ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash

EP-417 | UPSC Obsession, Dowry, Corruption, Bureaucracy, AI & Education System | Major SPS Oberoi

Major SPS Oberoi (Retd.) served as an Artillery Officer in the Indian Army for 11 years. He is currently a UPSC mentor and Academic Director at Ekam IAS Academy, Hyderabad. In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Major SPS Oberoi (Retd.) shares his journey from serving in the Army to becoming a UPSC mentor. He challenges the popular belief that the UPSC is the toughest exam in India and explains the obsession surrounding it. He also discusses the issue of dowry, often associated with civil servants, and the social prestige attached to government jobs. He speaks candidly about discipline, success, AI, coaching industry, and the mental health challenges faced by UPSC aspirants. 00:00 – Introduction 01:08 – Childhood And Education 04:24 – Army Officer To UPSC Mentor 08:16 – UPSC Preparation Journey 12:48 – Can AI Guide UPSC Students? 16:20 – Ideal Study Time For UPSC Preparation 18:23 – UPSC Study Materials 21:33 – Digital Detox For Students 23:53 – AI In Administration Work 31:16 – Male vs Female Intelligence 36:46 – Presence of Mind & Quick Reactions 38:50 – Obsession With UPSC Preparation 40:27 – Parental Pressure In Education 45:25 – Scholastic Assessment Test 48:01 – Career Options For Youth 52:03 – Violence Against Children 53:56 – Sikhism And Marriage Rules 56:49 – Dowry In India 1:00:16 – Why Civil Servants Become Corrupt 1:06:50 – Views On Reservation 1:09:31 – UPSC Craze In Bihar And U.P 1:13:48 – Financial Independence For Graduates 1:15:56 – Army Life Vs Civilian Life 1:19:20 – Golden Rule For Study 1:25:29 – Importance Of Language In UPSC 1:30:43 – Learning From Students

EP-416 | India’s Defence Sector: Tejas, AMCA, Drone Warfare & More | IAS Sanjeev Kumar

From Tejas fighter jets and the AMCA programme to drones and missile systems. India is pushing aggressively towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing. Can India truly become “Aatmanirbhar” in defence? Or is complete self-reliance impossible in a world dependent on global supply chains? What role will private companies play in India’s growing drone ecosystem? In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, we are joined by Sanjeev Kumar, IAS, Secretary, Department of Defence Production. A 1993-batch IAS officer with a background in electronics engineering, communication technology, and financial management, he is leading India’s push towards indigenous defence manufacturing and technology modernisation. Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 01:05 – Lessons from West Asia Crisis 05:05 – India’s Drone Production Capacity 05:52 – India’s Missile Production Capacity 08:49 – India’s Ammunition Manufacturing Capacity 14:27 – India’s Defence Exports 17:20 – India’s Atmanirbhar Defence Capabilities 19:45 – Success of ‘Make in India’ in Defence 24:52 – India’s Defence Imports 27:59 – Chinese Components & Data Security Risks 29:02 – Use of AI in Modern Warfare 29:52 – India’s Indigenous Fighter Jet Programme 35:24 – Tejas Jet Delivery Status 38:25 – India’s BrahMos Missile Programme 39:35 – India’s Competitors in Defence Exports 42:02 – India’s AMCA Project 44:09 – Defence Firms Investing in R&D 49:09 – Defence Talent and Innovation in India 56:56 – India–Russia Defence Partnership 1:02:04 – S-400 and Operation Sindoor

EP-415 | Ramayana & Mahabharata in Urdu, and Art of Storytelling | Fouzia Dastango

In this edition of ANI Podcast, Smita Prakash speaks to India’s first female Dastango, Fouzia Dastango, about Urdu, theatre, storytelling, women in traditional art spaces, and her journey of keeping the 16th-century art of Dastangoi alive in modern India. She explains why people should not have any problem with her reciting the Ramayana and Mahabharata in Urdu, and how the art of storytelling must evolve with the current generation. 00:00 - Introduction 01:04 - What is Dastangoi? 03:08 - Kathavachak vs Dastango 04:37 - Real Identity of Urdu 05:32 - Ramayana & Mahabharata in Urdu 09:14 - Fouzia Dastango’s Story 15:05 - Feminist Elements in Stories 22:53 - Choosing Stories Based on Audience 28:47 - Classical vs Folk Art 33:14 - Inspiration Behind Performance 37:05 - Gen Z Connect with Dastangoi 42:03 - Hardest Emotion to Portray 46:46 - Cultural Home of Dastangoi 51:48 - Advice for Younger Generation

EP-414 | Why Are India’s Roads So Dangerous? | IIT Delhi Professor Geetam Tiwari Explains

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

EP-413 | Collapse of Global Order? NATO, West & Emerging World System | Arvind Gupta & Veena Sikri

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