In this Telugu podcast episode, Prof. K. Nageshwar Rao, senior journalist, political analyst, and former MLC, shares rare insights from a career that spans journalism, politics, academia, and legislative responsibility. From witnessing India’s media evolution since the early days of Doordarshan and The Indian Express to being part of the first 24-hour Telugu news ecosystem with TV9, he reflects on how news, narratives, and political theatre have reshaped public discourse.
The conversation explores how parliamentary discussions should ideally function, the gap between democratic intent and political drama, and why voters today are often ill-informed or misinformed, echoing Jayaprakash Narayan’s warning from 1997. Prof. Nageshwar breaks down the deep nexus between media, business, and politics, the systematic delegitimisation of independent journalists, and why intellectual debate has been replaced by noise-driven television formats. Drawing from ancient references like Krishna, Sita, and Buddha, he places modern democracy in a broader civilisational context.
He speaks candidly about money in politics, daily expenses of MLAs and MPs, manifesto design, welfare schemes like Dalit Bandhu, and how policies are crafted more for optics than outcomes. The discussion covers voter responsibility, opposition as a democratic asset, warning signals of institutional collapse, and why a healthy opposition and free media are essential checks on unlimited power.
Prof. Nageshwar also reflects on student politics, Osmania University, the limits of funding without intellectual leadership, and how some of India’s finest leaders emerged from campus movements. He shares personal experiences from the time of Indira Gandhi’s assassination, his transition from journalism to politics, his eight years as an MLC, achievements, regrets, and the challenge of staying intellectually honest in public life.
The episode touches on threats, ideological labelling, public perception, media pressure, AI in journalism, currency performance, global awareness, and the discipline required to stay informed. With calm reasoning and sharp clarity, he explains why neutrality is not the absence of values, but the courage to speak truth without fear.
If you are interested in Telugu politics, Indian democracy, journalism ethics, media influence, voter awareness, student politics, and political analysis without theatrics, this conversation offers depth, context, and perspective that cuts through the chaos.