Are you considering politics? (Min 50:05)
What led to your political awakening? (14:20)
Why do you write and why The Economist Group? (10:40)

These are some of the many questions I fielded during this fun two-hour conversation with Haresh and Terence from the Ministry Of Funny. You can now watch it on YouTube.

I’m sure you don’t want to spend two hours looking at my oversized jaw, but we’ve just finished doing up the show notes for this episode (see below) for easy time stamps to the different sections.

Any feedback on this format much appreciated. Am hoping to do more stuff with MOF.

It’s also available as an audio podcast, search Ministry of Funny wherever you get yours.

TIMESTAMPS

1:24 What/Who is SudhirTV? What are Sudhir’s literary interests?

6:45 Is Sudhir “anti-establishment”?

10:40 Sudhir’s journey as a writer and work at The Economist Group (TEG)
Reference – Sudhir’s second (and favourite) article for The Economist, on “the AWARE saga”:
https://www.economist.com/asia/2009/05/07/taken-unawares

14:20 Sudhir’s political awakening
Reference – To Catch a Tartar:
https://www.amazon.sg/Catch-Tartar-Dissident-Kuan-Prison/dp/0938692569

18:28 Sudhir’s first love (human geography) & Burning Man
Reference – Sudhir’s 2002 Undergrad Honors Thesis on Burning Man:
https://sudhirtv.com/2014/03/26/the-burning-man-a-geographical-analysis-of-a-new-age-pilgrimage/

25:51 Burning weekends for NDP

32:10 The need for political participation

36:28 Why not be a writer overseas?

39:22 Self-censorship; the Lee family vs The Economist (2004)
Reference – The Economist’s apology to Singapore:
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2004/09/01/apology-temasek

46:25 Is Sudhir optimistic about the evolution of public discourse?
Reference – Sudhir’s four-part series on free speech, misinformation, and the PAP:
https://sudhirtv.com/2019/04/06/on-speech-the-slow-death-of-honest-discourse/

50:05 Is Sudhir considering politics?

55:35 The need to help build and diversify Singapore’s immature media

1:00:05 Singapore has handled COVID well, BUT…
Reference – Sudhir’s commentary in SCMP on COVID and Singapore (May 2020):
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3082733/coronavirus-electioneering-blame-singapores-teetering-pandemic

1:02:35 Singapore’s vulnerability ethos
Reference – Explored in greater depth in Hard Choices: Challenging the Singapore Consensus, by Donald Low and Sudhir:
https://nuspress.nus.edu.sg/products/hard-choices

1:06:50 Singapore is a data-ocracy

1:14:15 What advice would Sudhir give to his younger self?

1:24:05 Tensions of a global city-cum-sovereign state
Reference – Sudhir’s long read in Rice Media on Hong Kong and Singapore:
https://www.ricemedia.co/current-affairs-commentary-comparing-singapore-hong-kong/

1:29:00 Singapore and the tax arbitrage game

1:30:40 Sudhir gives an update on his “Kerala to Shaolin” book on China/India

1:39:25 Malaysia & Singapore: 2004 vs. now
Reference – Sudhir’s first book, Floating on a Malayan Breeze: Travels in Malaysia and Singapore:
https://nuspress.nus.edu.sg/products/floating-on-a-malayan-breeze