Books and Authors

Books & Authors with Vidya Dehejia, author of India: A Story Through 100 Objects

From the terracotta toys of the Harappans to Shiva as Nataraj, from the pages of the Gwalior Quran to Jain scrolls and the divine body of the Buddha, Vidya Dehejia, author of India; A Story Through 100 Objects talks to @utterflea about the things that have created the multicultural medley that is India.

Books & Authors with Ritu Menon, author of Zohra! A Biography in Four Acts

In her life that spanned 102 years, everyone's favourite feisty grandmother, Zohra Segal worked on stage, in film, and on television, and was successful abroad when few Indian actors were. Ritu Menon, author of Zohra! A Biography in Four Acts talks to @utterflea about Segal's difficult life, her epic perseverance, and her great spirit.

Books and Authors podcast with L Somi Roy, author of And That Is Why; Manipuri Myths Retold

Why man gets wrinkles, why the cat buries its poop, why a doll is worshipped in a village called Kakching... L Somi Roy's 'And That Is Why; Manipuri Myths Retold' is full of wonderful tales. On this week's Book & Authors podcast, @somiroy talks to @utterflea about collecting the myths, Manipur's distinct culture, it's pre-Hindu legends, and its wonderful ponies and passion for polo, among other things.

Books and Authors with Kanti Bajpai, author of 'India Versus China : Why They Are Not Friends

"The Chinese have so much power that they don't think they need to accommodate India or tolerate any behaviour by India that they don't like," says Kanti Bajpai, author of India Versus China : Why They Are Not Friends, in conversation with @utterflea on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Aditya Gupta, author of 7 Lessons from Everest

"Everest teaches you the value of time. The consequences of missing a timeline on the mountain could be death," says Aditya Gupta. The author of 7 Lessons from Everest talks to @utterflea on the Books & Authors podcast about the stunning images he shot during his climb and the lessons he gleaned from the experience

Books & Authors with Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland; How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain

Jallianwala Bagh, the excesses of colonialism, the millions of soldiers from India and Africa who fought in the two World Wars, and the institutionalized racism of the British Empire find no place in British school curricula. As a result, many believe the Empire was an honourable endeavour. Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland, talks to @utterflea about this bizarre phenomenon

Books & Authors with Vijay Gokhale, author, Tiananmen Square; The Making of a Protest | Part 2

The emotional nature of the Chinese, the Western media's biases while reporting on the Tiananmen Square incident (May-June 1989), and the hypocrisy of western governments who used human rights as a pressure point while continuing to reap the great benefits of trade with China in the golden quarter-century that followed... former diplomat @VGokhale59, author of Tiananmen Square; The Making of a Protest talks to @utterflea about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast

Books & Authors with Vijay Gokhale, author, Tiananmen Square; The Making of a Protest | Part 1

The emotional nature of the Chinese, the Western media's biases while reporting on the Tiananmen Square incident (May-June 1989), and the hypocrisy of western governments who used human rights as a pressure point while continuing to reap the great benefits of trade with China in the golden quarter-century that followed... former diplomat @VGokhale59, author of Tiananmen Square; The Making of a Protest talks to @utterflea about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast

Books & Authors with Yatindra Mishra, editor of Akhtari; The Life and Music of Begum Akhtar | Part 2

Begum Akhtar's magical voice and musical genius, the respect she commanded, and her journey from Akhtarbai Faizabadi to Begum Akhtar, the feminism that made her the first female ustad to initiate disciples with a formal thread tying ceremony, her sense of humour, and great style...Yatindra Mishra editor of Akhtari; The Life and Music of Begum Akhtar talks to @utterflea about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Yatindra Mishra, editor of Akhtari; The Life and Music of Begum Akhtar | Part 1

Begum Akhtar's magical voice and musical genius, the respect she commanded, and her journey from Akhtarbai Faizabadi to Begum Akhtar, the feminism that made her the first female ustad to initiate disciples with a formal thread tying ceremony, her sense of humour, and great style...Yatindra Mishra editor of Akhtari; The Life and Music of Begum Akhtar talks to @utterflea about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Esther David, author of Bene Appetit; The Cuisine of Indian Jews | Part 2

How Indian Jews observe kosher laws, the delicious gongura chicken of the Bene Ephriam of Andhra Pradesh and the steamed fish dishes of the Bnei Menashe of Manipur and Mizoram, emigration to Israel, and the great demand for Bombay Duck among the Bene Israel community there - Esther David, author of Bene Appetit; The Cuisine of Indian Jews talks about all that to @utterflea on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Esther David, author of Bene Appetit; The Cuisine of Indian Jews | Part 1

