EP18: What Indian automakers can learn from China’s Geely
In 2008, Geely ranked dead last in China's quality survey. By 2024, Volvo's best-selling EV was built on a platform Geely designed. What happened in between is the most important business story Indian auto companies aren't paying attention to.India's biggest conglomerates — JSW, Dixon, Exide — are signing deal after deal with Chinese partners. Licensing platforms from SAIC and Chery. Sourcing battery technology from SVOLT. Assembling smartphones with 90% imported components. The factories are enormous. The patents are zero.Geely took a different path. It bought Volvo in 2010, spent 15 years embedding Chinese engineers alongside Swedish ones, and systematically absorbed the capability to design vehicles — not just build them. Xiaomi did it even faster, going from zero automotive experience to 600,000 vehicles delivered in 22 months.This video breaks down Geely's four-phase absorption model, contrasts it with India's current licensing-dependent approach, and asks the question no one in Indian industry seems to be asking: when does the learning start?
16 Feb 2026
EP17: How China Built a Jet Engine (And Why India Couldn't)
In 1986, China and India both launched indigenous jet engine programmes. Same year. Same ambition. Four decades later, China's WS-15 powers a stealth fighter. India's Kaveri was cancelled. The difference wasn't talent or money. It was what China was willing to pay.
10 Dec 2025
EP16: Convenient Scapegoat: Debunking 'Hindu Rate of Growth'
For decades, economists and policymakers have thrown around the phrase "Hindu Rate of Growth" to describe India's economic stagnation before 1991. But what if I told you this term has almost nothing to do with Hinduism, and everything to do with covering up the real culprit—socialist economic planning?
It's time that serious academics refrain from using such an ill-founded and prejudiced term. Hindus are not scapegoats to be thrown under the bus for every mishap that occurred in Indian history.
You can read here: https://swarajyamag.com/economics/hindu-rate-of-growth-a-tale-of-prejudices-and-fallacies (https://swarajyamag.com/economics/hindu-rate-of-growth-a-tale-of-prejudices-and-fallacies)
You can also tune in to the "What This Means" podcast by Swarajya, where we decode major stories with experts. (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2 (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)
15 Oct 2025
EP15: Borderlines & Bullet Trains — How China Plans To Dominate The LAC
In this episode, we will talk about how China is building its railway network in Tibet to dominate the LAC.
Beijing has begun laying the next section of its railway network to gird the entire Line of Actual Control (LAC), creating a steel backbone that will stretch from Aksai Chin in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east.
You can read here: (https://swarajyamag.com/science/navic-how-indias-alternative-to-gps-is-hanging-by-a-thread)https://swarajyamag.com/defence/how-china-is-building-a-rail-network-in-tibet-to-dominate-the-lac (https://swarajyamag.com/defence/how-china-is-building-a-rail-network-in-tibet-to-dominate-the-lac)
You can also tune in to the "What This Means" podcast by Swarajya, where we decode major stories with experts. (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2 (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)
2 Sept 2025
EP14: How India's GPS Alternative NavIC Is Hanging By A Thread
In this episode we will talk about how India built its own satellite navigation system, NavIC, to free India from GPS dependence and to never face the helplessness again. And how, 25 years later, that system is one atomic clock failure away from complete collapse.
You can read here: https://swarajyamag.com/science/navic-how-indias-alternative-to-gps-is-hanging-by-a-thread (https://swarajyamag.com/science/navic-how-indias-alternative-to-gps-is-hanging-by-a-thread)
You can also tune in to the "What This Means" podcast by Swarajya, where we decode major stories with experts. (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2 (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)
13 Aug 2025
EP13: Inside The Ethanol Blending Backlash On Indian Roads
For E20, consumers are paying the same price per litre as they did for 100 per cent petrol but getting far less distance in return, effectively spending more to go the same distance.
The E20 rollout was supposed to be a climate win. Instead, it’s leaving Indians with damaged engines, tanking mileage, and silent price hikes, while offering no real choice or relief to the Indian consumer.
You can also tune in to the "What This Means" podcast by Swarajya, where we decode major stories with experts. (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2 (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)
China is targeting India’s critical infrastructure, like power grids, emergency networks, and digital infrastructure, not to disrupt today but to control the outcome of tomorrow’s conflict. How and why? Find out in this episode.
