Hello, I’m a long-time subscriber. This is the first time I am writing to Hafta. I live in the US and have been following the election coverage. I noticed a shift in various platforms, such as Barkha’s. She started picking up the same talking points as the Godi channels, filling her panels with right-wing loonies such as Abhijeet Iyer Mitra. I just wanted to point this out.

Also, I listened in disbelief when Manisha said something to the effect that Modi’s message was more coherent. I wanted to write then, but other subscribers were more articulate. Keep up the good work!

Subha Philip 

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Hi NL team, thank you for the great election coverage. Unfortunately, I belong to the Khadoor Sahib constituency (where Amritpal won). Since I am not in India, my perspective is based on the news I have consumed while sitting afar. I read the reports done by Basant and the BBC, along with talking to my friends and family. I think more than the radicalisation factor, it was the failure of mainstream parties on issues of drugs and sacrilege. Moreover, these were the very reasons for the fall of Akali Dal and the formation of the Congress and the AAP governments in 2017 and 2022, respectively. If it is not addressed now, then we can expect more divergence of people towards alternatives in the future, which might not be good for our national security. I acknowledge that religion was a factor there, but I am not sure about Khalistan.

Also, without sounding pedantic, what was the thought behind putting Atul behind the wheels in the sticker of the morning election show?

Manpreet 

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I am one of the new subscribers to Newslaundry after Hafta went behind a paywall. Hafta gets me through a couple of exercise sessions, so thank you for that. A few requests:

Can you please provide notes to the recommendations in the description.

Also, just like a southern version of Hafta, can you have an international news version? Also from a business standpoint, upload the full version on YT for the first few months.

Kishan 

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Hi team,

I thought journalism was dead and then I found Newslaundry. I love Hafta and see the passion for good journalism and the honesty from comments like, “Education is the last priority of these illiterates”, or the banter on “TV pe jaake chillayenge”, or the embarrassment around being an Indian. The hard work you have been putting in despite the current political climate is commendable and really brave, and supporting you is the least I can do, so thank you!

I did have a question to the Hafta panel with regard to our political history. How much of what we are going through is ordinary or extraordinary when you look at all our post independence history? Do we have any hope for change or will we be seeing Modi in 2049 as well when another politician will have a vision of him saying, “Abki baar chocobar (oops, 400 paar)” again? The erosion of our democratic values in the last decade paints a very bleak future in front of my eyes. Where do you folks think we will go?

Aditya Kalyanakrishnan 

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Hi NL, kudos for the election coverage. Rooting for gaali-proof south Hafta and non-Punjabi song recommendations :). I need the thoughts of the panel on the below points: 

SEBI has new guidelines for finfluencers. But it is violated by the PM, HM , FM, and the SEBI should ideally take a stand here. But it can’t happen because of our independent institutions.

I am waiting for the SBI to release more on electoral bonds. Our stories on this topic are very good.

Why does the election commission take a longer time in MODI’s digital India? Why do electoral bonds take a longer time in MODI’s digital India?

Why is demonetisation data not released yet in MODI’s digital India?

Sarath 

***

Dekh lo bhaiya, kaam apna acha hai lekin app apna gadbad hai. It takes some effort to access podcasts. Out of paywall ka swargiya sukh chala gaya though I am a subscriber since 2013 isliye achha bura sab dekha hai, kuch thoda bahut bura sab ignore karte rehte hain.

We are doing good and must survive for the sake of our beloved country... more power to your journalism. Always an admirer. Thank you.

Anurag Tiwari 

***

Dear NL team,

Thank you for your incredible election coverage with TNM. I am curious: what were the logistics involved in your shows from colleges or restaurants/dhabas etc? Were you ever refused permission? Was there a lot of planning required in advance? How much awareness of Newslaundry did you see in your travels?

Not to be senti, but as an OG follower from the “can you take it days”, I am so proud of how you have stayed loyal to your mission and grown from strength to strength. Inshallah, we will see a day when “mainstream media” will mean organisations like yours.

If you are ever in Washington DC, please know that you have a resource in me. Happy to help in any way I can!

More power and lots of jhappis,

Shaunak 

***

Hello!

Long-time NL fan, but a recent subscriber here! Love you guys!