How Indian Jews observe kosher laws, the delicious gongura chicken of the Bene Ephriam of Andhra Pradesh and the steamed fish dishes of the Bnei Menashe of Manipur and Mizoram, emigration to Israel, and the great demand for Bombay Duck among the Bene Israel community there - Esther David, author of Bene Appetit; The Cuisine of Indian Jews talks about all that to @utterflea on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Samrat Choudhury, author of The Braided River; A Journey Along the Brahmaputra | Part 2

In The Braided River, Samrat Choudhury combines travel writing, environmental reportage, political and historical analysis, and memoir as he follows the course of the mighty Brahmaputra. Samrat Choudhury, author of The Braided River; A Journey Along the Brahmaputra talks to Manjula Narayan about all that in this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Samrat Choudhury, author of The Braided River; A Journey Along the Brahmaputra | Part 1

In The Braided River, Samrat Choudhury combines travel writing, environmental reportage, political and historical analysis, and memoir as he follows the course of the mighty Brahmaputra. Samrat Choudhury, author of The Braided River; A Journey Along the Brahmaputra talks to Manjula Narayan about all that in this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Vaasanthi, author of Rajinikanth; A Life | Part-2

Rajinikanth's life as a porter and a bus conductor before he became a superstar, the subaltern fans who made him an icon in Tamil cinema, his close friendships, how his status threatened chief minister Jayalalithaa, and his decision to stay away from politics, Vaasanthi, author of Rajinikanth; A Life talks to Manjula Narayan about all that in this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Vaasanthi, author of Rajinikanth; A Life | Part-1

Rajinikanth's life as a porter and a bus conductor before he became a superstar, the subaltern fans who made him an icon in Tamil cinema, his close friendships, how his status threatened chief minister Jayalalithaa, and his decision to stay away from politics, Vaasanthi, author of Rajinikanth; A Life talks to Manjula Narayan about all that in this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Kabir Bedi, author of Stories I Must Tell | Part-2

His open marriage with Protima, his torrid relationship with Parveen Babi, the swinging 70s, his career in Hollywood, Bollywood, his Wild success in Italy, and his great honesty in his memoir, Stories I Must Tell, Kabir Bedi talks to Manjula Narayan about all that on the Books and Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Kabir Bedi, author of Stories I Must Tell | Part-1

His open marriage with Protima, his torrid relationship with Parveen Babi, the swinging 70s, his career in Hollywood, Bollywood, his Wild success in Italy, and his great honesty in his memoir, Stories I Must Tell, Kabir Bedi talks to Manjula Narayan about all that on the Books and Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Indranee Ghosh, authorof Spiced, Smoked, Pickled, Preserved | Part-2

Part cookbook, part memoir, Indranee Ghosh's Spiced, Smoked, Pickled, Preserved presents vignettes from a family's history over three generations and from her own childhood in Shillong. She talks to Manjula Narayan about her great recipes and her reminiscences of a vanished world on the Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Indranee Ghosh, authorof Spiced, Smoked, Pickled, Preserved | Part-1

Part cookbook, part memoir, Indranee Ghosh's Spiced, Smoked, Pickled, Preserved presents vignettes from a family's history over three generations and from her own childhood in Shillong. She talks to Manjula Narayan about her great recipes and her reminiscences of a vanished world on the Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Amit Chaudhuri, author of 'Finding the Raga; An Improvisation on Indian Music' | Part-2

The deeply intellectual nature of Hindustani classical music, the path of Indian modernity, and the new intolerance for beauty that arose in the 1980s and has led to the current hostility to nuance in every sphere... Amit Chaudhuri, author of Finding the Raga, talks to Manjula Narayan about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Amit Chaudhuri, author of 'Finding the Raga; An Improvisation on Indian Music' | Part-1

The deeply intellectual nature of Hindustani classical music, the path of Indian modernity, and the new intolerance for beauty that arose in the 1980s and has led to the current hostility to nuance in every sphere... Amit Chaudhuri, author of Finding the Raga, talks to Manjula Narayan about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Ritu Menon, author of Address Book; A Publishing Memoir in the time of covid | Part-2

The need to publish books of cultural and historical value, forging bonds with feminist presses across the world, and why its worthwhile to fight for bibliodiversity in publishing... Ritu Menon, founder of the feminist press, Women Unlimited, and author of Address Book; A Publishing Memoir In the Time of Covid, talks about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Ritu Menon, author of Address Book; A Publishing Memoir in the time of covid | Part-1

The need to publish books of cultural and historical value, forging bonds with feminist presses across the world, and why its worthwhile to fight for bibliodiversity in publishing... Ritu Menon, founder of the feminist press, Women Unlimited, and author of Address Book; A Publishing Memoir In the Time of Covid, talks about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Sanjay Gubbi, author of Leopard Diaries; The Rosette in India | Part-2

Books & Authors with Sanjay Gubbi, author of Leopard Diaries; The Rosette in India | Part-1

