The Sandip Roy Show: Recent Episodes
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What makes people tick? What are the stories they carry with them? In a world of shouting heads, veteran journalist, radio commentator and novelist Sandip Roy sits down to have real conversations about the fascinating world around us and the people who shape it. Catch these engaging interviews every other Sunday
Few policy ideas in India have generated as much political heat as the caste census. From television studios to opinion pages, the argument is no longer just whether a caste census should be conducted, but what it is meant to achieve.
Is the exercise simply about collecting data? Does it focus only on historically marginalised communities? And can the act of counting caste alter social identities themselves?
In this episode, host Sandip Roy asks these questions to social activist and writer Anand Teltumbde, author of The Caste Census, and Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj India, who also serves as the national convenor of the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
The mountains are often imagined as an escape from city life. A place to visit, slow down, and leave behind. But for writer Anuradha Roy, they are something else entirely. The hills near Ranikhet are where she and her husband chose to move, turning a neglected cottage into a home over more than two decades, shared with family, animals, and a carefully tended garden.
In Called by the Hills, Roy reflects on a life lived close to nature but never apart from its pressures, documenting both its quiet rewards and the damage caused by climate change and unchecked development in the Himalaya.
This week on the podcast, Anuradha Roy joins host Sandip Roy to talk about what it means to make a home in the mountains.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
June is Pride Month around the world but does India need to march to that calendar? More Indian cities now hold Pride in winter, when it’s cooler and the streets are fuller. And that practical shift opens a bigger question, why has India so often taken its cues from the West when our own queer histories run deep?
And this week host Sandip Roy is joined by writer Sindhu Rajasekaran, whose new book traces how the British reformed and silenced India’s queer futures, to take a look at erased lineages and what they mean for Pride in India.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Fine dining in India has shifted dramatically. What once meant dressing up for a five-star hotel is now shaped by standalone restaurants that are bolder, more experimental, and at the centre of culinary buzz. And in an unexpected twist, some of the most talked-about spots today are tiny, intimate 10 to 18 seaters, like Naar in Kasauli or Papa’s in Mumbai — where chefs are reimagining what a dining experience can be.In this episode of our occasional series on Indulgence, host Sandip Roy speaks to three restaurateurs featured in this year’s Condé Nast Traveller Top 50:
Gauri Devidayal, entrepreneur and restaurateur, co-founded The Table in Mumbai, as well as brands like Mag St. Bread Co., Iktara, and Magazine St. Kitchen.
Shuli Ghosh, co-founder and creative force behind Sienna Calcutta.
Yash Bhanage, founder and COO of Hunger Inc. Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., the company behind restaurants such as The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro, Bombay Sweet Shop, Veronica’s, and Papa’s.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
When people from upper castes talk about caste, it’s often through headlines — about atrocities or reservations — stories reduced to data, distant and impersonal. And even when caste violence is discussed, it’s usually set in faraway villages, rarely finding a place in books written in English.
That’s what makes Rakshit Sonawane’s novel The Scum of the Earth stand out. Drawing from his own life as a first-generation learner from a family that once faced untouchability and later embraced Buddhism, Sonawane tells a deeply personal story of caste and identity.
A graduate in English literature who has worked with media houses like The Indian Express, Mid-Day, and The Free Press Journal, he joins Sandip this week to talk about his journey and why he chose fiction to tell his truth.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Even though many of us in India immediately think of an eraser when we hear the word rubber, the material has long become an inseparable part of our lives. Yet, like many indispensable everyday items, its history is deeply tied to colonialism and slave labour.
With growing concerns about whether we have enough rubber to sustain our future needs, host Sandip Roy speaks with Vidya Rajan about her book Rubber: The Social and Natural History of an Indispensable Substance.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Every election season, attention turns to India’s Hindi heartland, a region central to the country’s politics and identity. It has produced most of India’s prime ministers and a large share of its parliamentarians, while also witnessing some of the most intense communal clashes and temple–mosque disputes. Yet, it also remains the cradle of the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, a culture rooted in coexistence and shared traditions.
This week on the show, host Sandip Roy speaks with Ghazala Wahab, whose new book, The Hindi Heartland, traces the region’s complex history and examines its continuing influence on India’s politics and society.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
When we think of cheese, names like Brie, Gouda, or Cheddar usually come to mind — but nothing much from India. Yet India, home to the world’s largest dairy herd, is now witnessing a quiet but remarkable cheese revolution. At farmer’s markets, artisanal producers are offering everything from creamy classics to inventive varieties infused with Tellicherry peppercorns or curry leaves. This week, as part of our series on Indian indulgences, we explore how local terroir is shaping India’s cheese story. Joining host Sandip Roy are two pioneers redefining what Indian cheese can be — Namrata Sundaresan, cofounder of Käse Cheese, and Mansi Jasani of The Cheese Collective.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Many of us grew up with only a patchy knowledge of Bhutan. And these days, most stories about the country in India tend to focus on tourism. But what was it like to grow up in Bhutan in the 1950s and 60s? Kunzang Choden, who grew up in a landed household, explores this in her memoir, Telling Me My Stories, which paints a complex portrait of a country caught in the winds of change.
This week on the show, Sandip speaks to Choden about her childhood in Bhutan, the transformations she witnessed, and how they continue to shape the country today.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In this episode, host Sandip Roy discusses India’s national sleep crisis, a problem that affects all ages, from anxious teenagers to overworked professionals, with Dr. G.C. Khilnani, a renowned pulmonologist and chairman of the PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, to understand why sleeplessness has become such a widespread concern.
They discuss everything from sleep hygiene and circadian rhythm disruptions to insomnia, sleep apnea, and how modern lifestyles, screen addiction, and late-night habits are quietly eroding the quality of our sleep and our health.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In recent years, online retail has transformed how we shop—bringing everything from food to taxis to our doorstep. The convenience is undeniable, but the gig economy behind it remains largely unexamined. How does this system impact those who work in it, use it, or build it? This week on the show, host Sandip Roy speaks to social science researcher Vandana Vasudevan, author of OTP Please: Online Buyers, Sellers and Gig Workers in South Asia, to explore the hidden human stories behind the apps and algorithms that power our everyday lives.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Summer in India brings with it the irresistible charm of mangoes, and the predictable flood of mango themed stories. These usually blend nostalgia, tales of nawabi indulgence, exotic varieties, and the timeless Alphonso-versus-the-rest debate. But journalist Sopan Joshi, in his book Mangifera indica: A Biography of the Mango, peels back that sugary surface to explore the mango’s deeper story—its fossil records, its genetics, its place in ecology, our culture, and the pressures of modern agriculture.
So, as the mango season nears its end, host Sandip Roy speaks to Joshi to discuss the real state of the mango today.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Long relegated to the footnotes of history, Lal Bahadur Shastri is often overshadowed by the towering legacies of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. But what if Shastri hadn’t died suddenly after signing the Tashkent Agreement with Pakistan? Would Indira Gandhi still have become Prime Minister? And how might India’s political trajectory have changed?
In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks to Sanjeev Chopra, author of The Great Conciliator, a new biography of Shastri. Chopra, a former IAS officer and former director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, traces Shastri’s rise to power and explores why India’s second Prime Minister deserves a closer look today.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
On June 25, 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of Emergency in India—an era marked by censorship, arrests, and a suspension of civil liberties. While the resistance within India is well-documented, far less is known about how Indians abroad responded. In this episode, on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, host Sandip Roy speaks with journalist Sugata Srinivasaraju, author of The Conscience Network, and Professor Anand Kumar, who helped form the group Indians for Democracy in the US. Together, they reflect on how the diaspora stood up to authoritarianism from afar—challenging the narrative, organizing protests, and showing that the fight for democracy crossed national borders.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In this episode, host Sandip Roy Show is joined by author Ruchir Joshi who takes us back to Calcutta in the early 1940s, an era charged with political upheaval, global war, and cultural ferment. Set against the backdrop of Tagore’s death, Subhash Bose’s escape, the Quit India Movement, and the looming Bengal Famine, Joshi’s novel Great Eastern Hotel captures a city on the brink of transformation. Sandip and Ruchir discuss why the years 1941–1943 were pivotal, how Calcutta became a crossroads of empire and resistance, and how a diverse cast of characters from elite Bengalis to British expatriates and street pickpockets bring this moment alive.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
To what extent has gay representation in Indian popular culture evolved? Is it now simply trendy to include gay characters, or are these portrayals also becoming deeper and more meaningful? This week, to kick off Pride Month, we explore how the portrayal of gay lives in Indian popular culture has changed over the decades. Host Sandip Roy speaks to three queer voices from different generations to understand this shift.
Sridhar Rangayan is a filmmaker and activist who, along with his partner Sagar Gupta, founded the Kashish Pride Film Festival in Mumbai — the first queer film festival in India to be held in a mainstream movie theatre.
Santanu Bhattacharya is a novelist whose book Deviants follows three generations of gay men in a single family.
Rohin Bhatt is a queer non-binary lawyer practicing in the Supreme Court and the author of The Urban Elite v. Union of India.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
India recently saw heated debates around the three-language formula — a policy suggesting students learn a modern Indian language like Hindi, and English. While some saw it as a backdoor push for Hindi, the real picture might be far more layered.
But as we argue over Hindi versus English, or regional versus national languages, a deeper concern often gets overlooked: the hundreds of other languages quietly fading away. According to the People’s Linguistic Survey of India, the country had at least 780 languages in 2010 — many of them endangered, some down to their last handful of speakers.
In this episode, we explore India’s vast linguistic diversity with two people who’ve spent their lives working to preserve it. Host Sandip Roy speaks to G.N. Devy, cultural activist and editor of the People’s Linguistic Survey of India, and linguist Anvita Abbi, known for her work on minority and tribal languages across India, especially those of the Great Andamanese.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In 1975, Begum Wilayat Mahal and her children, Princess Sakina and Prince Ali Raza, moved into New Delhi Railway Station, claiming to be descendants of the House of Awadh. After a decade at the station, the government granted them Malcha Mahal, a 14th century hunting lodge deep inside a forest in Delhi. But were they really royalty, or was it all a grand deception?
A new book, The House of Awadh by Aletta André and Abhimanyu Kumar, attempts to uncover the truth. In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks to the authors about what their cross border reporting, archival research and intimate interviews uncovered.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Long before press freedom indexes were even conceived, the Urdu newspaper Pratap was speaking truth to power in undivided India — and paying a heavy price for it. Launched in 1919, Pratap quickly ran afoul of the British Raj but remained defiantly independent.
After independence, its legacy continued with the launch of Vir Pratap, its Hindi successor. But how fearless did these publications remain after independence?
This week, host Sandip Roy speaks to Chander Mohan, who served as editor of Vir Pratap for forty years, and his daughter Jyotsna Mohan, a journalist with nearly three decades of experience, to explore the journey and enduring impact of these pioneering publications.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In this episode, we discuss how early Christian missionaries encountered Hinduism during colonial rule depending on where they landed and whom they met and how they saw very different faiths with different gods, rituals, and customs. Host Sandip Roy is joined by author and historian Manu S. Pillai to discuss his new book, "Gods, Guns and Missionaries," which explores how these cross-cultural encounters not only attempted to reshape India but also unexpectedly influenced the construction of a modern Hindu identity.
Produced by Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Social media has revolutionised the world of home chefs, bringing everyday cooks into the spotlight. From a woman in the Northeast showcasing her daily thali of fermented foods to a mother-son duo in rural Bengal cooking over a mud stove, food storytelling is more diverse than ever. Cookbooks are emerging from Dalit kitchens to Saraswat Brahmin traditions, highlighting how caste and cuisine remain deeply intertwined in India. But is this visibility changing the role of caste in food, or merely reinforcing old divides?
In this episode, host Sandip Roy is joined by Dr Sucharita Kanjilal, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Bard College, and Dr Sylvia Karpagam, a public health doctor and researcher to discuss how food continues to shape identity, social boundaries, and even public health in India.
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
For millions in India, the cow is sacred, and many states have laws prohibiting its slaughter. But this raises a question—what do we do with all these cows? And while India reveres the 'Mother Cow,' does the cow herself want to mother anyone beyond her own calf?
In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks with Yamini Narayanan about her new book, Mother Cow, Mother India. She unpacks the complexities of India’s dairy industry and the uncomfortable truths consumers often ignore.
Yamini is a Senior Lecturer in International and Community Development at Deakin University, Australia.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
While India has long been known as a tea-drinking nation, the specialtiy coffee scene is rapidly growing, with consumption on the rise and the industry projected to surpass $1 billion by 2032. But is this growth as promising as it seems? In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks to Raghunath Rajaram and Namisha Parthasarathy, founders of Aramse, an independent speciality coffee company and content platform, along with Binny Varghese, co-founder of the Barista Training Academy and an SCA-certified Barista.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In episode image (from left to right): Raghunath Rajaram, Binny Varghese, and Namisha Parthasarathy.
Further listening:
Is India neglecting its indigenous spirits?
The brave new world of Indian craft chocolate
A renowned conservationist and writer, Gerald Durrell, was known for his unique ability to describe even the most mundane creatures, like slugs, with the same enthusiasm typically reserved for majestic animals. In this episode, host Sandip Roy is in conversation with Lee Durrell, the Honorary Director of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the late Gerald Durrell's wife.
Together, they recount Gerald's compassion for wildlife conservation, his childhood experiences in Corfu that led to the creation of his most famous book, and his lasting legacy, particularly through beloved works such as My Family and Other Animals, which has also been adapted into a successful television series.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Once overshadowed by destinations like Rajasthan, Kerala, and Goa, the Northeast is gaining recognition as a hub for unique travel experiences. Beyond the famed Kaziranga rhinos and Shillong waterfalls, cultural festivals like Arunachal’s Ziro Music Festival and Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival have firmly established the region on the travel map.
In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks with Nishant Sinha, co-founder of Chalo Hoppo, and Grace Marbaniang, co-founder of Escape to Meghalaya, to explore the rising appeal of Northeast India as a must-visit destination and examine whether the region is prepared for this tourism boom.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Award-winning journalist Neha Dixit, in her latest book, The Many Lives of Syeda X, tells the story of a young, working-class Muslim woman, spanning from the early 1990s to the present day. Through her narrative, Dixit also traces the profound social, cultural, and political transformations of a changing India.
