- 9
- Episodes
- 33
- Ratings
- Monthly
- Cadence
- 2026
- First episode
About Intermission
Every great Indian enterprise has a story worth telling in full. With Intermission, The Ken's flagship long-form podcast, hosts Rohin Dharmakumar and Seetharaman G do exactly that—tracing the origins, turning points, and defining strategies of the companies that shaped modern India.
- Publisher
- The Ken
- Category
- business · education
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 22 Mar 2026
- Latest episode
- 1 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
9 episodes in the feed.
1 Oct 2026
TCS: The Accidental Crown Jewel | Intermission E05 | The Ken
On 12 August 2026, N Chandrasekaran, the TCS intern who became the first non-Parsi chairman of Tata Sons, said he was done. He wouldn't seek another term. Five weeks later, the board brought him back. On 17 September, it voted to reappoint him for five more years, starting in February 2027. Noel Tata's Tata Trusts, the majority shareholder, calls the vote illegal. Tata Sons says it followed the rules. Shareholders still have to approve it at an AGM due by 31 December, and this could end up in court. That chair matters because of the company that produced him. From 2000 to 2026, TCS supplied close to 80% of Tata Sons' dividend and buyback income, roughly Rs 2.7 lakh crore. That money has paid for almost every big Tata bet you can name, from Air India to semiconductors. TCS was never meant to be this. It began in 1962 as an in-house unit to centralise the group's data processing, and Tata companies refused to hand over the work. To survive, it had to navigate the License Raj, when computers were taxed like toasters, and a 1978 attempt by its own parent to fold it into a joint venture with Burroughs. Along the way, it stumbled into the model that built India's IT industry: build in India, deliver to the world. Its tools helped build institutions like the National Stock Exchange. It worked through hundreds of millions of lines of Y2K code. And it turned small-town graduates into a global professional class. Now AI, a $100,000 H-1B fee, and the rise of GCCs are threatening the pyramid TCS was built on. This is the story of two small communities, the Tamil Brahmins and the Parsis, and the company that built India’s IT export industry and bankrolled the Tatas. Now it has to save itself. Tune in! --------- We also have an interactive companion page to explore the history of TCS with reading lists, infographics and source notes: https://the-ken.com/intermission/the-accidental-crown-jewel-tcs/ ---------- Credits: Hosts: Rohin Dharmakumar, Seetharaman G Director: Vijay Subramaniam Video Producer: Vishnu S Sound Design and Technical Producer: Rajiv CN Lead Researcher: Raghav Batra Art Direction: Kavipriya OG Data Visualisation: Anuj Debnath Production Agency: Nesara Films Creative Direction: Sunayana Kashyap DoP: Subash KP Animation: Karthik N Video Editing Team: Sunil S Bharadwaj, Prajwal Colourist: Akhil Raj Graphic Design and Styleframes: Anusha Sarah On-Set Production: Veeresh and team Production Coordination: Chaitanya and Kevin Raj Audio: Murthy and team Spot Edit: Girish Set Design: Saanvi Joshi, Thejaswini Promotions: Pranav Pate, Adhavan RK Writer (Microsite): Brady Ng Editor: Sumit Chakraborty Product Design (Microsite): Praveen Gopal Krishnan, Ritika Sanikere, Sushmita Vavilala, Karan Kumar 'Intermission' Title Track by Sameer Rahat ---------- About Intermission: Intermission dives into the histories of iconic Indian companies. It was produced with vital support and assistance from Zerodha, our sponsor for season 1. Disclosure: Zerodha’s perennial fund, Rainmatter Capital, is an investor in The Ken. About The Ken: The Ken is India’s first subscriber-only business journalism platform reporting on business, technology, and startups in India. Visit https://the-ken.com and explore our stories, newsletters, podcasts and more. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theken_web/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ken/ Twitter: http://x.com/thekenweb/
29 Sept 2026
TRAILER - TCS: The accidental crown jewel | Intermission E05 | The Ken
Ask most Indians which IT company their parents wanted them to join, and they'll say Infosys or Wipro. Yet it was TCS that quietly became India's biggest software company, and the engine behind the entire Tata empire. The story goes all the way back to 1968, to a data-processing unit inside Tata Sons that the group's own companies didn't want to work with. It follows TCS as it stumbled into inventing India's IT outsourcing industry, helped carry the world through Y2K, and came to fund almost every big Tata bet, while the boardroom above it fought over who should run the show. The question at its heart: can a company that sold human intelligence to the world survive the age of artificial intelligence? Episode 5 of Intermission on TCS goes live on Thursday, 1 October.
