BIC TALKS

Trans rights activist Bittu and Tejas AP discuss the challenges faced by the Trans community in India, the politics and policies around trans rights and gender equity, and the quest for marginalised individuals to live a life of dignity. This is the second of 2 episodes on BIC Talks discussing trans rights, trans lives and the long road to true gender inclusion and equity in India. Previously on Episode 27, lawyer Jayna Kothari had spoken to Tejas AP about the important legal judgments in India that have promoted trans rights, and the for positive rights for gender minorities. Bittu and Tejas take the conversation forward and discuss the deeply problematic politics and policymaking process that led to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, and subsequent actions. They also discuss more progressive legislative moves at the state level in South India. In the end, Bittu and Tejas discuss how people can become better allies, and help build a more equitable society. Bittu is an Associate Professor of Biology and Psychology at Ashoka University, and a genderqueer transman who believes in the annihilation of caste, class and gender. Tejas AP (he/him/his) (@tejasap) lives and works in Bangalore. He heads Research Communications at Azim Premji University. BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guest.

Noted US Immigration Attorney Sheela Murthy talks to Strategic HR Advisor Hema Ravichandar on navigating the latest ban and restrictions of US Visas. In June 2020, the Trump Administration used record unemployment figures in the United States of America to push through further Visa restrictions on H-1B, L-1, L-2 and various other visa categories. These visas as well as accompanying permits and authorisations are the means by which hundreds of thousands of Indians are currently studying, working or seeking employment in the US. Sheela and Hema not only discuss the impact of the latest set of visa restrictions, but also recommend the best routes and options for Indians who are stuck in a variety of complex situations and are concerned about uncertain futures that lie ahead of them. Sheela Murthy is the founder and president of the Murthy Law Firm in Baltimore, Maryland. She completed her Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, and has been admitted to practice as an attorney in New York, Maryland, and the U.S. Supreme Court. With a strong focus on U.S. immigration law, Sheela also works on immigration in the policy and the academic space. Hema Ravichandar is a Strategic HR Advisor based in Bangalore, with over 35 years of industry experience. BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guest.

Pico Iyer talks to fellow author and journalist Samanth Subramaniam about his 32 years of living in Japan, learning from an ancient culture that remains hauntingly familiar and entirely impenetrable in the same breath. This is the second episode of BIC Talks as a part of the WorldLit series in collaboration with the Bangalore Literature Festival. In 2019, Iyer published twinned books about his adopted home, A Beginner's Guide to Japan: Observations and Provocations and Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells, addressing ping-pong and the art of trying to find hope in a time of uncertainty. These are the latest of Iyer's 15 books, translated into 23 languages, and he has been a constant contributor to Time, The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, Harper's and more than 250 other periodicals for more than thirty years. His four talks for TED have received more than 10 million views so far. Samanth Subramanian is the author of, most recently, "A Dominant Character," a biography of the scientist and communist JBS Haldane. His journalism has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, BusinessWeek, Granta and WIRED. He lives in Cambridge, England. BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guest.

Rahul Rao (@thariel) and Poorna Swami discuss whether cities, nations and communities should retain statues honouring 18th and 19th century slave traders and imperialists. There are movements to bring down the statues of Confederate Generals in the United States of America, Colonial rulers in Europe, Gandhi in Africa. Rahul and Poorna explore if they are morally justified. If they are, where does one draw the line? Rahul Rao is a senior lecturer at SOAS, the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and the author of 'Out of Time: The Queer Politics of Postcoloniality' (Oxford University Press 2020). Poorna Swami is an independent writer and journalist based in Bangalore. BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guest.

Supreme Court Advocate Jayna Kothari and Tejas AP talk about trans rights, important legal judgments in India, the US and elsewhere in recent years, and the path towards gender equity and inclusion. This is the first of two episodes hosted by Tejas on gender equity, and here Jayna unpacks the recent US Supreme judgment on LGBTQ workers' discrimination, the decriminalisation of Section 377 in India, the 2014 NALSA vs. Union of India judgment on gender-based discrimination in India, and more. They discuss how India needs to now move beyond decriminalisation and start affirming positive rights for LGBTQ+ individuals, and pass new equality laws. Jayna Kothari is a Senior Advocate who practices in the Supreme Court of India. She is the co-founder of the Centre for Law and Policy Research in Bangalore. Jayna had argued in the Supreme Court in the recent constitutional challenges to Section 377 and adultery, which were both decriminalized. Tejas AP (he/him/his) lives and works in Bangalore. He heads Research Communications at Azim Premji University. He works with researchers to present their findings in as engaging and accessible a manner as possible to a general audience. He is an urbanisnt to the core, indulges in fantasy cartography, and tirelessly advocates for over consumption of filter coffee.

