MUMBAI: India's premier diplomatic jamboree kicks off this week with a twist, as digital news platform Firstpost is muscling its way into the action with its own intellectual sideshow. The Ideas Pod—a collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF)—promises to be where the real fireworks happen at the 10th Raisina Dialogue.

From  17 to 19 March, while diplomats and ministers exchange pleasantries in the main hall, Firstpost will corral the cream of the geopolitical crop into its broadcasting pen for what promises to be unvarnished conversations on everything from nuclear proliferation to artificial intelligence.

The news outfit has secured an impressive roster of talking heads, including New Zealand's prime minister Christopher Luxon, Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, and the International Atomic Energy Agency's top man Rafael Mariano Grossi. Britain's national security adviser Jonathan Powell and America's Indo-Pacific commander Admiral Samuel Paparo round out the A-list.

"We are thrilled to partner with Samir Saran and ORF to bring you front row access to the conversations that matter most," says Firstpost managing editor Palki Sharma, which claims over seven million YouTube subscribers and three billion views worldwide.

The Raisina Dialogue itself—named after the hill in Delhi that houses the presidential residence—has evolved into India's answer to Davos, albeit with fewer private jets and more geopolitical substance. Co-hosted by India's foreign ministry, this year's themes include climate change, militant mercantilism, and the perennial favourite: global security threats.

For the diplomatic cognoscenti wondering which global leaders might drop the most quotable bombshells, or which minister might accidentally reveal more than their talking points permit, Firstpost's Ideas Pod may well be where the real action unfolds.