17 Aug 2026
The remaking of a giant | Intermission E04 | The Ken
13 Aug 2026
TRAILER - ITC: The remaking of a giant | Intermission E04 | The Ken
Ask two generations of Indians what ITC is, and you'll get two completely different answers. That gap might be one of the most remarkable reinventions in Indian business. The story goes all the way back to 1910 — to a British tobacco company that taught India how to smoke — and follows ITC's journey into food, paper, hotels and agri, all without a founding family, and with more boardroom drama than most thrillers. The question at its heart: how does a company build a future beyond tobacco? Episode 4 of Intermission on ITC goes live on Monday, 17 August.
28 Jun 2026
Intermission E03: Airtel
Stream a video, send a message, call a loved one. For nearly 474 million Indians, that connection runs through Bharti Airtel. Over three decades, the company has made it through price wars, near-bankruptcy, a botched overseas acquisition, and two incursions from Reliance. Each time, it weathered the crisis and came back stronger. Investors who held on through every crisis have been rewarded with returns that match the best businesses in India. But the forces that shaped Airtel — regulation, technology, and competition — have never stopped moving. Jio is back, this time with a $110 billion bet on AI and data centres. The hyperscalers are customers today and competitors tomorrow. And the telecom industry is shifting from minutes to bytes to tokens. At the centre of it all is Sunil Bharti Mittal, a founder who operates with the intensity of someone still trying to prove himself, even after building a company worth more than $100 billion. He turns 70 in 2027. He wants to raise his family's stake in Airtel from 40% to 51% — a Rs 1 lakh crore buyback he believes can be funded through dividends and share repurchases over three to four years. The question that now hangs over Airtel is what happens to it when Mittal is no longer at its core. Airtel has survived every version of telecom so far. But it hasn't fully solved its three-body problem yet. Where does it go from here? We also have an interactive webpage to explore the history of Airtel Finance with reading lists, infographics and source notes: https://the-ken.com/intermission/the-unkillable-network-bharti-airtel/ (https://the-ken.com/intermission/the-unkillable-network-bharti-airtel/) You can also watch the episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U ---------- Chapters: 00:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U) — Introduction 4:09 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=249s)— Chapter 1: Ludhiana — India's industrial Manchester 16:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=960s) — Chapter 2: Delhi — School of power & hard knocks 41:07 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=2467s) — Chapter 3: Policy pivot and partnership model 1:09:27 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=4167s) — Chapter 4: The Reliance juggernaut's first attack 1:31:05 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=5465s) — Chapter 5: Akhil Gupta, the 2000s, and the art of financial judo 1:54:42 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=6882s) — Chapter 6: The Singaporean pillar 2:03:31 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=7411s) — Chapter 7: Gopal Vittal, the flawless executor from HUL 2:29:36 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=8976s) — Chapter 8: The Africa no-yes-no-yes story 2:45:02 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=9902s) — Chapter 9: The Airtel