Indicast Podcast Network - All Shows

BiziNation # 36: Not all Greed is Good

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:30:35 PST

Scams are back. Three guys from the 1983 batch of Wharton Business School have been accused of orchestrating one of the biggest hedge fund scams in a long time. This is a text book case of Insider trading. But not all news is sad news on the Wall Street. Most companies have posted Quarterly profits. In India, Lakshmi Mittal, the CEO of Arcelor Mittal threatened to quit all his projects from Orissa and Jharkhand. Ritika has strong views on the whole issue of land allocation for such projects which causes a lot of friction between the locals and the state government. In some sad news, Ranjan Das, SAP India head died of a massive heart attack.

Indicast # 103: The Great Indian Congress Coup

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:30:35 PDT

The General Elections results are out and Congress is back in power in major states. Aditya describes his experience of watching Rahul Gandhi deliver a speech in Aditya’s home town, Panvel. In other news, Rajdhani Express was hijacked by Maoists but the only relief was that no one was hurt. In education, Kapil Sibal makes it even more difficult to get into an IIT college in India. ISRO and IAF are fighing a healthy battle to send a representative into outer space.

Indicast 102 # Obamania all Over Again!

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Happy Diwali Folks. In this unusually lighthearted episode, we talk about Aditya’s voting experience in the recently concluded state elections. Then we move on to talk about a very serious issue of Obama winning himself an Oscar. Or was it a Nobel? In Sports, Serena Williams posed nude for the body issue of ESPN magazine. Somewhere in India, a couple was asked to tie a rakhee because the Village Panchayat did not approve their love.

BiziNation # 35: Internet and its money making ways

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:30:35 PDT

This episode of BiziNation is dedicated to the Internet. Lately, social networking sites are showing signs of finally making some money � USocial, an Australian site is selling friends to companies who can send targeted messages to its audience. On the Operating Systems front, Microsoft launched its new OS with an a very questionable but an effective ad campaign. Yahoo! is spilling $100 million on advertising in the traditional media, a sign of growing desperation. Google on the other hand has launched an ad exchange program on the web much like the stock market in the physical world. Also, back home, an IIT entrepreneur launched Phokat Copy, a service which subsidizes photocopies for students in India.

TKM #25 - Curiosity killed the Internet

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:30:35 PDT

What can bring china's internet to a screeching halt? - Lesbians or just the myth about a lesbian city. In other topics we talk about Kindle coming to India, Microsoft, Paypal killing a user account, Microsoft office - Starter Edition and snow leopard eating up user data. This week's news update include EU giving a go ahead to Microsoft's browser ballot solution.

Indicast # 101: Moily's Mission Document

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:30:35 PDT

We start our 101st episode by talking about how the Indian cricket team was knocked off from the Champions trophy in the second round itself. But we were a bit more fascinated with Kirsten who wanted to use sex as a weapon against other countries, but failed. In other news, 100 Indian pilots demand for VRS scheme and our PSUs are draining Rs. 31,000 crore every year. ISRO brings a smile to all our faces by launching 7 satellites in 1200 seconds.

TKM #24: Chrome Plated IE

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:30:35 PDT

The 3G adoption in India isnt going anywhere with only MTNL and BSNL in the market but that isnt stopping MTNL tying up with Dell to put out a 3G Netbook. After launching a subscription MP3 services, Hungama has announced a Rs.10 per download service on their website. In other news, we talk about Google SideWiki, Google Chrome Frame, Microsoft suing malvertisers, and a few updates from previous episodes.

Indicast #100: Gul Panag Uncut (Video)

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Indicast’s much awaited episode #100 is here and it’s in video as promised. Gul Panag was kind enough to join us in the fracas and add to it! The episode is probably the lengthiest episode of Indicast but it’s worth every minute.

BiziNation # 34: Happiness Now in EMIs

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:30:35 PDT

This episode is about how businesses are adapting themselves to the changes in their environment. Levis has launched an EMI scheme to make your favourite pair of Levis jeans affordable to you. Launch of world’s first digi novel is a testiment to how the publishing industry and authors are using novel ways to face the challenges thrown by the new media of internet. We talk about google being at its innovative best. India’s biggest and favourite insurer LIC is no longer shying away from the equity market. PG comes to the rescue of the Olympics committee as sporting events feel the heat of recession.

BiziNation #33:You win some. You lose some…

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:30:35 PDT

There are no free lunches and so removing money from an ATM other than your bank’s will now cost you but the first five in a month are free.Listen about how banks in Australia charge ATM interchange fees to customers. Sad news for all Reader digest fans as the company declares bankruptcy in US. Biking fans in India welcome the entry of Harley Davidson. Maverick CEO Michael Leary of Ryan Air teaches a few things about running a profitable airlines in time of slump. Spicejet does better than its full service rival.

Indicast #100: Gul Panag Uncut

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Indicast # 99: India's Sports Week

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:30:35 PDT

The last week was an exciting one for Indian sports. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati went head to head in the US Open. In billiards, Pankaj Advani made history. In cricket, India beat New Zealand in the tri series being played in Lanka. In other news, in real estate, a 3000 Sq feet house in Mumbai was sold for a paltry Rs. 38 crore. An Hitler ad was taken off air because it was derogartory (to whom, we wonder). The political party, RSS changes its stand on BJP.

Indicast # 98: Go Force India Go!

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:30:35 PDT

With Force India finishing second in the Belgian Grand Prix, the news was awash with the first "Indian" team to have made it big in the Formula 1 circuit and Aditya in his sarcastic way opines about the so called Indianess of the victory. Back home, the government has rejected to invest in the 2011 Formula 1 track that Vijay Mallya is aiming for on the grounds that Formula 1 is not sport, but entertainment. In other sports news, we had Sania Mirza advancing in the second round of the US open while our cricketer, Harbhajan Singh drove his new Hummer in Chandigarh without a registration number and got fined. In politics, BJP is imploding and Aditya gives us his take on it.

Indicast # 97: The Beauty Called Ladakh

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:30:35 PDT

This episode is dedicated to Ladakh and it's magnificent beauty. It is said that this is the only place where you can get a frostbite and a sunburn at the same time. 14 of us did this trip on bikes and a car and it was memorable. In this episode, we end up talking about why it is one place to be visited before we die. In other stories, we had the unfortunate event of Swine flu in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi. Ganpati is here and we belive that over the years, the Ganesh Chaturthi festival is losing its sheen. What do you think? And thanks a zillion to all our listeners who are contributing your bit to the Smiletrain initiative by donating.

Indicast # 96: Has Omar Abdulla pulled off a Shiney Ahuja?

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Omar Abdulla, the youngest CM of Jammu and Kashmir resigned from his post after being accused of being part of a sex scandal sometime back in 2006. Our illustrious politicians have many crimes to their name, but if Omar is proven guilty, it'll be hard for him to comeback considering that it's not murder or burglary. In another news, our Power minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde has optimistic hopes of 'Power to all' by 2012. In Sports, the 37 year old Lance Armstrong finishes on the podium of the Tour De France, but we have a new winner. And the Indicast team is going to Leh for the trip of our lives. Thanks for your support. We'll hope to update you from Leh if possible.

BiziNation #32: IT sector Results and The Ambani War

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:30:35 PDT

The IT sector first quarter results are out and the Sensex finally has something to cheer about. TCS is leading from the front reports better than expected profits. Anil Ambani's Reliance Big Entertainment is taking the Hollywood path by signing a deal with Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks. The Ambani brothers are at it again!! Straight out of a scene from Bollywood hit, Deewar,they are fighting for the gas in krishna Goadavri basin. The 2 brothers fight it out in the legal battlefield.

Indicast # 95: An Eclipse of a Lifetime

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:30:35 PDT

The odds of Bihar being in the world spotlight are a million to one. An eclipse made it possible. NASA declared a small town named Taregna in Bihar as the best place to witness what was the longest and one of the most beautiful sights in the sky. Planed earth experienced a complete solar eclipse on July 23. Back on the ground, the Continental Airline has been taken to task because some ground crew member had the audacity to frisk our former president, APJ Kalam. Outside in France, Sarkosy has gotten tough on anyone who wears anything remotely associated with religion; the Sikhs are not too happy about it. Rahul Gandhi has taken an oath of sorts to expel all party members with criminal records.

Point Blank with Gautam Rajadhyaksh

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 05:30:35 PDT

I hate to introduce Gautam Rajadhyaksh as a "celebrity photographer". He is much more and you would realize that you you hear hiim talk about his experiences from photo shoots with film personalities, singer, musicians and even businessmen, infact, He earned his trademark while a photoshoot with one of the greatest businessman India has ever seen. We spend time talking about his all things that he is passionate about. I had to wrap up the interview at the 40 min mark and yet we had to leave a lot out! May be I will go back for a sequel but for now enjoy this point blank with Gautam Rajadhyaksh

Indicast # 94: Calling Panipat

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Dr Manmohan Singh is a natural remedy for sleep disorders, says a western journalist and we couldn't help but comment on that as our PM is back from an overnight visit from Paris where he attended the French National Day Parade as the the chief guest. In politics, the Supreme court has given clearance to Mayawati to erect those statues costing crores of rupees. Aditya has strong opinions on this one. Also, we call in our listener to discuss a rather amusing story of Air India stuffing in three more passengers after the house full board was up.

BiziNation #31: Union Budget 2009-10 Made Easy

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:30:35 PDT

The Union Budget 2009-10, like any other was branded as an Aam Aadmi budget which promised inclusive growth. But the sceptics brushed it aside. Contratry to what the experts think, we reckon that this budget has something in it for both the rich as well as poor. In this podcast, we dwell not only on the Yojanas and schemes that the goverment has announced for the poor but also spend some time talking about the plans laid out for the urban poor, infrastructure, defense personnel and children. And we also introduce a section where in you can leave your comments and we'll add those in our next podcast. Listen to know how to go about it.

Indicast # 93: Happy to be Gay?

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:30:35 PDT

No one knew about Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code until the High Court fished it out, amended it and the media splashed it on prime time and front pages. Section 377 stated that no man or woman could engage in sexual activity which is against the order of nature. This archiac law was finally amended by the High Court and in this episode, we mull about how big a deal is it really? The Kargil War completes its 10th anniversary and in another international news, Bernie Madoff is sentenced to 150 years of imprisonment for his billion dollar fraud, but Aditya is not too happy about it!

BiziNation #30: Air India Ram Ram

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:30:35 PDT

The thought of the Indian aviation industry making quarterly profits is far fetched, but to find out that one company bears almost half of the entire industry's burden would send some stomachs churning especially if you are working with Air India, Indias national carrier. Story aint that different in other parts of the world. British Airways has declared its biggest loss of the century. Back home, the Bandra Worli Sea link has been unveiled and promises to take some load off the roads. This episode is a light weight one where we celebrate, in Ritika's words, our Pearl Anniversary.

Indicast # 92: A Statue State

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:30:35 PDT

She might be the chief minister of one of the poorest state in India but that doesn't mean the state has no money to splurge. Mayawati in on a statue inaugration binge which has now been challenged in the Supreme Court. In other news, we talk about the Below Poverty Lines stats that have been anounced, Nandan Nilekani joining as a cabinet minister, Afzal Guru mercy plea, and ICC's attempt to make tests interesting. But the highlight of this episode is the Lalu and Mayawati joke by Abhishek.

TKM #18: To hell with censorship

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Censorship seems to the be flavour of the week all over the world. China government has asked computer manufacturers to start installing the Green Dam Software on every machine that they build and sell in China. India joins the cencosrhip by blocking Savitabhabhi.com for mysterious reasons but in good news coming out of India, Nandan Nilekani joins as cabinet minister to help implement the National Identity card project. In other news, we talk about activisim against Microsoft Outlook, upcoming windows 7 release and Steve back on job.

Indicast #91: Empty your wallets

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Indians are once gain reminded about how how diverse the country is. While North India was undergoing a heat wave, the South eastern country was washed away by heavy rains. In the other significant news, we talk about our plans for the upcoming 100th episode of Indicast. We are looking forward to some generous financial support this time from you and hope that you empty your wallet for a good cause. IN other news. we talk about India's T20 exit, new lady Lok Sabha speaker, and what's up between Mayawati and Lalu?

BiziNation #29: Mega Deals

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Ritika gives us a run down of some ground realitiy in Australia on the attacks on Indians. This podcast is a mix of national and international news. Australia has just been handed out a stimulus package a good percentage of which went to the dead! Back home in India, Bharati has renewed talks with MTN for what would be the biggest Indian acquisition. The Bharti tie up with Walmart spwaned a 50000 sq feet cash and carry store in Amritsar. And in another news, Grameen America, the microfinance bank led by Mohd Yunus has an envious track record despite the recession.

Indicast #90: Indian Attacked

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 31 May 2009 05:30:35 PDT

There is a new trend in Australia - Beat the Indians. Until a month ago, it was only on the cricket field but now its on the street. Indian students are being targetted and beaten up in hate crimes. While this is going on in Australia, Indian Sikhs are killing each other in Austria. As a result people went crazy in Punjab and caused damages worth Rs. 7000 crores that too in recessionary times. Other topcis include Afzal Guru mercy plea, air traffic woes, Cabinet ministers and other ramblings

BiziNation #28: A new government is here

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 27 May 2009 05:30:35 PDT

The initial euphoria of the UPA win in the recently held Indian elections refuses to die down and in this podcast we bring to you what's in store for the Indian business class following the UPA win. What can our new Finance Minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee do to accelerate the Indian GDP growth in times like these? We discuss policy issues ranging from FDI to disinvestment to deregulation of oil. The IPL has come and gone and its time to start raking the moolah. We discuss the actual winners of the IPL. Tata has done it once again!! From people's car to low cost housing, Tatas seem to be taking CK Prahlad's Botton of the Pyramid model very seriously. Listen to our 28th epsiode to know more.

Indicast #89: Singh really is King

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 24 May 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Congress scores a big win in the World's largest democratic election. It no longer depends on any of its alliance parties to keep it in Power but will that mean better and sensible governance remains to be seen. In the other big news, LTTE chief Prabharakaran has been killed by Sri-lankan. We talk about what the LTTE has given the world. You will be surprised to know that the list is pretty interesting.

Indicast #88: The Bofors Deal

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:30:35 PDT

We made a passing reference to Bofors deal in the last episode which made a research it a bit and thought that it would be good to talk about what the big deal about it was and sub inspector has been punished for possibly doing his job. Other topics include women topping the UPSC exams this year, and ISI training women for terrorism.