Aeronautical engineer and retired test pilot Joseph Thomas talks to host Pavan Srinath about aerial survey and mapping of the India-China border, about the evolution of mapping technology in the subcontinent, and about the longest contested border in the world. Mr Thomas discusses how maps were drawn and land was measured between the 19th century and today, the advent of aerial mapping in India, to where we are today. He elaborates on his time in aerial mapping using Canberra aircraft, a time when India had better maps of the border areas and a technological lead over China for almost two decades. He also discusses how international borders are delineated and demarcated, and provides context for the full long India-China border, as well as the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. Joseph Thomas is an Indian Air Force pilot who flew transport and logistics during the 1962 Indo-China War. From 1967 to 1971 he flew in the reconnaissance and aerial survey squadron, taking part in border surveys, and aerial mapping of the entire country. He is also a test pilot and helped start the Indian Air Force Test Pilot School. He retired as a Wing Commander in 1984, and was awarded a Vayu Sena Medal. BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guest.

Evolutionary biologist and herpetologist Ishan Agarwal talks to host Pavan Srinath about discovering new species of geckos and other wildlife in India. India's ecosystems and biodiversity are facing new threats every day, but dedicated researchers are finding large numbers of new species of lizards, frogs, insects and more in the last decade or two. Ishan Agarwal has helped discover about 40 new species of small animals till date, and shares how new species are found, identified and named. He shares stories of naming geckos after his mother who inspired his love for nature, after places where the species were found, and how scholars pay homage or have fun while naming new species. Ishan also discusses modern scientific tools and modern understanding of what constitutes a species. He links these discoveries to larger ideas of studying biodiversity, environmental conservation and climate change. Ishan Agarwal (@geckoella on Instagram) is an evolutionary biologist by training and studies lizards, their biological diversity, evolution and natural distribution. He is currently a scientist at the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation and focuses on studying the biodiversity of peninsular India. BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guest.

Bestselling author Chetan Bhagat talks to Journalist Shrabonti Bagchi about the COVID-19 pandemic, his reactions to it as a writer, and about the future of books and publishing beyond 2020. This is the first podcast in a new WorldLit series, a collaboration between the Bangalore Literature Festival and the Bangalore International Centre. The BIC-BLF WorldLit series will feature podcast episodes here on BIC Talks, and live events on BIC Streams. In this episode of BIC Talks, Chetan Bhagat talks to Shrabonti Bagchi about his reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ways in which it is changing the world around us. How does the life of a successful writer change during a pandemic, and how are the current and long-term impacts of the pandemic influence fiction? What is the future of publishing, literature festivals, book launches, and books and entertainment in general? Chetan Bhagat is the author of eight novels and three non-fiction books, most recently, The Girl in Room 105 (Westland 2018) and India Positive (Westland 2019). Shrabonti Bagchi is a journalist based in Bangalore, and currently the National Features Editor at Mint. BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guest.

Did you know that ostriches originated in India, and co-existed with the first humans in the subcontinent? Or that early ancestors of whales and dolphins lived in the present-day Kutch and the Himalayas? Did you know that the granite countertop in your kitchen is likely two billion years old? Pranay Lal returns to BIC Talks and regales host Pavan Srinath with numerous stories from India and the World's deep past, with geological tales of wonder that are as old as the Earth, to stories of microscopic life that changed the world as we know it, to stories of elephants of rhinoceroses competing in the Indian subcontinent. Pranay takes listeners on a journey through the wonders of the natural world and makes a compelling case for how natural history appreciation can deepen our thinking on climate change, environmental conservation, and more. Pranay Lal is a biochemist and an artist, who works on public health and the environment. He is the author of Indica, A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent. He was previously on Episode 19 of BIC Talks, 'Virus Rhapsody', where he shared wonders of world of viruses, and how these sub-microscopic creatures influence even global climate. BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guest.

Admiral Arun Prakash and Lieutenant General (Dr) Prakash Menon discuss the creation of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) position in India in 2019-2020, a reform idea that is even older than the Republic of India. The Admiral and the General discuss the history of the CDS story, how the idea got new life after the Kargil war, and what was finally implemented in 2019 and 2020. They also discuss the path ahead for India's first CDS, and the challenges that need to be tackled in defence policy, planning and strategy, as well as other defence reforms such as the creation of theatre commands or regional commands. Admiral Arun Prakash served as India's 20th Chief of Naval Staff, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, and was a naval aviator. He also served on the 1999 Arun Singh taskforce as well as the Naresh Chandra Committee on national security reforms. He is on twitter at @arunp2810. Lt General (Dr) Prakash Menon is Director of the Strategic Studies Programme at The Takshashila Institution, and former Military Adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat. He is the author of the book, 'The Strategy Trap – India and Pakistan Under the Nuclear Shadow', and is on Twitter at @prakashmenon51. BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guests.