culture 2:59:47 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=10787s) — Chapter 10: The zero rating debacle 3:11:27 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=11487s) — Chapter 11: The three-body problem and the 2G scam 3:21:58 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=12118s) — Chapter 12: The Reliance juggernaut is now "Jio" 3:52:04 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dONpkY7-U&t=13924s) — Chapter 13: Airtel after/without Sunil Mittal ---------- Credits: Hosts: Rohin Dharmakumar, Seetharaman G Podcast Producer: Vidhatri Rao Director: Vijay Subramaniam Video Producer: Vishnu S Sound Design and Technical Producer: Rajiv CN Lead Researcher: Raghav Batra Art Direction: Kavipriya OG Data Visualisation: Anuj Debnath Production Agency: Nesara Films Creative Direction: Sunayana Kashyap DoP: Subash KP Animation: Karthik N Video Editing team: Sarthak Pujar, Jayesh Sahu Colourist: Akhil Raj Graphic Design and Styleframes: Anusha Sarah On-Set Production: Veeresh and team Audio: Murthy and team Spot Edit: Girish Set Design: Saanvi Joshi, Thejaswini Promotions: Pranav Pate, Adhavan RK Writer & Editor (Microsite): Brady Ng Product Design (Microsite): Praveen Gopal Krishnan, Ritika Sanikere, Sushmita Vavilala, Karan Kumar 'Intermission' Title Track by Sameer Rahat ---------- About Intermission: Intermission dives into the histories of iconic Indian companies. It was produced with vital support and assistance from Zerodha, our sponsor for season 1. Disclosure: Zerodha’s perennial fund, Rainmatter Capital, is an investor in The Ken. About The Ken: The Ken is India’s first subscriber-only business journalism platform reporting on business, technology, and startups in India. Visit https://the-ken.com (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqblg0ZkJIQTFsWkdZblVvN05SUnN6X3FVaUFpd3xBQ3Jtc0ttMWk4Sm16cnNDNXJ6dFN2bWRhV3o2NU5WVGRGekJTY3VIdEo2S3dfVTFhMnlJVHRnMlhOT2paZjJsdklOU3RxRGtXTUlPWkl5OGRDOGdNVUVqM003N3NjNUFBdEt5WVdDWkJIem1FcWRUVl9uTzBURQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fthe-ken.com%2F&v=O_dONpkY7-U) and explore our stories, newsletters, podcasts and more. Follow The Ken on socials: Instagram: / theken_web (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGFFYk15cFVkYjBTNHlzblpVN0EzR0NVUDBIUXxBQ3Jtc0tuY3ZKYi00UlU3dnRPUmQxYzVZUXhFM3UxTlNEamFhWW9Fb0hzRDVkY0tzWmgwdHhaNTNiZDhBcHQ1b05XNDliY1kxeXlSVlNjUHRZcUwyUzdnVGF1aWc0TWMyOXNRUm5qUVUzeVBOSkNtOGJxQWw2UQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Ftheken_web%2F&v=O_dONpkY7-U) LinkedIn: / the-ken (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbW5SSUFfRUhXdGFGTlhFb210QXhCeG56RnVKQXxBQ3Jtc0trRWVOZ3dBR0UtQmEta3VCNjRrQzhXb2hWRDJGSzlWamdDT2xkWk1fMXdsYzlHLU15enZkb2trNGdtdV9Sd0JPN196VFVZVVY0WEhyeU52R1h5Tnh2QzZxc3drSTBFUTNQLU9Id1R4TEltOExSbkFBMA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fin.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2Fthe-ken%2F&v=O_dONpkY7-U) Twitter: https://x.com/thekenweb/ (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbDhYTnhELVY2WHBhRG5Zc3VGdFltRzQ3OTh2d3xBQ3Jtc0tuT0NSUi1vWmFwUEcyaHhyX1B1ZGVGemhoWWhtSzBxVl9yTDMyYnBOTEQ4NXdaT1g1ejNwWnFFcWpBdDFuZEVLYW5WTFNhOG9aLXV4RXZhd2RGZHNIdVpqdEJXX0lRbzU2eDVkNzl6TXN3WlRTdVRUSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fthekenweb%2F&v=O_dONpkY7-U)
27 Jun 2026
TRAILER — How Bharti Airtel Refused to Die | Intermission E03 | The Ken
Dozens of companies entered the Indian telecom market in 1994. Almost all of them are gone. One is still standing — and it's how a billion people connect today. Episode 3 of Intermission on Bharti Airtel goes live on June 29.
