list is endless. All these celebs have successfully endorsed apparels and we feel that such endorsements work well in the Apparel industry than in any other. In entertainment, I and B Ministry has some good news for all of us with the Entertainment tax being pared down Also, you can watch a movie on a petrol pump. Ask BPCL about it. In another common NEWS, Vodafone has taken over Hutch and has painted the entire Mumbai City red Mon, 8 Oct 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The story that got buried by the India team's victory was about the succession planning by congress. Abhishek believes that congress has made their move by giving more responsibilities to Rahul Gandhi who will most probably be ready to take on the Indian Prime ministership in the next term. We also discuss about a landmark in space history, launch of the Sputnik , completing 50 years. A race that the Soviet Union won hands down by sending a beeping ball like satellite around the world. In other interesting news, an RJ brings a ban on it's news channel. Thu, 4 oct 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com I didn't think I would live to tell this tale to my grandchildren, said a 73 year old from Dharavi slum in Mumbai. Cricket kindles interest among all classes and cuts through all castes here in India. The youngest and the most inexperienced team of the tournament won it. While Pakistan put a brave effort, India won it in the end! In hockey, the players have finally spoken up against the mistreatment meted out to them for years! In Nepal, they have found a novel way to fix their Boeing's technical glitches. In another news, Mukesh Ambani is the richest Indian! Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The US financial market is like an avalanche. When things go wrong out there, they bring the world economy down to an extent. Ritika gives a user friendly description of what is the big deal with the sub prime markets crisis! This week, while Anita Roddick of Body Shop passed away, her legacy of eco-friendly practice still lives on. In another news, Starbucks opened shop in Russia, it is contemplating for the nth time to enter India. And SRK's 'Om Shanti Om' is the biggest financial hit of Indian cinema (inflation adjusted) and his biography is selling at a neat 3000 Rupees Sat, 22 Sep 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com It's Ganpati time and abhishek can't get enough sleep because of Himesh Reshammiya. Pune Municipal Corporation has taken a firm stance by asking the 2000 odd Ganesh Mandals to pay up for the damage to the roads, Mumbai should follow the precedent. In other stories, The Twenty20 is on and the 3 hour cricket format is becoming a huge success. We have some random news about what women perceive kissing as opposed to men and Kurkre is goign to UK. Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com In this talk about telecom convergence and the mesmerising magical world of mobile telephony, broadband, and Internet TV, The Economists Tom orchestrates a perfect symphony by explaining in a jargon free language that the distinctions between these technologies are blurring. He believes utility and substance coupled with stlye and grace in products such as iPhone makes them a beautiful combination. And then, the talk reaches a crescendo when he responds to my diffident accusation that technology is overwhelming us and that we are growing too fast for our own comfort. Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Janmasthmi was here a couple of days back the govindas were awesome with their human pyraminds. We talk about how there is method hidden in this chaos and the rules of govindas. We digress and pass by the topic of PDA in mumbai and its limit and the hungarians creating a world record in it. A every important topi was the sad bomb blasts in Hyderbad. WHy do we need extradiction treaties? And from the sports field, India hockey is going crazy. Mon, 10 Sep 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com India's largest bank, SBI which already has a good chunk of the Islamic Banking market feels that India is a largely untapped market. While the aviation industry in India breathes a sigh of relief with steadily increasing fares, in the British Aviation industry, BA faces litigation for fixing the fuel surcharge in collusion with Virgin. Multi million deals are being signed in India with Mallya scooping up Spyker Ferrari and in entertainment, Pritish Nandy signed a 100 crore deal to remake Sholay. Wed, 5 Sep 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com There are bad ads, good ads and then there is the third kind... The controvertial ads! Amul Macho was successful in raising a few eyeballs and more (no pun!) among a few in the Information and Broadcasting Industry of India. Also, RBI has fingered the corporate sector again to check the appreciating rupee. Closer home, the Indian farmer plays David to the Goliath, Reliance. It's right out of a hindi movie! Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com God must have choreographed Sanjay Dutt's release from the Yerwada jail in Pune where he was slated to languish for six years. The Supreme Court granted the actor an interim bail for dubious reasons! While Sanjay Dutt feeds the headlines for newspapers, Shibu Soren, the former Union Coal minister has been acquitted for a crime for which he was accused in 1994 for lack of "enough" evidence. In another story, the media blamed Orkut for the murder of a 16 year old. Cricket made news for non cricketing reasons again with the BCCI and ICL stand off touching new heights! Thu, 23 Aug 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com This week Thilak who blogs at Tech Buzz joined us at short notice to fillin in for Anand. We talk about Wimax roll out in India, cross linking sites, google phone, Flickr videos and review of Twango. We also spend sometime on Bubble 2.0! Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com At the stroke of the midnight hour, India turns 60! We do not dwell upon what India has achieved and what it lacks. You'll get that in the newspapers! On the eve of the Independence day, while Rahul Dravid celebrates a series win against England, another celebrity, Sanju baba will cheer for India from the Yerwada jail in Pune here he is serving a sentence. Indicast now allows you to leave a voice message for us! Just drop in a word (literally)! Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com This week, a familiar news item flashed across all news papers, 'Doha round fails.' Since its inception in 2001, Doha has been a playground of woes where the larger players like EU and USA do not relent to the requests of former kachaa limbus and currently, emerging economies of Brazil and India. Rupert Murdoch, the 76 year old young man has acquired Dow Jones for a neat $5 billion! Kishore Biyani's Future Group is storming urban India with its focus on youth and women! Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The sound quality is a bit choppy in this episode since we were both on cell phones but that didnt stop us from arguing about this week's tech stories. The stories includes Nokia's acquistion of Twango, Microsoft's ad based MS Office, China having only 244 MS Vista licenses and ended with yet another Google acquisition. Sun, 05 Aug 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com In this episode we talk about how the Harry hoopla continues to rock the world and how adults and kids alike are hooked onto the book like it were a life saving drug! We wonder why one of the worlds biggest potential publishing markets is comatose. Can only a Harry Potter revive it or will the real Indian authours please stand up! We also discuss why Microfinance is a model that must find place in every economics syllabus. And finally Ritika teaches me a lesson or two in how to make your employees happy! Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com This episode covers everything from our new woman president, Pratibha Patil is India's first woman president! While India finds another reason to celebrate what has been one of the most eventful presidential elections which is normally a dull affair, we wonder whether she would be able to pull of a few stunts that our former prez, Abdul kalam did (Read: oldest co-pilot). We also talk about the richest man on earth (nopes, not Gates anymore) to how to get yourself a job as a condom tester! Mon, 22 Jul 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com It was anniversary week this episode. The virus turned 25, blogs turned 10, and the Bra turned 100 The episode also covers the rumours about google and yahoo interested in buying rediff along with our product reviews about Google Gears and Webaroo. Mon, 22 Jul 200712:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Russia will host the Winter Olympics in 2012. The NEWS is more about business than about sports! Also, listen to know how Vladamir Putin managed this coup! Closer home, Delhi will soon be hosting the Common wealth games in 2010 and that's supposed to help the Indian economy surge further. Delhi is already in 5th gear and the cosmetic surgery of the city is in progress. While voting for the '7 wonders of the world' has made news for many wrong reasons, we feel that it was a huge marketing case study! In the car industry, Bajaj debuts the passenger car market and competes with TATA's, Renaut and Honda! Read more to understand the possible strategy behind the decision. Indian Advertising now shifts focus towards women to sell two wheelers! Ritika feels that the ad agencies in India are more contemperory and creative in depicting the new age women than our TV/movies. We'd love to know your take on it. Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com US senate was disrupted yesterday for having Hindu prayer reciting the senate's invocation prayer. Taj is voted as one of the seven wonders of the world. But is it really? Abhishek says Indians dont deserve it. Rock stars have $1 million ferrari. Big deal, US astraunauts shit in $19 Million camode . Who rocks now!! Tue, 13 Jul 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com iHype has been dominating the technology news for the past 6 months now and finally it was D-day for Stephen Jobs. We discuss how the phone lacks a few basic features so a few of us are waiting. Reliance is rummoured to be in talks with Apple to set up Apple Stores to in India. So they will be introducing the iPhone in India but no dates as yet.Google wants to help you browse the internet while offline with their new product Google Gears but Webarro was the first mover with this idea. how comes google didnt just buy them off? Allofmp3.com is shut down by kremlin but Mp3sparks has cropped up. Same face.. different name!! Tata has launched its chain of Technology stores called Croma having a very urban and professional feel to the whole store. Sat, 8 Jul 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com If there were God in the Indian film industry today, it is unargubly, the Superstar, Rajnikant. His new movie Sivaji , the boss has raked in more moolah than some of the Yash Chopra Films... combined! No one knows who the better half of Reliance is, but, in the entertainment sector, Mukes bhai and Anil bhai , formarly from the same family (oops!) may cross paths. Reliance Industries and Yash Raj will enter into a deal to build Multiplexes and Anil Dhirubai Ambani Group is moving like a live wire in the Film distribution business (among other things). And this episode also marks a discussion on why the rupee is appreciating against the dollar and what is there in it (or not there) for our exportes who are whining! Bio Fuels is the future for India says Branson and co. Listen to know more! Mon, 30 Jun 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com It's Rain time in Mumbai and the city is already fealing the heat! (ironically!) While rains disrupted most of the city's roads, it was the chilly weather of Ireland that got to 9 Indian cricket players . Oops! Back in India, the presidential elections is gaining momentum like never before and USA is warming up for its prez candidates as well! While Sunita Williams returned from her 195 day expedition in space, Aditya wonders why is India celebrating her success! In sports, Lewis Hamilton , the 22 year old lad is shaking history in Formula One! Thu, 28 Jun 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com This was an amazingly lighthearted episode where Ritika and I had a lot of fun covering diverse topics like how Mallya's Kingfisher swooped in to take a controlling stake in Capt Gopinath's Air Deccan and how corporate America and its CEOs are being sacked for non business reasons! Also, how Infosys, the Indian IT powerhouse is deftly tackling attrition with its not so sporting Non Compete agreement which all its employees have to sign! Rupert Murdoch is getting younger and acquiring companies left, right, centre! Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Listen to know the heat wave that has struck North India. The 12th results are out and everyones running across to get admitted in the best of colleges. Some are busy collecting caste certificates! Also, in cricket, India is making news.... for non-cricketing reasons... Again!!! Wed, 15 Jun 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Singh is King!! and more insights from our Kullu Manali visit. Check out the photos of the coolest things we came across.No Tobacco Day : May 31st! Dave Whatmore - The new Indian cricket coach! Wed, 30 May 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Welcome to the informal yet facinating world of business podcast from Indicast. This episode was recorded the day India joined the elite list of 12 nations which boast of a trillian dollar economy! Ritika, my friend turned co-host makes her debut on the show. We had a blast while recording the episode! We hope you love it as well! Barclays, CSR, TATA, Carbon credits, Airbus, Tech pacific, Kingfisher, Schwarzenegar, Iinflation, and much much more in flat 15 minutes! This is the pilot episode of Indicast's Business Podcast and we want you guys to tell us what you felt about it. Comment! Coment! Comment! Wed, 09 May 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Sakshi Juneja, the celebrity blogger from Desidabba joins us on the eve of our 50th episode. She also happens to be a huge Rakhi Sawant fan and is an unabashed PR machine for Rakhi on the cyber space. Listen to know more!!! India is a place with a universe of possibilities. 