This week, host Sandip Roy speaks to Dixit about the inspiration behind the book, the challenges of capturing such a vast timeline, and how Syeda’s journey reflects broader shifts in Indian society.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Over the past few years, Indian craft chocolatiers have been earning accolades at some of the world's most prestigious international competitions, including the UK-based Academy of Chocolate Awards. To explore this growing chocolate culture, host Sandip Roy speaks with Chaitanya Muppala, Vikas Temani, and Patricia Cosma. Together, they discuss the future of Indian craft chocolate in a market long dominated by established brands like Cadbury and Amul.
Muppala is the founder of Manam Chocolate, Temani is the founder of Paul and Mike, and Cosma is the co-founder of the Indian Cacao and Craft Chocolate Festival.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
The transformative discovery made in 1924 by John Marshall, Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, revealed the existence of the Indus Valley Civilisation, pushing back the origins of Indian civilisation by millennia. Now, Devdutt Pattanaik’s new book, Ahimsa: 100 Reflections on the Harappan Civilisation, offers a unique perspective on this ancient civilisation, exploring it through the lens of mythology rather than traditional history or archaeology, connecting the dots between the imagery depicted on the seals we are familiar with.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
At a time when the news about the environment seems to be worsening by the day, historian Ramachandra Guha's latest book, Speaking with Nature, sheds light on India's early environmentalists. These pioneers raised alarms about ecological concerns at a time when the focus was on industrialization as a means to alleviate poverty for millions. Their stories reveal how environmentalism in India evolved in a distinctly different way from the Western models prevalent today. This week, Guha joins host Sandip Roy to share some of these fascinating stories.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In her memoir, This Land We Call Home, Nusrat F. Jafri reflects on the history of her nomadic ancestors, members of the Bhantu tribe from Rajasthan, who were once branded "criminals" under British colonial law. As a response to caste-based discrimination, her family ultimately embraced Christianity. Through the book, Jafri weaves a narrative that explores not only the personal histories we all carry, but also the complex tapestry of our collective past.
In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks to Jafri about her family’s journey, the impact of caste discrimination, and how their quest for belonging through faith and community influenced their evolving sense of identity over time.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
While whiskey, wine, and gin have witnessed a kind of renaissance in India over the past few years, the same hasn't been true for indigenous liquors like Mahua, Feni, and rice beer. Although some of these liquors are now being recognized as 'heritage liquors'—with some even receiving GI tags—their growth has been relatively slow. To understand what’s preventing these traditional liquors from gaining broader acceptance, host Sandip Roy speaks with Aniruddha Mookerjee and Hansel Vaz.
Mookerjee, an expert in Mahua liquor, has spent over 20 years researching indigenous Indian alcohols. As an advisor for Heritage Liquor to the Government of Madhya Pradesh, he has helped shape the state’s heritage liquor policy, and established model distilleries with women’s self-help groups to produce India’s first commercial tribal Mahua brands, Mond and Mohulo.
Vaz, a geologist by training, is a self-taught “Feni polymath” and founded the internationally recognized brand Cazulo Premium Feni.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Dr. Sudipta Sengupta, one of the first Indian women to set foot on Antarctica, has not only ventured to the frozen south but also explored the Arctic and climbed Himalayan peaks. As an early Indian geologist, she’s broken many barriers along the way. In this episode, she joins Sandip Roy to discuss her memoir, Breaking Rocks and Barriers, and the experiences that have shaped her remarkable journey.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Article 14 of the Indian Constitution states: “The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India." And who could argue with that?Yet, some of India’s most fraught political issues—reservations, the right to wear a hijab in college, or same-sex marriage—are situated at the heart of Article 14.
In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks to Senior Supreme Court lawyer Saurabh Kirpal about his new book, Who is Equal, which unpacks the equality code of the Indian Constitution.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Schools and colleges are increasingly concerned that the widespread use of AI tools like ChatGPT could weaken critical thinking and research skills among students. There's also growing unease about academic integrity, with fears that students may turn to AI for assignments or to bypass plagiarism checks. But even beyond education, AI has raised ethical concerns about job displacement, data privacy, and internal biases.
In her new book, Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI, Madhumita Murgia explores how AI impacts our security, health, and privacy—from the ads we see on Instagram to decisions about loans or even governments predicting dissent. In this episode, Sandip talks to Murgia about her book and the broader implications of living in a world increasingly shaped by AI.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
The RG case has once again drawn public attention, highlighting the need for thorough investigations and justice. This incident underscores ongoing concerns about women's safety and the urgent need for stronger protections. There have been renewed calls for the death penalty, though experts question its effectiveness and stress the need for legal reforms. In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks to Jhuma Sen and Amrita Dasgupta to discuss the case's implications, the death penalty debate, and ways to improve women's safety.
Sen is an advocate at the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court and is adjunct faculty at the National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata. She has a focus on gender justice. Dasgupta is executive director of Swayam, a feminist organization working to end discrimination and violence against women and girls.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
With Indian Independence around the corner, host Sandip Roy speaks to Professor Aditya Mukherjee about the politicization of the freedom struggle and the attempts to rewrite by the current establishment.
Mukherjee retired as Professor of Contemporary Indian History, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has authored books like India's Struggle for Independence, and India After Independence.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Once known as the back office of the world, Bengaluru is now seen as India's startup capital and tech hub. However, the city’s rapid growth has brought significant challenges, with traffic congestion and water issues becoming as notorious as its startup culture.
In this episode, Malini Goyal, the author of Unboxing Bengaluru, joins Sandip to discuss how Bengaluru evolved into its current state and what sets it apart among Indian cities.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
When Narendra Modi first appeared on the national stage, his supporters touted the Gujarat model as crucial for national success, while opponents feared it might weaken India's foundational pillars. Now, after 20 years, how has the Gujarat model scaled up at the national level? In this episode, political scientist and historian Christophe Jaffrelot joins Sandip Roy to answer this question, and talk about his latest book — Gujarat Under Modi: The Blueprint for Today's India.
Jaffrelot is Research Director at CERI-Sciences Po/CNRS, Professor of Indian politics and sociology at King’s College (London), President of the French Political Science Association and Chair of the British Association for South Asian Studies.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled on a writ filed by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), stating that the government, both at the state and Centre, must grant full legal recognition to transgender individuals.
That judgment, in many ways, helped pave the way for the landmark Section 377 verdict. But ten years on, how much of the promise of that verdict has been realized in practice for the transgender community? To answer this question, Sandip is joined by Dalit and transgender rights activist Grace Banu.
Grace is India's first transgender engineer and the founder of the Trans Rights Now Collective.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawat
Alpa Shah’s latest book, The Incarcerations, unravels and uncovers the chilling story of the Bhima Koregaon case and how sixteen human rights defenders—including academics, poets, trade unionists, and Dalit organizers—were labeled urban Naxalites, charged with inciting violence, and accused of waging a war against the Indian state. In this episode, Shah joins host Sandip Roy to unpack the case and discuss some of its most puzzling questions.
