Bharat Karnad: India geostrategy, nuclear arsenal, and assassination of Homi Bhabha, the Oppenheimer of India — Manifold #46

 

Bharat Karnad is an Emeritus Professor in National Security Studies at the Center for Policy Research in Delhi. He was a member of India's first National Security Advisory Board and has authored several books on nuclear weapons and Indian security. 

Karnad's blog: https://bharatkarnad.com/ 

Karnad on the death of Homi Bhabha and of other atomic weapons scientists: https://bharatkarnad.com/2020/12/06/kill-scientists-disrupt-n-weapons-programmes/ 

An excellent documentary film on the life of Indian theoretical physicist Homi Bhabha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6GEGOvXh4g 

Steve and Bharat discuss: 

0:00 Introduction 

0:58 Karnad's educational background, nuclear research, journalism career 

26:50 Refocusing India's defense posture from Pakistan to China 

45:21 Why don't India and China have better relations? 

53:33 India's nuclear arsenal 

1:04:31 The mysterious death of Homi Bhabha, India's Oppenheimer 

1:28:50 Land of subjugation, the caste system, and English as the language of Indian elites

Audio-only and transcript: 

https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/bharat-karnad-india-geostrategy-nuclear-arsenal-and-assassination-of-homi-bhabha-the-oppenheimer-of-india-46

Einstein, Yukawa, Wheeler, and Bhabha:

Karnad on the assassination:

Robert Trumbull Crowley, former Deputy Director of Clandestine Operations for the CIA. Recorded conversations (Conversations With The Crow) near the end of his life:

 ".. their head expert was fully capable of building a bomb and we knew what he was up to. He was warned several times but what an arrogant prick that one was. Told our people to fuck off and then made it clear that no one would stop him and India from getting nuclear parity"

Karnad on Manifold:

From Homi Bhabha Wikipedia entry: