The Chicken-Neck Podcast

TCN - Roots of Extraction: Oil Palm, Power, and the Politics of Land in the Northeast - Roderick Wijunamai

In episode 4 of season 5, we are joined by Mr. Roderick Wijunamai, a PhD scholar in the Department of Anthropology at Cornell University, USA, and Visiting Research Fellow at the Highland Institute, Kohima. His work sits at the intersection of political ecology, agrarian change, and Indigenous studies, where he closely examines how ecological transformations are reshaping food systems and livelihoods in the Indo-Myanmar borderlands. Drawing from immersive fieldwork across Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram, this conversation unpacks the complex and often unsettling story of oil palm expansion in Northeast India. What emerges is not a simple narrative of development but a layered inquiry into a crop that is at once a promise and a provocation. We explore whether oil palm is truly a pathway to economic self-sufficiency or a looming ecological disruption - probing its implications for health, environment, and indigenous ways of life. Situating this within a longer historical arc, the episode traces how India’s dependence on edible oil imports has shaped the sudden push toward oil palm cultivation in the region. Through an anthropological lens, Roderick invites us to see palm oil beyond its materiality - as a financial commodity, a state-driven project, and a deeply contested site where national economic ambitions collide with indigenous geographies and lived realities. At the heart of this discussion lies a more difficult question: how does one write about these tensions ethically? As an anthropologist, how do you protect interlocutors, navigate anonymity, and represent a reality where an “environmentally unsustainable plantation” may simultaneously offer tangible financial benefits to local communities? Tune in to unpack these layered questions and reimagine how we understand development, ecology, and lived realities in the borderlands. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the individual podcasters. Listener discretion is advised. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You can listen to our show on all streaming platforms by clicking on the link: - The Chicken-Neck Podcast | Bingepods - Best Indian podcasts

TCN - Zubeen Garg: Songs, Stories & the Soul of Assam - Sukanya Dutta

In this special youth-centric episode of The Chicken-Neck Podcast, we sit down with writer and content creator Ms. Sukanya Dutta for a deeply reflective conversation on Assamese lives, literature, and cultural memory. At the heart of the episode lies her much-discussed writing series on Zubeen Garg-where she decodes his songs, silences, emotions, and messages, and situates them within the everyday realities, struggles, love, resistance, and nostalgia of Assam. Zubeen Garg, for many of us, is more than a musician; he is an emotion, a generational voice, and a cultural conscience. Through Sukanya’s lens, we explore how his music mirrors Assamese society and why his relevance transcends time. The conversation also flows into broader reflections on Assamese ways of life-Bihu and its deeper essence, Mekhela Sador as a cultural symbol, everyday traditions, and how identity is shaped through lived experiences. We also discuss content creation, writing as cultural documentation, and the responsibility of storytellers in preserving and reimagining Assamese narratives. Thoughtful, rooted, and intimate-this episode is an invitation to reconnect with Assam, its sounds, its symbols, and its stories. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the individual podcasters. Listener discretion is advised. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You can listen to our show on all streaming platforms by clicking on the link: - The Chicken-Neck Podcast | Bingepods - Best Indian podcasts

TCN - Srimanta Sankardeva: Architect of Assam’s Spiritual and Cultural Imagination - Dr. Ananya Barua