Indicast #87: Giving democracy the finger

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 05 May 2009 05:30:35 PDT

After all the drama and ruckus created by the Mumbaiites post 26/11, it was a no show on election day. Only 43% of us decided to vote while the rest most probably enjoyed a long weekend but a few voters in Madhya Pradesh decided to cast a "no-vote". This episode also covers the suprising death of the man who discovered pebbles in Ambani's helicopter, how the slowdown has resulted in the increase in UPSC applications, and why a tigress in Ranthambore was conferred the Lifetime achievement award.

BiziNation # 27: The Satyam Buyout

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Satyam made headlines not too long ago. Now Tech Mahindra has brought it back in the news. Satyam will soon be bought out by Tech Mahindra. Most of this rather short podcast focuses on the deal and what is there in it for Tech Mahindra which had to pay more than a 1000 crore for this deal. Quarter 4 results are out and surprisingly a few of India's IT companies have posted profits.

Indicast #86 The Democracy Drama Begins

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 05:30:35 PDT

The performers are ready. The biggest democracy drama is set to unveil itself. In this podcast we wonder what it would be like if Advani and Dr Manmohan Singh were to debate aka Obama and Mc Cain. But then we have Mulayam Singh Yadav wanting to ban English in schools since it soils our culture. In another news, a son kills his dad for voting for a wrong party .And IPL has kicked off and Bhajji and Dhoni are in the news for other reasons

Indicast #85 - Huge Election Problems in Meghalaya

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Continuing our election updates, BJP released its election manifesto containing all the things that they would do if elected and how did congress react? Congress says that 70% of the manifesto has been ripped from UPA's manifesto. Also, you know that its election time when a leader choses to address the a rally through his cell phone. The other updates include Karnatak topping the list of voters ready to sell their votes for cash, Pooja Chopra winning the Miss India 2009, Kasab getting a lawyer and the Queen gets a new iPod from Obama.

Indicast # 84: It's all about Politics

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 05:30:35 PDT

We spent 21 of the 22 minutes talking about politics or the lack of it. Aditya and I ended up at two ends talking about Mayawati, the politician with a not so impeccable track record and Meera Sanyal, the ABN Amro bank head who has nothing to her credit yet, but is taking baby steps in contesting this years elections. Politics and entertainment are never mutually exclusive; we have SRK campaining for Congress. In another news, Congress has reserved 50 per cent seats for NRIs and Aditya is livid!

Point Blank with Sanjay Manjrekar

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Indicast got a chance to catch up with Sanjay Manjrekar, a technically sound batsmen who doesn't believe in the significance to technique in cricket. We start the conversation talking about about the on field energy during the 1996 India-Pakistan World Cup match and then move on to other topics like why Indian's struggled in fielding, his career as a commentator and then his passion for singing. He also talked about his grossly misunderstood article about Sachin Tendulkar, his thoughts about Azharuddin getting into politics as well as the match fixing scandal.

TKM # 14: JesusPhone 3.0

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:30:35 PDT

The highlight of this episode was the JesusPhone (some call it iPhone too) and the announcement of the features that would be in its upcoming firmware upgrade. Meanwhile in India, Symantec has ranked India as the 3rd most spamming country in the world. Bebo, a little late to the game, has announced its entry into India. Other topics in the episode include, Facebook bug revealing your private data, launch of IE8, Yahoo Flickr announcing a deal with Getty Images, and the Pwn2Own Contest.

BiziNation # 26: What is the RBI up to

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 05:30:35 PDT

Cut back to your school days when on the sports day, the entire class would split into two halves to play the tug of war. It was a fun PT period for us at school. But not so much for the RBI which is trying hard to pull with all its might against both inflation and deflation. Recently, RBI cut the repo rates and the reverse repo rates to boost the economy. Ritika gives us a run down of what these jargons mean. The Federal Reserve has shown its benevolence to AIG again with its third bail out package. Citibank announcing a quarterly profit was some good news at BiziNation after a long time.

Indicast # 83: When Ragging Kills

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:30:35 PDT

India celebrated Holi just like any other year, but this time with some organic flavour. After the bomb blasts less than a fortnight ago, Pakistan is confident of hosting cricket matches by the end of this year. Aditya opines that Pakistan has bigger problems and that list is endless. India is not making any healthy headlines either. A 19 year old lost his life to careless college ragging. In cricket, India beat New Zealand and Sehwag became the fastest Indian to score a century in an ODI. May be that's the only good news that we've read in the papers for a long time now.

TKM # 13: Bye Bye IE

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 05:30:35 PDT

The technology news on the Indian shore included the selection of companies to managed the much required Mobile Number portability and delay in launch of Bhuvan, a desi version of Google Earth being developed by ISRO. Other news included Microsoft finally providing users a tool to remove windows components including IE8, Blackberry's App World, Flock divorcing Firefox, Google Docs being careless, Flickr opening up videos for everyone now. We also have Godaddy as our sponsor for TKM.

Indicast # 82: The Strange case of our Neighbours

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:30:35 PST

Pakistan cricket must have stepped closer to its grave with the recent brutal attempt to assassinate the touring Lankan team. Taliban, like a malignant tumor is spreading across Pakistan and the government seems helpless which does not bode too well for India. Back home, the election dates have been announced, but India doesn't surprise the educated world by coming up with options like one Ansari who has a string of legal charges going against him (or for him) on his resume.

BiziNation # 25: Another Fiscal Adrenalin Shot

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:30:35 PST

The interim budget was as bland as Russian food. But Pranab Mukharjee spiced it up just in time for the elections. With the benevolent excise duty, service tax and a few other rate cuts, the consumer will have to spend less on mobile phone bills, buying an LCD TV, etc. In the corporate sector, after the Satyam debacle, SEBI has asked for full disclosure from the promoters of companies who pledge their shares to raise more money. In cricket, the multi million IPL season will kick off very soon. On other side of the world, in England, Sir Allen Stanford, the man who sponsored the million dollar T20 tournament in West Indies has been booked for fraud.

Siddharth Movie Review

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:30:35 PST

It’s dark and it’s abstract and it’ll make you think. What is it that will liberate you from the trappings of life? An outstanding performance by Rajat Kapoor and some thoughtful yet simple background music keep you company in this extremely slow-paced film.

TKM # 11: The App Store Bandwagon

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 04:30:35 PST

Saket eloquently puts its in this episode that everybody and their aunt is coming up with an App Store in response to the announcements made by Nokia and Microsoft at the Mobile Web Congress. But before that we talk about the computers at Ministry of External Affairs getting hacked and the new various amendments to the 9 year old IT Act of 2000. The other topics that we covered this week include the Hotmail's Captcha cracked, facebook TOS revolt, Last.fm handing user data to RIAA, Norway's revolt against IE 6, and the pirate bay Trial.

BiziNation # 24: Darker days ahead

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 04:30:35 PST

And we are back after a pretty long time, but nothing much has changed since we spoke about bad news that surrounded the world economy. In fact, things have only gone downhill. Layoffs have begun even in India. The US economy is reeling and is hoping under Barack Obama's slogan of Hope, not fear. The US congress has approved the $700 billion odd stimulas package. In other news from India, Subhiksha, the ailing retail chain is fighting hard to survive bankruptcy.

TKM # 10: Kya hoga twitter Ka?

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 04:30:35 PST

The Indian scientists at the Nationation Institute of Dairy cloned a buffalo cafe but unfortunately it couldnt make it beyond 4 days and they same will be said about twitter if it doesnt find a revenue stream. We talk about a possible revenue stream and hope that twitter makes it throug the current turbulent times. Google also continued its product release spree with announcing PowerMeter along with another location based feature. Microsoft also announced the upgrade policy for its awesome Windows 7 operating system which we try to explain.

