Devashish Dhar on Understanding the Indian City

Podcast Episode

Devashish Dhar on Understanding the Indian City

In this episode of Interpreting India, Devashish Dhar joins Anirudh Burman to discuss one of the most enduringly important subjects of modern India: the Indian city.

By Anirudh Burman and Devashish Dhar

Published on Oct 12, 2023

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Interpreting India, Devashish Dhar joins Anirudh Burman to discuss one of the most enduringly important subjects of modern India: the Indian city. How are India’s cities doing? What role will they play in India’s growth story? Is low-quality urbanization a binding constraint on India’s long-term development?

EPISODE NOTES

One of the most visible signs of India’s economic development in the past seventy-five years has been the growth of its cities. Some of them are now among the largest on the planet, both in terms of area and population. However, Indian cities are far from perfect. They’re often not well planned, coping with problems of rapid growth and inefficient use of land and other resources. Indian cities are also plagued by a lack of basic amenities, such as clean drinking water, sanitation, and solid waste management systems, as well as safety-related problems.

What is the scale of the challenges facing India’s cities? What are some of the ideas and themes that are unique to India’s experience of urbanization? What is the global significance of the trends underway in Indian cities?

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Interpreting India

Podcast Episode
Recalibrating BRICS: India’s Moment in a Fragmented World
In this episode of Interpreting India, Vrinda Sahai is joined by Ana Garcia, Associate Professor at PUC-Rio and Coordinator at the BRICS Policy Center, to discuss the evolving direction of BRICS as India assumes the 2026 presidency. The conversation reflects on Brazil’s 2025 chairship, the bloc’s continued focus on reforming global financial governance, and the cautious progress on issues such as local currency trade, financial coordination, and institutional reform. Ana Garcia also highlights the limits of BRICS as a unified geopolitical actor and outlines key priorities for India, including strengthening financial mechanisms, advancing climate and health cooperation, and consolidating the expanded BRICS membership.
Vrinda Sahai, Ana Garcia
Podcast Episode
Deciphering the “Mother of All Trade Deals”: The India–EU FTA
In this episode of Interpreting India, Dinakar Peri is joined by Mohan Kumar, former Indian Ambassador to France and a veteran trade negotiator, to unpack the newly concluded India–EU Free Trade Agreement and why he describes it as the “mother of all trade deals” for India. Kumar explains why the agreement is strategically significant, why the timing matters, and what it signals about India’s trade posture, competitiveness, and broader alignment between trade, technology, and security.
Dinakar Peri, Mohan Kumar
Podcast Episode
AI Adoption Journey for Population Scale: The UCAF Framework
In this episode of Interpreting India, Nidhi Singh is joined by Shalini Kapoor, chief strategist for Data and AI at the EkStep Foundation, and Tanvi Lall, director for strategy at People+ai. They unpack why so many AI initiatives get stuck after impressive demos, and what it takes to move from pilots to real, sustained adoption. Drawing on research spanning 1,000+ use cases across 25 countries, the guests introduce the Use Case Adoption Framework (UCAF) and explain how India can translate AI ambition into population-scale impact—especially across public services, agriculture, health, and other high-priority sectors.
Nidhi Singh, Shalini Kapoor, Tanvi Lall
Podcast Episode
Scarcity, Sovereignty, Strategy: Mapping the Political Geography of AI Compute
In this episode of Interpreting India, Adarsh Ranjan is joined by Zoe Jay Hawkins, co-founder and deputy executive director of the Tech Policy Design Institute. They explore the evolving idea of AI sovereignty, the geopolitics of compute, and how countries are navigating access to the foundational infrastructure that powers artificial intelligence. Drawing from her research at the Oxford Internet Institute, Zoe unpacks the political geography of AI compute, the rising concentration of AI chips and data centers, and what this means for both developed and developing economies.
Adarsh Ranjan, Zoe Jay Hawkins
Podcast Episode
Cybersecurity in Outer Space: A Growing Concern
In this episode of Interpreting India, host Tejas Bharadwaj is joined by P. J. Blount, an assistant professor of space law at Durham University. Together, they delve into the critical topic of cybersecurity in outer space, exploring the challenges and implications of protecting space-based assets amidst rising geopolitical tensions and technological advancements. Blount shares insights from his extensive research in international space law and cyberspace governance, highlighting the complexities of legal attribution and the evolving landscape of space security.
Tejas Bharadwaj, P. J. Blount

More Work from Interpreting India

Podcast Episode

Recalibrating BRICS: India’s Moment in a Fragmented World

In this episode of Interpreting India, Vrinda Sahai is joined by Ana Garcia, Associate Professor at PUC-Rio and Coordinator at the BRICS Policy Center, to discuss the evolving direction of BRICS as India assumes the 2026 presidency. The conversation reflects on Brazil’s 2025 chairship, the bloc’s continued focus on reforming global financial governance, and the cautious progress on issues such as local currency trade, financial coordination, and institutional reform. Ana Garcia also highlights the limits of BRICS as a unified geopolitical actor and outlines key priorities for India, including strengthening financial mechanisms, advancing climate and health cooperation, and consolidating the expanded BRICS membership.

Vrinda Sahai, Ana Garcia

Podcast Episode

Deciphering the “Mother of All Trade Deals”: The India–EU FTA

In this episode of Interpreting India, Dinakar Peri is joined by Mohan Kumar, former Indian Ambassador to France and a veteran trade negotiator, to unpack the newly concluded India–EU Free Trade Agreement and why he describes it as the “mother of all trade deals” for India. Kumar explains why the agreement is strategically significant, why the timing matters, and what it signals about India’s trade posture, competitiveness, and broader alignment between trade, technology, and security.

Dinakar Peri, Mohan Kumar

Podcast Episode

AI Adoption Journey for Population Scale: The UCAF Framework

In this episode of Interpreting India, Nidhi Singh is joined by Shalini Kapoor, chief strategist for Data and AI at the EkStep Foundation, and Tanvi Lall, director for strategy at People+ai. They unpack why so many AI initiatives get stuck after impressive demos, and what it takes to move from pilots to real, sustained adoption. Drawing on research spanning 1,000+ use cases across 25 countries, the guests introduce the Use Case Adoption Framework (UCAF) and explain how India can translate AI ambition into population-scale impact—especially across public services, agriculture, health, and other high-priority sectors.

Nidhi Singh, Shalini Kapoor, Tanvi Lall

Podcast Episode

Scarcity, Sovereignty, Strategy: Mapping the Political Geography of AI Compute

In this episode of Interpreting India, Adarsh Ranjan is joined by Zoe Jay Hawkins, co-founder and deputy executive director of the Tech Policy Design Institute. They explore the evolving idea of AI sovereignty, the geopolitics of compute, and how countries are navigating access to the foundational infrastructure that powers artificial intelligence. Drawing from her research at the Oxford Internet Institute, Zoe unpacks the political geography of AI compute, the rising concentration of AI chips and data centers, and what this means for both developed and developing economies.

Adarsh Ranjan, Zoe Jay Hawkins

Podcast Episode

Cybersecurity in Outer Space: A Growing Concern

In this episode of Interpreting India, host Tejas Bharadwaj is joined by P. J. Blount, an assistant professor of space law at Durham University. Together, they delve into the critical topic of cybersecurity in outer space, exploring the challenges and implications of protecting space-based assets amidst rising geopolitical tensions and technological advancements. Blount shares insights from his extensive research in international space law and cyberspace governance, highlighting the complexities of legal attribution and the evolving landscape of space security.

Tejas Bharadwaj, P. J. Blount