'We are like that only' is a phrase that works well for India, but, not so much when a father rapes his 13 year old daughter and is granted bail for 'technical reasons'! And when they add people on the VIP list who can skip scrutiny check at airports, etc. like they add food items on a hotel menu, it starts getting scary! Wed, 4 May 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com This week we covered posts about Delhi Traffic woes, Weird Punekar, Gauravonomics, and atlasrugged. This is a good 30 mins Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com While Richard Gere chose to kiss Shilpa Shetty on stage, as if on cue, the Shiv Sainiks played their "Indian Culture" card and burned effigies of the celebrities. I wonder where they got posters of Richard Gere. While Shiv sainiks were only doing their job, we think aloud why does the Indian media whore itself time and again! If you have some answers, please enlighten us! Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com earing that Sex education will corrupt young minds, the state Govt. has put a ban to all constructive efforts towards educating young minds about sex.Load Shedding in Maharashtra has reached new heights! To keep Mumbai awake 24X7, other parts of the state are sweating it out in the sweltering weather. And Aditya and I are not too happy about it! Listen to know more Tue, 11 Apr 2007 12:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Dare not talk about Cricket in India. You will be taxed. I guess, sania mirza is our only sporting hope now. And even that being very hopeful! But a good thing that happened was that Manjunath's murderers get the death sentence. I would like to see that on Youtube. May manjunath rest in peace. Fri, 27 Mar 2007 19:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com This is the first episde of Amuk Amuk, a podcast that covers blogs! We explain our theme and covers 6 blog posts that were hot on the Desipundit.com. Desipundit.com covers the best in the Indian Blog world. Listen to get addicted! Fri, 10 Mar 2007 19:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Another world is just round the corner and we announce our plans for it. Also Aditya getting is getting married and alll indicast listeners are invited. Budget talk, why is railway budget held on a seperate day than the union budget? Find out and tell us. Fri, 1 Mar 2007 19:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Indibloggies results are out and Indicast has been adjudged as The Podcast of the Year! This episode is dedicated to all you guys who made it happen!!! It features all the stories that you submitted over the fortnight. We hope we've done justice to all! Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Project England worked out pretty well for Tata as CSN lost the 9 round bidding war. Abhishek gives us the complete low-down on what ever happened with the deal. We also spent sometime talking about the Ranji Final where almost almost half of the Indian cricket team had descended. Geofferey boycott, Vinod Kambli, Vengsarkar, Tendulkar family, and Rahul Dravid played a cameo apperance as well...For the first time, We rant about technology. How could microsoft disable the Office 2007 beta without any notice and why is google asking for $2 or more an Indicast adwords campaign? Fri, 10 Feb 2007 19:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Sachin's back in form and peaking at the right time. He has always had a good time at the world cups and I guess this world cup is going to be business as usual for him. Mean while, Abshishek's name is missing from the voter list even though he has a voter registration. So he couldn't get a say in democracy this time. My parents had to go through the same during the elections as well. Debashish Chakraborty joined us on Indicast as a guest to tell us all about Indibloggies. Indibloggies were started by him in 2003 and have become an annual online event. Its like the Oscars for the Indian Blogworld. Fri, 2 Feb 2007 19:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com After a long weekend and the Republic Day Celebrations, we got together to record an episodes with opinions on the latest thats happening on the Idiot box. While I like SRK's KBC style, my dad's not hapy with his hugs and massages for the contestants. Amitabh would never do that is his arguement. KBC probably has the most product placements that I have seen ever. Is it a good thing though? Besides that, I loved the song SRK's KBC song Mon, 29 Jan 2007 19:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Welcome to the fastest Indicast Episode! You may hear a few horns and disturbances on your way to the last minute coz Aditya is in a cafe using "chori ka wi-fi"!!! The story of the week has been how Hutchison Telecom like a lump of jaggery has attracted ants from all corners of the globe! Essar, Reliance, hinduja, Vodafone all want to taste some success in the telecom sector and Hutchison is enjoying the attention. We predict a bidding war and Mr. Li, the owner has all reasons to be happy! Mumbai Marathon, the biggest event in the country will kick off on Jan 21, and will see 30,000 runners including the likes of Anil Ambani. So, what's special? RFID!!! Listen to know more!!! Mon, 21 Jan 2007 19:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Google