What's your ism?
Episodes
The Bengali Muslim and the Bangladeshi Dalit | Dr Navine Murshid and Sudipto Mondal | WYI
02 Jun 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of the special What’s Your Ism sub series titled “Epar Opar Hahakaar”, TNM Executive Editor Sudipto Mondal sits down with p...
Who Picks Bengaluru’s Garbage? R Khaleemulah on Migrant Workers & Hate Politics | WYI EP 50
24 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Who picks Bengaluru’s garbage? And why are Bengali Muslim workers among the most vulnerable labourers in Indian cities today?In this episode of What...
Census, Hunter, Eaton: Essential reading on the Bengali Muslim | What's Your Ism EP 49
12 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
One of West Bengal’s most controversial poll seasons just concluded, with the Bharatiya Janata Party defeating the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Con...
Land, Labour, and Liberation ft. Lawyer & CPIML Leader Clifton D’Rozario | What's Your Ism EP 48
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does justice really look like for India’s working class and oppressed communities? This week on What’s Your Ism?, Clifton D’Rozario, lawyer...
Mamdani’s rise, Trump’s threat, and South Africa’s post-apartheid warning: Journalist Nic Dawes
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From Mandela to Mamdani, and from Trump to Malema, this is a global story of resistance, betrayal, and unfinished revolutions.In Episode 47 of What’...
Dalit Labour, Muslim Migrants, and the City: What’s Your Ism? Reflections
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Who are the real hands behind India’s clean cities? Sudipto reflects on the civic workers we rarely see, Dalit and migrant labourers who segregate w...
“We Are the Broom People”: Caste, Labor and Love | What’s Your Ism? with Du Saraswathi
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when movements don’t speak to each other? In Episode 45 of What’s Your Ism?, Sudipto Mondal is joined by Du Saraswathi — who ...
Guns, Peace, and Power: What’s Your Ism? Reflections | Maoists vs the Indian State
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Reflections episode, we return to Dandakaranya — a region where governments change, but the war stays the same. From banned militias reborn ...
What’s Your Ism? 43 ft. Degree Prasad Chouhan | Adivasis in the Maoist War: Fighters or Fronts?
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of What’s Your Ism?, human rights activist Degree Prasad Chauhan discusses how Adivasi identities have been appropriated by Maoist m...
What’s Your Ism? 42 ft. Professor Haragopal | The State, the Maoists, and the war for tribal land
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“They say the Maoists are gone. But who will stop the mining?”In Episode 42 of What’s Your Ism?, Prof G. Haragopal—veteran human rights defend...
Shit, Caste, and the Divine: What's Your Ism? Reflections | Raees Muhammad
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What’s Your Ism? Reflections – Episode 3 In this third episode, Sudipto Mondal reflects on his conversation with Dr. Raees Muhammad — forme...
What's Your Ism? EP 40 | From Ravichandran to Raees: Dalits, Islam & the anti-caste | Sudipto Mondal
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of What’s Your Ism?, Sudipto Mondal sits down with Dr. Raees Muhammad—formerly Ravichandran Bathran—the founder of Dalit Camera....
Charvaka, Ambedkar & Ravana’s Regret: What’s Your Ism? Reflections | Anand Neelakantan
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of What’s Your Ism? Reflections, Sudipto Mondal re-opens his conversation with Anand Neelakantan by focusing on a striking excerpt f...
What's Your Ism? Ep 38 ft. Anand Neelakantan | Ram vs. Ravan: Whose Side Is History On?
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of What’s Your Ism?, Sudipto Mondal hosts Anand Neelakantan, bestselling author of Asura and Ajaya, to discuss how mythology is shap...
Roma, Banjara, and Ambedkar | What’s Your Ism? Reflections
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the first edition of What’s Your Ism? Reflections. Sudipto Mondal looks back at his conversation with János Orsós, founder of a Roma sc...
What’s Your Ism? EP 36 | Ambedkar in Europe: A Roma School’s Fight Against Segregation
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From Maharashtra to Miskolc: What’s Your Ism? travels to Hungary where a Roma activist found hope in Ambedkar. János Orsós, founder of the Dr. Ám...