11 May 2026
Intermission E02: Bajaj Finance
Sell a Bajaj scooter, finance their EMIs. For years, that was the entire purpose of Bajaj Auto Finance. But consumers in India wanted much more. They outfitted their homes with new television sets, refrigerators, and washing machines. They wanted iPhones, hair transplants, fitness equipment and more. Lending for those hinted at a much larger opportunity. And the Bajaj group seized it. Bajaj Auto Finance became Bajaj Finance. A legacy auto-financing arm went on to create India’s consumer credit infrastructure, shaping how millions buy things. Today, Bajaj Finance manages a loan book of over Rs 5 lakh crore, serves more than 119 million customers, and is valued roughly Rs 6 lakh crore. It is twice as large as Bajaj Auto, the parent company it was spun out of. This is the story of how that happened. Tune in! Our team has built an interactive webpage for Bajaj Finance. It’s a research guide to this episode. Check it out here: https://the-ken.com/story/why-you-cant-ignore-bajaj-finances-call/ Additional material: Saurabh Mukerjea’s analysis of Bajaj Finance: https://open.spotify.com/episode/70JSD3LIE16jcsGSjhjtr9?go=1&sp_cid=e2ae99a929ea25663dee6c3cf825b11d&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&si=qTrmTQ0cS-GUeNDEct3COw&nd=1&dlsi=0aa636ff1f8d44f0 (https://open.spotify.com/episode/70JSD3LIE16jcsGSjhjtr9?go=1&sp_cid=e2ae99a929ea25663dee6c3cf825b11d&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&si=qTrmTQ0cS-GUeNDEct3COw&nd=1&dlsi=0aa636ff1f8d44f0) The Harvard Business case study on Bajaj Finance: https://store.hbr.org/product/bajaj-finance-building-an-omnipresent-financial-services-firm/523040?sku=523040-PDF-ENG (https://store.hbr.org/product/bajaj-finance-building-an-omnipresent-financial-services-firm/523040?sku=523040-PDF-ENG) Inside Bajaj Finance’s aggressive call-to-sell-loan strategy: https://the-ken.com/story/why-you-cant-ignore-bajaj-finances-call/ (https://the-ken.com/story/why-you-cant-ignore-bajaj-finances-call/) Credits for chapter images: Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Group, Business Today/Bajaj Group, Fortune/Bajaj Group and Wikipedia. Credits: Hosts: Rohin Dharmakumar, Seetharaman G Podcast Producer: Vidhatri Rao Director: Vijay Subramaniam, Video Producer: Vishnu S Sound Design and Technical Producer: Rajiv CN Lead Researcher: Raghav Batra Art Direction: Kavipriya OG Data Visualisation: Anuj Debnath Production Agency: Nesara Films Creative Direction: Sunayana Kashyap DoP: Subash KP Motion Graphics: Karthik N Video Editing team: Sarthak Pujar, Tejas Kulkarni, Jayesh Sahu Colourist: Akhil Raj Graphic Design and Illustrations: Anusha Sarah On-Set Production: Chaitanya, Veeresh and team Audio: Murthy and team Spot Edit: Girish Set Design: Saanvi, Thejaswini Promotions: Pranav Pate, Aakash Raju, Adhavan RK Writer & Editor (Microsite): Brady Ng Product Design (Microsite): Praveen Gopal Krishnan, Ritika Sanikere, Sushmita Vavilala, Karan Kumar 'Intermission' Title Track by Sameer Rahat About Intermission: Intermission dives into the histories of iconic Indian companies. It was produced with vital support and assistance from Zerodha, our sponsor for season 1. Disclosure: Zerodha’s perennial fund, Rainmatter Capital, is an investor in The Ken. About The Ken: The Ken is India’s first subscriber-only business journalism platform reporting on business, technology, and startups in India. Visit the-ken.com (http://the-ken.com) and explore our stories, newsletters, podcasts and more. Follow The Ken on socials: Instagram: instagram.com/theken_web (http://instagram.com/theken_web) LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/company/the-ken (https://in.linkedin.com/company/the-ken) Twitter: https://x.com/thekenweb/ (https://x.com/thekenweb/)
22 Mar 2026
Intermission E01 - Asian Paints (PART 2)
This is Part 2 of Intermission's episode on Asian Paints. We'd urge you to listen to Part 1 (https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/intermission-e01-asian-paints-part-1/id1881998715?i=1000756623314) first to get a full picture of the company's early history and main bets. — Asian Paints was founded in 1942 by four young Gujaratis in a Bombay garage. Today, it controls more than half of India's paint market. This is the story of how that happened. The company was among the first to tap into the rural market, become a technology company before most people understood what that meant, crack the supply chain, and bring about a new era of Indian advertising. Now, Asian Paints is being met with renewed competition and aggression from Birla Opus, JSW Dulux and Berger Paints. Understanding why this market is so hard to take requires understanding of how it was built. — We also have an interactive webpage exploring Asian Paints' history with reading lists, infographics, and source notes: the-ken.com/intermission. — The full episode runs 6 hours and is split into two parts on podcast platforms. — About Intermission: Intermission, produced by The Ken, dives deep into the histories of iconic Indian