TKM # 9: A laptop that wasnt

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 04:30:35 PST

This week saw the much talk about $10 laptop from India disappoint the whole world and sort of embarass India. The supposed laptop had neither a display nor an input device! The week also saw NDTV launch a new hullu like website currently having around 50000 video from its own network. Stories from the usual suspects, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook also came up during the discussions.

Indicast #81 : When politics gets entertaining

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:30:35 PST

While Obama took office in the US, the Indian politics was having a ball of a time in amusing its citizens. What is the former Indian captain, Azaruddin doing in Indian politics, you may ask, but when Sanjay Dutt's wife Manyata is rumored to contest for Samajwadi Party, nothing seems weird. On a more hopeful note, our martyrs were awarded Ashoka Charkra on Independence Day for showing unparalled courage fighting the terrorists. Slumdog millionaire has made it to almost all possible award ceremonies and now it's time for the big one - The Oscars. But we are not too happy with the film makers for paying peanuts to the three young stars of the film who still wake up in their thached huts and have nowhere to go. In another news, Qutub Minar is tilting and the authorities are doing everything to save the monumentfrom collapsing!

Indicast #80 : Satyam Fraud - Ordinary people doing extraordinary things

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 04:30:35 PST

2009 has started off with what might turn out to be the largest scam in India Inc's history. Raju revealed how ordinary people can do extraordinary things just like Satyam's website mention. But the week had some positive news with AR rahman winning at the Golden Globe for his work in SlumDog Millionaire. Talking about people in Bollywood, SRK has been listed as the 41st most influential person in the world and Sanjay Dutt has finally decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections on a Samajhwadi Party ticket. We end the episode talking about Pamela Anderson's letter to BMC about being kinder to the stray dogs.

Indicast #79 : Top Indian Stories in 2008

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:30:35 PST

As we get into the new year, we look back at 2008 and talk about the significant events that took place. Sadly, the negative events dominated 2008 and we really had to look for something that cheered us up in the year gone by.

Indicast # 78: A Scar is Born

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:30:35 PST

A wounded tiger is far more dangerous than a hungry one. India has lived this cliche for a long time now, but only to the extent of being hungry and wounded. It is far from dangerous; in fact, if you listen closely, you might hear some whimpering. It has been a fortnight since the terrorists ripped through Mumbai. Since then, the Taj has been rebuilt; Trident announced that it will be reopening soon, the CST is back to being a host to millions of people daily and our politicians do not have any concrete answers about why it all happened, what steps should we take now and whether it will happen again. Aditya, who travels through local trains in peak time, shares his observations about how his fellow passengers now double up as detectives and how daily traveling has become an unfortunate adventure.

Indicast # 77: Spirit of Mumbai can take a walk

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:30:35 PST

It's an epidemic of sorts now. It struck again. It lasted for 60 hours. Mumbai bled. As viewers stitched to the TV set like umbilical chords, it was psychologically draining to watch the footage of Hemant Karkare readying himself to take control before he was shot dead with two other ranking cops Salaskar and Kamte, to see the deserted CST station daubed in red, to stare at the burning Taj as the our men with woefully inadequate infrastructure brought it to an end. Amid the chaos, journalists became household names whose voice, sometimes desparate, sometimes hopeful blared through our TV sets. While some sensationalised it, a few others acted responsibly. Yogita Limaye is one such reporter from CNN IBN who clocked two nights straight near the Taj running relentlessly on adrenalin and in this podcast, she gives us an on-ground perspective of the events that unfolded.

BiziNation # 23: Not Vrooming Anymore...

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:30:35 PST

"They can have it in any colour they want as long as it is black," Henry Ford's arrogance back in the 19th Century was justified when he was selling his cars and telling consumers what they NEEDED because he didn't believe that the customers knew what they wanted. Given a choice, Ford's customers would have demanded a faster horse, but he built the Model T anyway. CUT TO 2008. The swaggar which the auto makers had gotten used to is now reduced to a limp. With people shoving their hard earned money under the mattress, today, a sleek sports car is no more than a gas guzzling peace of metal meant for the foolish few who are skating on thin ice. With the auto industry consistently posting losses, it hope to get a 25 bn USD loan from the treasury to fix a few things. We talk about the mess and some dope from the aviation industry in India as well.

Indicast # 76: Not Every Dog has his Day

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 05:30:35 PDT

With companies going bust and countries filing for bankruptcy, newspapers are hunting for less cliched headlines. One story from NYT caught our attention. It claimed that pets are not recession proof. People who cannot afford to pay their rents are now forced to abandon their pets! In Sports, Sachin Tendulkar gave us a reason to celebrate his world record of scoring the highest number of runs in test match cricket. We cheered for Arvind Adiga who won himself the prestigious Man Booker Prize for his book, 'The White Tiger'.

BiziNation # 22: When Politics kills Capitalism

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:30:35 PDT

Two years after TATA announced the one lakh car, argubly a revolution of the magnitude of Henry Ford's Model T, the car industry's most binouculared project is yet to lay its foundation stone. After elaborate protests, some violence and lots of confusion, TATA took the painful call of relocating to another state. A week later, all the newspapers carried a picture of Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat shaking hands with Ratan Tata. This podcast is more about our thoughts on how politics can ruin capitalism. We want to know your take on this one. In another news, HCL is set to acquire Axon, an SAP consulting firm and TCS has bought over the back office arm of Citigroup.

Indicast # 75: Platinum's here!

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:30:35 PDT

It's been about three years now and it has been fun all along. Here's a huge shoutout to all you folks out there from across the world who have stayed with us and helped us through your comments (both nasty and encouraging!). Until this episode, we didn't know how countries could go bankrupt. Back home, Maharashtra government decided to sort of legalise the live in relationship model where the woman will be eligible for alimony (conditions apply, of course!). Our beloved dada, Saurav Ganguly has announced retirement from all forms of cricket, but Aditya is still hopeful that Ganguly might reconsider it. Look forward to your comments in this podcast.

Indicast # 74: Free Falling!

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:30:35 PDT

The American stock markets are in the mood for some adventure. On their way down the cliff, they brought the Indian Sensex to one of its all time lows in the past two years. While in one news, India is all set to sign the Indo American nuclear agreement, in another, the Government has declared a nationwide smoking ban in India. Mamata Banerjee successfully tests Ratan Tata's patience and gets the better of him. The One lakh car project gets delayed. India which has been known for its religious tolerance is giving away as communal riots erupt in different parts of the country.

Point Blank with Andreas Kluth on Hannibal, Success, Failure

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:30:35 PDT

It's a tough gig... to work for one of the most acclaimed publications of the century during the day time, work everyday independently towards writing a book in a half lotus position, research like hell so as to get all the facts and the perspectives right, update a book blog almost daily, then come home late at night to crash on the bed! Andreas Kluth, the humble tech correspondent from The Economist joins us to talk about Hannibal, the Carthaginian general from about 200 BC who marched with an army of elephants over the Alps, defeated the Romans over and over again, but his life ended with an anti-climax; he lost everything and committed suicide! In his book, Andreas intends to draw parallels between Hannibal's life and that of our contemperories like Steve Jobs, Al Gore,and may be even Heath Ledger! No, you won't find it in the 'Self Help' aisle of your book store. In this podcast Andreas shares all his views on this very eventful journey of writing his first book which is slated to come out sometime in 2009.

BiziNation # 21: Going Going Gone!

