logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
4m 58s

Trailer: The Modi Raj

The Economist
About this episode

Narendra Modi may well be the most popular politician on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democracy. 


A tea-seller’s son, Mr Modi began life an outsider and the man behind the political phenomenon remains hard to fathom. India has become an economic powerhouse during his ten years in charge. But he’s also the frontman for a chauvinistic Hindu nationalist dogma. 


Can Mr Modi continue to balance both parts of his agenda and finish the job of turning India into a superpower? The Economist’s Avantika Chilkoti finds out what makes him tick. 


Launching June 2024.


To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.


If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

Up next
Apr 30
Trailer: Boss Class Season 2
Good bosses are rare. They don’t have to be. The skills of management can be learned. The Economist’s management columnist, Andrew Palmer, is here to help. The second season of Boss Class features leaders at some of the world’s best performing companies, from Levi’s to Novo Nordi ... Show More
2m 3s
Feb 2025
Trailer: Scam Inc
A sophisticated, predatory, multi-billion dollar industry is emerging from the shadows. It already rivals the size of the illicit drug trade. And it’s about to get bigger and much more powerful.  The Economist’s Sue-Lin Wong follows a trail that starts with the collapse of a bank ... Show More
3m 47s
May 2024
AI and health part one: DrGPT will see you now
Artificial intelligence is already making its mark in health care—but new, bigger, models promise to improve how patients access services, help doctors spot diseases faster and transform how medical research is done. In the first of two episodes on the potential of AI in health c ... Show More
45m 35s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
Trailer: The Modi Raj
Narendra Modi may well be the most popular politician on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democracy.  A tea-seller’s son, Mr Modi began life an outsider. The man behind the political phenomenon remains hard to fathom. India has be ... Show More
4m 58s
May 2024
The Modi Raj: Trailer
Narendra Modi may well be the most popular politician on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democracy.  A tea-seller’s son, Mr Modi began life an outsider. The man behind the political phenomenon remains hard to fathom. India has be ... Show More
4m 58s
Jun 2024
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 2024 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 fr ... Show More
50m 36s
Nov 2024
Scandal in the wind: Adani’s indictment could hurt Modi
Gautam Adani is one of India’s richest men, whose fortunes are closely aligned to those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What will the political ramifications be of bribery charges against him? China’s property crisis has left a truly staggering number of new homes empty (9:01). ... Show More
23m 14s
Sep 2024
Can India Change Course?
In June, Narendra Modi was sworn in for a third consecutive term as India’s prime minister. But—in a surprise outcome—his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, failed to win a parliamentary majority. Now, for the first time, Modi sits atop a coalition government—and India’s path for ... Show More
43m 46s
Jan 2025
Martin Wolf talks to Arvind Subramanian: India, the next economic superpower?
India is the world’s most populous nation, and since the 1990s it has maintained almost Chinese levels of rapid economic growth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to make India a high income country and, by implication, an economic superpower by 2047. But is that achievable? This ... Show More
30m 40s
Jun 2024
Making 'Make In India' Come Alive
On Sunday night, India’s new National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was sworn into office, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at its helm once more.We have a new group of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allies, a new group of ministers, and a new look in terms of how the Modi ... Show More
40m 27s
Jun 2024
Decoding the 2024 Indian General Elections
We’ve finally come to the end of the 46-day Indian general election. And we have a surprising result which many experts did not see coming. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to secure a single-party majority in the Lok Sabha in what is being ... Show More
1h 3m
Jul 4
Oh Keir! Labour’s torrid first year
After a landslide victory and promises for radical renewal, Britain’s Labour government is failing in policy and popularity. Our correspondents explain why. Nearly a year after the despotic prime minister of Bangladesh fled, an interview with its new leader on the country’s compl ... Show More
28m 3s
Dec 2024
The club rules? India’s RSS
Is it a community-minded boys’ club, like the Scouts? A breeding ground for seething Hindu nationalism? A paramilitary puppetmaster of India’s governing elite? Our correspondent attends the annual bash of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. As Gulf countries diversify away from oil, the ... Show More
23m 30s