Alpa Shah is a professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
The Aam Aadmi Party, led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is one of the most formidable political parties in the country and has often been described as a game-changer. But to what extent has that been the case? Has it truly transformed Indian politics, or has Indian politics, in turn, reshaped what the party once stood for?
In this episode, host Sandip Roy is joined by Ashutosh and Neelanjan Sircar to discuss the evolution of the party, its current standing, the threat it poses to the BJP, and the challenges that lie ahead.
Ashutosh is a former member of AAP, the co-founder and editor of SatyaHindi, and the author of Hindu Rashtra. Sircar is a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR).
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
This week on the show, Sandip Roy speaks with journalist Mitali Mukherjee, whose book "Crypto Crimes" gives us a window into the underbelly of the crypto world and its rapid expansion throughout India. Through personal anecdotes and firsthand narratives, the book delves into the depths of the dark web, exposing the reality behind the unregulated crypto bubble that is now witnessing all sorts of crimes.
Mukherjee is the director of the Journalist Programmes at the Reuters Institute at Oxford.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Despite the frequent buzz around new book releases and the increasing popularity of literary festivals, one glaring absence in the country remains: free public libraries. Join host Sandip Roy this week as he engages in a conversation with Mridula Koshy and Rituparna Neog, community activists part of the Free Libraries Network (FLN), to discuss India's dearth of public libraries and what can be done about it.
Koshy, an award winning writer, founded The Community Library Project in Delhi in 2015 and is the member of the FLN's steering committee. Neog, a queer rights activist and a library educator, is the founder-director of the Akam Foundation.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
During a time when India's economy is on the rise, a new book called Unequal: Why India Lags Behind Its Neighbours by Swati Narayan argues that this growth hasn't automatically translated into the empowerment of the poor or an improvement in their social mobility. When compared with its less prosperous neighbors such as Bangladesh and Nepal, India still falls behind in numerous human development indexes. However, is it fair to compare India to these other countries, or are there additional complexities to consider? In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks to Swati to find out.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
As summer sweeps in, we find ourselves once again inundated with reports of record-breaking temperatures, unprecedented heat waves, and other climate disasters. As adults, one question to consider is: How do we talk about climate change with young people, who will ultimately inherit this warming planet? And how can we do so in a manner that is not terrifying or depressing, but rather engages and encourages them to care?
In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks with Bijal Vachharajani and Rohan Chakravarty, who regularly grapple with these questions in their work.Bijal is a children's book author, climate warrior and commissioning editor at Pratham Books. And Rohan is a cartoonist, illustrator, wildlife enthusiast, and the creator of Green Humour.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Veteran journalist and contributing editor of The Indian Express, Neerja Chowdhury, in her book 'How Prime Ministers Decide,' recounts the stories of what transpired behind the scenes as Indian Prime Ministers made some of the most monumental decisions of their tenure, and sometimes opted not to make them.
In this episode, leading up to the crucial Lok Sabha polls, she joins Sandip Roy to discuss some of the decisions that altered India and the processes through which they unfolded.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Last month, a one-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly mauled to death by street dogs in central Delhi’s Tughlaq Lane. In response, the National Human Rights Commission directed authorities to submit a detailed report within six weeks and to control the population of street dogs. However, within days, some animal welfare organizations stated that there is no evidence implicating street dogs in the incident, citing the gated nature of the toddler's home which made it inaccessible to dogs in the area.
This incident underscores the swift polarization between animal welfare advocates and those concerned for public safety. Some regard those who feed street dogs as good Samaritans, while others believe they only exacerbate the problem.
In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks with ecologist Abi T Vanak about the management of street dogs and what actions authorities should take. Vanak is the Director of the Centre for Policy Design at ATREE.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Varanasi holds sacred significance for many Hindus who believe that being cremated at its famous Manikarnika ghat will grant them Moksha or salvation. However, most of us know little about the lives of the Doms who work at these ghats.
In this episode, Sandip Roy is joined by journalist Radhika Iyengar, who spent several years documenting the lives of the Doms of Varanasi through many ups and downs. Her book, 'Fire on the Ganges', delves into the dreams and aspirations of this community, whose job is to help others attain salvation.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Niharika Nanda
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Krish Ashok, the author of the bestselling book "The Masala Lab," has become hugely popular on social media as the man who demystifies the science behind our cooking. In this episode, he joins Sandip to debunk myths about the Indian thali.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
The provocatively titled book, "The Colonial Constitution," examines how we got the Constitution we did and argues that, despite being crafted by the individuals who secured India's independence, it ultimately embodies strong colonial influences.
On the occassion of Republic Day, Sandip speaks to its author, Arghya Sengupta, who is the Research Director at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
For two decades, Sanjay Patel served as an animator and storyboard artist for Pixar, contributing to beloved films such as Ratatouille, Cars, and Toy Story 2. Notably, he also wrote and directed "Sanjay's Super Team," a short film released in 2015 that earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film.
In this episode, Sandip speaks to Patel, delving into his illustrious career, exploring how he drew inspiration from the Ramayana, discussing his response to criticism, and uncovering the factors that led him to pursue a career as an animator.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
What makes Indian secularism so unique? Why is it so often misunderstood? And what challenges does it face at the moment? In this episode, Sandip Roy speaks to Rajeev Bhargava, the Director of the Parekh Institute of Indian Thought at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, who addresses all this and more in his book, 'Reimagining Indian Secularism’.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed Suresh Pawar
They could be the biggest pop stars you've never come across. Absent from your social media feed, yet integral to the pop culture consumed by millions. Meet some of Hindutva's prominent pop stars who say they are on a mission, spearheading a cultural revolution.
In this episode, Sandip speaks to journalist Kunal Purohit who in his book, 'H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars', profiles key figures in Hindutva Pop, and delves into the motivations behind the audience's consumption of their 'daily dose of bigotry'.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Even though Rahul Gandhi is the guardian of the Nehru-Gandhi holy flame, at times it seems that his real mission is to reinvent his own party. On the other hand, many supporters of his party feel that the real stumbling block to its reinvention is Rahul Gandhi himself, who neither wishes to renounce it nor lead it from the front with gusto.
Joining host Sandip Roy in this episode is journalist and author Sugata Srinivasaraju, who explores the politics and predicaments of Rahul Gandhi in the book, Strange Burdens.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
After the Supreme Court’s disheartening verdict on same-sex marriage, it appears that we are still struggling to make progress in this regard. However, if we were to look just beyond our northern border, we would realise that Nepal is actually several steps ahead of India on this issue.
In this episode, Sandip Roy speaks to Sunil Babu Pant, one of the country's best-known LGBTI activists, about the lessons that India can learn from Nepal.
Hosted, written and produced by Sandip Roy
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
India-Canada relations are currently at an all-time low. And it all started after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged active connections between agents of the Government of India and the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Pro-Khalistan leader.
In this episode host Sandip Roy speaks to Ujjal Dosanjh, the former Premier of British Columbia and federal minister, to explore how this controversy is unfolding in Canada, what Trudeau aims to achieve through it, and why Khalistan is a ‘western’ movement now.
Produced by Utsa Sarmin and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Over the past decade, India's top courts have presided over numerous landmark cases, including those related to Aadhar, Sabarimala, the Hijab row, anti-defection laws, privacy, Section 377, and the UAPA. While each of these cases holds significant importance individually, does a different narrative emerge when considering them collectively?