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:30:35 PDT

When they asked Tom about his occupation, he balked. He wanted to keep that as a secret. But they persisted wanting to know about what Tom does for a living. He finally relented, "I work as a piano man in a brothel." He had lied. He was too ashamed to admit that he was an investment banker. This podcast is dedicated to all the innocent Toms from the unsinkable 'Titanic' like industry in the US called Investment banking where the lifeboats are afloat with people who's jobs and families are on the line. We would love to know your take on this unceremonius downfall of goliaths likeLehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, etc. How bad is it out there?

Indicast # 73: It's a Gold!

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:30:35 PDT

China can make cheap goods. We all know that. What we did not know was that China could host the biggest event on the face of the earth in the grandest form ever imagined. We are of course talking about the Olympics which brought us all good news. Heck India won the first individual Olymipic Gold medal in 108 years. Abhinav Bindra, Vijendar Kumar, Sushil Kumar and Akhil Kumar covered the front pages. This podcast is dedicated to all sport lovers. Er we also digressed just a wee bit to talk about Mobica Bedi, condoms and a couple of movies.

Point Blank with Kanu Doshi on Taxation

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:30:35 PDT

Any fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. Prof Kanu Doshi is back. This time he fires away on India's convoluted tax structure in a user friendly manner that makes a technical subject like taxation lnteresting and entertaining. All our finance ministers from Chanakya to Chidambaram have steered India through a very eventful journey in the field of taxation and Kanu bhai pulls out fascinating anecdotes from his hat to take us through this ride. Hope you enjoy it!

BiziNation # 20: Mergers Galore

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:30:35 PDT

We are back after getting stuck in a rather unhealthy habit of not being on time. The last month was plump with a number of mergers and acquisitions on a national and an international scale. Spice married Idea in the telecom sector. On the global front, Anil bhais ADAG and MTN, the South African telecom giant are contemplating a merger of sorts, but Mukesh Ambani comes in his younger bro's way yet again. Ranbaxy, the Indian pharmaceutical major has been acquired by its Japanese Counterpart, Daiichi Sankyo in a landmark deal. This season, in India, as the rains pour, so do the mergers.

Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic Review

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:30:35 PDT

Though I have huge complaints in most departments, I can’t deny that it’s perfect packaging for kids in the 3-12 age group. With hardly any “sad” moments, the characters are mostly colorful and chirpy. But, given my reservations, should I actually encourage my kids to watch this when not too long ago Taare Zameen Par was around? Oh, why not? There’s enough room for everybody.

Indicast # 72: Of book worms and crazy politicians

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:30:35 PDT

While India battles double digit inflation, our politicians find a unique way to protest against the increasing fuel prices, but the plan hilariously backfires! While in one story, a small time waiter works his ass off to clear the UPSE exams, another intelligent kid tops the IIT entrance test only to flee his hometown due to the paparazzi pressure. Shiv sena now wants to enter the hearts of the ordinary Mumbaikar by selling vada pavs. Aditya is not too happy with the air hostesses from Delta Airlines and for good reason!

BiziNation # 19: Theres a hole in your pocket

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:30:35 PDT

The epidemic is back. It is called inflation. USA, India, China, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Haiti, Egypt are searching for the medicine to cure themselves. The medicine itself is not only bitter, but sometimes fatal! Among the developing economies, India leads the pack. In this podcast, we talk about how relavent is this whole issue to the common man or the housewife who buys vegetables on the street in a city in India. We recorded this episode when the inflation was around 7 per cent. Two weeks later, now, as I type, it has notched up to 9 per cent. We would love to know your take on this issue that has perplexed economists from around the world.

Indicast # 71: Big B Blog

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 14 May 2008 05:30:35 PDT

Big B has a new meaning now. Amitabh has a blog now and he receiving a response similar to Aamir Khan's Blog . Moving on, Who say's money cant buy happiness? With the growing affluence, atleast in the urban areas, a lot of single women have cut the middle man. The sex toy business in brazil is taking off and the same business in India is seeing a surge too. Although, the goods are legally not allowed to be sold but are easily accessible in grey market. Also, while "researching" Abhishek found the greatest iPod accessory ever and he tells us a bit about it.

Point Blank with Economics Editor of The Economist

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:30:35 PDT

It is said that having a good conversation is one of the great joys of being human. When Zanny Minton Beddoes, the Economics Editor of The Economist ruthlessly dismembers jargons like foreclosures, sub prime crisis, inter bank rates, etc, all I can say is that I enjoyed every bit of it. Economics is a fascinating field and Zanny makes it palatable for all of us who do not have a background in the subject. In the first few minutes, she lays a solid foundation giving us the whole build up to the current situation in the US followed by where she thinks it will all culminate into. All this and much more in these 30 minutes that Zanny squeezed in from her busy day which she attributes to America facing pretty interesting times. Presenting to you, economics for the common man.

Indicast # 70: Want a gun license

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:30:35 PDT

We cover the awesome stories submitted by our beloved listener, Anuj and encourage you to send us stories too using this page (needs you to be logged in). The episode starts with Gujrat being a dry state and then we spent sometime talking about the great indian pot belly followed by how Shivpuri district is giving out gun licenses for people who agree to get a vasectomy done. Believe it or not but its true. Abhishek and I talk about our mixed feeling for the IPL. I believe it's all money and he says he saw a speck of passion for the home team when he attended Mumbai Indians first match at Wankhede. We are also pleased to announce that Economist has setup an Intelligence office in New Delhi, India.

TKM # 9: Digital Nomadism

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 05:30:35 PDT

Our first guest, Andreas Kluth from The Economist is back. The man closest to all the action at the Silicon Valley switches gears to talk about the social and charming side of technology rather than the geeky one. His Special Report on Mobility published in the April 12 issue of The Economist is circled around how the internet mobile telephony has changed the way we interact with our friends, loved ones, colleagues and strangers and has an Indian connection too. The podcast was recorded at midnight India time and hence please bear with some unintended background score of a few agitated dogs barking away outside my house once in a while.

TKM # 8: Tom Standage on Potatoes and Technology

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 05:30:35 PDT

Tom Standage, the Business Editor of The Economist is back... Here is a little behind the scene story. I ask him in my email whether he would want to talk about anything beyond our main topic of discussion of the eventful 2007 that Google, Apple and Facebook have had. His two word reply to my mail reads, Potatoes perhaps... In this podcast, Tom fires away on the technological implications of the potato and how it led to the industrial revolution. As a keen baker and roaster of potatoes, Toms genuine fascination of the vegetable is evident and what more he is also writing a book on the technological implication of food as well. Edward De Bonos concept of Lateral Thinking gets a new meaning here. I will not reveal anything more. Get yourself a drink of your choice (and a potato perhaps) and enjoy the chat.

Indicast # 69: Sixth Pay Commission

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:30:35 PDT

Episode number 69 is here with lot of stories from India as well as a few weird stories from the UK. The sixth pay commission report dominates the episode after the stories about the rising divorce rates and then make a segway into US wanting hindi teacher. The railway cops have got a new revenue stream and are coning people into getting them to pay for having porn on their cell phone which is not illegal.

TKM # 7 : Slackers, you are fired!

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:30:35 PDT

The first TKM with as many as four participants discussing the latest arguements and happenings taking place on the internet. The participants leanding their voice in this episode include Gaurav Mishra , Aditya Mishra , and Veer Chand Bothra. I had more than 5 topics for this episodes but we managed to cover only 2 which is an indicastion how much these people have to contribute.

