In Focus by The Hindu

The buzzword of late, has been wellness. Wellness in mind and body is something all of us strive for. But wellness has also become an entire industry in itself – with products, services and clinics all claiming to offer it in different forms. The nutraceuticals industry for instance, is growing rapidly, projected to be worth 64 billion dollars by 2030, while aesthetic medicine is projected to triple its value by 2029. From protein powders to supplements, anti-ageing lotions to treatments at wellness lounges, there is no dearth of offerings and advertisements. But how safe are these products and procedures? Do what they claim in their advertisements match what offer in reality? What goes into these products and who regulates them? Guest: Prashant Reddy Co-author, Truth Pill: Myth of Drug Regulation Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to the Union Education Ministry, Indian universities have achieved their best-ever performance in the World University Rankings 2026. The rankings are done by a British company, Quacquarelli Symonds, also known as QS.  The new QS rankings feature a total of 54 Indian universities, which makes India the 4th most represented country, with only the US (192), the UK (90) and China (72) having more universities ranked than India. Among Indian universities, 48% have also  improved their rankings compared to the previous year, with six featuring in the top 250. IIT, Delhi is the highest ranked Indian university in the list, coming in at #123.  The government has claimed that the numbers indicate a revolutionary transformation of India’s educational landscape.  How exactly are the QS rankings arrived at? What idea of the university is being evaluated in these rankings? Are the metrics relevant to the Indian context and Indian students?  Guest: Professor Anita Rampal, former Dean, Faculty of Education, at Delhi University. Anita, welcome to the pod.  Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu  Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nipah virus is not new to Kerala: the State is experiencing it’s eighth outbreak since 2018 this July. So far, there have been four confirmed cases: of these, two persons have died, while the other two remain hospitalised. A total of 675 people across the State are currently under observation, with 38 classified as being in the highest risk category.One question that many have wondered about is: why Kerala? Why is it that this one State has seen multiple outbreaks of the deadly virus? What do we know about how it spills over from fruit bats to humans? And what can be done to contain it? Guest: Dr. Anoop Kumar A.S., director of critical care medicine at Aster North Kerala Cluster, who played a pivotal role in detecting the Nipah virus outbreak in the State in 2018 Host: Zubeda Hamid Edited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a June morning, Air India flight AI171 lifted off from Ahmedabad, bound for London. The aircraft was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner — among the most advanced long-haul jets in service. But less than a minute after takeoff, the plane crashed. Two hundred and sixty people were killed. Only one survived. It was India’s deadliest air disaster in nearly three decades. Now, a preliminary investigation points to a chilling cause: fuel to both engines was cut off just after takeoff. The engines lost thrust. The plane had neither the altitude nor the time to recover. What happened in those final seconds? Was it a technical failure or human error? Guest: Jagriti Chandra, Special Correspondent at The Hindu covering aviation Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala, was scheduled to be executed in Yemen today on July 16, as per reports, but the execution has now been postponed after multiple levels of talks and negotiations got underway. Nimisha Priya has been on death row in Yemen since 2018 for the murder of her former business partner, a Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mehdi . Efforts to have her released have included raising funds for ‘blood money’ or money that is paid to the victim’s family as compensation. The case has presented complications because of the internal breakdown in Yemen, Yemeni capital Sanaa is controlled by Ansar Ullah (Houthi) while the Internationally Recognised Government of Yemen operates out of Aden. We do a deep dive into the case of Nimisha Priya, the rights of Indian citizens who get enmeshed in criminal judicial systems in other countries, India’s obligations to these citizens and the death penalty laws in India with Shreya Rastogi, Director of Death Penalty Litigation and Forensics, The Square Circle Clinic, NALSAR University of Law, Delhi Host: Zubeda Hamid Guest: Shreya Rastogi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s been a lot of action in the world of footwear fashion – especially legal action involving claims and counter-claims about cheap fakes of expensive originals, and also expensive rip-offs of cheaper originals. First it was the crocs, the uniquely shaped perforated sandals. The American company which makes them, Crocs Inc., is pursuing legal action against several Indian