In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks to lawyer and constitutional scholar Gautam Bhatia regarding his latest book, 'Unsealed Covers,' and what the past decade of India's top court decisions reveals about the country's trajectory.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
When ISRO launched its Mars orbiter, it drew attention to the women working at the space agency. And the recent Chandrayaan-3 landing also celebrated this idea. However, the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar prizes, which were announced after a one-year hiatus, had 12 winners, none of whom were women. It appears that something is amiss.
In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks with Aashima Dogra and Nandita Jayaraj, who have been profiling the stories of women and non-binary individuals in science in India through their website, thelifeofscience.com. Their recently released book, "Lab Hopping," reveals the obstacles these individuals face and their extraordinary efforts to rectify a seemingly broken system.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
(In the episode image: Indian Space Research Organization scientists and other officials cheer as they celebrate the success of Mars Orbiter Mission at their Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network complex in Bangalore.)
From hosting and producing popular shows like Quiz Time and Mastermind India to becoming the producer-director of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), Siddhartha Basu is widely regarded as the father of Indian quizzing. In this episode, he talks to host Sandip Roy about his journey, how quizzing has evolved in the country, and what knowing the right answer means in the era of Google.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
With Priyanka Chopra starring in ‘Citadel’ (an American spy thriller TV series) and Alia Bhatt starring in ‘Heart of Stone’ (an American spy thriller film), has Bollywood finally made the crossover? Was Irrfan Khan India's first genuine crossover star? And in an era when stardom is increasingly becoming global, does it even matter?
In this episode, host Sandip Roy is joined by Indian Express film critic and columnist Shubhra Gupta to discuss all of this and more, including her recently released book, ‘Irrfan: A Life in Movies.’
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
There is a mystery surrounding Dalit politics in Uttar Pradesh. Over the past decade, the Bahujan Samaj Party's Dalit voter base appears to have been co-opted by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is often perceived as an upper-caste Hindu party. Surprisingly, this shift has occurred despite the fact that atrocities against Dalits by the upper castes have not decreased in the state.
In their new book titled 'Maya, Modi, Azad: Dalit Politics in the Time of Hindutva' authors Sudha Pai and Sajjan Kumar attempt to shed light on this conundrum. In this episode, Sandip Roy is joined by both of them to discuss the insights gained from their research for the book.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Abhishek Kumar
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta joins Sandip Roy to talk about his latest TV series, Scoop, which is based on journalist Jigna Vora's book 'Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison.' In the book, she shares her experience of being accused, arrested, and tried in court for journalist Jyotirmoy Dey’s killing, before ultimately being acquitted of all charges. During their discussion, they delve into the making of the show, the state of journalism, the differences between writing for a film and writing for OTT, and how Mehta confronts his demons through his characters.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Even though we talk about caste through the lens of politics, reportage, and even personalities, the intersection of caste and law is often overlooked. Even though it is the law that has been used again and again as the main weapon in the fight for social equality.
In this episode, Sandip Roy talks to journalist Manoj Mitta, who in his latest book 'Caste Pride: Battles for Equality in Hindu India' examines the resilience and violence of the Hindu caste system through the legal lens, and ends up uncovering the controversies and decisions that have shaped the fight against caste.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In this special Pride Month episode, Sandip interviews Hoshang Merchant, a poet and writer who has never been shy about discussing love, sex, and religion. Born in 1947, Merchant has led a life that has taken him across the globe, from Mumbai to Los Angeles, and from Heidelberg to Jerusalem. In 1999, he edited the pioneering anthology of gay writing from South Asia titled ‘Yaaraan.’ Additionally, he has authored multiple books, including the autobiographical fiction under the title ‘The Man Who Would Be Queen.’
In this candid conversation, Merchant talks about his experiences of growing up gay, reinventing love at 75, his thoughts on the same sex marriage debate, and more.
This episode contains the use of explicit language and adult themes. Listener discretion is advised.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Patriarchy seems like an entrenched fact today, and many argue that it is the 'natural' order of things. But is it? What do we really know about its roots? How did male domination spread across different societies and cultures? And what can science, history and archaeology tell us about it? These are the questions that science writer Angela Saini explores in her latest book, The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule.
In this episode, she joins Sandip Roy to talk about what she found out while looking to answer these questions, and the role we play in keeping Patricharial structures alive.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
From taking on the Khalistan movement in Canada, and surviving an assassination attempt, to discussing multiculturalism (and why it is a double edged sword) and caste in Sikhism, in this episode Sandip Roy speak to Ujjal Dosanjh, the former Premier of British Columbia and federal minister — the first person of Indian origin to lead a government in the west.
In this conversation, Dosanjh speaks about meeting the Sikh militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, how Canada became a haven for Khalistanis, and his novel, The Past is Never Dead, that tells the story of a rural Punjabi family in search of a better life, and the ‘stranglehold of caste over Sikh immigrants in Britain.’
Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Utsa Sarmin
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In this episode, host Sandip Roy interviews bestselling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni about her latest novel ‘Independence’, which tells the story of three sisters who are separated after the Partition of Bengal. They discuss her approach to storytelling, why women are the central focus of her work, her beginnings as a writer, and her belief that (for the most part) there are no villains in the world.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In this episode, Sandip Roy speaks to Dalit poet and publisher Yogesh Maitreya and discusses his memoir Water in a Broken Pot, the experiences that led him to becoming a writer, and why he places his hope on the power of literature.
Maitreya also speaks candidly about his beginnings, the alienation that Dalits often feel in academic spaces, and the pervasive nature of caste in Indian society and how it affects us all.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Abhishek Kumar
In her book, Lies Our Mothers Told Us, writer and journalist Nilanjana Bhowmick talks about how middle-class homes can be a laboratory for patriarchy, and the burden that women have to bear in India. In this episode, she joins Sandip Roy to talk about what inspired her to write the book, fighting patriarchy at home, the lack of women in public spaces, a possible solution to break the cycle of caregiving burden, and much more.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Writer and journalist Nilanjana Roy's new novel, Black River, is a police procedural set in a dusty little town in Northern India that revolves around the horrendous murder of an eight year old girl. In this episode, she joins Sandip Roy to talk about writing the book, why she likes killing in print, her adventures in reading, her advice for budding writers, and why Delhi is kinder than you think.
(Episode image credit: Gauri Gill)
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
What is the actual state of elephants in India? How many of them are currently in captivity, and what are the reasons for that? And what challenges do conservationists face in trying to help them? After the recent Oscar win of The Elephant Whisperers, Vivek Menon and Alok Hisarwala Gupta join Sandip Roy to answer these questions, and talk about the extent to which a documentary like this helps the conservation cause.
Vivek Menon is the Founder Trustee & Executive Director, Wildlife Trust of India. Alok Hisarwala Gupta is a lawyer and founder of the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and Mixed by Suresh Pawar
The literary world may know him as the author of books like The Death of Vishnu, and The Age of Shiva, but Manil Suri is also a professor of mathematics at the University of Maryland. And in his latest book, The Big Bang of Numbers, he writes about creating the universe in seven days using only maths. In this episode, he joins Sandip Roy to talk about the book, how maths helped save his life, why it is hard to teach it, and the time he danced to 'Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja'.