In terms of paper leaks and exam cancellations, it was great to see you bring students’ voices on NEET. But hopefully there will be more coverage around NET and other exams that – as Anand pointed out in one of the episodes – are a means to climb the class-ladder for many. NET also requires more contextualisation because it’s an exam for academics and for those pursuing a career in academia, and it’s important to see it in the light of the crumbling public-funded higher education institutions in India and the stagnant nature of jobs in academia. As someone who has taken the NET in the past, I am particularly interested in the impact of this paper leak and cancellation.

Please cover the NET in-depth too and have someone like Ravikant on the panel who had some brilliant insights on NCERT on NL Hafta :)

Rohini Banerjee 

***

Mail 1: My question is directed to Shardool, who stated in the last Hafta that Islamophobia isn’t mainstream and that it is merely BJP goons who are responsible for beating and abusing Muslims. If this is true, how do you explain the recent lynchings that occurred immediately after the elections? How do you account for the young man in Gujarat who was lynched to death simply because he was playing well in a cricket match? The sole reason for his lynching was that he was a Muslim. These instances of lynching were not orchestrated by the BJP or any other organisation; they were perpetrated by ordinary people, people like our neighbours, probably like you and me.

Mail 2: The last episode of Hafta was very depressing. It seems we have ultimately descended into a police state. Also, why was Anand defending the new laws? They are basically fascist in nature.

Noaman 

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How can I have the books Naxalbari and Kashmir Ki Kahani shipped to the US? I remember that a way to ship it was announced at some time. Don’t know if that is still relevant because I couldn’t find an option for international delivery to the US.

jugrJ 

***

Dear sir, I am one of your subscribers, and I feel proud about this because, in my opinion, I am contributing to saving DEMOCRACY because there are many factors that are decreasing the real power of democracy. By occupation, I am a teacher in the Basic Education Department in Uttar Pradesh. But there are many huge problems with this occupation. There are many guidelines in this occupation, but there is no clarity or transparency in any guideline. For any work, there is a lot of pressure on us, and so I am feeling depressed and stressed all the time. So please do research on this occupation and talk about the ground problems that we are facing every day. I will be highly grateful to you. Thanks.

Jai Karan 

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I was slightly disappointed that multiple emails I’d written across weeks were discarded by just picking a few buzz words and making a failed attempt to find the gist of them that way. It was an attempt to show how a case like Kangna’s reaches primetime, but a case of a Sikh being beaten up in Haryana by being termed Khalistani doesn’t make the news even in most independent media.

Regardless, you guys do a sincere job overall. Keep at it :).

Just a recommendation: watch the movie Maharaj on Netflix. I didn’t know such a case had happened in the 1800s (the babas eliciting sexual favours).

Anonymous 

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Dear NL team,

I’ve been a subscriber for a few years now. The Hafta podcast attracted me to NL, and I decided to support independent journalism by subscribing, and since then I’ve not been disappointed with the quality of journalism you produce. I’m especially happy with your partnership with TNM, which brings the view from the south to the NL audience, which was plainly lacking from reporting and podcasts. Before this, NL and Hafta were Delhi-centric and limited to northern Indian politics in general.

Having said all of that in appreciation, I find myself less and less keen to download and listen to Hafta anymore. The main complaint I have, about which I have written before, is the disrespect to your audience from the south who are not familiar with Hindi. Some of the regulars tend to lapse into Hindi, consciously or unconsciously. I find it very off-putting. I primarily listen to Hafta because it is an English-language podcast. The recent Hafta was especially bad, with Meghnad, the guest host, practically speaking in Hindi 70 percent of the time. My request to you is to remember that there is a vast country out there that is not in the Hindi belt, and people do not necessarily speak and understand Hindi. I recall Jayashree, when she was on the panel, used to constantly pull you up when the conversation lapsed into Hindi.

Of all the regulars, I have the greatest respect for Mr Raman Kirpal. I find his views very balanced, and his style is very engaging. I find Anand Vardan very difficult to listen to. I am a great fan of Abhinandan, and I have missed his presence on the panel.

I wrote this deliberately as a separate email, as I didn’t want to be restricted by the word count limit. You may or may not read this in the podcast, but if you can take the feedback, it is enough for me.

Parthiban 

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