What's Your Ism ft. Dhanya Rajendran & Vignesh Vellore | How TNM Survived 11 Years in Journalism
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to run an independent newsroom for 11 years?How did a digital-first newsroom survive without corporate backing or political in...
What’s Your Ism? Ammu Joseph on pioneering feminist journalism in India
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ammu Joseph, a pioneering feminist journalist and founding member of the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI), shares her inspiring journey on What...
Gauley Bhai: Music, Resistance, and Identity From Kalimpong to Bengaluru
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sudipto Mondal features Gauley Bhai in this What's Your Ism? special. Their journey from Kalimpong to Bengaluru isn’t just about music—it’s abou...
Holiday Special | Manjeet Sarkar: Comedy, Caste, and the Art of Storytelling
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this What’s Your Ism? holiday special, Sudipto Mondal sits down with Manjeet Sarkar—a comedian and filmmaker using humour to break barriers. Th...
Holiday Special | Parvaaz: A Kashmiri Band in Bengaluru’s heartstrings
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Parvaaz isn’t just a band—it’s a cultural movement. In the first of What’s Your Ism?’s holiday specials, Sudipto Mondal and Gokul Chakravart...
What’s Your Ism? Special Episode 30: The Sudipto Mondal Story - Identity, Caste & Journalism
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 30 of What’s Your Ism? takes a personal turn as Dhanya Rajendran interviews Sudipto Mondal, the voice behind the show. Sudipto revisits his ...
What’s Your Ism? EP 29 From Emergency to Hindutva: Ft. MG Devasahayam on India's Democratic Crisis
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of What's Your Ism?, Sudipto Mondal and Dhanya Rajendran host M.G. Devasahayam, a former IAS officer and army veteran, to discuss crit...
What’s Your Ism? Ep 28 ft. Nadira Khatun on exploring Muslim narratives in Hindi cinema
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In episode 28 of What's Your ISM?, Sudipto Mondal speaks with Nadira Khatun about her book, Postcolonial Bollywood and Muslim Identity: Production, Re...
What’s Your Ism? Ep 27 ft. Kalpana Sharma on Feminism, Dharavi, and Himmat Magazine
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of What's Your ISM?, Sudipto Mondal sits down with Journalist Kalpana Sharma to discuss her trailblazing career in journalism. They ex...
What's Your Ism? EP 26 ft. Shailaja Paik on Redefining Feminism and Dalit Identity
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Episode 26 of What's Your Ism? Sudipto Mondal speaks with Shailaja Paik, MacArthur 'Genius' Award winner and scholar, to delve into Dalit feminism,...
What’s your ism? Ep 25 ft. Arvind Narrain on progressive isms for our times
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest this time is hard to define. President of PUCL Karnataka, law scholar, Constitutional expert, author, one of the country’s pioneering LGBT...
What’s your ism? Ep 24 ft. Rishika Pardikar on India’s climate crisis
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did the Modi government gain the Shompen tribe’s consent for the construction of two cities, a port and gas refinery on the Great Nicobar island...
What’s your ism? Ep 23 feat. Dr. Aditya Sondhi on Indo-Pak military history
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did the civilian administration in India gain an upper hand over the military? Why did Pakistan and Bangladesh fail to control their generals? Neh...
‘I live without an Aadhaar’: What's Your Ism? Ep 22 | ft. Anti-Aadhaar activist Kiran Jonnalagadda
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is it possible to survive in India without Aadhaar? How does one protect individual rights against an ever more powerful surveillance state? What is l...
What’s your ism? Ep 21 ft. Nikita Sonavane, Lawyer and Researcher on Brahminical Policing
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What role did eugenics play in the creation of a modern police force in India? What does it take for a Dalit woman to negotiate with the savarna domin...
What's Your Ism? Ep 20 feat. Josy Joseph on the future of journalism & the state of the Indian union
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What are the ways in which journalism in India is changing? Is Indian democracy safe? How deep is the rot in the country’s anti-corruption agencies ...
What’s Your Ism? Josy Joseph on future of journalism, Indian democracy
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In what ways is journalism in India changing? Is Indian democracy safe? How deep is the rot in the country’s anti-corruption agencies and security e...
