Part VI · Media and Narrative
Chapter 20
Interpersonal Political Communication
20.1Scope
The political talk people trust most.1
The arena is measured by trusted political talk by channel: family, street and workplace, temple and congregation (explicitly political content only) and WhatsApp forwards.
Principal evidence: Trust-weighted hours of political content from all channels: temples, family, TV, street, phones (M5).
20.2Significance
Turns what people hear into belief; WhatsApp forwards; rumour and reassurance.
20.3Indicators and weights
Table 20.1 lists the 4 indicators of the arena, the weight of each within the arena, and each indicator’s reading (the Hindutva-aligned share, from 0 to 100).
Table 20.1. Indicators of arena 5.2
| Indicator | Weight | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Family talk2 | 0.33 | 52.7 |
| Street and workplace talk3 | 0.17 | 52.7 |
| Temple and congregation (explicitly political content only)4 | 0.46 | 74.2 |
| WhatsApp forwards5 | 0.04 | 65.2 |
| Arena reading | 1.00 | 53.7 |
20.4Reading
The arena reads 53.7, 3.7 points above parity, and is classified as contested (a reading from 45 to below 60). With a weight of 3 of a total 107.7, it contributes 1.50 points to the composite reading of 45.7.
The indicators diverge: the highest reading is for temple and congregation (explicitly political content only) (74.2), the lowest for family talk (52.7).
050100
Family talk52.7
Street and workplace talk52.7
Temple and congregation (explicitly political content only)74.2
WhatsApp forwards65.2
Arena reading53.7
Hindutva-alignedOpposed
Each bar divides the indicator between Hindutva-aligned (left) and opposed (right) holdings. The vertical rule marks parity.
20.5Measures and exhibits
The exhibits below are the Atlas’s own views of the data behind each measure: shares by side, the largest units, breakdowns by source, recipient and country, money-flow diagrams and time series. Full row-level ledgers are in the data file (Appendix D).
Measure 1. Family talk
Reading 52.7%
Trust-hours 984m/week; lean imputed from the M5 generic talk vector (52.7) until the NES discussion-network item is pulled
Hindutva-aligned 519 million trusted person-hours a week · 43.5%Opposed 465 million trusted person-hours a week · 39.0%Transactional 0 million trusted person-hours a week · 0.0%Neutral / not counted 208 million trusted person-hours a week · 17.4%
Data table
| million trusted person-hours a week | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Hindutva-aligned | 519 | 43.5% |
| Opposed | 465 | 39.0% |
| Transactional | 0 | 0.0% |
| Neutral / not counted | 208 | 17.4% |
Hindutva-alignedOpposedNeutral / not counted
Data table
| million trusted person-hours a week | Side | |
|---|---|---|
| Family elders & household conversation (incl. spouse/elder voting guidance) | 510 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Family elders & household conversation (incl. spouse/elder voting guidance) | 458 | Opposed |
| Family elders & household conversation (incl. spouse/elder voting guidance) | 200 | Neutral / not counted |
| Caste panchayats, khaps, biradari & jamaat committees, community associations | 8.95 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Caste panchayats, khaps, biradari & jamaat committees, community associations | 8.38 | Neutral / not counted |
| Caste panchayats, khaps, biradari & jamaat committees, community associations | 7.75 | Opposed |
Measure 2. Street and workplace talk
Reading 52.7%
Trust-hours 510m/week
Hindutva-aligned 292 million trusted person-hours a week · 43.9%Opposed 261 million trusted person-hours a week · 39.3%Transactional 0 million trusted person-hours a week · 0.0%Neutral / not counted 111 million trusted person-hours a week · 16.8%
Data table
| million trusted person-hours a week | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Hindutva-aligned | 292 | 43.9% |
| Opposed | 261 | 39.3% |
| Transactional | 0 | 0.0% |
| Neutral / not counted | 111 | 16.8% |
Hindutva-alignedOpposedNeutral / not counted
Data table
| million trusted person-hours a week | Side | |
|---|---|---|
| Tea stalls, barbershops, paan shops, chaupals, trains & buses, markets (public talk) | 181 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Tea stalls, barbershops, paan shops, chaupals, trains & buses, markets (public talk) | 163 | Opposed |
| Workplace conversation (shop floor, mandi, office, worksite, transport depots) | 86.1 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Workplace conversation (shop floor, mandi, office, worksite, transport depots) | 77.2 | Opposed |
| Tea stalls, barbershops, paan shops, chaupals, trains & buses, markets (public talk) | 70.9 | Neutral / not counted |
| Workplace conversation (shop floor, mandi, office, worksite, transport depots) | 33.7 | Neutral / not counted |
| Diaspora loop: NRI family groups and diaspora media feeding home discourse | 9.38 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Diaspora loop: NRI family groups and diaspora media feeding home discourse | 6.56 | Opposed |
| RSS shakhas & weekly milans (88,949 daily shakhas, 32,606 weekly milans, 2026) | 6.3 | Hindutva-aligned |
| NGO field workers & rights/awareness programmes (development, rights, legal aid, environment) | 6.09 | Opposed |
| Left party cells & mass fronts (CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML); DYFI, AIDWA, SFI) | 4.51 | Opposed |
| Kavi sammelans & mushairas (live, TV and YouTube relays) | 3.13 | Hindutva-aligned |
| NGO field workers & rights/awareness programmes (development, rights, legal aid, environment) | 3.05 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Diaspora loop: NRI family groups and diaspora media feeding home discourse | 2.81 | Neutral / not counted |
| Kavi sammelans & mushairas (live, TV and YouTube relays) | 2.19 | Opposed |
Measure 3. Temple and congregation (explicitly political content only)
Reading 74.2%
Trust-hours 1,400m/week
Hindutva-aligned 1,264 million trusted person-hours a week · 77.6%Opposed 318 million trusted person-hours a week · 19.5%Transactional 0 million trusted person-hours a week · 0.0%Neutral / not counted 48.0 million trusted person-hours a week · 2.9%
Data table
| million trusted person-hours a week | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Hindutva-aligned | 1,264 | 77.6% |
| Opposed | 318 | 19.5% |
| Transactional | 0 | 0.0% |
| Neutral / not counted | 48.0 | 2.9% |
Hindutva-alignedOpposedNeutral / not counted
Data table
| million trusted person-hours a week | Side | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses of worship: temple puja & sermons, Friday khutba, Sunday homily, gurdwara kirtan/katha, vihara | 702 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Public festivals & processions (Ganeshotsav, Durga Puja, Ram Navami, Muharram, Ambedkar Jayanti, Christmas, Eid, | 258 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Katha, pravachan, satsang, bhajan mandalis, dera & guru congregations (live) | 189 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Houses of worship: temple puja & sermons, Friday khutba, Sunday homily, gurdwara kirtan/katha, vihara | 146 | Opposed |
| Yatras, Kumbh & melas, urs, pilgrimages (Maha Kumbh 2025, Kanwar, Amarnath, Sabarimala, Ajmer urs) | 115 | Hindutva-aligned |
| Public festivals & processions (Ganeshotsav, Durga Puja, Ram Navami, Muharram, Ambedkar Jayanti, Christmas, Eid, | 55.3 | Opposed |
| Islamic organisational channels (madrasa/maktab, Tablighi jamaats & ijtemas, dars, ulema networks) | 43.4 | Opposed |
| Katha, pravachan, satsang, bhajan mandalis, dera & guru congregations (live) | 41.5 | Opposed |
| Yatras, Kumbh & melas, urs, pilgrimages (Maha Kumbh 2025, Kanwar, Amarnath, Sabarimala, Ajmer urs) | 23.1 | Opposed |
| Houses of worship: temple puja & sermons, Friday khutba, Sunday homily, gurdwara kirtan/katha, vihara | 19.9 | Neutral / not counted |
| Public festivals & processions (Ganeshotsav, Durga Puja, Ram Navami, Muharram, Ambedkar Jayanti, Christmas, Eid, | 15.8 | Neutral / not counted |
| Katha, pravachan, satsang, bhajan mandalis, dera & guru congregations (live) | 8.87 | Neutral / not counted |
| Church cell groups, missions, church-planting networks, prayer fellowships | 8.65 | Opposed |
| Yatras, Kumbh & melas, urs, pilgrimages (Maha Kumbh 2025, Kanwar, Amarnath, Sabarimala, Ajmer urs) | 3.4 | Neutral / not counted |
Measure 4. WhatsApp forwards
Reading 65.2%
Trust-hours 131m/week
Hindutva-aligned 85.3 million trusted person-hours a week · 55.4%Opposed 45.5 million trusted person-hours a week · 29.5%Transactional 0 million trusted person-hours a week · 0.0%Neutral / not counted 23.3 million trusted person-hours a week · 15.1%
Data table
| million trusted person-hours a week | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Hindutva-aligned | 85.3 | 55.4% |
| Opposed | 45.5 | 29.5% |
| Transactional | 0 | 0.0% |
| Neutral / not counted | 23.3 | 15.1% |