BiziNation # 18: From IPOs to Mega Mergers

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:30:35 PDT

Richard Branson does a James Bond like stunt again. To announce his tie up with Tata Teleservices, he jumped from some high rise building to get to the front pages of all leading publications here in India. He made a bigger splash when he experimented flying one of his planes on Alternative fuel. VISA has announced its intensions for the world's biggest IPO and in another news, the Indian Banking industry boasted of the biggest deal ever.

BiziNation # 17: The Union Budget 2008 Highlights

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:30:35 PST

Every year, on the last day of February, all the guns are out aiming at two men, the Railway Minister and the Finance Minister of India. This year was no different. We attempt to give you a run down of the Railway Budget presented by the flamboyant Lalu Prasad Yadav and the Union Budget announced by the calm and composed Chidambaram, the CFO of India. Everything from the huge Rs. 60,000 crore agricultural debt waiver to increasing the income tax slabs unabashedly knocked the voter's doors to draw their attention. We have our share of light moments where Ritika does a Lalu impersonation. No kidding!

Point Blank with Adam Roberts, News Editor of Economist

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:30:35 PST

Adam Roberts, the News Editor of economist.com is fresh from having penned a brilliant Special Report (published at least once a month) on 'Migration' and its impact on the lives of billions from across the planet. His report estimates that there are around 200 million migrants across the world which make up 3 per cent of the population. This number will only grow and so will the xenophobia surrounding it. Adam opens up 4 minutes into his candid talk and we end up talking about the lighter side of Migration as well - It's called Chicken Tikka Masala! Listen to know what we mean!

Indicast # 68: Shame on Mumbai

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 04:30:35 PST

The episode starts with us being proud of a countryman who gave his life just a day after getting sena medal and then how Mumbai was ashmed over the actions of a Mumbai based political party lead by Raj Thackeray. Cabbies, bhelpuriwallas were brutally beaten up by MNS party worker for being norh Indian! Then to make matters worse for the reputation of gurgaon, a 100 cr Kidney scam has been unearthed. We thought these heavy topics were enough for this episodes and moved on to some lighter topics

BiziNation # 16: Honey, Who Shrunk the Stock Markets?

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 04:30:35 PST

The stock markets around the world tumble as America faces prospects of recession. It does not help when banks like Societe General face losses due to rogue trading. Starbucks sees the back of its CEO as competition with McDonalds heats up. Meg Whitman passes on the baton to Danahoe. In another news, HPCL answers natures call rather literally and we wonder whether the Indian Premier league has got bigger than the game?

Indicast # 67: Republic day honours

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 04:30:35 PST

India celebrates another Republic Day. It was a marathon day with eminent personalities like being showered with Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan. An NGO finds another innovative way to fight corruption in India. Adam Gilchrist, the prolific entertainer and a great sportsman retires from Test match cricket. And in this era of reality shows, lets get ready for a reality sex show as well!

BiziNation # 15: Indias Meaningful Car Mania

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 04:30:35 PST

This episode was recorded a couple of days before the Auto Expo at Delhi which unveiled the one lakh car from TATA after a long long wait of two years. The Indian car industry is going great guns with some nitro boosting mergers and joint ventures. TATA Motors has bagged the Land Rover and Jaguar deal from Ford Motors and we discuss a string of tie ups that the Indian companies have been involved with. And there is some good News for Non Resident Indians who feel home sick and God sick. A unique concept now allows all you folks to outsource your pujas. Celebrity endorsements continue to rule the roost in our ad world.

Indicast # 66: Wedding Bells Ring at Indicast

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 04:30:35 PST

Hello and welcome to a whole New Year! The last few days of the last year were eventful and Aditya gives us a run down of he getting married in phool to Maharashtrian istyle! How different was his wedding from that of his elder brother? How many hours of poojas did he clock? Aditya willingly answers many more questions like these. The previous year belonged to women like Pratibha Patil, Shilpa Shetty and Rakhee Sawant. This episode is a special one is dedicated to all you guys for being there and rooting for us throughout 2007.

BiziNation # 14: Indian Art Market on Steroids

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:30:35 PST

If the Indian stock market is galloping, the Indian Art Market is on LSD. It is swaying to a mood swing that is helping it grow by 50 per cent year on year. And buying expensive paintings is seen as a very intelligent investment option. As the marriage season hits India, people are insuring their marriages! In HCL, you can rate your bosses and what more, the results will be displayed on the Intranet. Vikram Pandit has been named as the CEO of Citigroup and this time India can pat its back since Pandit completed his schooling in Nagpur. As Burger King competes fiercely with McDonalds, we choose to talk about the Indian McDonalds - Jumbo King Vada Pav from Mumbai.

Indicast #65: Scary Modi

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:30:35 PST

This week the Bollywood Movie Aaja Nachale was banned because it hurt the sentiments of a few people. So nothing new there! Mumbai is jumping on to the energy conservation bandwagon as it declares a black out on Dec 15. We urge all those who are in Mumbai to join in. And in some intimidating news, the Gujrat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi is blunt with his words and scares us all with his speeches. Aditya is all set to start his family and he has a few questions for all you guys at the fag end of the episode. Currently he is relishing his pre wedding gifts

TKM # 6: The Facebook Bubble?

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 04:30:35 PST

Andreas Kluth from The Economist joins me to talk about the big deal with Facebook. His articles are a result of research which includes interviewing people like Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. In this 20 odd minute chat, we talk about the $15 billion valuation of Facebook and what it means to the Silicon Valley. In this rather high octane topic on which almost everyone and their big brother have an opinion, Andreas lends a lot of rationality in explaining his take on it. He dismembers economic jargons like Call Options and Game Theory to reason out the bigger battle between Microsoft and Google in a very user friendly manner!

Indicast # 64: The Taslima Nasreen Saga

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 04:30:35 PST

Aditya mourns the loss of his Apple Mac laptop which was stolen in broad day light! He takes us through an interesting journey of filing the complaint with the humble Mumbai Police. Bada Bhai, Anil Kumble wins his first test captaining India. Taslima Nasrin, the Bangladeshi author currently in exile in New Delhi has nowhere to go and we talked about what the big deal about it is. We would like to know your take on it as well. Mumbai Marshals have taken the onus onto themselves and the slogan, Clean Mumbai is finally being implemented at the root level! And the Government has found another way to help smokers kick the habit, but, Aditya has another take on it!

BiziNation # 13: CEOs of the same feather flock together

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 04:30:35 PST

Chuck Prince of Citigroup and Stan O'Neal quit admist the sup prime crisis, but, their exit packages are getting more eye balls! We feel that they deserve the millions that they beget even after goofing up big time! Another CEO, Rick Wagoner stands strong among the ruins at General Motors as it wrote off $38 billion. Petrochina rocks the corporate world by being the most valuable company beating Exxon Mobil. Two Indian wine companies, Sula Wines and Champagne Indage are on an expansion spree. And Bollywood is finding different ways to earn revenues. It's not only about tickets anymore

Indicast #63 : Is Benazir available?

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 04:30:35 PST

This diwali, the fireworks industry had to do some rebranding. Govt said no more cracker named after gods. Diwali also brought with it 2 big super hyped movies and both of them failed to impress the masses. Also, did you know About Actor's Day? We also touched upon the things happening in Pakistan and the destruction of cultural relics in the Swat district. As usual we digressed and somehow started discussing Bhutto's marital status!! Dont know how we got there!! Listen to know more..

