Geetam Tiwari is an Emeritus Professor at the Transportation Research & Injury Prevention Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. She has over 25 years of experience in transportation planning, road safety, and urban mobility. Her work focuses on safer roads, better footpaths, bicycle infrastructure, and protecting pedestrians.

In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, she talks about why Indian cities face traffic chaos, unsafe roads, and poor pedestrian facilities. She also discusses what India needs to do to build safer, smarter, and more efficient transport systems.

00:00 – Introduction

02:21 – Rising Road Deaths

08:13 – International Driving Tests

10:03 – Road Safety Rules

11:49 – School Bus Safety

13:38 – Highways & Expressways Design Flaws

17:03 – Audible Road Markers

21:12 – Why Indians Ignore Road Signs

22:05 – Facilities on Expressways & Highways

23:53 – Expressways & Highways for Two-Wheelers

25:41 – Importance of Service Roads

29:07 – Wrong-Side Driving

31:26 – Pedestrians & Cyclists

37:45 – Public Spaces Accessibility

39:13 – Reality of Vendors on Indian Roads

41:38 – Why Foot Overbridges & Underpasses Fail

46:31 – The Pothole Problem

49:58 – Corruption in Road Construction

53:11 – Municipal Corporations and Dug-Up Roads

55:02 – Labourers at Road Construction Sites

58:18 – Road Reality Check Segment

1:04:49 – Building Proper Bicycle Paths

Dr Arvind Gupta is Director of the Vivekananda International Foundation and a former Deputy National Security Advisor of India.

Ambassador Veena Sikri is a former Indian diplomat who served as High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Malaysia, with decades of experience in foreign policy.

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, the discussion focuses on how the global power structure is changing and whether institutions like NATO, the Quad, the United Nations, BRICS, and the G20 still remain relevant in today’s world.

The episode also explores India’s foreign policy approach, including strategic autonomy, multi-alignment and the ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, as well as Pakistan’s growing diplomatic role and its impact on South Asia.

00:00 – Introduction

02:04 – NATO Crisis

07:15 – Decline of Post-Cold War Order

13:34 – Gulf Countries’ Security Alliances

18:25 – Germany and Japan’s Defence Reset

21:48 – Future of US-China G2

27:09 – Global Sea Route Security

30:47 – India’s Balancing Act in West Asia

35:25 – Pakistan as Mediator Between the US and Iran

39:34 – Can SAARC Be Revived?

43:36 – India, Pakistan & Narrative War

52:47 – India-Bangladesh Ties

55:44 – India’s Strategic Role in BRICS

1:02:13 – ‘Vishwamitra’ Doctrine Under PM Modi

1:05:08 – India’s Geopolitical Challenges

1:09:08 – Regionalisation & Global Power Shifts

The much-awaited episode of The ‘Real’ Samosa Caucus – Edition 8.0 is here, packed with raw, uncensored, and no-holds-barred conversations.

Joining the panel are:

Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow at ORF

Tehseen Poonawalla, TV personality and political analyst

Anand Ranganathan, author and scientist

Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies

This episode discusses the recently conducted Assembly polls in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Assam; the Iran war; the Trump phenomenon; Pakistan’s stature after the war.