South Asia Chat

In this episode of South Asia Chat, Dr Imran Ahmed, Research Fellow at ISAS, talks to Nusrat Chowdhury, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Amherst College, to unpack the July uprising in Bangladesh. They explore the student-led protest movement, its role in reshaping popular culture, and how national memory is evolving in the wake of Sheikh Hasina's fall.

Sri Lanka’s presidential election was held on Saturday the 21 September 2024. The presidential campaign was dominated by three main candidates, the incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe running on an independent platform, the main opposition party’s (Samagi Jana Balawegaya) leader Sajith Premadasa, and the National People’s Power candidate, Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In this episode, ISAS Research Fellow Dr Rajni Gamage talks to Dr Pradeep Pieris, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science and Public Policy, University of Colombo, about the politics behind the presidential campaigns and challenges ahead.

India and China have long been locked in border disputes along the Himalayas, with tensions particularly high following a deadly clash in 2020. However, recent negotiations after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s re-election have sparked cautious optimism for resolution. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Kanika Kaur, Research Analyst at ISAS, is joined by Professor Kanti Bajpai, Vice Dean of Research and Development at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, to discuss the significance of the ongoing talks, domestic political pressures in India, China’s evolving stance, and how these developments may reshape India's foreign policy.

The past week has been an exciting time here in Singapore with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit. Modi’s fifth visit to Singapore marked a momentous occasion in Singapore-India relations as the two countries upgraded their strategic partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that essentially means deeper bilateral cooperation over wider and newer sectors. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Ms Devyani Chaturvedi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research lead for the trade and economics division at ISAS, to discuss the significance of the visit, India-Singapore’s deepening ties and their cooperation over different sectors.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to Russia and Ukraine one after the other brings to India’s dynamic foreign policy that is enabling it to walk this tightrope. In this episode of South Asia Chat, Ms. Devyani Chaturvedi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Professor C Raja Mohan, Visiting Research Professor at ISAS, to discuss the significance of the visits, India’s increasing attention on Central Europe and its larger geopolitical ambitions.  

The recent Indian economic survey and budget brought to the forefront the challenge of unemployment and skill gap and mismatch in India.  In this episode of South Asia Chat, Ms. Devyani Chaturvedi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Professor Bornali Bhandari, Professor at the National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi, India, to discuss the correlation between unemployment and skilling, how the budget addresses these issues and initiatives introduced by the Central and state governments to address these challenges.

Bangladesh has seen major political developments in the last few months. Student-led protests against the quota system, made widespread by Sheikh Hasina's irresponsible remarks and violent clampdown, led to the end of her 15 year rule as prime minister. Since then, a new interim government has taken shape, led by Muhammad Yunus. As things begin to settle down, conversation around the future of Bangladesh have emerged. In this episode, Mr Saeeduddin Faridi, Research Analyst, ISAS-NUS, is in conversation with Dr Sohela Nazneen, Senior Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, United Kingdom. They discuss the formation of the new government, the immediate challenges it faces and the process of building trust between the state and its citizens.

Sri Lanka’s presidential election is scheduled to be held on the 21st of September 2024. This is the first election after the 2022 economic crisis and mass street protests which ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. To understand the complexities surrounding the upcoming election, ISAS Research Fellow Dr Rajni Gamage, is joined by Mr Ameer Faaiz, a senior lawyer, Chair of One Text Initiative, and a member of the Election Commission of Sri Lanka.

On 30 June 2024, Taliban officials representing Afghanistan joined the United Nations (UN) and other stakeholders in Doha for the third set of UN-led talks on the Afghanistan peace process. Since 2021, Afghanistan has been rife with economic regression, political instability, and humanitarian crises. Furthermore, the Taliban regime has been criticised internationally for their human rights record. To discuss some of these issues, Mr Muhammad Saad Ul Haque, Research Analyst, ISAS-NUS is in conversation with Dr Shanthie D’Souza, Founder and President, Mantraya Institute of Strategic Studies (MISS) and Visiting Faculty, Naval War College, Goa, India.

On 23 July 2024, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget for Fiscal Year 2024-2025. Presented as the first budget in the newly elected National Democratic Alliance government, this budget brought to the forefront the dynamics of coalition politics and shed light on new schemes for employment and more- in short- providing a statement by the newly-elected government on its way forward for the next year. To help deconstruct the Indian budget, Ms Devyani Chaturvedi, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with Dr Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economics), ISAS, to discuss various social, political and geo-economic aspects of the budget along with delving into the announcements made in it.