Bizination #12 : Microfinance goes viral

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 04:30:35 PST

Mukesh Ambani is not the richest man after all. Ever heard of peer to peer microfinance? Ask eBay about it! Also, a Microsoft former employee starts a networking site for the unorganised sector; so, you can find yourself a driver or a household maid on the web! Yuvraj Singh has pulled off a coup! He is slated to earn a 100 cr contract, but, there is more to it than just the money. The mobile telephony has too many cooks which might just spoil the broth and Bharati's Mittal is livid! GAP and sweatshops are made for each other.

Point Blank With Harsha Bhogle

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:30:35 PST

Harsha Bhogle is a man with multiple personalities. When he is not in the commentary box, he contributes as a columnst in The Indian Express and writes on espnstar. While he has an art to draw opinions from the experts in the commentary box, he is forthright and calls spade a spade in his writings. Its a 30 MB download but worth it.

Bizination #11: Mukeshbhai the worlds richest?

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 04:30:35 PST

The SENSEX has crossed the 20000 mark and Mukesh Ambani is the richest man! Well, not quite. Like everyone we got this news wrong! We discuss how Participatory Notes is acting as the LSD to the big spike in the market cap of companies on the BSE. Ritika brings in a political angle to the mercurial nature of the stock market! On another flight, Singapore Airlines has flown the worlds largest aircraft. Vijay Mallay's Kingfisher will fly the super Jumbo soon. While BBC plans laying off a huge chunk of its workforce, Shiv Nader of HCL has resigned as the CEO is the chief mentor and Microsoft's Chief Software Architect has just bought his company a stake in Facebook.

Indicast #62: Spiritual Business and Commercial Politics

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 05:30:35 PDT

The podcast begins with our favourite topic- cricket and then we get into how Sri Sri Ravi shankar was present at ET awards and also about the growing trend about political leader signing book deals.

Indicast #61: Pay your debts

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 05:30:35 PDT

Talking on a cell phone can now land you behind bars in Mumbai. Also recently the loan recovery agents have been in the news for the wrong reasons and did you know that you will have ATMs on trains too. What for? Dont ask.

TKM :Afraid of google?

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 05:30:35 PDT

Andreas Kluth , the author of the story was kind enough to join us for a quick chat. Andreas thinks that Google is far from threatening. He compares Google to the banking industry which acts like the custodian of our money. While Google is not as regulated as the latter, it will soon be, but, the founders whom Andreas had a chance to interact with on a few occassions are innocently idealistic; or they were to begin with...In this episode, we also talk about how Google is seeping in our DNA rather literally!

Point Blank with Gurcharan Das

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 05:30:35 PDT

In this podcast, he is his modest self, describing his early life and his time as a the VP and MD of P and G Worldwide and more. An unabashed supporter of capitalism, he believes that the business of the Government is not to be in business. We recorded this over the phone when the evening celebrations of Ganapati had just kicked off. So, the background score comes with the package. So, please bear with that and I hope you will have something more to add to what Mr.Gurcharan has to say about capitalism, books, cricket, education, microfinance, etc!

Bizination #10 : Celebrity Endorsements

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 05:30:35 PDT

SRK, Salman, Govinda, Suniel Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol, Priyanka Chopra... the list is endless. All these celebs have successfully endorsed apparels and we feel that such endorsements work well in the Apparel industry than in any other. In entertainment, I and B Ministry has some good news for all of us with the Entertainment tax being pared down Also, you can watch a movie on a petrol pump. Ask BPCL about it. In another common NEWS, Vodafone has taken over Hutch and has painted the entire Mumbai City red

Indicast # 60: Succession Planning

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 05:30:35 PDT

The story that got buried by the India team's victory was about the succession planning by congress. Abhishek believes that congress has made their move by giving more responsibilities to Rahul Gandhi who will most probably be ready to take on the Indian Prime ministership in the next term. We also discuss about a landmark in space history, launch of the Sputnik , completing 50 years. A race that the Soviet Union won hands down by sending a beeping ball like satellite around the world. In other interesting news, an RJ brings a ban on it's news channel.

Indicast #59: India relives 1983

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 05:30:35 PDT

I didn't think I would live to tell this tale to my grandchildren, said a 73 year old from Dharavi slum in Mumbai. Cricket kindles interest among all classes and cuts through all castes here in India. The youngest and the most inexperienced team of the tournament won it. While Pakistan put a brave effort, India won it in the end! In hockey, the players have finally spoken up against the mistreatment meted out to them for years! In Nepal, they have found a novel way to fix their Boeing's technical glitches. In another news, Mukesh Ambani is the richest Indian!

BiziNation # 9: When the US economy sneezes

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 05:30:35 PDT

The US financial market is like an avalanche. When things go wrong out there, they bring the world economy down to an extent. Ritika gives a user friendly description of what is the big deal with the sub prime markets crisis! This week, while Anita Roddick of Body Shop passed away, her legacy of eco-friendly practice still lives on. In another news, Starbucks opened shop in Russia, it is contemplating for the nth time to enter India. And SRK's 'Om Shanti Om' is the biggest financial hit of Indian cinema (inflation adjusted) and his biography is selling at a neat 3000 Rupees

Indicast #58: Ganpati is back

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 05:30:35 PDT

It's Ganpati time and abhishek can't get enough sleep because of Himesh Reshammiya. Pune Municipal Corporation has taken a firm stance by asking the 2000 odd Ganesh Mandals to pay up for the damage to the roads, Mumbai should follow the precedent. In other stories, The Twenty20 is on and the 3 hour cricket format is becoming a huge success. We have some random news about what women perceive kissing as opposed to men and Kurkre is goign to UK.

Point Blank with Tom Standage

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 05:30:35 PDT

In this talk about telecom convergence and the mesmerising magical world of mobile telephony, broadband, and Internet TV, The Economists Tom orchestrates a perfect symphony by explaining in a jargon free language that the distinctions between these technologies are blurring. He believes utility and substance coupled with stlye and grace in products such as iPhone makes them a beautiful combination. And then, the talk reaches a crescendo when he responds to my diffident accusation that technology is overwhelming us and that we are growing too fast for our own comfort.

Indicast #57: Hyderabad bomb blasts

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:30:35 PDT

Janmasthmi was here a couple of days back the govindas were awesome with their human pyraminds. We talk about how there is method hidden in this chaos and the rules of govindas. We digress and pass by the topic of PDA in mumbai and its limit and the hungarians creating a world record in it. A every important topic was the sad bomb blasts in Hyderbad. WHy do we need extradiction treaties? And from the sports field, India hockey is going crazy.

Bizination #8: The Islamic Banking in India

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 05:30:35 PDT

India's largest bank, SBI which already has a good chunk of the Islamic Banking market feels that India is a largely untapped market. While the aviation industry in India breathes a sigh of relief with steadily increasing fares, in the British Aviation industry, BA faces litigation for fixing the fuel surcharge in collusion with Virgin. Multi million deals are being signed in India with Mallya scooping up Spyker Ferrari and in entertainment, Pritish Nandy signed a 100 crore deal to remake Sholay.

Bizination #7: The Bad Ad World

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 05:30:35 PDT

There are bad ads, good ads and then there is the third kind... The controvertial ads! Amul Macho was successful in raising a few eyeballs and more (no pun!) among a few in the Information and Broadcasting Industry of India. Also, RBI has fingered the corporate sector again to check the appreciating rupee. Closer home, the Indian farmer plays David to the Goliath, Reliance. It's right out of a hindi movie!