Also, listen till the end for an audio postcard about the 150th anniversary of Calcutta's trams.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed bby Abhishek Kumar
(Manil Suri's photograph by José Villarrubia)
Why did Pathaan become such a success? Is it just an action film or a 'daring act of subversion'? And what does it say about the role of Muslims in Hindi films? In this episode, host Sandip Roy talks to Professor Ira Bhaskar, and author Ghazala Wahab about the depiction of Muslims in Hindi cinema, and how it changed over the years according to the changing politics of the country.
Ira Bhaskar is Professor, Cinema Studies, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University. And Ghazala Wahab is executive editor, FORCE, and the author of the award winning book, 'Born A Muslim: Some Truths About Islam In India'.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Utsa Sarmin
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In this episode, host Sandip Roy talks to the novelist and columnist Shobhaa De about her recently released memoir 'Insatiable' — from her early modelling career and how she developed her writing style, to her past controversies and her reaction to Pathaan.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Who is taking care of India’s elderly? UN statistics project that 48 million Indians will be over the age of 80 by 2050. That’s more than the population of California. But is India ready for that? In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks to Himanshu Rath and Indira Jayaprakash about the lack of elderly care facilities in the country, the issue of accessibility and the impact of Covid, changing family dynamics, and economic concerns.
Himanshu Rath is the founder and chairman of Agewell Foundation Himanshu Rath, and Indira Jayaprakash is the former Professor of Post Graduate Department of Psychology, Bangalore University, who has researched ageing for years in India.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Utsa Sarmin
Edited and mixed by Abhishek Kumar and Suresh Pawar
In this episode, Sandip is joined by veteran journalist and the founding editor of People’s Archives of Rural India (PARI) to talk about his book, The Last Heroes: Foot Soldiers of Indian Freedom, which tells the incredible stories of freedom fighters who still have not been recognized for their contribution and struggle.
Episode image credit: Bharat Tiwari
Produced by Shashank Bhargava and Utsa Sarmin
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
In a new anthology titled, Indian Christmas, writers Jerry Pinto and Madhulika Liddle bring together essays that capture the many unique flavors of an Indian Christmas — from a village in Nagaland, to Bow Barrack in Kolkata, and from churches to Goa to even rural Jharkhand. In this episode, they join host Sandip Roy to talk about what is really unique about Christmas in India.
(Cover image of Jerry Pinto by Ashima Narain)
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and Mixed by Suresh Pawar
What makes Indian languages different from other ones? We all know about a mother tongue, but is there also a father tongue? Why did invaders from Uzbekistan bring us Persian? And will English cannibalise every other language or is the future of Indian languages something like Hinglish or Nagamese? In this episode, host Sandip Roy talks to Peggy Mohan about her book, 'Wanderers, Kings, Merchants', which tells the story of India by digging into India's languages.
Peggy Mohan has taught linguistics at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia, and is the author of three novels.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
When it comes to sex education, there are many questions that don't have easy answers. Like, who should do it? Should it be parents or schools? And when should you do it? And should it just be about the reproductive system or infections or abstinence? Or should it also include pleasure? In this episode, host Sandip Roy talks to Reema Ahmed and Ramya Anand who have been trying to figure out the answers to these questions in the Indian context.
Reema Ahmad is a life coach, sexuality educator, and the author of 'Unparenting: Sharing Awkward Truths with Curious Kids'. And Ramya Anand is a Senior Programme Officer with Tarshi (Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues), a not-for-profit organisation that works on issues of sexuality.
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and Mixed by Suresh Pawar
The Gambian cough syrup tragedy in which 66 children died has once again raised alarm about India's drug regulation policy. But was Gambia just one rotten apple? Or this apple cart itself full of loopholes? In this episode Dinesh Thakur, who became famous as a whistleblower against Ranbaxy, joins Sandip Roy to talk about his book The Truth Pill (co-written by Prashant Reddy) which looks at the state of drug regulation in India, and whether we actually get what we ordered when we buy medicines in India.
The Gambian cough syrup tragedy in which 66 children died has once again raised alarm about India's drug regulation policy. But was Gambia just one rotten apple? Or this apple cart itself full of loopholes? In this episode Dinesh Thakur, who became famous as a whistleblower against Ranbaxy, joins Sandip Roy to talk about his book The Truth Pill (co-written by Prashant Reddy) which looks at the state of drug regulation in India, and whether we actually get what we ordered when we buy medicines in India.
With Diwali around the corner, columnist and host of the Awful and Awesome podcast Rajyasree Sen joins Sandip Roy to talk about her latest book, The Sweet Kitchen, which includes tales and recipes of India's favourite desserts — from Daulat ki Chaat in Old Delhi to Black Rice Kheer from Manipur, to Sawdust pudding from Goa and sweet hot debates like who does the Rasgulla really belong to.
Listen till the end as Rajyasree takes part in a rapid fire, and Sandip brings you an audio postcard about the economic and environmental impact of Durga Puja.
With Diwali around the corner, columnist and host of the Awful and Awesome podcast Rajyasree Sen joins Sandip Roy to talk about her latest book, The Sweet Kitchen, which includes tales and recipes of India's favourite desserts — from Daulat ki Chaat in Old Delhi to Black Rice Kheer from Manipur, to Sawdust pudding from Goa and sweet hot debates like who does the Rasgulla really belong to.
Listen till the end as Rajyasree takes part in a rapid fire, and Sandip brings you an audio postcard about the economic and environmental impact of Durga Puja.
Even though Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most well known figures in Indian history, for many, especially the young, he has become a bit of a two dimensional figure. Someone who helped us get independence from the British, but also someone whose face is on the currency notes, and who has a lot of streets named after him.
Though it is only when we read his letters to friends, family and opponents, or their accounts of encounters with him, we get a much more three dimensional picture of the Mahatma. Recently, his grandson, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the former governor of West Bengal, has compiled and edited, A Frank Friendship, that brings out these details. The book is about the Mahatma's long history with Bengal, a state that brought him great joy, but also tested his life's philosophy. On the occasion of the 153rd anniversary of the Mahatma's birth, he joins host Sandip Roy to talk about the book, and how the state shaped the father of the nation.
Even though Mahatma Gandhi is one of the most well known figures in Indian history, for many, especially the young, he has become a bit of a two dimensional figure. Someone who helped us get independence from the British, but also someone whose face is on the currency notes, and who has a lot of streets named after him.
Though it is only when we read his letters to friends, family and opponents, or their accounts of encounters with him, we get a much more three dimensional picture of the Mahatma. Recently, his grandson, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the former governor of West Bengal, has compiled and edited, A Frank Friendship, that brings out these details. The book is about the Mahatma's long history with Bengal, a state that brought him great joy, but also tested his life's philosophy. On the occasion of the 153rd anniversary of the Mahatma's birth, he joins host Sandip Roy to talk about the book, and how the state shaped the father of the nation.