has been named as the best company to work for on this planet... Free food, massage, unlimited sick leaves, and that's only a start...Can India inculcate a google like culture in one of its companies? Aditya thinks the Indian mobile market is over hyped and well, I think otherwise! Our Podcast turns out to be a mini debate between the two of us and we decided to release it as it is! We also discuss why the concept of Ring Tone is so amusing! And why can they can get to your nerves!..A phone which tells you whether it is safe for you to drive after a couple of drinks. Now, that's what we call a value added service! Listen to know more! Mon, 15 Jan 2007 19:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com This episode is one of the breezy ones which covers everything from the kumbh mela in India to why Tiger Woods may be charged with performance enhancing surgery! We also talk about our favourite topic, the aviation industry and why can't our airlines land when fog hits the sky when aircrafts across the world comfortably land on a lesser known airport in Tibet under near zero visibility conditions. Sun, 7 Jan 2007 19:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com We dedicate this episode to the year 2006 which has been a record of sorts for India! We pick the best and the worst stories of the year and keep it simple. Business, Politics, Sports, Sensex, Aviation, Munnabhai, Saurav dada, the highs, the lows of India in 2006. Listen, enjoy and a bear hug to all you listeners for being with us! A happy new year. Sun, 31 Dec 2006 19:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com India is making NEWS for the right and the wrong reasons. We discuss business, politics, and cricket in this episode. SRK, Big B, Sanju baba, Greg Chappel, Wal Mart, TATA, et al Tue, 5 Dec 2006 15:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com If doctors take the Hippocratic oath vowing ethical practice of medicine, do Lawyers have a similar oath? Professionally, the 77 year old criminal lawyer, Ram Jethmalani has every right to defend Manu Sharma. But, does his profession see client above truth and justice? You tell us. Fri, 27 Nov 2006 17:30:35 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com We at Indicast try to figure out the reason behind the death epidemic and more importantly what can be done to avert the crisis. There are a million unanswered questions. We'll leave it at that. You guys decide what to make of it. Fri, 10 Nov 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Indicast celebrates one year!!! Indicast style salaam to all our listeners who have stayed with us throughout! Keep those comments coming in. We love em all. Also, we have created a record of sorts in this podcast. It is one of those pacy episodes with a file size that wont annoy you! It is that time of the year when India gets a face lift literally. The festival of lights and fire crackers lightens up the country. And with it comes sweets and the faral! Diwali shopping is a trend which all Indians look forward to and live up to it in style by saving some bucks for the D day. I went shopping too and learnt that shopping is a social science! Listen to know more! While an Asian has been awarded with the Nobel Peace prize, we discuss the reasons why Gandhi missed the bus. Fri, 26 Oct 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Our first podcast with both of us sitting face to face...so it definitely was weird to begin with but we eased up as time passed . We start with a few HR issues that start ups like ours face. Belated Gandhijayanti and a very Happy Dry Day!! Whats up with national holiday's being Dry Days? We consistently digress from one topic to the next and have maintained the tradition in this podcast as well...An arranged marriage is a marriage where the marital partners are chosen by others based on considerations other than the pre-existing mutual attraction of the partners. We can visualise an american teenager after reading the definition exclaim, "Phew! That stuff still happens?" But, here in India, this concept is not only age old, but, apparently more successful than love marriages! We have some interesting stories to share. Tue, 10 Oct 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Gandhi. Poora naam, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Munnabhai, the cult Indian movie has injected a dose of Gandhigiri in India. A nation of billion people is bombarded with news from all media vehicles on how Gandhigiri rocks in todays world of deception. Gandhi had moved a nation to action through his out of the box style of protests against the British non-violence and integrity being his weapons of choice. Munnabhai relives Gandhian philosophy in the 21st Century. We at Indicast try to brainstorm a few scenerios where Gandhigiri would work and where it would not be a good idea! Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Ganapati Bappa Moriya! Thats the mantra in India for the week. There is no festival which is celebrated with more pomp and vigour than the Ganesh Chaturti. People from all age groups participate in programmes to exhibit their talent on millions of different stages across the country. India is immune to blaring loudspeakers at 12:30 in the night during these 10 days! Bal Thakrey is in the news again. Hang on. Don't have any pre conceived notions. This time, he is in the NEWS for the right reasons. The authorities at Shirdi may not have the last laugh after all! Listen to know more. Well, on a lighter note, we discuss a very interesting article that Fortune carries in its current issue. It says one in five will interrupt sex to take a phone call!!! Wed, 1 Sep 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The Gods must be crazy! Well, that's what a rational man in his right minds would say to his god fearing friend if the latter were to believe in the "Mahim Sweet-Water Miracle"! We, at Indicast are God fearing men as well, but, we fear science as much as we do God! There is a thin line between science and supernatural and we are careful not to disappoint God by believing in his "miracles" blindly! 20th August, 2006 marked the end of an era. Narayan Murthy, the founder and now, Chief Mentor of Infosys will not be on the payroll of Infosys anymore. Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna(KANK) inspires a husband to shoot his wife! Wed, 23 Aug 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Damn! They spend millions in advertising and nobody seems to care. And, now, suddenly they breed a few bacteria in their products and the country sits up to take notice! Well, I don't know whether advertising helps increase sales, but, negative publicity can sure hinder sales! Pepsi and Coke, the notorious giants are in the News again. In this episode we have mentioned a few statistics from the CSE reports and a few other blogs. It wasn't hard to conclude that it is far safer to have a glass of pepsi that to have a cup of tea! We enter the 60th year of independence! Aditya rattles off interesting bits of trivia about the country. I play the devil's advocate. Sat, 18 Aug 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com An MBA is the "in thing" in India among the "eager minds of tomorrow". We are not complaining. We hold that degree too. What we are against is the unprofessional methods of conditioning these eager minds to pick one B School from the other by publishing half baked survey reports based on perceptions and sheer lack of homework. Mon, 01 Aug 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Hope. It's a funny word, isn't it? it's valium for some and marinjuna for others. It's dope. It's contagious. It spreads. It's an inspiration. Mumbai is on it... because it doesn't have a choice... because it can't afford a nervous breakdown. Mumbai is hurt. It is seething. We hope it is not immune. We hope some day we all will start asking questions. We hope that we, mumbaikars stop taking ourselves for granted and not just "Move on". Mon, 21 Jul 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com When it comes to supply chain, only God can beat em. But, we couldn't interview God. So, we spoke to the second in command, Mr. Raghunath Medghe, the President of the Dabbawala Association, Mumbai. Following is an excerpt from an article from the Forbes Magazine: Mumbai's "tiffinwallahs" have achieved a level of service to which Western businesses can only aspire. "Efficient organization" is not the first thought that comes to mind in India, but when the profit motive is given free rein, anything is possible. To appreciate Indian efficiency at its best, watch the tiffinwallahs at work. Fri, 3 Jul 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com We are back after a long time. Blame it on my laptop which completed its 5th Anniversary and I had to gift it with a new Hard Disk and adorn it with a few accessories. Yeah, it was a costly affair, but, what the heck? We are back! Thank you for all the comments and the patience! "I am a cheerleader, I am a promoter, I am a salesman, I am a debt collector, I am a father confessor and there are other aspects I still have to discover," Annan has said in describing his job. Will Shashi Tharoor join the select few from across the globe to head the most important post in the United Nations? We, at Indicast root for him. Also, Bollywood doesnt stop amazing us especially when its an item girl. When Rakhee did it to a girl, it's a kiss. When Mika does it to Rakhi, it's blasphemy! We try to get our minds to decipher this anamoly. I love it when when we talk on topic as diverse as the ones we covered today. Also to spice it up a bit check out this Rakhi Sawant interview on YouTube. I love the reason she gives for being an item girl. "Mujhe Gaana Pasand hain na". Tue, 21 Jun 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Today, I walked past waiting patients to the quadrangle at the heart