companies. Intermission was produced with vital support and assistance from Zerodha, our season sponsor. Disclosure: Rainmatter Foundation is an investor in The Ken's parent company. — About The Ken:The Ken is India's first subscriber-only business journalism platform reporting on business, technology, startups and healthcare across India and Southeast Asia. Since our inception, we’ve published thousands of stories that have been widely discussed, debated and referenced. Visit the-ken.com (http://the-ken.com/), and explore our stories, newsletters, podcasts and more. — Follow us on our socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theken_web/ (https://www.instagram.com/theken_web/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ken/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ken/) Twitter: https://x.com/thekenweb (https://x.com/thekenweb) — We would also like to thank Anupam Gupta, the writer of "The Rise of Asian Paints: Champaklal Choksey, a Doyen of the Indian Paints Industry" (Penguin India, 2024). You can buy the book here: https://www.penguin.co.in/book/the-rise-of-asian-paints/ — Credits Hosts: Rohin Dharmakumar, Seetharaman G Podcast Producer: Vidhatri Rao Video Producers: Vijay Subramaniam, Vishnu S, Rajiv CN Audio Engineer: Rajiv CN Lead Researcher: Raghav Batra Art Direction: Kavipriya OG Data Visualisation: Anuj Debnath Production Agency: Nesara Films Creative Direction: Sunayana Kashyap DoP: Subash KP Editing and Motion Graphics: Karthik N Graphic Design and Illustrations: Anusha Sarah Colorist: Pranav Bhat Video Editing team: Sarthak Pujar, Himanshi, Jayesh Sahu On-Set Production: Veeresh, Chaitanya and team Audio: Murthy and team Set Design: Hritika, Saanvi, Thejaswini Promotions: Pranav Pate, Aakash Raju, Adhavan RK Writer & Editor (Microsite): Brady Ng Product Design (Microsite): Praveen Gopal Krishnan, Ritika Sanikere, Sushmita Vavilala, Karan Kumar
22 Mar 2026
Intermission E01 - Asian Paints (PART 1)
Asian Paints was founded in 1942 by four young Gujaratis in a Bombay garage. Today, it controls more than half of India's paint market. This is the story of how that happened. The company was among the first to tap into the rural market, become a technology company before most people understood what that meant, crack the supply chain, and bring about a new era of Indian advertising. Now, Asian Paints is being met with renewed competition and aggression from Birla Opus, JSW Dulux and Berger Paints. Understanding why this market is so hard to take requires understanding of how it was built. — We also have an interactive webpage exploring Asian Paints' history with reading lists, infographics, and source notes: the-ken.com/intermission. — The full episode runs 6 hours and is split into two parts on podcast platforms. — About Intermission: Intermission, produced by The Ken, dives deep into the histories of iconic Indian companies. Intermission was produced with vital support and assistance from Zerodha, our season sponsor. Disclosure: Rainmatter Foundation is an investor in The Ken's parent company. — About The Ken:The Ken is India's first subscriber-only business journalism platform reporting on business, technology, startups and healthcare across India and Southeast Asia. Since our inception, we’ve published thousands of stories that have been widely discussed, debated and referenced. Visit the-ken.com (http://the-ken.com/), and explore our stories, newsletters, podcasts and more. — Follow us on our socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theken_web/ (https://www.instagram.com/theken_web/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ken/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ken/) Twitter: https://x.com/thekenweb (https://x.com/thekenweb) — We would also like to thank Anupam Gupta, the writer of "The Rise of Asian Paints: Champaklal Choksey, a Doyen of the Indian Paints Industry" (Penguin India, 2024). You can buy the book here: https://www.penguin.co.in/book/the-rise-of-asian-paints/ — Credits Hosts: Rohin Dharmakumar, Seetharaman G Podcast Producer: Vidhatri Rao Video Producers: Vijay Subramaniam, Vishnu S, Rajiv CN Audio Engineer: Rajiv CN Lead Researcher: Raghav Batra Art Direction: Kavipriya OG Data Visualisation: Anuj Debnath Production Agency: Nesara Films Creative Direction: Sunayana Kashyap DoP: Subash KP Editing and Motion Graphics: Karthik N Graphic Design and Illustrations: Anusha Sarah Colorist: Pranav Bhat Video Editing team: Sarthak Pujar, Himanshi, Jayesh Sahu On-Set Production: Veeresh, Chaitanya and team Audio: Murthy and team Set Design: Hritika, Saanvi, Thejaswini Promotions: Pranav Pate, Aakash Raju, Adhavan RK Writer & Editor (Microsite): Brady Ng Product Design (Microsite): Praveen Gopal Krishnan, Ritika Sanikere, Sushmita Vavilala, Karan Kumar
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Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 3.0 / 5
- 5 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.8 / 5
- 28 ratings
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