Gilded with sparkling disco beats, the song 'I 'am a Disco Dancer...'  is not the only track that made us, Indians, the real 'Disco Deewane'. Bappi Lahiri who ruled the music industry in the 70s and 80s passed away on Tuesday, 15 February, in CritiCare Hospital in Mumbai, aged 69, but he remains an icon in India's music industry. And if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have got our 'Disco King'. Bappi Da, as he was also popularly known, didn't just give Bollywood some of its best disco beats but also sang some hugely popular chartbusters in his unique voice. This podcast is a tribute to the legend - Bappi da. For this podcast, we reached out to the veteran filmaker B Subhash - his movies and  Bappi's music took over the Hindi film industry with disco beats that changed the way we liked our music. Tune in as we pay tribute to India's 'Disco King'. 

The Big Story

888: 'Disco king' Bappi Lahiri's Legacy - From Desi Beats to Raag-Based and Beyond

LIC is now a step closer to becoming one of the largest companies in India, with the government selling a five percent stake in the insurance giant for the first time in an upcoming IPO. The household insurer name on 13 February filed its draft red herring prospectus or DRHP with markets regulator SEBI, which states that it will be offering 31.62 crore in equity or 5 percent of the company to the Indian market in its upcoming IPO. This move is in line with the Centre’s disinvestment plan to fill its coffers drained by the pandemic. It was also mentioned in the recent budget speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Now, LIC is India’s biggest life insurer. Here are a few numbers to support that statement—286 million policies, 115,000 employees, 1.34 million individual agents and more than 2000 branches. It is one of the top 5 global insurers and controls 64.1% market share in India. Its IPO is set to be the biggest in Indian stock market history, dwarfing the record of $2.4 billion set by Paytm last year. Though the valuation has not been inked yet, analysts have pegged it anywhere between Rs 5.4-8 lakh crore. But as the company prepares to go public, it leaves a few questions unanswered for investors such as—how is this going to affect policy holders? What is the insurer's profitability plan? And is it worth investing? To discuss this, we spoke to Madhavan Narayanan, a senior journalist and Prosenjit Datta, former editor of Businessworld and Business Today. Tune in! Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha and Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

887: What Should the Retail Investor Note About LIC's Mega IPO?

It was raining money in the jam-packed two-day IPL Mega Auction, with the 10 franchises splurging close to Rs 550 crore on 204 players to assemble their respective squads. Ishan Kishan emerged as the most expensive player of the auction, bought by Mumbai Indians for a whopping Rs 15.25 crore. New team Lucknow Super Giants made Avesh Khan the most expensive uncapped player of IPL history by buying him for Rs 10 crore. But the highlight of the second day of the auction was England all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who triggered an intense bidding war between Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Punjab Kings. He was finally bought by the team with the biggest auction purse, Punjab Kings, for Rs 11.5 crore. This auction also had many firsts – two new teams, 11 players being sold for Rs 10 crore or more (the most ever), and the end of an era for a few star players like Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Steve Smith, Eoin Morgan, who had no takers. To discuss the hits and misses of this auction, joining me today is Chandresh Narayanan, a sports analyst and commentator. Tune in! Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Mendra Dorjey Sahni Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

886: Unpacking the Hits and Misses of 2022 IPL Mega Auction

For the past few weeks, the controversy over the wearing of hijab by Muslim students has rippled across coastal Karnataka with multiple incidents now taking place, the issue reaching the high court, and even drawing global attention. The hijab row has been gaining strength ever since six Muslim girls were denied entry into their classrooms at a Government Pre-University College in Karnataka’s Udupi in January this year for wearing the hijab. But this quickly turned communal after a group of boys, sporting saffron shawls, went to protest against wearing of hijab in the classes.  In another viral video, females students wearing saffron shawls could be heard chanting “jai shri ram” in an act of protest against wearing the hijab. However, the actions taken by the BJP government in the state and the Karnataka High Court have drawn the biggest criticism. Guest: Nikhila Henry, The Quint's South Bureau Chief Vakasha Sachdev, The Quint's Legal Editor  Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Vakasha Sachdev  Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