In Season 5 Episode 3 of The Chicken Neck Podcast, we dive deep into the life and legacy of Srimanta Sankardeva - the medieval Assamese saint, philosopher, literary genius, and cultural visionary whose ideas still resonate across centuries. With sharp insight and philosophical depth, Dr. Ananya Barua, who's an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Hindu College, University of Delhi, unpacks how Sankardeva’s teachings transformed not only religion and spirituality in Northeast India but also culture, ethics, community life, and artistic expression. From his early spiritual awakening and transformative pilgrimage across India, to the founding of Ekasarana Dharma - a monotheistic devotional path centered on simple, heartfelt devotion to Krishna - we explore how Sankardeva reimagined religion as inclusive, experiential, and egalitarian. Dr. Barua takes us beyond dates and legends to the philosophical heart of Sankardeva’s thought: the radical focus on bhakti over ritual, inclusivity over caste hierarchy, and creative community life over orthodox exclusion. We talk about how the worship spaces he pioneered - like the Naamghar and Sattra - became crucibles of shared expression, moral solidarity, and belonging. But this conversation isn’t just about history - it’s about why Sankardeva matters today. Dr. Barua reflects on his contributions to literature (like Borgeets and Ankia Naat), performing arts (from Bhaona drama to Sattriya dance), and social reform - all driven by a philosophy that championed ethical living, human dignity, and cultural unity. Whether you’re curious about Indian philosophy, devotional movements, or the power of ideas to reshape societies, this episode invites you into a world where spirituality and culture are inseparable - and where one man’s vision became the heart and soul of an enduring spiritual and artistic tradition. Tune in for a storied journey through history, philosophy, and culture, guided by one of India’s most exciting contemporary thinkers. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the individual podcasters. Listener discretion is advised. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You can listen to our show on all streaming platforms by clicking on the link: - The Chicken-Neck Podcast | Bingepods - Best Indian podcasts

TCN - Women and the Muga Riha Story of Assam - Sukanya Dutta

In the much-awaited Season 4 premiere, we open our Youth Segment with a compelling voice from Assam – Sukanya Dutta, a researcher, storyteller, and documentary filmmaker whose work beautifully blends philosophy, ecology, and cultural memory. Hailing from Dhakuakhana, the land of golden Muga silk, Sukanya has rooted her research in ecofeminism, riverine conservation, and women-centred community practices. In this episode, she takes us on a journey through the riverbanks and village courtyards of Assam, where oral histories live, women shape ecological wisdom, and traditions breathe through everyday rituals. We explore her ongoing documentation of local traditions, the sociology of food, and the cultural relativism that shapes identity in Northeast India. Sukanya also shares her insights into the women’s roles in festivals like Phato Bihu and how traditional knowledge systems can inform modern conservation models for more culturally grounded and ecologically sustainable futures. Fresh, thoughtful, and deeply rooted – this conversation reflects what our Youth Segment aspires to be: a platform for bright minds reimagining the narratives of our culture and history. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the individual podcasters. Listener discretion is advised. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You can listen to our show on all streaming platforms by clicking on the link: - The Chicken-Neck Podcast | Bingepods - Best Indian podcasts

TCN - Shattered Lands, Shifting Identities: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern South Asia - Sam Dalyrmple

In this second episode of Season 4 of The Chicken-Neck Podcast, we are joined by renowned historian and author Sam Dalrymple for an expansive conversation about history, identity, borders, and the making of modern South Asia. Sam shares his personal journey into history and the inspirations behind his acclaimed debut book Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia, a deeply researched re-examination of how the vast British Indian Empire fractured into multiple nation-states through a series of five pivotal partitions — from the 1937 separations of Burma and the Arabian territories, through the 1947 division of India and Pakistan, to the 1971 birth of Bangladesh — and how these ruptures reshaped maps, politics, and human lives across the region. We explore how Shattered Lands reframes familiar histories by highlighting overlooked moments of geopolitical disintegration, drawing on archival depth and multilingual interviews to bring forgotten voices and events into focus, and underscoring how fragile and recent many of today’s borders are. Sam then takes us beyond the book to discuss the rise of political consciousness in Northeast India shaped by World War II, the profound impact of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War on Assam and the ensuing debates around refugees and identity, and the complex histories of Chakma, Mizo, and other communities caught in the tides of migration and nation-building. Our conversation also engages with broader themes of Burmese nationalism, the influences of Gandhi and Nehru on regional dynamics, and the enduring aftereffects of colonial borders on contemporary politics and identity in the Northeast. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the individual podcasters. Listener discretion is advised. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You can listen to our show on all streaming platforms by clicking on the link: - The Chicken-Neck Podcast | Bingepods - Best Indian podcasts