of AIIMS, where striking doctors prepare to go hungry for another night. There were candles all around, remnants of a quiet vigil from an hour ago. Little groups of students huddled everywhere, some on benches, others stretched out on red carpets in the centre of the ground. Around them, strung up everywhere, are banners. There's a joke painted on one. It's about Manmohan Singh telling George W Bush of a plan to send Indians to the moon next year. "How many," asks Bush. "100," Singh replies. "25 OBCs, 20 SCs, 15 STs, 5 handicapped, 5 sports personnel, 2 Kashmiri migrants, 8 politicians, 18 generals and, if possible, 2 astronauts." Another poster read: "I am leaving for the US. I was disowned by my own country." This is what it has come to? Tue, 29 May 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com One fine morning, the 19 year old Harvard sophomore, Kaavya Vishwanathan wrote a book, got rich, got famous, and then, got caught. While she seems to have been only "inspired" by one of her favourite authors and that the similarities between her book, 'How Opal Mehta Got kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life' and Sophie Kinsella's 'Can You Keep a Secret' were only coincidental, we at indicast discuss the fine line between inspiration and plagiarism. The NGO that we researched about this week is by the name of Apne Aap, an NGO which has taken up the daring initiative to end sex-trafficking in India. Sat, 13 May 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com With the summer season at its peak, this May, has been an eventful one for the shining brand called 'India'. In the past couple of years, India has appeared in more publications and magazines across the world than it has in the past 8-10 years put together! Was India built in a day? We discuss India and its tryst with fame in this episode. Sat, 6 May 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The summer has always been hot but this time around adding fuel to the fire is the daily load shedding ritual for about 3 hours. I have heard stories where 8 hour load shedding has become a norm. So we decided to take that topic up and present our views on it. I tried hard but couldnt help giving out a few numbers. Abhishek has the honour of hosting the show this time. You will also hear dogs barking in the background for about 2 mins, those are my two dobermans. I tried but couldnt clear the barking from the original recording. Tue, 25 Apr 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Has the Indian judicial system become like a cricket umpire where a few bad decision are part of the game? Killers are being let go and then rearrested, rape sentences are being handed out like the christmas cake. And to top it, the quota system is back. We are for merit based selection but at the same time the under previleged have to be helped out. Abhishek presents a solution. What do you say? Sun, 18 Apr 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com For this episode we have picked up two topics concerning women but one of them remains a big issue while the other one is a "fabricated" issue by the traditional media. The sentencing in the Marine drive rape case caught our eye and Abhishek went on a number hunt to get a few facts while I took a look into the Indian Penal Code and its definition of rape. The other topic we cover was about the goof-ups at the lakme India Fashion week. In fact, we were in two minds while talking about it since the traditional media and the politician hyped it up so much but we had to tell them to shut up, let go and move on!! Sun, 6 Apr 2006 22:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com We are (like any other Indian) passionate about cricket. So we had initially planned this episode to be about what we feel about the Young Team India. But as it happened, we recorded this episode the same day that Team India was embarrassed by a depleted England team so it ended up being a rant. Then the second topic that we squeezed in was the Miss India Contest. Sun, 22 Mar 2006 08:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com This week we aren't late and had a guest with us for this show. A friend of ours, Shalin Mody, works at NASA and we had him over to chat about his experiences. We didn't go into details about ISRO and talked generally about space exploration. The topics covered are Asteroid mission being cancelled, zero gravity, space tourism, Vision for Space explroation. Sun, 12 Mar 2006 08:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Its becoming a habit for us to release episodes with a sorry for the delay but this is the last time. A lot of things happened but nothing that we could talk about for 15 mins entirely with boring you people so what we have done is spent time on several topic. So here is Indicasts episode # 15 for you. Sun, 5 Mar 2006 08:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT ( don't ask me why they dont call it NNPT) is in the spotlight with