885: Unpacking the Recent Developments in Karnataka Hijab Row

Fifty-eight constituencies, 11 districts, 143 seats, and the fate of nine sitting ministers are to be decided, as the polling was held on Thursday, 10 February, in western Uttar Pradesh. West UP, often referred to as Jatland in the media, for being the Jat-dominated sugarcane belt of the state, witnessed a high-voltage electoral contest in the run-up to voting day, with the ruling BJP and the Opposition alliance SP-RLD trying to woo the community over the past few months. And since 2014, the BJP has flipped the game in west UP, sweeping the entire region in two successive Parliament polls and even the last Assembly polls. But this time, the saffron party may be nervous about its chances since the equations have changed primarily due to the anger among the Jat community over the now withdrawn farm laws. The pending dues of sugarcane farmers is another big issue in this region. In today’s episode, we will break down these main issues, the core points of the BJP and SP-RLD campaign, and what the trends in this region point towards. I’m joined by Aditya Menon, The Quint’s Political Editor and Himanshi Dahiya and Fatima Khan, The Quint’s correspondents who traveled across west Uttar Pradesh to bring you stories from the ground. Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Aditya Menon Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

884: Will the Anger Over Farm Laws in Western UP Turn the Tides for the BJP?

590 players in the auction list, 217 spots up for grabs, 48 players at the Rs 2 crore base price and once again, a 10 team IPL, but this time for good. There’s just so much to look forward to at the 2022 IPL auction that’s taking place on 12 and 13 February in Bengaluru and our episode today gets you the complete lowdown on what to expect. How will the auction process take place? The bidding starts with which players? Which uncapped players could make it big and also, why is Jofra Archer in the auction if he’s injured? Guest: Chandresh Narayanan, sports writer and commentator  Host: Mendra Dorjey Producer: Himmat Shaligram Also listen: Explaining the 'Mega' in Indian Premier League 2022 Auctions Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

883: What to Expect From The Big 2022 IPL Auction?

After much anticipation and drama in the political corridors of Punjab, incumbent Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was declared the CM face of the Congress in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections. Making the announcement, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that it was not he who made the choice, but the people of Punjab, who said "we want someone from a poor home as the chief minister." The question of who would become the CM candidate had been festering in the Punjab Congress for months, with constant infighting between CM Channi and Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had even gone on to resign in protest earlier last year. Now that Channi has been chosen, will the Congress' plan to consolidate the decisive Dalit votes in Punjab work? Also, what is next for Sidhu? To unpack this, in today's episode, I am joined by my colleagues Aditya Menon, The Quint's Political Editor, and Himanshi Dahiya, The Quint's correspondent, who has been travelling extensively across Punjab to cover the election. Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Aditya Menon Also Read: Punjab Elections: AAP Rising in Majha But It's Up Against Congress & SAD Bigwigs Punjab Elections: How Batala Became Symbolic of the State's Industrial Decay Punjab Elections 2022: Charanjit Singh Channi on Captain, Kejriwal, & Congress Punjab Polls 2022: 'Channi Stands With the Poor,' Say Bhadaur Residents Background: Does the Change of Guard in Punjab Signal a Congress Party Makeover? Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

882: Punjab Elections: With Channi As CM Face, Will Congress' Fortunes Change?

A voice that has lent pehchaan to female actors for at least 70 years. A voice that evokes reverence. A voice that the entire nation emotes with – for pain, hurt,  longing, and joy. There is a Lata Mangeshkar song for every mood.  ”Nightingale of India"- Lata Mangeshkar passed away at the age of 92 at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai after contracting pneumonia and COVID-19. Speaking to The Quint, Sharmila Tagore says that Mangeshkar gained such an iconic status because she was resonated with people across generations. She said the legendary singer sang songs for Shobhana Samartha, her daughter Tanuja, and even her daughter, Kajol. In this podcast you will also hear from lyricist, Swanand Kirkire who describes Lata ji as 'phenomenon beyond genius'.  But what is it about her that makes so close to hearts of Indians around the globe? The answer is not just one, but many. This podcast is a tribute to the legend. Tune in.

881: Remembering The Legend, Lata Mangeshkar: Why Indians Around the Globe Keep Her Close to Their Hearts?

Since its inception in 2004, Facebook's vision of growing its user base has been going steady, despite all the scandals, backlash, US Senate hearings, and regulatory pressure. But on 3 February, Meta – what the company is now known as – reported a half a million decline globally in its daily user base, a first in the social media giant's 18-year history. You may think that a half a million drop is negligible when compared to Meta's existing user base, but it nevertheless wreaked havoc in the stock market, with investors fleeing after taking a peek at Meta's quarterly earnings report. The dip in users, combined with the earnings report, plunged Meta's stock by nearly 26 percent, instantly shaving $250 billion dollars off its market value and $29 billion off Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth. And if you can't compute this fall, imagine the fall of two IBMs, two General Electrics, or McDonald's! This was the single largest one-day dollar drop for a US company in history! Meta listed out several reasons for the drop - from Apple's new privacy rules to the increase in competition from TikTok. But the fundamental questions that I will try to address in today's episode are: Is Facebook having its 'MySpace' moment? Has it reached its peak? What led to this fall? To help me unpack this, I speak to Udbhav Tiwari, a policy advisor at Mozilla. Tune in! Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha, Nitish Rampal Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

880: With a Decline in Daily Users, Is Facebook Having Its 'MySpace' Moment?

An auction is what kicks off the IPL season each year, and 2022 is no different with the mega IPL auction slated to take place on 12th and 13th of February. Yes, so you may ask, if the auction happens each year, what’s so ‘mega’ about this one? Well, for starters, upto 217 players can be bought in this auction from the list of 590 that has been shortlisted by the BCCI. Each of the 10 teams need between 21 to 23 players to complete their rosters even though they have already spent a lot of their Rs 90 crore budget on retaining some old players.  Rohit, Virat and Dhoni will continue to play for their old franchises but KL Rahul made it big by switching teams and is now, after Kohli, the highest-earning IPL player with his Rs 17 crore a season pay cheque from Rising Lucknow Supergiant. Does that sound mega enough? But that's not all. There’s still players like David Warner, Shreyas Iyer, R Ashwin, Pat Cummins who are set to go under the hammer from the list of 590 of which 370 are Indian and 220 are international players. Now is THAT big enough? In today's podcast, I'll try to take you through how this IPL auction will work, with 10 teams in the fray. How competitive can it get and the big question—who the most valuable players going under the hammer are this year? For this, I spoke to Amrit Mathur, a sports commentator and former COO of the Delhi Daredevils. Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Mendra Dorjey Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

879: Explaining the 'Mega' in Indian Premier League 2022 Auctions

While experts are still weighing in on the hits and misses of Budget 2022 that was presented on 1 February, for a lot of India's millennials it's the government's plans for cryptocurrencies that they have waiting for. India's crypto market, as we know, has been swarming with a lot of young investors and the market seems to be growing. But a few months back, news of the government planning to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in a new bill had left many worried about their investments on digital currencies for the last few months. However, with a new crypto tax regime the recent budget does offer some clarity on what government intends to do with cryptocurrencies. While taxing digital currencies doesn't necessarily mean that government has legalised crypto, what is it that the government is indicating? Does it mean that it's warming upto cryptocurrencies? Does it mean that the ban is off the table? And the biggest question of all — what do these new announcements mean for investors? Explaining the fine print of it all in this episode will be CoinCrunch CEO Naimish Sanghvi. We'll also hear snippets of lawyers Badri Narayanan and Vivek Gupta's conversation with the BloombergQuint where they talk about the gray areas of these announcements. Host and Producer: Shorbori Purkayastha Editor: Shelly Walia Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

878: Decoding the Crypto Tax — What Does it Mean for Investors?

With a four-point focus – inclusive development, productivity enhancement, energy transition, and climate action – Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Union Budget on 1 February, stating that it was a blueprint for India at 75 to India at 100. What made the headlines was the hiking of the capital expenditure by 35.4 percent, which now stands at Rs 7.5 lakh crore, making up nearly 3 percent of the GDP. This budget also came with a major push for digitisation, with an announcement of a new digital currency to be issued by the RBI. This new coin will be backed by blockchain technology. However, the introduction of the new digital coin also brought in new tax rates for virtual digital assets transfers. But what does this budget mean for the common man? What are its big hits and misses? Guest:  Rathin Roy, Economist Host: Nishtha Gautam Producer: Himmat Shaligram  Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

877: Budget 2022: Breaking Down the Numbers With Economist Rathin Roy

The Pegasus spyware is under the spotlight again with an investigative report by the NYT published on Friday, 28 January which claims that the Indian government purchased the controversial cyberweapon, as the NYT puts it, in 2017 as part of a larger arms deal with Israel.  The NYT report states that the two countries agreed on the sale of the spyware in part of a weapons and intelligence deal worth roughly $2 billion in July 2017 when PM Modi visited Israel.  It also notes that since this visit, India’s stance on some of its policies like commitment to the Palestinian cause changed, citing India’s vote in support of Israel at the UN Economic and Social Council to deny observer status to a Palestinian human rights organization. And this development is big because till now, neither the Indian government nor the Israeli government have openly confirmed or denied the sale of the software to India -something which the Israeli Defence Ministy would have had to give a licence for even though it was made by a private entity.  The Centre has to date also refused to take a clear stand in court or the Parliament on whether it has acquired or used the spyware. The revelations in the NYT are of particular interest after the reports by a consortium of media organisations around the world in July 2021, the Pegasus Project reported its use. These reports were based on a list of potential targets of the spyware, some of which were confirmed by forensic analysis. In India, the list of potential targets included prominent politicians, an Election Commissioner, 40 Indian journalists and several private citizens. Independent forensic analysis has been able to confirm the presence of the spyware on the phones of several of these targets. The Opposition has lashed out against the Centre, with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was reportedly one of the targets of the spyware, saying that the government has committed an act of treason.  So how damaging are the revelations of this report? How will it fare in court? And how will this change the probe into the use of the spyware? Guests: Vakasha Sachdev Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Vakasha Sachdev Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

876: Pegasus Spyware: How Damning Are The Revelations of the NYT Report?

The Russia-Ukraine crisis can be explained as a modified version of the conflict game "chicken”, where two players force each other to yield to avoid the worst possible outcome.   And the reason I call this crisis a modified version of “chicken” is because one player- Russia-has suddenly planted over 100,000 troops along the Ukraine border, escalating tensions to unprecedented levels. And the other player, the US and NATO, has been presented with a list of security demands by Russia which include banning Ukraine and other former Soviet states from joining the military alliance. And the worst possible outcome in this case may be war.  The US and other NATO allies have so far made no concessions to the demands, terming it as a non-starter since they go against NATO’s core principles of an open-door membership policy. US President Joe Biden has gone to the extent of warning that “Russia will pay a heavy price” if it chooses to invade Ukraine.  Russia has stated that it does not want war and will not invade Ukraine but the presence of troops and tanks at the border has stoked fears in the West that the Kremlin is ready to start a new war if needed. The present crisis also puts India, a close long-term ally and trade partner of both US and Russia, in a bind if the crisis does translate into a war scenario. The big questing here being- will India remain neutral or choose a side? But the first issue to understand is why is Russian fielding soldiers at the Ukraine border? What is President Vladimir Putin’s gameplay, and what does this crisis mean for India? Guest: Professor Harsh V Pant, Director, Studies and Head of the Strategic Studies Programme at the Observer Research Foundation, a global policy think tank.  Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

875: Ukraine-Russia Conflict: In this Game of Chicken, Who Will Yield First?

1.25 crore. That’s the number of applications received for little over 35,000 vacancies in the highly competitive Railway Recruitment Board’s Non-Technical Popular Category (NTPC) recruitment exam. However, a recent notification by the RRB of conducting a second qualifying exam to confirm the selection of candidates led to thousands of aspirants taking the street across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for three consecutive days, blocking the movement of around 25 trains. The protest also turned violent on 26 January, with railways tracks set ablaze in UP’s Prayagraj and a train coach set on fire in Bihar’s Gaya. Aspirants state that this second stage for final selection amounted to “cheating” those who appeared for the first stage of the exam, results for which were released on 14 January. They say that the 2019 notification only mentioned one exam and accused the recruitment board of “playing with the future of students”. So are the claims of these students correct? What is the controversy exactly, and what action has the railway ministry taken so far? Tune in! Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha Music: Big Bang Fuzz Listen to The Big Story podcast on: Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur 

874: Why Are Railway Job Aspirants in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh Protesting?

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