ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash

Dr. Swasti Rao is a geopolitics and defence expert, commentator, and author. She is currently an Associate Professor at the Jindal School of International Studies and a Consulting Editor for Strategic and International Affairs at ThePrint. She explains key geopolitical and security issues from an Indian perspective.

In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, she discusses what could happen to Iran after Ayatollah Khamenei’s death and how the security structure of Gulf nations might change. She describes Donald Trump as the only U.S. President to have gone this far in supporting Israel, and explains what another war could mean for the Middle East. She also talks about the impact on global oil supplies and what is at stake for India.

00:00 – Introduction
02:05 – The Middle East War
03:51 – Gulf Nations Under Attack
09:09 – Israel’s Objectives in Iran
12:24 – US–Israel Targeting Strategy
16:12 – Did U.S. Abandon GCC Bases?
24:01 – IRGC’s Command Structure
29:48 – Iran’s War Mindset
35:27 – Impact of Khamenei’s Death
37:22 – GCC in Shock After Attacks?
41:57 – What Do Saudi Arabia & Israel Want?
44:41 – Iran–Turkey Ties: What’s Next?
46:29 – Pakistan’s Role
55:33 – The Modi–Netanyahu Meeting
59:00 – Evacuation Plans & Economic Impact on India
1:07:53 – The Roles of China and Russia
1:18:57 – How Long Could This War Last?

Ashish Chauhan is the MD & CEO of the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE). A technocrat from IIT Bombay and IIM Calcutta, he was part of the founding team that built the NSE. He is credited with bringing several key innovations to India’s stock market. He also served as the MD and CEO of the Bombay Stock Exchange for 10 years.

In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he speaks about the much-awaited NSE IPO, how the exchange handles cyberattacks, and how the NSE powers India’s stock market. He advises investors to stay away from social media “tips,” shares his views on India’s options market, and discusses the future of de-dollarisation and India’s growing number of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).

00:00 – Introduction
00:42 – What Does NSE Do?
06:35 – How NSE Earns Revenue
09:16 – How NSE Powers India’s Stock Market
15:18 – Regulations in Capital Markets
20:02 – NSE IPO Coming Soon?
27:56 – NSE Co-Location Scam
33:12 – 1992 Harshad Mehta Scam
39:23 – India’s Options Market
44:55 – NSE’s Investor Awareness Initiatives
47:29 – Why India Bans Prediction Markets
50:45 – How NSE Survives Cyberattacks
57:29 – Challenges as NSE MD
1:02:09 – Future of De-Dollarisation
1:06:55 – India’s FTAs
1:16:04 – Modinomics vs Manmohanomics
1:23:42 – NSE’s Vision for Viksit Bharat 2047

Abhinav Pandya is an author and scholar who has studied the concept of jihad in great depth. He has also advised the former Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik, on security matters.

In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, the conversation focuses on the challenges India faces as a target of global jihad. With what appears to be an emerging axis involving Turkey, Pakistan, China and even Bangladesh, is India facing a larger strategic encirclement?

Is Kashmir the central objective, or is the target much bigger, the whole of India? And most importantly, what must India do to counter this jihadist strategy?

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction
01:15 – Balochistan Uprising
05:15 – Pakistan’s Double Standards
09:03 – How the ISI Controls Pakistan
13:39 – The Core Issue of Kashmir
15:46 – Pak’s Interference in Kashmir’s Politics
21:53 – Pakistan-Sponsored Terrorism
25:08 – Entire India Pakistan’s Target?
32:23 – Pakistan’s Foreign Relations
35:11 – Pakistan–Bangladesh Ties
40:12 – Global Superpower vs Civilizational Power
43:06 – South Asia & the Ottoman Empire
47:32 – Hybrid Militancy in Kashmir
53:05 – Al-Falah University’s Terror Links
1:00:47 – Militancy in Kashmir
1:06:07 – How Should India Tackle Terrorism?
1:15:25 – Satya Pal Malik’s “Fax Machine” Story
1:23:34 – Kashmir After Article 370
1:27:36 – How to Deal with Terrorism
1:29:26 – West Asia Conflict Explained
1:32:52 – Operation Sindoor
1:34:52 – Khalistan

From OTP scams and phone data leaks to AI misuse and digital warfare, how safe are we really? Cybersecurity affects you, your family, your workplace, and even the country you live in. Amit Dubey is a national security expert and cybersecurity specialist. He has worked closely with Indian government agencies and police departments on cybercrime investigations. In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he explains how AI is being misused for fraud and scams, and breaks down China’s digital warfare strategy and India’s cybersecurity reality in simple terms.

00:00 – Introduction
01:01 – U.S. Cyberattack on Venezuela
05:38 – How to Stop Deepfakes
12:58 – Legal Action on AI
14:26 – A Great Firewall for India?
17:43 – Deepfakes Influencing Elections
22:10 – AI and Voter Fraud
26:55 – Risks of Posting Personal Details
32:24 – How Personal Information Is Exploited
37:02 – Credit Card Scams
40:58 – OTP Scams & Password Theft
48:00 – Sancharsathi App Controversy
58:14 – Protecting Private Photos Online
1:01:20 – Can EVMs Be Hacked?
1:07:49 – Hybrid War Threats
1:10:44 – Gen Z Protests & Disinformation
1:14:04 – Spreading Disinformation Online
1:20:19 – Cyber Attacks During Op Sindoor
1:22:47 – Foreign SIMs & Cyber Threats
1:26:32 – Agniveer Protest & Fake SMS
1:30:02 – AI Videos Targeting India
1:35:08 – Influencers Spreading Fake Content

John Brittas wears many hats: parliamentarian, journalist, Managing Director and Chief Editor of Malayalam Communications Limited, which runs Kairali TV and Kairali News. He is currently the CPI(M) Parliamentary Party Leader in the Rajya Sabha.
In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, he speaks about the decline of communism in India and across the world, and why the Left struggles to connect with a wider audience today. He discusses the Kerala model, migration from the state, and Kerala’s social harmony.
He argues that Hindutva politics will not click in Kerala and says the BJP is unlikely to become a major force there in the near future. He also speaks about the Congress and claims it continues to follow a “right-wing economic ideology.”
The conversation also covers the India–US trade deal, the 2008 nuclear deal, the UPA era, Pinarayi Vijayan’s leadership, and the strength of Malayalam cinema.

00:00 – Introduction
01:11 – Why Communism is Failing in India
10:38 – Kerala’s Vibrant Culture
12:28 – How CPI(M) Is So Powerful in Kerala
23:55 – India–US Nuclear Deal
26:15 – India–US Trade Deal
33:08 – The Kerala Ecosystem
36:16 – Why Kerala Supports the Left
40:57 – Can Kerala Inspire a Left Revival?
43:23 – BJP’s Prospects in Kerala
52:55 – Religious Harmony in Kerala
58:20 – BJP’s Mayoral Win
1:05:14 – Life as a Journalist
1:10:56 – Malayalam Cinema
1:14:49 – Political Leadership in India
1:15:56 – Pinarayi Vijayan’s Leadership Style