Is the female CEO the only model for female empowerment? To what extent are women still split down the middle when it comes to home and work? And what does success, independence, and agency mean to women today? These are some of the questions that Shaili Chopra, the founder of SheThePeople.TV, tackles in her book, Sisterhood Economy. In this episode, she joins Sandip to talk about the book, what she found out while researching for it, and why there needs to be a generation of unlikeable women.
Is the female CEO the only model for female empowerment? To what extent are women still split down the middle when it comes to home and work? And what does success, independence, and agency mean to women today? These are some of the questions that Shaili Chopra, the founder of SheThePeople.TV, tackles in her book, Sisterhood Economy. In this episode, she joins Sandip to talk about the book, what she found out while researching for it, and why there needs to be a generation of unlikeable women.
At a time when the government and the marketplace have assumed enormous power over our lives and choices, Rohini Nilekani argues that now is the time for civil societies to be boosted, and that India’s wealth creators need to do more about it. In this episode, she joins host Sandip Roy to discuss her latest book, ‘Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar’, in which she talks about the need for a balance between these three sectors.
Nilkani has been associated with several civil society movements, and has been a founding member of organisations such as Pratham Books, and EkStep Foundation.
In his latest book, To Raise A Fallen People, Rahul Sagar points out that the debates around what role India should play on the world stage started way back in the 19th century. This was the time when public figures were questioning the kind of power India should be, what lessons it needs to learn from Europe, and the kind of economy it should have going forward.
In this episode, Sagar, Global Network Associate Professor of Political Science at NYU Abu Dhabi, joins host Sandip Roy to talk about these debates, and what they reveal about our past and present.
In 1952, the cheetah was officially declared extinct in India. Now, the animal, albeit a different subspecies, might be set for a comeback - not in the wild, but to Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. Wildlife conservationists in India, though, are in no rush to welcome the cheetah home. In this episode, eminent conservationists Ravi Chellam and Prerna Bindra join host Sandip Roy to discuss the scientific, logical and ethical concerns around this move, and most importantly, whether the Asiatic lion will be paying the price for it.
Journalist Seema Chishti's mother, Sumitra, wrote a cookbook so that she could pass down recipes from their rather unique kitchen - a kitchen which was shared by Sumitra, who was a Kshatriya Hindu from Mysore in Karnataka, and her husband Anees, a Syed Muslim from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh. Now, in her new book, Sumitra and Anees, Chishti includes recipes from her mother's cookbook and tells the story of her parents and their marriage. In this episode, she joins Sandip Roy to talk about the book, why she chose to write it, and the increasing demonization of interfaith relationships.
Journalist Vauhini Vara's debut novel, The Immortal King Rao, has been making waves because it marries a vision of technocapitalism with caste. The book imagines a Dalit man who escapes the coconut plantations of his childhood to live the American dream and creates a company that rules the world via an algorithm. In this episode, she joins host Sandip Roy to talk about the book, caste discrimination, and what she has learned about America's tech sector while reporting on it.
Even though the Pride Month is now embraced across India, its coverage mostly focuses on gay men and sometimes transgender women activists. But lesbians seem to be largely missing from this coverage and conversation.
So in this special episode, host Sandip Roy talks to a lesbian couple, Rituparna Borah and Amrita Tripathi, living in Delhi to understand whether lesbian lives have changed since Pride became more celebrated and 'cool' in India.
In this episode, Sandip Roy speaks to Laura T Murphy, professor of human rights and contemporary slavery at Sheffield Hallam University. They speak about the people still living in modern day slavery, the role of violence in overthrowing oppression, and her new book, ‘Azad Nagar: The Story of a 21st-Century Slave Revolt’.
At a time when nationalism and patriotism are increasingly conflated, historian Ramachandra Guha's latest book, Rebels Against The Raj, tells the story of seven remarkable westerners who went to jail or were expelled from the country for rebelling against the British. They were in today's parlance 'anti-nationals'. In this episode, host Sandip Roy is joined by Ramachandra Guha to talk about the book, and discuss these magnificent seven.
Data scientist Dr Bhramar Mukherjee joins host Sandip Roy to talk about the challenges of estimating India's real Covid death toll.
The pandemic has been tough on many of us, but for those with mental health problems, it's been even tougher. Former CEO of BP Ergo, and columnist Aparna Piramal Raje has had to deal with Bipolar disorder during this time, and which she talks about in her book, Chemical Khichdi: How I Hacked My Mental Health. While it has been hailed as a brief coming out story, it is also a handbook for those struggling with mental health issues. In this episode, she joins host Sandip Roy to talk about it.
On this show’s 100th episode, host Sandip Roy is joined by the iconic pop singer Usha Ushup as she takes a trip down memory lane, remembering her unique musical journey so far, recounting her experience of working in the Indian film industry, giving us a peek at her talent for mimicry, and discussing her authorized biography, The Queen of Pop by Vikas Kumar Jha. Do stay with us till the end of the episode for a very special surprise for our listeners, from the legend herself!
After five weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine not going as planned, what end game does Vladimir Putin have in mind? How well can India continue to walk the tight diplomatic rope? And how will this crisis reshape the geo-political chess game? In this episode, host Sandip Roy is joined by retired diplomat, historian, and former Indian Foreign Secretary Krishnan Srinivasan to answer these questions and more.
In veteran journalist Saeed Naqvi’s play, The Muslim Vanishes, overnight everyone Muslim, and everyone thing deemed Muslim in the country, suddenly vanishes into thin air. This leads to consequences that no one could have foreseen, including problems for those who wanted Muslims to vanish from public life. In this episode, Naqvi joins Sandip Roy to talk about his sardonic play, why the hindutva project needs the Muslim community, the results of the UP elections, the recent Hijab ruling, and more.
Journalist Adrija Roychowdhury joins Sandip Roy to speak about her new book, 'Delhi in Thy Name' which traces the history of the capital city through the naming of its streets. She delves into six neighborhoods of Delhi to trace the different trajectories and expressions of the past. She identifies Mughal influences in Chandini Chowk, the remnants of British colonialism in Connaught Place, and migration and partition histories in CR Park and Pamposh enclave.
Shrayana Bhattacharya is trained in development economics and is currently working at a multilateral development bank. But, to the surprise of many around her, she spent the last 15 years interviewing women who are Shah Rukh Khan fans. And she did this, to understand the Indian economy. Her book, Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh, details her research and reveals an emotional map of the economy. In this episode, she joins Sandip Roy to discuss what she found, and what the SRK fandom can teach us about womanhood.
We often use data to understand India and its problems. Be it data about unemployment, how we vote, what crimes we commit, and even who we choose to love. But data journalist Rukmini S' new book, Whole Numbers and Half Truths, talks about how we use numbers to make sense of all this, without realising that data can be misleading or that we might be misreading it. In this episode, she joins host Sandip Roy to discuss India's problem with data.
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A lot of us can relate to the idea that increasingly, we are finding it harder to focus and are more distracted. Many blame themselves and their smartphones for shorter attention spans, but a new book claims that there is another reason why we can’t pay attention the way we used to.
In this episode, best-selling author Johann Hari speaks to Sandip about his new book, Stolen Focus, in which he writes about how we have profoundly misunderstood what’s happening to our attention, and calls for an attention rebellion.
