logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2024
25m 37s

Modi’s temple grandstanding

Vox
About this episode

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple in the once-sleepy city of Ayodhya on Monday. The BBC’s Soutik Biswas and The Caravan’s Hartosh Singh Bal explain how it’s the culmination of his decades-long push to remake India as a Hindu state.

This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Rob Byers, and hosted by Noel King.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Today
Saudi Arabia is no joke
The Riyadh Comedy Festival was billed as “two weeks of laughs in the desert” but has comics asking, “At what cost?” This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Adriene Lilly, and hosted by Noel King. A poster f ... Show More
26 m
Yesterday
Trump deploys the National Guard
The president is attempting to send the National Guard into two American cities for two (seemingly) different reasons with two (for now) different results. This episode was produced by Denise Guerra and Danielle Hewitt, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and K ... Show More
25m 55s
Oct 7
We're in our AI slop era
Meta just dropped Vibes and OpenAI just dropped Sora 2. Both social media platforms are filled with AI videos that warp our sense of reality. This episode was made in collaboration with Vox's Future Perfect. It was produced by Ariana Aspuru, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by ... Show More
26m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
India’s Ram temple: A 'new era' for Hindu nationalism?
One of India’s most contested holy sites became a place of celebration on Monday. In the city of Ayodhya, at the site of a former mosque torn down by a mob, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple. What does it say about the extent to which Hindu nationalism has t ... Show More
19m 23s
May 2024
Modi’s mission
Narendra Modi looks set to win a third term in office thanks to the popularity of his economic policies. But the Indian prime minister has a vision of a Hindu homeland that clashes with the country’s original secular values. Gideon talks to Ravi Agrawal, editor-in-chief of Foreig ... Show More
26m 10s
Jun 2024
The Modi Raj 1: The chaiwallah's son
Narendra Modi has been chosen to lead India for the third time in a row. But after 10 years in power, he was humbled at the national election. What kind of leader will he be? Stories from his youth in the Hindu nationalist movement offer clues. This episode draws on audio from th ... Show More
50m 36s
Jun 2024
Meme to Maverick: The Rise of Brand Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi's comeback in India's blockbuster general elections defied every exit poll and expert prediction. Once the target of the ruling party and its IT cell’s jokes, Gandhi walked across the country..literally..twice..into many more hearts than people had given him credit f ... Show More
24m 12s
Jan 2023
The Great Indian YouTube Thali
In 2021, 7.5 lakh employment was supported by YouTube's ecosystem, according to a recent Oxford study, the creative ecosystem contributed Rs 10,000 crores to India's GDP. Anirban Chowdhury, delves deeply into the discussion with Ajay Vidyasagar, Director of YouTube at Google Asia ... Show More
35m 45s
May 2023
Modi’s moment in the spotlight
Gideon talks to strategist Raja Mohan about India’s rising geopolitical influence. As the countries of the world form alliances to counterbalance the power of China, India is being courted for its support. How is India responding, and what are the prospects that it could one day ... Show More
25m 56s
Apr 2024
Inside Narendra Modi’s India
Why is Narendra Modi so popular? As India begins voting this week, FP Live host Ravi Agrawal discusses his essay “The New Idea of India” with executive editor Amelia Lester. The two take subscriber questions on how India is changing under Modi and what New Delhi’s foreign policy ... Show More
42m 43s
Mar 2024
How India came to embrace the politics of Hindutva
The politics of Hindu nationalism have played a central role in the dramatic rise of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As the elections have neared, the Modi regime has turbocharged its Hindu-first agenda - best exemplified in the inauguration of the Ram Temple in the cit ... Show More
25m 23s
Apr 2024
Inde : Narendra Modi vers un 3e mandat ?
Près d’un milliard d’électeurs vont se rendre aux urnes en Inde pour une élection dont Narendra Modi est à l’avance donné gagnant. Dans « La Story », le podcast d’actualité des « Echos », Pierrick Fay et son invité Clément Perruche reviennent sur les enjeux du scrutin alors que l ... Show More
18m 36s
May 2024
Inde : les secrets de la longévité de Modi
Le scrutin législatif est ouvert depuis le 19 avril en Inde, il devrait voir sans trop de surprise la réélection de Narendra Modi pour un troisième mandat le 4 juin. Pour « La Story », le podcast d’actualité des « Echos », Pierrick Fay et ses invités dressent le portrait de l’hom ... Show More
24m 10s