‘It’s completely crazy, the extent I went to pursue my Olympic dream’

Sunday , 4 January '09

Abhinav Bindra, the only Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics, tells Express staffers in an Idea Exchange moderated by National Sports Editor Kunal Pradhan how he won the medal and how it changed his life for ever

TV is being asked to play God but is seen as the sinner

Sunday , 28 December '08

Television news coverage of 26/11 was as hotly debated as the attacks themselves. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Resident Editor Seema Chishti, Barkha Dutt, Group Editor, English News, NDTV, and Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN Network, spoke of the role of the visual medium and its responsibilities

‘There is no constituency in Pakistan which wants confrontation with India

Sunday , 21 December '08

Mushahid Hussain, general secretary of the centre-right Pakistan Muslim League (Q) and chairman of Pakistan’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined the Express staff for an Idea Exchange moderated by Consulting Editor Shailaja Bajpai, where he spoke about the current crisis in Indo-Pak relations

‘Whether you want a hard policy or a soft policy on terror is a political issue. So why should there not be a political debate on it?’

Sunday , 14 December '08

BJP general secretary and key party strategist Arun Jaitley joins the Express staff for an Idea Exchange, moderated by Coomi Kapoor, where he analyses the causes for the party’s defeat in Rajasthan and Delhi and defends the terror ad that the BJP brought out after the Mumbai attack

‘I think it is in the long-term interest of India and Pakistan to work together’

Sunday , 7 December '08

Dr Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State in the Nixon Administration and one of the most authoritative voices on US foreign policy, was at The Indian Express early last month for an Idea Exchange where he spoke of his India connection, Indira Gandhi, Indo-US ties and Pakistan

‘The mantra is to fortify food and I am willing to put my neck on the chopping block for this’

Sunday , 23 November '08

Renuka Chowdhury, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, is known to speak her mind. So when her fortified food scheme under the ICDS programme generated controversy, she stood her ground, taking on almost everyone who thought otherwise. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Contributing Editor Coomi Kapoor, the MP from Andhra Pradesh vehemently defends her plan, besides speaking on women’s issues and Chiranjeevi

‘The funny money is gone and now we are all coming down to earth’

Sunday , 16 November '08

In this Idea Exchange moderated by Subhomoy Bhattacharjee, Deputy Executive Editor, Financial Express, Uday Kotak, a captain of the banking industry and a brilliant financial mind, speaks on the global meltdown, the road ahead for India, precautions that banks in the country should take and the strength of the Indian regulatory system

'We have to expand G-8. Can you have a deal on climate change without India or China?'

Sunday , 9 November '08

In today’s world, the key question is of diversity. If globalisation means the world is going to be uniform, then it will not work. So you have to find a formula by which greater globalisation will mean more respect for diversity

‘Imagine what would happen if people from all spheres of life could play golf’

Sunday , 2 November '08

Jeev has sports in his genes—he is the son of legendary athlete Milkha Singh and Nirmal Kaur, former captain of the Indian women’s basketball team. So when the 38-year-old from Chandigarh putt his way into the record books to become the highest ranking Indian golfer, no one was surprised. Currently ranked 59 in the world, he joined Express staffers in Chandigarh for an Idea Exchange session moderated by Resident Editor, Chandigarh, Vipin Pubby.

‘If there was any evidence against me, I would have been hanged long ago’

Sunday , 26 October '08

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is considered one of the most able administrators in the country. But after the 2002 riots, he is also among the most controversial political leaders. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Shishir Gupta, Editor, Express News Service, Modi answers questions on his role in the Gujarat riots and reveals the blueprint of his good governance

‘People say I am soft on terror. What should I do? Go on shouting about it?’

