The India Project with Josy Joseph | Radio Azim Premji University

Birth Of The Nation | The India Project with Josy Joseph and Seetal

What is the mood in the streets of India on August 14, 1947? If you expected cheering crowds and processions of jubilation on the eve of Independence, here’s the sobering truth: not everyone is celebrating. For some princely states, accession to the Indian Union is not a natural choice. Punjab, Sind and Bengal, cloven by Partition, witness scenes of horrific violence and the displacement of millions. The birth of our nation, as the facts reveal, is not without its share of labour pangs. In the season finale of The India Project with Josy Joseph, we observe the awakening of India as an unstoppable idea whose time has come. With memorable sound-bites from the leaders of a newly free nation, we end Season 1 on a note of nostalgic introspection. Thank you for joining us on the journey so far. Acknowledgements: Thanks to Confluence Media for the letters in this episode: Letter from CP Ramaswami Iyer replying to Indore’s invitation to be the Prime minister performed by Narayan Krishnaswamy Letter from Mir Osman Ali, Nizam of Hyderabad, performed by Ranvijay Pratap Singh Letter from Hamidullah Khan, Nawab of Bhopal, to Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, performed by Kafeel Jafri View the full list of acknowledgements on our website: https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/radio-azim-premji-university [https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/radio-azim-premji-university] Credits: Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

The Road to Destiny | The India Project with Josy Joseph and Seetal

Co-host Seetal joins expert Josy Joseph in conversation in this penultimate episode of The India Project. As they unravel the story so far, they bring on stage the key characters for a curtain call. What became of Travancore Diwan Sir C P ’s machinations in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on him? What were the moves being planned by the Nizam of Hyderabad? In the wake of the Japanese Army’s advance on the northeast, what were Governor Hydari’s options? As they tie up the loose ends, the clock races towards the final days preceding Independence. A nation awaits its tryst with destiny. Acknowledgements: Thanks to Confluence Media for the letters featured in this episode YouTube | The Quint: The Battle of Imphal: When World War II was fought in India https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH3kV5cOsSM [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH3kV5cOsSM] Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer’s letter read by Narayan Krishnaswamy AI voice - Murf.ai [http://Murf.ai] Credits: Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

The Northeast | The India Project with Josy Joseph and Seetal

In August 1947, as India took the final steps towards becoming an independent nation, numerous actors thronged the chessboard in the northeast of the country, contemplating their moves. Among them was the Governor of Assam, Sir Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari, who initiated talks with the respective princely states and ethnic dominions of the northeast, including the Naga Hills, Khasi Hills and Mizo Hills. Tracing various documents and correspondences, reporter and author Josy Joseph reconstructs the history of how the northeast states — present-day Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Manipur — were stitched into the fabric of the new nation. Listen to Ep 5 - The Northeast on The India Project with Josy Joseph in conversation with Seetal Iyer. Acknowledgements: Thanks to Confluence Media for the Letters in this episode. Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari Letter to Pt. Nehru performed by Ranvijay Pratap Singh Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s speech - Tryst with Destiny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrEkYscgbqE&t=58s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrEkYscgbqE&t=58s] Audio used from: https://ncaa.gov.in/repository/search/displaySearchRecordPreview/IGRMS-MINI_DV_1081-MDV/Nagaland-Tour-(Vol.-X) [https://ncaa.gov.in/repository/search/displaySearchRecordPreview/IGRMS-MINI_DV_1081-MDV/Nagaland-Tour-(Vol.-X)] https://ncaa.gov.in/repository/search/displaySearchRecordPreview/CVI-SUR_R_4470-UMLB/Bamboo-Dance-of-Mizoram [https://ncaa.gov.in/repository/search/displaySearchRecordPreview/CVI-SUR_R_4470-UMLB/Bamboo-Dance-of-Mizoram] https://ncaa.gov.in/repository/search/displaySearchRecordPreview/CVI-SUR_R_1489-UMHB/Lifestyle-of-Khasi-Community-(Vol.-V) [https://ncaa.gov.in/repository/search/displaySearchRecordPreview/CVI-SUR_R_1489-UMHB/Lifestyle-of-Khasi-Community-(Vol.-V)] Tripura folk song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEVDCrEIRIk [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEVDCrEIRIk] Credits: Akshay Ramuhalli, Beej, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