Hindutva-alignedOpposedNeutral / not counted
Data table
| million trusted person-hours a week | Side | |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp family & kin groups (incl. forwards) | 34.5 | Hindutva-aligned |
| WhatsApp family & kin groups (incl. forwards) | 26.9 | Opposed |
| WhatsApp political & news groups and Channels (party, surrogate, news) | 25.5 | Hindutva-aligned |
| WhatsApp community groups (caste, religious, village, RWA, alumni) | 22.5 | Hindutva-aligned |
| WhatsApp family & kin groups (incl. forwards) | 11.7 | Neutral / not counted |
| WhatsApp community groups (caste, religious, village, RWA, alumni) | 9.53 | Opposed |
| WhatsApp political & news groups and Channels (party, surrogate, news) | 7.22 | Neutral / not counted |
| WhatsApp political & news groups and Channels (party, surrogate, news) | 6.55 | Opposed |
| WhatsApp community groups (caste, religious, village, RWA, alumni) | 3.28 | Neutral / not counted |
| WhatsApp work & school groups | 2.77 | Hindutva-aligned |
| WhatsApp work & school groups | 2.48 | Opposed |
| WhatsApp work & school groups | 1.08 | Neutral / not counted |
Measure 5. Context: shown for reference, not part of the reading
Hindutva leanOpposed lean
Data table
| Hindutva lean | Opposed lean | Hindutva lean share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General entertainment TV & movie channels (excluding (7,713m trusted person-hours a week · reach 50%) | 55 | 25 | 68.8% |
| School classroom, textbooks & teachers (NCERT/CBSE a (5,029m trusted person-hours a week · reach 18%) | 45.9 | 24.5 | 65.2% |
| Family elders & household conversation (incl. spouse (2,594m trusted person-hours a week · reach 90%) | 43.7 | 39.2 | 52.7% |
| YouTube (long-form, Shorts, Live; incl. news, creato (1,412m trusted person-hours a week · reach 33%) | 41.7 | 43.6 | 48.9% |
| Film & regional music industries (Bollywood, Bhojpur (901m trusted person-hours a week · reach 32%) | 35 | 20 | 63.6% |
| Houses of worship: temple puja & sermons, Friday khu (892m trusted person-hours a week · reach 53%) | 80.9 | 16.8 | 82.8% |
| Tea stalls, barbershops, paan shops, chaupals, train (829m trusted person-hours a week · reach 45%) | 43.7 | 39.2 | 52.7% |
| OTT video platforms (JioHotstar, Netflix, Prime Vide (683m trusted person-hours a week · reach 22%) | 45 | 35 | 56.3% |
| WhatsApp family & kin groups (incl. forwards) (610m trusted person-hours a week · reach 33%) | 47.2 | 36.8 | 56.2% |
| Devotional music (bhajans, kirtan, qawwali, naat, go (603m trusted person-hours a week · reach 30%) | 81 | 17 | 82.7% |
| Workplace conversation (shop floor, mandi, office, w (563m trusted person-hours a week · reach 35%) | 43.7 | 39.2 | 52.7% |
| Instagram (Reels, Stories) (529m trusted person-hours a week · reach 24%) | 42 | 39.8 | 51.3% |
| Mythological & historical serials (Ramayan/Mahabhara (496m trusted person-hours a week · reach 14%) | 100 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Cricket & sport (TV, streaming, stadium), athlete an (478m trusted person-hours a week · reach 18%) | 80 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Universities & colleges: classroom and faculty (huma (463m trusted person-hours a week · reach 3%) | 25 | 60 | 29.4% |
| Public festivals & processions (Ganeshotsav, Durga P (338m trusted person-hours a week · reach 70%) | 78.4 | 16.8 | 82.4% |
| Facebook (pages, groups, Reels) (332m trusted person-hours a week · reach 22%) | 58.2 | 27.2 | 68.1% |
| Regional-language TV news (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, M (328m trusted person-hours a week · reach 18%) | 35 | 15.5 | 69.3% |
| Coaching institutes & competitive-exam material (UPS (318m trusted person-hours a week · reach 2%) | 20 | 22 | 47.6% |
| Online & video gaming, game streaming (BGMI, Free Fi (286m trusted person-hours a week · reach 15%) | 50 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Katha, pravachan, satsang, bhajan mandalis, dera & g (246m trusted person-hours a week · reach 11%) | 79 | 17.3 | 82.0% |
| Search engines & Google Discover answers (220m trusted person-hours a week · reach 35%) | 20 | 25 | 44.4% |
20.6Evidence base
The arena rests on 696 coded units. Of the units and flows, 232 are coded Hindutva-aligned, 232 opposed and 232 neutral, mixed or transactional. By source grade: 30 grade A, 63 grade B, 561 grade C, 42 grade D.
The full set of rows for this arena, each with its source, is in the Atlas data file (Appendix D).