Books & Authors with Trisha Bora, author of How Not to Kill Your House Plants | Part-2

Biophilia, the tangible experience of gardening, forest bathing, and the plantdemic - Trisha Bora, author of How Not to Kill Your House Plants talks about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Trisha Bora, author of How Not to Kill Your House Plants | Part-1

Biophilia, the tangible experience of gardening, forest bathing, and the plantdemic - Trisha Bora, author of How Not to Kill Your House Plants talks about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Books & Authors with Damon Centola, author of Change; How to Make Big Things Happen | Part-2

How do you bring about social change? Are influencers really all that influential? And can a small minority change the way society thinks? Touching on a range of subjects from Black Lives Matter to the Arab Spring, sociologist Damon Centola talks about how big ideas spread.

Books & Authors with Damon Centola, author of Change; How to Make Big Things Happen | Part-1

How do you bring about social change? Are influencers really all that influential? And can a small minority change the way society thinks? Touching on a range of subjects from Black Lives Matter to the Arab Spring, sociologist Damon Centola talks about how big ideas spread.

71: Books & Authors with Anuja Chauhan, author of Club You to Death | Part-2

Gossip, scandal and a perfect murder! Anuja Chauhan's whodunnit Club You to Death features a beautiful corpse, an unusual investigating officer in ACP Bhavani Singh, action set in Delhi's poshest club and a set of characters that gives the reader insights into everything from young love to privilege, politics and hypocrisy.

70: Books & Authors with Anuja Chauhan, author of Club You to Death | Part-1

Gossip, scandal and a perfect murder! Anuja Chauhan's whodunnit Club You to Death features a beautiful corpse, an unusual investigating officer in ACP Bhavani Singh, action set in Delhi's poshest club and a set of characters that gives the reader insights into everything from young love to privilege, politics and hypocrisy.

69: Books & Authors with Jahnavi Misra, author of The Punished; Stories of Death Row Prisoners in India | PART-2

Written by Jahnavi Misra, The Punished; Stories of Death Row Prisoners in India is based on interviews with condemned prisoners and their families done by the criminal justice centre, Project 39A. Great poverty, torture, and mental illness are recurring themes in this collection that aims to make readers understand the people we want to kill. 

68: Books & Authors with Jahnavi Misra, author of The Punished; Stories of Death Row Prisoners in India | PART-1

Written by Jahnavi Misra, The Punished; Stories of Death Row Prisoners in India is based on interviews with condemned prisoners and their families done by the criminal justice centre, Project 39A. Great poverty, torture, and mental illness are recurring themes in this collection that aims to make readers understand the people we want to kill. 

68: Books & Authors with Jahnavi Misra, author of The Punished; Stories of Death Row Prisoners in India | PART-1

Written by Jahnavi Misra, The Punished; Stories of Death Row Prisoners in India is based on interviews with condemned prisoners and their families done by the criminal justice centre, Project 39A. Great poverty, torture, and mental illness are recurring themes in this collection that aims to make readers understand the people we want to kill. 

67: Books & Authors with Neha Sinha, author of Wild and Wilful; Tales of 15 Iconic Indian Species | PART-2

The man who befriends crocodiles, the fate of the blind Gangetic dolphin, the joy of a flock of rosy starlings on a semal, and the tragedy of the Indian elephant - conservationist Neha Sinha, author of Wild & Wilful talks about all that in the Books & Authors podcast this week.

66: Books & Authors with Neha Sinha, author of Wild and Wilful; Tales of 15 Iconic Indian Species | PART-1

The man who befriends crocodiles, the fate of the blind Gangetic dolphin, the joy of a flock of rosy starlings on a semal, and the tragedy of the Indian elephant - conservationist Neha Sinha, author of Wild & Wilful talks about all that in the Books & Authors podcast this week.

65: Books & Authors with Sunita Dwivedi, author of Buddha in Gandhara | PART-2

Sunita Dwivedi, author of Buddha in Gandhara, travelled across Pakistan and Afghanistan to visit the numerous Buddhist sites there. In this episode of the Books & Authors podcast she talks about circumambulating a stupa in a burqa, staring in wonder at the architecture of the caves in Bamiyan, and of the great need to preserve Buddhist heritage sites across South Asia.

65: Books & Authors with Sunita Dwivedi, author of Buddha in Gandhara | PART-1

Sunita Dwivedi, author of Buddha in Gandhara, travelled across Pakistan and Afghanistan to visit the numerous Buddhist sites there. In this episode of the Books & Authors podcast she talks about circumambulating a stupa in a burqa, staring in wonder at the architecture of the caves in Bamiyan, and of the great need to preserve Buddhist heritage sites across South Asia.

