Cyclones are a characteristic feature of the Indian coastline and every year we see a few cyclones create severe damage to the east as well as the west coast. As we deal with the havoc left by Cyclone Biparjoy, on this episode of The Big Story, we want to understand what happens to the communities, people, and their livelihoods once they are rehabilitated. What does that process look like? What kind of mental health problems can come up? Are the long-term effects of cyclones properly understood and worked on?  We also delve into the patterns of cyclones in India and their relation to clim ..read more

What will be the consequence of Congress’ victory in the Karnataka elections? What are the prominent factors that lead to BJP’s setback in the south? What issues mattered to the voters? We are joined by Fatima Khan, principal correspondent with The Quint who was on the ground in the run-up to the elections, and Aditya Menon, our political editor to discuss what actually happened that lead to this result. In this podcast, we closely examine what issues mattered in this election, what strategies worked, and what this election means for future polls ..read more

Do you sometimes look back at your schooling years and wonder if its changed at all? Do you wish you were taught differently? Have you ever considered the role a child’s environment plays in their education? And how different really are government schools from a private school? We know, education has become such a dynamic phenomenon that it’s hard to keep up sometimes, but we’ve got you!  On the Big Story, catch us while we discuss education with Neeti Bhalla Saini, a consultant with the International Baccalaureate and a principal, and Ratna Vishwanathan from Reach to Teach which is a soc ..read more

On this episode of The Big Story, we attempt to uncover the truth about micro-plastics. We sit down in conversation with Shreya Sharma, a researcher pursuing her masters from Imperial College, London and Sadhika Tiwari, an ex-Quintee who is currently a freelance climate Journalist, to know whether we are taking the micro aspect a little too seriously or is this a macro problem we are not focusing on. Did you know micro-plastics are intentionally added in our products? Or the fact that neither non- vegetarians nor vegetarians are safe from micro-plastics being found in their food? And why did w ..read more

Have you been wondering if you should switch from white sugar to jaggery? Is fast food actually harmful? Do diets like Keto and Paleo work? In this episode of The Big Story, we try to find the answers.  We discuss the changing food habits of young people in India with special guests Krish Ashok, a food influencer and author of 'Masala Lab', and Dr. Priyanka Rohatgi, chief nutritionist at Apollo Hospitals. They talk about the rise of fast food culture and their impact on eating habits, while stressing the importance of maintaining a balanced and healthy diet. We also have Kriti Ghai ..read more

If you've spoken to a friend or a colleague for over an hour in the past month, it is highly likely that the words Artificial Intelligence (AI) have come up. While we have been hearing about these technologies for a while, there are some new AI tools which have blown up in the social media world. Cases in point – Chat GPT, DALL-E, Mid Journey and more.  So, we got together with Shamim Mokles, a graphic designer and YouTuber who recently did some interesting experiments with AI, and Dr. Anupam Guha, who works with AI policy and is a professor at IIT Bombay. In this podcast, we will talk ..read more

The Big Story is back with a second season! The news culture of our times is noisy, crowded, and honestly so confusing. This is why we are coming every fortnight on your podcast platforms to help you make sense of the new and now.  With two new hosts, Anjali and Prateek, the second season of The Big Story will feature longer and well-rounded discussions with experts across science, culture, technology, politics, and more. Tune in on your preferred podcast platform ..read more

After the marvelous Thomas cup win, India has another reason to celebrate as Telangana-born boxer Nikhat Zareen bagged the gold medal in the 52-kg category at the Women's World Boxing Championship after defeating Thailand's Jitpong Jutamas in the fly-weight final in Istanbul. With this, the 25-year-old became only the fifth Indian woman to bag a gold at the World Boxing Championships after six-time champion MC Mary Kom, Sarita Devi, Jenny RL, and Lekha KC. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi, boxer Vijender Singh, women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal, cricketer Robin Utthapa and others congra ..read more

On 18 May, Hardik Patel who gained popularity during the Patidar agitation, quit the party. Taking swipes at senior leaders, he accused the party of lacking strong leadership both at the state and central levels. He said that Congress only plays the role of a “roadblock” when it comes to serious issues — be it about Ram Mandir, abrogation of Article 370 or GST. While it’s not yet clear where Hardik will be headed next, resignations within the Congress party have been on the rise. There have been brazen expressions of discontentment over party leadership and the party's functioning from Congr ..read more

After enforcing a ban on wheat exports, India announced some relaxations on 18 May. The surprise decision had led to a lot of chaos as hundreds of thousands of tonnes of wheat were reportedly left stranded at Gujarat’s Kandla Port after the ban was announced. But the new notification from the Ministry of Commerce has said, "It has been decided that wherever wheat consignments have been handed over to Customs for examination and have been registered into their systems on or prior to 13.5.2022, such consignments would be allowed to be exported." Explaining its rationale behind prohibiting the ..read more