What’s Your Ism? Ep19 feat. Rahul Sonpimple on JNU, Dalit-Muslim unity and activism
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In our latest episode of 'What's Your Ism' with Sudipto Mondal, Rahul Sonpimple opens up about his journey from student leader at JNU to forming the A...
What’s your ism? Nandan Kamath on sports, governing bodies, nation building
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From India’s sporting culture to the bodies governing it and the ways to make it more accessible, what role does sports have in nation-building? Can...
What’s your ism? Ep 17 Prakash Ambedkar: The legacy, struggles, & future of Dalit politics
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"In Maharashtra, power is concentrated in the hands of only 169 families. These rich Marathas control everything, and they’re not ready to accept th...
What’s your ism? Ep 16 feat. first time MP from Tamil Nadu Sasikanth Senthil
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What are the ways in which the Congress is changing? What do you mean by the Hindu Left? Does the focus on building a larger coalition against the BJP...
What’s your ism? Ep 15 feat. Sharda Ugra on Hindutva and sports
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did the entry of the BJP and Hindutva complicate the already chaotic world of Indian sport? Are cricketers by design less anti establishment than ...
What’s your ism? Ep 14 feat. Shivasundar on the ‘Hindu Left’
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In these Indian elections, a cross section of progressive mass organisations helped the Congress curtail the BJP’s electoral power. But what does th...
What’s Your Ism? Ep 13 feat. Teesta Setalvad on coalition building against BJP & Hindutva
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Fighting 'fascist' BJP is the second freedom struggle: Journalist and activist Teesta Setalvad said that the country is at a historic crossroads. This...
What’s Your Ism? Ep 12. feat Major General Vombatkere on Election Commission's partisanship & election security
08 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
People are not happy with the Election Commission: Major General Sudhir Vombatkere, a prominent voice in anti-Hindutva civil society circles, said tha...
What’s Your Ism? Ep 11. feat H V Vasu on Congress's shift left and progressive movements
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Congress and opposition parties are increasingly occupying left spaces. The founder of eedina.com and prominent left activist from Karnataka, H V ...
‘Dalit Muslims are striving for legitimacy’: Prof Khalid Anis Ansari on anti-caste discourse in Muslims
11 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Caste and untouchability are widely perceived as a Hindu phenomenon – orthodoxically, they are categorised as “illegitimate” in the Muslim commu...
What’s Your Ism? Ep 9. feat Shalin Maria Lawrence on Dalit Christians in anti-caste discourse
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Caste and untouchability owe their origins to brahmanical Hinduism. But caste oppression is not restricted to the Hindu community. Dalit Christians an...
‘Caste census not poll issue for OBCs’: Sumeet Mhasker on reservation, Hindutva
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sumeet Mhasker, a labour sociologist and professor at OP Jindal Global University, has been analysing non-Brahmin and OBC politics over the last centu...
‘Time to revise theoretical positions’: D Raja on communists, caste, Buddha
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
D Raja, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India, says a communist revolution is not possible in India by only focussing on economic conc...
‘Slur to say communists are anti-Dalit’: Sitaram Yechury on caste, capitalism, international Left
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Amid the ongoing election fever, the Left parties are looking to regain their lost ground. But what are the limitations facing the Red Flag? Why do In...
‘BSP, Mayawati losing relevance’: RS Praveen Kumar on anti-caste movement, switch to BRS
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
RS Praveen Kumar, a former IPS officer, who had quit the civil services to join the Bahujan Samaj Party, has once again taken a u-turn. Last month, th...
‘Mainstream media trumpeter of regime’: Sagarika Ghose on Hindutva, media, liberalism
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sagarika Ghose, the journalist-turned-politician who recently made headlines for joining the Trinamool Congress, is set to contest the Rajya Sabha pol...
Suniti Bhikkuni on caste, gender and Buddhism
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bhante Suniti Bhikkuni is the founder of India’s first order of ‘Bhikkunis’ or female monks, a small group of committed Ambedkarite Dalit women ...
Kavita Krishnan on marxist parties and the feminist cause.
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
India's leading feminist voice from a Marxist perspective, Kavita Krishnan, who was also one of the few women to ever enter the powerful politburo of ...
Suraj Yengde on caste and Christianity
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Global anti-caste scholar and activist Suraj Yegde, who's also a post doctoral fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, speaks about the future of t...