Sunday , 19 October '08

These are difficult times for Home Minister Shivraj Patil —terror attacks all over the country, the Jamia Nagar encounter, communal tension and accusations of being one of the weakest home ministers the country has had. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta at the minister’s residence in New Delhi, Patil defends himself and his government’s record

‘We need to cope with the most serious threat inherent in capitalist system - greed’

Monday , 13 October '08

As chair of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Germany played a key role in ensuring an NSG waiver for India and paving the way for ending India’s nuclear isolation. As a member of the G8, Germany has a say in shaping global response to the financial meltdown that has hit the world. In this Idea Exchange, moderated by Chief of Bureau Pranab Dhal Samanta, German Ambassador to India, Bernd Mützelburg, speaks about the n-deal, terrorism and the financial crisis.

‘Controversies and ridicule are part of public service. But the message going out is that Ramadoss is against tobacco’

Sunday , 12 October '08

Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss has always made news—for the right or wrong reasons. One of the youngest ministers in Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet, Ramadoss is the son of PMK leader S. Ramadoss. His tenure has been marked by successes such as the launch of the National Rural Health Mission and controversies such as his attempt to oust Dr Venugopal as Director of AIIMS. But it’s the recent ban on smoking in public places that has got everyone talking. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Coomi Kapoor, Dr Ramadoss talks about the smo...

‘You want us to stand on a terrace and announce we are liberal, loyal Muslims? This is an expectation we can’t fulfill’

Sunday , 5 October '08

The September 19 encounter in Delhi put the focus on Jamia Millia Islamia University after it was alleged that some students of the university were behind the Delhi blasts. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Senior Editor (Politics) Vandita Mishra, Professor Mushirul Hasan, Jamia V-C, says it’s infuriating when people question the university’s secular credentials

‘Ranbaxy has created a high benchmark for future deals’

Sunday , 28 September '08

The US Food and Drug Administration’s recent restrictions on Ranbaxy products may have affected the company’s position on the stock market, but it is still India’s largest drug maker. But Ranbaxy made bigger news in July this year when its CEO Malvinder Singh sold his family’s stake in the pharma giant to Japanese drug-maker Daiichi Sankyo. In this Idea Exchange moderated by National Business Editor P. Vaidyanathan Iyer, Singh reveals what made him sell out to Daiichi Sankyo, how it benefits Ranbaxy and his future plans that include big forays into healthcare and financial s...

‘Are we prepared to lose 30 per cent of GDP to save 3 per cent because of a financial shock?’

Sunday , 21 September '08

Percy Mistry was chairman of the Committee on Making Mumbai an International Financial Centre. He did not sign its final report but has not disowned it either. Mistry, a former World Bank economist, has been one of the most consistent advocates of the importance and potential of Indian finance. He’s an advisor to governments across the world and now runs the Oxford International group, a private investment advisory firm. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Consulting Editor Ila Patnaik, he discusses the report, the links between financial and real sector reforms, moral hazards and government bail-outs, the RBI...

Everything has gone back many years

Sunday , 24 August '08

As president of the People’s Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti has been a key — and controversial — player in the current crisis raging in the state. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Resident Editor Seema Chishti, she shares her party’s experience of being part of the Ghulam Nabi Azad government, the PDP’s acrimonious withdrawal from the coalition, and possible solutions to the Amarnath land transfer row

‘India is still the most difficult place in the world to do business’

Sunday , 17 August '08

Lord Swraj Paul is not just another NRI. He is a pioneer in many respects. Back in the 80s, he was in the news for his attempts to take over two long standing business houses, the DCM and Escorts. He runs the largest one family business in the UK, Caparo. He is also a member of the Labour Party and was awarded Padma Vibhushan. In this interaction, moderated by Contributing Editor Coomi Kapoor, he answers questions on everything — from climate change to the role of philanthropy in capitalism.

The RSS doesn’t run the BJP, the BJP runs the BJP

Sunday , 10 August '08

Senior RSS leader Madan Das Devi is of the opinion that the current agitation in Jammu is not political in nature and it is the involvement of a large section of people that has pressurised the administration. In this Idea Exchange, moderated by Senior Editor, Politics, Vandita Mishra, he talks about the RSS’ relationship with the BJP, uniform civil code, and UP politics