64: Books & Authors with Aniruddha Bahal, author of A Taste for Trouble; Memories from Another Time | PART-2

Operation West End, match fixing, sting operations in public interest, and the current state of Indian journalism, Aniruddha Bahal, author of A Taste for Trouble; Memories from Another Time and editor-in-chief of Cobrapost discusses all that in this week's Books & Authors podcast with Manjula Narayan.

64: Books & Authors with Aniruddha Bahal, author of A Taste for Trouble; Memories from Another Time | PART-1

Operation West End, match fixing, sting operations in public interest, and the current state of Indian journalism, Aniruddha Bahal, author of A Taste for Trouble; Memories from Another Time and editor-in-chief of Cobrapost discusses all that in this week's Books & Authors podcast with Manjula Narayan.

63: Books & Authors with Yashaswini Chandra, author of The Tale of the Horse; A History of India on Horseback | PART-2

From Uchchaishravas to Prithviraj Chauhan's Chetak and Ranjit Singh's Laili, horses were an integral part of the Indian landscape, myth, and history. Author of The Tale of the Horse, Yashaswini Chandra talks of the import of horses from central Asia and Arabia, of the indigenous breeds like the Kathiawari and the Manipuri, of Shah Jahan's favourite piebald horse, of expert Maratha women equestrians, of artists like Bagta, and of Rajput legends in a fantastically horsey conversation on Books ...

62: Books & Authors with Yashaswini Chandra, author of The Tale of the Horse; A History of India on Horseback | PART-1

From Uchchaishravas to Prithviraj Chauhan's Chetak and Ranjit Singh's Laili, horses were an integral part of the Indian landscape, myth, and history. Author of The Tale of the Horse, Yashaswini Chandra talks of the import of horses from central Asia and Arabia, of the indigenous breeds like the Kathiawari and the Manipuri, of Shah Jahan's favourite piebald horse, of expert Maratha women equestrians, of artists like Bagta, and of Rajput legends in a fantastically horsey conversation on Books ...

61: Books & Authors podcast with Saaz Aggarwal, editor of 'Sindhi Tapestry; Reflections on the Sindhi Identity' | Part-2

The Sindhi community in India has been stereotyped as both enterprising and hardworking, and cutthroat and flashy. Saaz Aggarwal, editor of 'Sindhi Tapestry; Reflections on the Sindhi Identity', talks about Partition, cultural amnesia, and much more.

60: Books & Authors podcast with Saaz Aggarwal, editor of 'Sindhi Tapestry; Reflections on the Sindhi Identity' | Part-1

The Sindhi community in India has been stereotyped as both enterprising and hardworking, and cutthroat and flashy. Saaz Aggarwal, editor of 'Sindhi Tapestry; Reflections on the Sindhi Identity', talks about Partition, cultural amnesia, and much more.

59: Books & Authors podcast with Yasser Usman, author of Guru Dutt; An Unfinished Story | Part-2

CID, Pyasa, Kagaz Ke Phool, Chaudvin ka Chand, Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam are all classics... Guru Dutt's short, tragic life, his huge creative output, his doomed relationships with his phenomenally talented wife Geeta Dutt and with Waheeda Rehman, the leading lady of his most memorable films - Yasser Usman looks at all that in this book on one of the great auteurs of commercial Hindi cinema.

58: Books & Authors podcast with Yasser Usman, author of Guru Dutt; An Unfinished Story | Part-1

CID, Pyasa, Kagaz Ke Phool, Chaudvin ka Chand, Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam are all classics... Guru Dutt's short, tragic life, his huge creative output, his doomed relationships with his phenomenally talented wife Geeta Dutt and with Waheeda Rehman, the leading lady of his most memorable films - Yasser Usman looks at all that in this book on one of the great auteurs of commercial Hindi cinema.

57: Books & Authors with Vinay Sitapati, author of Jugalbandi; The BJP Before Modi | Part-2

The electoral origins of Hindutva, the Vajpayee-Advani relationship, Hindu Fevicol, and the inability of the opposition to really understand the BJP... Vinay Sitapati, author of Jugalbandi; The BJP Before Modi discusses all that in this week's Books & Authors podcast with Manjula Narayan.

56: Books & Authors with Vinay Sitapati, author of Jugalbandi; The BJP Before Modi | Part-1

The electoral origins of Hindutva, the Vajpayee-Advani relationship, Hindu Fevicol, and the inability of the opposition to really understand the BJP... Vinay Sitapati, author of Jugalbandi; The BJP Before Modi discusses all that in this week's Books & Authors podcast with Manjula Narayan.

55: Books & Authors with Sai Paranjpye, author of A Patchwork Quilt: A Collage of My Creative Life | Part-2

Sai Paranjpye, whose memoir of her creative life, A Patchwork Quilt, is just out, talks about the making of classic films Sparsh and Chashme Buddoor, her great appreciation of intelligent actors, and her irritation at being called a "woman director".