Indicast #56: Sanju Baba returns

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 05:30:35 PDT

God must have choreographed Sanjay Dutt's release from the Yerwada jail in Pune where he was slated to languish for six years. The Supreme Court granted the actor an interim bail for dubious reasons! While Sanjay Dutt feeds the headlines for newspapers, Shibu Soren, the former Union Coal minister has been acquitted for a crime for which he was accused in 1994 for lack of "enough" evidence. In another story, the media blamed Orkut for the murder of a 16 year old. Cricket made news for non cricketing reasons again with the BCCI and ICL stand off touching new heights!

TKM #4: Wimax In India

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 05:30:35 PDT

This week Thilak who blogs at Tech Buzz joined us at short notice to fillin in for Anand. We talk about Wimax roll out in India, cross linking sites, google phone, Flickr videos and review of Twango. We also spend sometime on Bubble 2.0!

Indicast #55: 60 and getting sexier

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:30:35 PDT

At the stroke of the midnight hour, India turns 60! We do not dwell upon what India has achieved and what it lacks. You'll get that in the newspapers! On the eve of the Independence day, while Rahul Dravid celebrates a series win against England, another celebrity, Sanju baba will cheer for India from the Yerwada jail in Pune where he is serving a sentence. Indicast now allows you to leave a voice message for us! Just drop in a word (literally)!

Bizi Nation # 6: Doha Rounds Fail

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 05:30:35 PDT

This week, a familiar news item flashed across all news papers, 'Doha round fails.' Since its inception in 2001, Doha has been a playground of woes where the larger players like EU and USA do not relent to the requests of former kachaa limbus and currently, emerging economies of Brazil and India. Rupert Murdoch, the 76 year old young man has acquired Dow Jones for a neat $5 billion! Kishore Biyani's Future Group is storming urban India with its focus on youth and women!

TKM #3: Ad based MS Word

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 05:30:35 PDT

The sound quality is a bit choppy in this episode since we were both on cell phones but that didnt stop us from arguing about this week's tech stories. The stories includes Nokia's acquistion of Twango, Microsoft's ad based MS Office, China having only 244 MS Vista licenses and ended with yet another Google acquisition.

BiziNation # 5: Harry Potter Extravaganza

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 05:30:35 PDT

In this episode we talk about how the Harry hoopla continues to rock the world and how adults and kids alike are hooked onto the book like it were a life saving drug! We wonder why one of the worlds biggest potential publishing markets is comatose. Can only a Harry Potter revive it or will the real Indian authours please stand up! We also discuss why Microfinance is a model that must find place in every economics syllabus. And finally Ritika teaches me a lesson or two in how to make your employees happy!

Indicast #54: Madam President

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 05:30:35 PDT

This episode covers everything from our new woman president, Pratibha Patil is India's first woman president! While India finds another reason to celebrate what has been one of the most eventful presidential elections which is normally a dull affair, we wonder whether she would be able to pull of a few stunts that our former prez, Abdul kalam did (Read: oldest co-pilot). We also talk about the richest man on earth (nopes, not Gates anymore) to how to get yourself a job as a condom tester!

TKM #2: Happy Anniversary

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 05:30:35 PDT

It was anniversary week this episode. The virus turned 25, blogs turned 10, and the Bra turned 100 The episode also covers the rumours about google and yahoo interested in buying rediff along with our product reviews about Google Gears and Webaroo.

Bizi Nation # 4: Business of Sports

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 05:30:35 PDT

Russia will host the Winter Olympics in 2012. The NEWS is more about business than about sports! Also, listen to know how Vladamir Putin managed this coup! Closer home, Delhi will soon be hosting the Common wealth games in 2010 and that's supposed to help the Indian economy surge further. Delhi is already in 5th gear and the cosmetic surgery of the city is in progress. While voting for the '7 wonders of the world' has made news for many wrong reasons, we feel that it was a huge marketing case study! In the car industry, Bajaj debuts the passenger car market and competes with TATA's, Renaut and Honda! Read more to understand the possible strategy behind the decision. Indian Advertising now shifts focus towards women to sell two wheelers! Ritika feels that the ad agencies in India are more contemperory and creative in depicting the new age women than our TV/movies. We'd love to know your take on it.

Indicast #53 - Wah Taj

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 05:30:35 PDT

US senate was disrupted yesterday for having Hindu prayer reciting the senate's invocation prayer. Taj is voted as one of the seven wonders of the world. But is it really? Abhishek says Indians dont deserve it. Rock stars have $1 million ferrari. Big deal, US astraunauts shit in $19 Million camode . Who rocks now!!

TKM #1: iMania

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 05:30:35 PDT

iHype has been dominating the technology news for the past 6 months now and finally it was D-day for Stephen Jobs. We discuss how the phone lacks a few basic features so a few of us are waiting. Reliance is rummoured to be in talks with Apple to set up Apple Stores to in India. So they will be introducing the iPhone in India but no dates as yet.Google wants to help you browse the internet while offline with their new product Google Gears but Webarro was the first mover with this idea. how comes google didnt just buy them off? Allofmp3.com is shut down by kremlin but Mp3sparks has cropped up. Same face.. different name!! Tata has launched its chain of Technology stores called Croma having a very urban and professional feel to the whole store.

BiziNation # 3: India shining and shivering

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 05:30:35 PDT

If there were God in the Indian film industry today, it is unargubly, the Superstar, Rajnikant. His new movie Sivaji , the boss has raked in more moolah than some of the Yash Chopra Films... combined! No one knows who the better half of Reliance is, but, in the entertainment sector, Mukes bhai and Anil bhai , formarly from the same family (oops!) may cross paths. Reliance Industries and Yash Raj will enter into a deal to build Multiplexes and Anil Dhirubai Ambani Group is moving like a live wire in the Film distribution business (among other things). And this episode also marks a discussion on why the rupee is appreciating against the dollar and what is there in it (or not there) for our exporters who are whining! Bio Fuels is the future for India says Branson and co. Listen to know more!

Indicast # 52 : President of India

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 05:30:35 PDT

It's Rain time in Mumbai and the city is already fealing the heat! (ironically!) While rains disrupted most of the city's roads, it was the chilly weather of Ireland that got to 9 Indian cricket players . Oops! Back in India, the presidential elections is gaining momentum like never before and USA is warming up for its prez candidates as well! While Sunita Williams returned from her 195 day expedition in space, Aditya wonders why is India celebrating her success! In sports, Lewis Hamilton , the 22 year old lad is shaking history in Formula One!

BiziNation # 2: We have a name

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 05:30:35 PDT

This was an amazingly lighthearted episode where Ritika and I had a lot of fun covering diverse topics like how Mallya's Kingfisher swooped in to take a controlling stake in Capt Gopinath's Air Deccan and how corporate America and its CEOs are being sacked for non business reasons! Also, how Infosys, the Indian IT powerhouse is deftly tackling attrition with its not so sporting Non Compete agreement which all its employees have to sign! Rupert Murdoch is getting younger and acquiring companies left, right, centre!

Indicast Episode # 51: The Great Indian Summer

Aditya@theindicast.com (Aditya Mhatre, Abhishek and guests) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 05:30:35 PDT

Listen to know the heat wave that has struck North India. The 12th results are out and everyones running across to get admitted in the best of colleges. Some are busy collecting caste certificates! Also, in cricket, India is making news.... for non-cricketing reasons... Again!!!