The State of Bhopal | The India Project with Josy Joseph

Did you know that Bhopal has a rich history, and a role to play in the cloak-and-dagger drama that preceded Independence? Before it came to be the capital of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal was the second-largest Islamic princely state in British India. In fact, Bhopal State had a long lineage of rulers, including a succession of female Nawabs or Nawab Begums, unique in Indian history. The last ruling Nawab, Hamidullah Khan, enjoyed a closeness to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was campaigning for the independent Islamic nation of Pakistan, as well as Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India. The Nawab had made up his mind to join Pakistan, but things didn’t quite go according to plan. As the date for Independence drew near, the Nawab was a troubled man. His letters to Jinnah seemed to receive a cold shoulder, while the Viceroy was unsupportive of his decision to join Pakistan. There was also the geographical absurdity of it to consider — Bhopal being a landlocked territory that shared no terrestrial borders with the proposed boundaries of Pakistan. Tensions, naturally, ran high with every passing minute. There was much desperate hand-wringing and feverish letter-writing, not to mention a cocked pistol that the Nawab brandished at his daughter. How did Bhopal eventually join the Union of India? To know that, revisit the drama of the times in this gripping episode. Acknowledgements: Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s speech - Tryst with Destiny Tryst with Destiny | Jawaharlal Nehru Thanks to Confluence Media for the letters in this episode. Zafarullah Khan’s Letter to VP Menon performed by Ranvijay Pratap Singh CC Desai’s letter as a reply to Zafarullah Khan’s letter performed by Zia Ahmed Nawab Of Bhopal Hamidullah Khan’s letter to Jinnah performed by Kafeel Jafri Credits: Akshay Ramuhalli, Beej, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

Indore | The India Project with Josy Joseph

A car chase in Bombay climaxes in a cold-blooded street murder and a foiled abduction. A cornered potentate, chastened by a scandal, agrees reluctantly to abdicate. Amid the power play of dangerous liaisons, this episode of The India Project packs it all in. After our exploration of the fraught politics of The Princely States in Episode 1 and the mutinous designs of Travancore to renege on the Union in Episode 2, we journey to Indore, a princely state in present-day Madhya Pradesh, where palace intrigues deepen the Maharaja’s decision — accede to the Union of India, or secede and face the consequences. After the abdication of Maharaja Tukoji Rao III Holkar XIII, scion of the Holkar dynasty, his young happy-go-lucky heir Yashwant Rao Holkar II has been installed on the throne, a move that marks the beginning of British control of Indore. Years later, barely weeks from August 15, 1947, the flamboyant ruler is in the crosshairs of a crisis as he tries to assert his dominion’s independence. Acknowledgements: Audio excerpts in this episode are drawn from the following sources: Lord Louis Mountbatten at New Delhi talks (1947) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUWNDK6ZDt4 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUWNDK6ZDt4] Thief Of Baghdad- 1940 ( Hindi) 1:16:19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBorHUADApc&t=4578s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBorHUADApc&t=4578s] Sazaa Full Movie - Dev Anand - Nimmi - Shyama | Old Hindi Movies | Classic Bollywood Film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-sE_SUrH40 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-sE_SUrH40] Sheesh Mahal (1950) Full Movie | शीश महल | Sohrab Modi, Naseem Banu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HeeJCq0XPY&feature=youtu.be [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HeeJCq0XPY&feature=youtu.be] Raj Nartaki 1940 Hindi Classical Full Movie || Prithviraj Kapoor, Sadhna Bose || Hindi Movies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d43ZbFo39s&t=2079s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d43ZbFo39s&t=2079s] AI voices from Murf.ai [http://Murf.ai] Credits: Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar