Explaining the sometimes inexplicable

From dodgy babas to dubious didis, Rohit Chopra and Bunty Bolta simplify the discourse of India’s issues in their podcast ‘India Explained’

October 02, 2017 04:02 pm | Updated 04:02 pm IST

It all started with a Twitter account. Rohit Chopra, an academic based in San Francisco, often shares his views on contemporary issues in India be it media relations, politics, technology or cultural identity. The account grew and developed more traction, leading Rohit to reach out to childhood friend Bunty Bolta, a UK magistrate, who suggested a podcast— and so ‘India Explained ‘ was born.

Backstory

“Whenever Bunty and I would talk, we would talk about politics,” Rohit explains, “So we asked around about suggestions for the podcast, and we got this software for $25 and created a Soundcloud account. Within a couple of days of recording and editing, I was able to put up a couple of clips. During the first few weeks, we did longer episodes of 30 minutes across three topics which comprised detailed discussion, an analysis of an old ad from the 1980s, which we really enjoyed.”

On that note, Rohit and Bunty fine-tuned the podcast a bit more, condensing the episodes to 10 minutes. He adds that it’s still early days with about 50 expisodes, including specials, all kicked into gear in March 2017.

Having worked as a magistrate in the UK, Bunty sees the world through a developed reductionist instinct, adding, “I would work with fellow magistrates to turn a large body of evidence into a decision. On the podcast I work with Rohit in a similar vein; we separate the signal from what often seems like a lot of noise. I think it helps me simplify stuff— at least most of the times.” Bunty also has a policy expertise that aids the podcast in many insightful ways.

Transatlantic perspectives

With Rohit based in San Francisco and Bunty in London, listeners can lean into two fact-rich perspectives about occurrences across the pond — but the proximity issue does not stop the guys from staying on top of the debates as much as they can.

Rohit explains that immigration in Britain and the immigration situation for South Asian communities have an evolving relationship and so do Indian communities immigrating to the Bay Area — so the discourses of issues happening in India do vary where Rohit and Bunty reside respectively. “While we do have a difference in perspective on certain things, neither Bunty nor I attempt to conceal or mask our politics but we try to be fair in our discourse while giving space to different points of view. We also try to play devil’s advocate and try to understand where someone of a different mindset is coming from.”

The podcast has attracted millennials the world over — Indians from all walks of life aiming to understand the complexity of the issues in the country, be it the prosecution of Gurneet Ram Rahim Singh or Independence Day sentiments.

MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA, 09/02/2014: Baba Ram Rahim at a press conference for his film, MSG The Messenger, in Mumbai on February 09, 2015.  
Photo: Vivek Bendre

MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA, 09/02/2014: Baba Ram Rahim at a press conference for his film, MSG The Messenger, in Mumbai on February 09, 2015. Photo: Vivek Bendre

And of course, with this come all things social media — a pretty direct means of feedback. Bunty explains that they don’t make any special allowance for the fact they are in digital spaces, “We discuss stuff like we are talking to a bunch of our diverse friends. We have an active and growing listener group — who helpfully point out gaps in reasoning or facts via email. We also have some nutjobs — but Rohit handles them with ease and aplomb.”

Rohit hopes the podcast makes a useful contribution to engagement and conversation, and staying on top of the news in a neutral manner while still retaining their political heart on their sleeve has proved easy for them, “Television channels in India have vulgarised critical discourse with very dangerous consequences because of their reach. For example when it comes to the issue of GST and policy, it doesn’t so much as matter if whether the government is Congress of Hindu nationalist. The question of political ideology, whether it’s secularism or Hindu nationalism, doesn’t come into play there. So if I’m someone pro-Congress and I make a poor shot on Twitter against Hindu nationalism in terms of GST, or vice versa. Barring that kind of facetious or superficial engagement defeats the whole purpose of discourse.”

NEW DELHI, 08/07/2017: Motorists drive past a billboard displaying an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announcing the implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) a week after the tax regime was rolled out across the country, New Delhi on Saturday.  
Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

NEW DELHI, 08/07/2017: Motorists drive past a billboard displaying an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announcing the implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) a week after the tax regime was rolled out across the country, New Delhi on Saturday. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

A friend of Rohit’s, Aniket Alam, a professor at IIT Hyderabad has left a lasting impact with an interesting statement, “‘When you look at any right wing government in history, they did create havoc in social realms, but things also happened in terms of implementing policies,’” Rohit quotes, adding, “So coming back to GST, Bunty and I stay on top of the news headlines and keep in touch with reliable contacts in the industry.”

What the future holds

Topics the duo hope to touch upon in the near future include the unexplained sex appeal of the likes of Ajay Devgan and Sunny Deol, and the filmi representation of Maa and the damage it does to Indian blokes, all while upholding India Explained ’s slogan ‘In an age of fake news, the real deal.’

Notable episodes of India Explained include ‘Dodgy Baba’ which examines the trial of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and the interpretations of Sikhism, ‘Pigeon Problems’ which presents a discourse on the displicines of these permanent city inhabitants, ‘Dubious Didi’ which deconstructs policies upheld by Mamata Banerjee and ‘Lady Police’ which discusses the challenges faced by policemen in India, given that public space is heavily skewed male in India.

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