companies, including the likes of Bata and Liberty, for copying their visual design and “passing off” their product as crocs. Then we have the case of Italian luxury fashion brand Prada, which has been facing heat in India after it showcased men’s ‘Toe-ring Sandals’ that looked a lot like Kolhapuri chappals. And now we have the German sandal brand Birkenstock getting court approval to inspect factories in India and seize counterfeit Birkenstock sandals. Are these three cases comparable? How exactly does the copyright regime work in the fashion world? And why are Indians crazy for Birkenstocks? In Part 2, we shift focus to the cultural and fashion dimensions of the sandal scandal, examining how Crocs, Birkenstocks, and even Kolhapuris became trend statements. Host: G Sampath Guests: Rosella Stephen, editor of The Hindu’s Sunday Magazine, and Shantanu Sood, a lawyer who specialises in intellectual property-related issues. Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s been a lot of action in the world of footwear fashion – especially legal action involving claims and counter-claims about cheap fakes of expensive originals, and also expensive rip-offs of cheaper originals. First it was the crocs, the uniquely shaped perforated sandals. The American company which makes them, Crocs Inc., is pursuing legal action against several Indian companies, including the likes of Bata and Liberty, for copying their visual design and “passing off” their product as crocs. Then we have the case of Italian luxury fashion brand Prada, which has been facing heat in India after it showcased men’s ‘Toe-ring Sandals’ that looked a lot like Kolhapuri chappals. And now we have the German sandal brand Birkenstock getting court approval to inspect factories in India and seize counterfeit Birkenstock sandals. Are these three cases comparable? How exactly does the copyright regime work in the fashion world? And why are Indians crazy for Birkenstocks? In Part 1, we look at the legal battles. In Part 2, we explore how footwear became a cultural and fashion phenomenon. Host: G Sampath Guests: Shantanu Sood, a lawyer who specialises in intellectual property-related issues, and Rosella Stephen, editor of The Hindu’s Sunday Magazine. Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the U.S. wraps up its 90-day tariff pause, the pressure is on — but many of America’s key trading partners, including India, haven’t signed trade deals.President Donald Trump announced 'Liberation Day" tariffs on April 2, but paused from April 9 to July 9 in a bid to sign deals with trading partners.The U.S. successfully signed pacts with Vietnam, China, and the U.K., but did not secure deals with major partners like the EU, Japan, or India.Now, the pause is officially over, and with retaliatory duties expected to take effect from August 1, the future of global trade has just become more uncertain.India may have reason to worry. In FY2025, India's total trade with the U.S. stood at $186 billion, with exports at $115.2 billion and imports at $70.8 billion. enjoyed a trade surplus of $44.4 billion. That kind of imbalance could make India a target for fresh tariffs.However, India has refused to negotiate under a deadline, and the national interest comes first. The Indian government has also been negotiating with the U.S. on a broader trade deal for years, but a breakthrough remains elusive. So what happens next?  Guest: Ajay Srivastava, Founder, Global Trade Research Initiative [GTRI] Host: Nivedita V Edited by Jude Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bridge collapsed in Gujarat on July 9, killing at least thirteen people. The Gambhira Bridge, which connected the Anand and Vadodara districts, gave way, sending cars, bikes and auto rickshaws plunging into the Mahisagar River. Built over four decades ago, the bridge had shown signs of being worn out but was still heavily used. Its collapse is part of a troubling pattern of deadly bridge cave-ins across India. What caused the Gambhira Bridge to collapse? Could it have been prevented? And what does this say about how India builds and maintains its roads and bridges? Guest: Abhinay Deshpande from The Hindu’s Ahmedabad Bureau Host: Anupama Chandrasekaran Edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

India’s ten central trade unions – barring the Sangh-affiliated Bharatiy Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) came together to call for a general strike in July 9. Workers from banking, insurance, postal, mining, construction, and transportation sectors have pledged their support to the strike and are expected to participate in big numbers.  According to the Union spokespersons, the strike is in protest against the government’s anti-worker policies and specifically also against the amendments to the 29 labour laws and the newly introduced labour codes.  But these amendments and labour codes happened quite some time ago. Why is the strike being called now? What exactly are the demands of the unions? And what is likely to be its impact?  Guest: A.M. Jigeesh from The Hindu’s Delhi Bureau. Host: G Sampath Produced and edited by Jude Francis Weston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices