Parley by The Hindu

Bengaluru, often celebrated for being a ‘garden city’, the ‘IT capital’ of the country, and its pleasant weather, has been making headlines this year for facing a severe water crisis following the drought of 2023. The water crisis is also likely to hit other urban centres and rural areas. According to a recent weekly bulletin by the Central Water Commission, even as peak summer is around the corner, most of the major reservoirs in the southern States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana are filled to only 25% of their capacity or less.

Is the urban water system breaking? Here we discuss the question.

Guests: T.V. Ramachandra, Coordinator of the Energy and Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Science, Indian Institute of Science; S. Vishwanath, a water conservationist

Host: K.C. Deepika

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A Constitution Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, recently reserved its judgment on petitions challenging the validity of the electoral bonds scheme. The proceedings focused on arguments pertaining to the voters’ right to information vis-a-vis the right to confidentiality of donors. Transparency in election funding has become the central issue here.

Should elections be state funded instead? Here we discuss the question.

Kerala, a State known for its vibrant public sphere, is now in the news for what film producers have termed as the phenomenon of “review bombing”. Makers of a couple of films have approached the Kerala High Court, seeking a gag on social media and YouTube reviews for at least seven days following a film‘s release; the claim being that these reviews can make or break films, and by extension the sustainability of the Malayalam film industry. The Kerala police have also booked some online reviewers and social media platforms, following complaints from producers. The State is now witnessing a heated debate with a groundswell of support for the reviewers, raising pertinent questions on freedom of expression.

Here we discuss the issue.

Guests: B.Unnikrishnan, a filmmaker and general secretary of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA); C.S. Venkiteswaran is a national award winning film critic

Host: S. R. Praveen

The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently announced a plan to set a minimum age to use social media platforms.

Should children be barred from social media? Here we discuss the question.

Guests: Amanda Third, Professorial Research Fellow in Digital Social and Cultural Research in the Institute for Culture and Society and Co-Director of the Young and Resilient Research Centre at Western Sydney University; Aparajita Bharti, Founding Partner of TQH, a Delhi-based public policy research firm, and co-founder of Young Leaders for Active Citizenship

Host: Mandira Moddie

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The Congress’ social justice platform, centred around the call for equal representation at the caste-level and a nationwide caste census, has been hailed after the Lok Sabha elections this year. But within four months of the general election results, the results of the Haryana Assembly polls have raised questions about how well this messaging has percolated to the lower rungs of the party organisation.

Has the Congress internalised its message of social justice? Here we discuss the question.

Guests: Sudha Pai, Retired Professor, Centre for Political Studies, JNU; Aditi Narayani Paswan, Assistant Professor Lakshmibai College, University of Delhi

Host: Abhinay Lakshman

Edited by Jude Francis Weston