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Pause with Nandini | Journalist Chinki Sinha on Bihar Politics, Prashant Kishor's Rise & Women in Power

Journalist Chinki Sinha joins Nandini for a candid, on-the-ground conversation about Bihar's shifting political landscape — from Prashant Kishor's stunning Bankipur by-election win to the generational awakening led by Gen Z, and what it all means for women in Indian politics.

In this episode:

• What Prashant Kishor's Bankipur win really signals — and what it doesn't
• The role of caste, class, and upper-caste anger in Bihar's evolving politics
• Gen Z protests, a new culture of accountability, and speaking truth to power
• Women as vote banks vs. women as leaders — the gap that still exists
• Three things Prashant Kishor must do to turn one win into lasting change

Chapters:

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:44 Prashant Kishor's Bankipur Win
• 9:15 Gen Z Protests & Political Awakening
• 17:03 Women in Bihar Politics
• 25:11 Closing Reflections — What's the Plan?

Pause with Nandini is a podcast at the intersection of politics, society, and the stories that matter.

Thank you for listening! Watch all episodes of Pause with Nandini on https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs

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Dance Like a Goddess: Mahesh Dattani & Saba Zaidi Abdi on Theatre, Politics, and Diaspora in Australia

This episode features playwright-director Mahesh Dattani and Sydney-based creative powerhouse Saba Zaidi Abdi discussing Dattani’s new play Dance Like a Goddess, premiering in Sydney this August.

They reflect on their creative journeys: Dattani’s path to theatre through movement and “rasa,” and Abdi’s decades of work across theatre, television, and film, including collaborations with Satyajit Ray and Shyam Benegal, before turning to why theatre’s live, “perishable” nature matters.

The conversation explores how art is inherently political, addressing majoritarianism, the appropriation of religion for political gain, caste, and the suppression of dissenting voices, themes central to Dance Like a Goddess and why it is being staged in Australia.

They also discuss diaspora audiences, the pull of Bollywood entertainment, and the need for thought-provoking theatre and training through workshops on acting, craft, and scriptwriting.

Workshop and event details are shared, including an actors workshop, a Macquarie University master class/Q&A on 17 July, and performances on 1–2 August at The Playhouse at NIDA.

00:00 GMT20260710-044017_Recording_avo_640x360
00:27 Guest introductions
16:41 Finding your artistic voice
20:56 Art & politics
29:12 Dance Like a Goddess: the play
32:35 Theater, religion & culture
36:23 Workshops & training
46:53 Show dates & cast shoutouts

Thank you for listening! Watch all episodes of Pause with Nandini on https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs

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Australia-India Relations, Dissent, and Digital Resistance

In this episode of Pause with Nandini, host Nandini Sen Mehra brings together an exceptional panel of journalists, commentators, and activists to unpack the complex realities shaping India today and their ripple effects on Australia-India relations and the NRI diaspora.

As geopolitical alignment strengthens between the two nations around trade and defence, internal fractures persist under the surface. From escalating economic distress and clamping down on press freedom to the rise of grassroots, humorous digital rebellions, this roundtable looks at what is genuinely happening on the ground.

Key Discussion Points
• The State of Press Freedom and Dissent in India: Senior Journalist and Editor, Chinki Sinha and Artist and Curator, RAQS Media Collective, Shuddhabrata Sengupta discuss the shrinking space for independent journalism, the systemic jailing of activists (such as Umar Khalid), and the criminalisation of ordinary civil solidarity. They also speak of the richness of cultural spaces in India, and the hope that persists in ordinary lives inspite of systemic issues.

• The Illusion of a Homogenous Diaspora: Former South Asia Bureau Chief for ABC News Meghna Bali breaks down the complexities of the Indian-Australian diaspora, highlighting how it is deeply fragmented by class, caste, religion, and generation despite being marketed as a monolithic community. She reflects on time spent in India, and the need for an honest conversation around difficult issues.

• Dissent and its Fallout: Co-founder of the Humanism Project and Founder of NRI Affairs, Deepak Joshi outlines the growing concerns among non-resident Indians (NRIs) about transnational repression and the shrinking spaces for dissent. He also speaks of rising racism, the model minority narrative, and the complexities of the India-Australia relationship.

• Geopolitics vs. Democratic Integrity: The panel analyses the friction between India's independent foreign policy (balancing the Quad and BRICS), Australia’s reluctance to press India on human rights due to heavily corporate-driven trade and defence interests, both set against a genuine relationship of warmth between the two countries.

• Humour as Resistance: A deep dive into how a statement by the Chief Justice of India sparked a massive, Gen-Z-led digital movement. The panel explores how decentralised memes, citizen reporting, and independent art spaces are reclaiming public dignity and challenging authority through the power of satire.

Watch the full episode to hear these vital perspectives on the Australia-India relationship with all its complexities and the opportunities for a strong and honest engagement.

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Thank you for listening! Watch all episodes of Pause with Nandini on https://youtube.com/c/NRIAffairs