Bush's upcoming visit to India. He's coming over to discuss some Indo-US nucleur deal for civilian use. So we just thought about giving you some gyan about what the hell NPT is about and why is this such a big deal. Tue, 9 feb 2006 17:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com we decided to talk about Rang De Basanti (needless to say that its a must watch) and discuss a few facts that were mentioned in the movie (dont worry we havent given out the plot) but just picked on a particular thing that a character says. The discussion lead us to talk about IAS and how to get into it and importantly discuss facts about it. Tue, 2 feb 2006 17:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com We are back after a 3 week hiatus and we apologise for that but the schedules kept clashing. That's the trouble having a sales guy as a co-host ;-) . We used up this entire episode to talk about things that happened in 2005. Rediff had a special end of the year article about various things about 2005. So we picked the top ten things that made us (Indians) happy in 2005 and top ten trends that rocked India in 2005. Sun, 8 Jan 2006 17:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The vocalist for fabulous Indus Creed and the awesome Alms for Shanti, Uday Benegal, makes an appearance on IndiCast. I had asked him to join us to talk about the past, present and future of his band and also about generral things happening around him. As usual, we had to battle a few technical problems and had to edit a few awesome moments out of our chat. This episode does contain a few fucks here and there and it would have ruined the episode if we took them away. Morover, almost 75% of the people who took our survey said they would be fine with it. Sun, 19 Dec 2005 17:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com We are huge Sachin fans so we decided to dedicate this episode to Sachin Tendulkar for reaching yet another milestone. The episode contains snippets of sachin's first mainstream interview with Tom Alter and also various incidences as experienced by many greats like Anil Kumble, Dravid, Richie Benaud. Sun, 9 Dec 2005 17:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com After struggling to get good internet connection, we were able to find a stable connection and record this episode. I invited a college friend, Porus Satwe, to talk about talk NRI related finance stuff. This porbably might be the most informative IndiCast to date. Porus explains the difference between NRE,NRO and FCNR accounts as it relates to NRIs. We had decided to talk about investing options as well but had to cut it short and follow it up in another episode. Sun, 1 Dec 2005 17:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com I am back from India (grrrrr...) and back to my routine in the US. It was too short a trip but I was amazed at the changes I could see and feel all over the place so I persuaded abhishek to talk about it so its just me and him this week. We decided to mix it up a bit and let Abhishek play the host for this episode. Sun, 20 Nov 2005 17:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Rashmi Bansal and Vikram Nanivadekar (Nani) shared the mic with me for this episode. I wanted to be a bit adventurous and record this episode at CCD (my cousin who is in SYJC says calling it Cafe Coffe Day is being unhip) but it was just too noisy so we recorded it at JAMs office. Sun, 15 Nov 2005 17:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Toral Mehta from Apprentice joins Indicast for an informal talk, her experiences as a desi on Apprentice. She shares the good and bad experiences that she had on one of US's most popular TV reality show. Sun, 6 Nov 2005 17:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com The episode features a talk on FDI and our support for it especially for retail industry. We have protected ourselves for a long time and its time to play with the foriegn companies. We change the topic and talk about Sachins response to the critical media. We love you Sachin. Sun, 29 Oct 2005 17:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Ash joins Indicast as a guest speaker and to discuss Blog Quake Day. Its an appeal to all Indian bloggers to collaborate for charity for earthquake victims. Aditya and Ash also discuss about how Indians are the 4th happiest in the world inspite of all the disaster happening around the country. Ash says we are just a tolerant bunch. Sun, 23 Oct 2005 09:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com Aditya and Abhishek discuss the hottest topic in Indian blogosphere - IIPM with reference to freedom of speech and defamation. Episode also features a movement to get Mithun as James Bond. Sun, 16 Oct 2005 03:24:05 +0000 http://www.theindicast.com This is the episode # 2 of Indicast. Shailesh Rege joins us as a guest to discuss low cost airlines . Aditya and Abhishek discuss about Indians news channels and George Bush Sun, 10 Oct 2005 01:10:05 +0000