You can also tune in to the "What This Means" podcast by Swarajya, where we decode major stories with experts. (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2 (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)
1 Aug 2025
EP11: One Bite Per 15 Seconds — India's Stray Dog Crisis Is Concerning
India now hosts 60 million stray dogs roaming our streets. And every single day, 5,740 people are bitten by dogs in India. That's one person every 15 seconds. India's stray dog menace is concerning, and in this episode we talk about the problems and also how other countries have been able to manage it.
You can also tune in to the "What This Means" podcast by Swarajya, where we decode major stories with experts. (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2 (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)
You can read the article here: https://swarajyamag.com/reports/why-every-dog-lover-should-be-horrified-by-indias-stray-dog-crisis
29 Jul 2025
EP10: How China's Great Brain Heist Is Fuelling Its Ascent
For decades, America has been the undisputed champion at attracting global talent. They've had the best universities, the most funding, and the most opportunities. But since 2008, China, with its 'Thousand Talent Plan,' has been successful in attracting around 7,000 scientists, academics, and entrepreneurs. How exactly? We break it down in this episode of 'What We Said'.
You can also tune in to the "What This Means" podcast by Swarajya, where we decode major stories with experts. (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2 (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)
26 Jul 2025
EP09: Specialty Chemicals — Is This India’s Next Big Manufacturing Story?
In this episode of "What We Said," we talk about the high-value, low-volume, and globally in-demand speciality chemicals that can be India’s next big manufacturing story.
You can also tune in to the "What This Means" podcast by Swarajya, where we decode major stories with experts. (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2 (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)
22 Jul 2025
EP08: Fixing Indian Street Food's Hygiene Problems
In this episode of "What We Said," we talk about how to fix Indian street food's hygiene problems, which come at a staggering cost: 100 million foodborne illnesses and 12,000 deaths in India every year. That's fifteen billion dollars annually—not just in medical bills, but in lost productivity, in dreams deferred, and in lives cut short.
You can read the article: (https://swarajyamag.com/economy/why-gst-needs-a-factory-reset)https://swarajyamag.com/culture/the-masala-to-make-indian-street-food-hygienic-needs-more-ingredients-than-just-rules (https://swarajyamag.com/culture/the-masala-to-make-indian-street-food-hygienic-needs-more-ingredients-than-just-rules)
You can also tune in to the "What This Means" podcast by Swarajya, where we decode major stories with experts. (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2 (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)
14 Jul 2025
EP07: America’s GPS Edge Is Gone — Inside China’s Triple-Layered Positioning System
In this episode of "What We Said," we talk about how China has quietly built a resilient triad of BeiDou satellites, eLoran towers, and fibre-linked timing grid that could outperform GPS, giving Beijing a critical edge in a contested space domain.
You can also tune in to the "What This Means" podcast by Swarajya, where we decode major stories with experts. (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2 (https://open.spotify.com/show/1CzvC1mqq2BApXyoINGIEw?si=eec7dfe982874ff2)
7 Jul 2025
EP06: GST — Why India's Most Ambitious Tax Reform Is Failing, 7 Fixes
This episode analyzes India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) and its failure to simplify taxation, suggesting a fundamental reset is needed to address its complexities.
28 Jun 2025
EP05: What The Changing Yogi-Shah Equation Means For UP
This episode analyzes the evolving relationship between Yogi Adityanath and Amit Shah and its potential impact on the political landscape of Uttar Pradesh.
26 Jun 2025
EP04: Why India Can’t Quit 'Sinful' Coal Imports
This episode explores India's continued reliance on costly coal imports despite possessing sufficient domestic reserves, examining the economic and strategic implications.
24 Jun 2025
EP03: World Wants To Break China's Rare Earth Monopoly — Good Luck Trying
The hosts of "What We Said" analyze the near impossibility of breaking China's monopoly on rare earth elements despite global determination and financial resources.
20 Jun 2025
EP02: Why Bikaner Is India’s Next Big Thing
The hosts of "What We Said" explore Bikaner's potential as India's next big thing, highlighting its vast potash reserves and clay deposits.
12 Jun 2025
EP01: What India Can Learn From China’s Long Aviation Journey
Industry experts explore China's aviation development, revealing valuable lessons and potential pitfalls for India's burgeoning aviation industry in this insightful episode.
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Podcast Authority Score: 28 / 100
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