Episode image credit: Kathrin Baumbach
How bad is India's water crisis? What has led us to this place? And what can be done to solve it? In this episode, Sandip is joined by Mridula Ramesh to talk about India's groundwater crisis. From the Indus Valley civilisation, to British policies that still affect us, Ramesh tells us about all that has caused India's grave water crisis.
Ramesh is the author of the new book, Watershed: How We Destroyed India's Water and How We Can Save It. She is founder of the Sundaram Climate Institute, which focuses on waste and water solutions.
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation has said that eating insects can help us fight hunger and malnutrition. This is considering they are rich in protein, and farming them can be more sustainable and environment-friendly. Now, even though the idea can invoke disgust, perhaps even shame, in many people, insects have been part of the human diet for centuries.
In this episode, host Sandip Roy is joined by Srishtaa Aparna Pallavi and Tansha Vohra to talk about the past, present and future of eating insects in India. They discuss what insects are the most popular as food, why certain foods are considered inferior, the concerns around popularizing this practice, and their favourite insect recipes.
Shrishta Aparna Pallavi, writes about indigenous people and their traditions and foods, and has given an acclaimed TED talk on what food our ancestors loved.
Tansha Vohra is a permaculture designer, and runs the Boochi project, which explores insect eating in India.
Are all countries obliged to tighten their belts equally for the sake of climate change? Based on our current efforts, have we reached a point of no return? And do we need a new narrative to change that? In this episode, Sandip Roy is joined by Jnanpith award winner and writer Amitav Ghosh to answer these questions, and to talk about his latest book, The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis.
Also in the end, an audio postcard from Shillong.
In their latest book, Nehru: The Debates that Defined India, Adeel Hussain and Tripurdaman Singh look at four men debated the first Prime Minister – Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Sardar Patel and Syama Prasad Mookerjee – and how theses exchanges came to shape India as we know it today. In this episode, they both join Sandip to discuss what they found out during their research, and what we can learn from these debates.
Adeel Hussain is an assistant professor at Leiden University and a senior research affiliate at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg. And Tripurdaman Singh is a British Academy postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London.
What is ailing India's democratic institutions today? – This question is at the heart of investigative journalist Josy Joseph's latest book, The Silent Coup: A History of India's Deep State. In this episode, host Sandip Roy talks to him about it, along with how the deep state threatens our democracy, and what has led us to this place.
The arrival of the monsoon is always big news in India. But its drama and romance is also accompanied by anxiety and tension, especially now, with the rains growing more erratic, and some places getting less of it while others experience floods and cloudbursts.
In this episode, Sandip speaks to one of the world's foremost monsoon meteorologists, Dr Sulochana Gadgil about the myths and realities surrounding the monsoons. Dr Gadgil was with the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru.
While it isn’t unusual to have women doctors in India now, and the rise of women in the medical field seems to have been steady, the road that led us to this place wasn’t easy. India’s first "lady doctors" battled everything from unsupportive husbands and over supportive husbands to widowhood, caste rules, and divorce.
Kavitha Rao’s new book, ‘Lady Doctors’ tells the inspiring stories of these women, and the battles they fought. She joins Sandip in this episode to talk about it.
Mahatma Gandhi is known around the world as the apostle of non-violence, but what did his insistence on ahimsa actually mean for him? In this episode, Sandip talks to Jyotirmaya Sharma, professor of political science at the University of Hyderabad, about his new book – Elusive Nonviolence: The Making and Unmaking of Gandhi’s Religion of Ahimsa.
They discuss what influenced Gandhi’s idea of non-violence, why the Hindu community largely rejected his ideals, whether he actually believed in equality and diversity, what has survived of his ideas, and more.
How does information warfare shape our realities? Has the problem of alternate realities worsened now? Does fake news or Whatsapp forwards create the problem or only add to it? And to what extent does fact-checking help?
In this episode, Shivam Shankar Singh and Anand Venkatanarayanan join Sandip to answer these questions and talk about their book, 'The Art of Conjuring Alternate Realities: How Information Warfare Shapes Your World'.
In this episode, Sandip talks to Vidya Dehejia, Barbara Stoler Miller Professor of Indian and South Asian Art at Columbia University, about her latest book, India: A Story through 100 Objects.
What leverage points does the international community have over the Taliban right now? In what way does the situation in Afghanistan affect India? And what will a Pak-China-Afghan axis mean for India?
In this episode, Sandip Roy talks to Professor C Raja Mohan about the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, and its implications for India.
Professor Mohan is the Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at National University of Singapore, and is also a contributing editor on foreign affairs for The Indian Express.
How have the three Khans of Bollywood helped shape how Indians see themselves? How have their characters helped us grapple with a changing India? How have they negotiated their religious identities on screen? And is the age of the Khans finally over?
In this episode, Sandip talks to veteran journalist Kaveree Bamzai about all this and more, along with her latest book, 'The Three Khans: And the Emergence of New India'.
How does the conflict-ridden state of Kashmir affect the everyday lives of people? How does the trauma get processed? And what stories get lost in the usual reportage of the area? In this episode Sandip talks to author Farah Bashir about her memoir 'Rumours of Spring', which is an intimate history of Kashmir told through the eyes of a young girl.
Manoj Kewalramani on whether China has successfully spun the Covid-19 narrative to its advantage, and his latest book Smokeless War: China's Quest for Geopolitical Dominance.
Sandip Roy talks to Chinmay Tumbe about the pandemics India has witnessed in the past, how they changed the country, and what we can learn from them.
Chef Nik Sharma breaks down the science of taste, talks about the joy of cooking, and discusses his latest book – The Flavor Equation.
In this episode, Sandip talks to Dr Gagandeep Kang, who addresses the concerns around India’s vaccine policy.
Discussing the the changing face of Indian Islam, and what it really means to be an ‘Indian Muslim’ today.
Renowned actor Sharmila Tagore joins Sandip to celebrate this occasion, take a look back at his films, and talk about what made him stand apart from others.
Sandip talks to the co-founder of Edible Archives, a restaurant-cum-research centre in Goa that is spearheading a new way to think about food memory and food heritage.
In this episode, Sandip is joined by political analyst Sajjan Kumar and Neelajan Sircar, assistant professor of political science at Ashoka University, to talk about the West Bengal state polls 2021.
Anuja Chauhan joins Sandip to talk about her new novel, the politics of Delhi (and Bangalore) clubs, the perils of writing romance in the time of ‘love-jihad’, and more.
Sandip talks to Indian Express' Associate Editor Santosh Singh about what Bihar politics will look like after Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad's lasting impact on the state, and his latest book – JP to BJP: Bihar After Lalu and Nitish.
Author Stephen Alter on what the history of Himalaya can tell us about the present, lessons we can learn from past disasters, and his latest book ‘Wild Himalaya’.
In this episode, microbiologist Dr Gagandeep Kang and Sandip Roy discuss why South Asian and Sub-Saharan countries have shown higher seropositivity than the West, why vaccinations are necessary but not enough and the pressing need for more clinical research.
Social activist Harsh Mander on how the pandemic has impacted the country's most vulnerable, his own harrowing experience of getting COVID-19, and his latest book Locking Down the Poor: The Pandemic and India’s Moral Centre.
Rakesh Khanna, the founder of Blaft Publications, talks about his new book which is an encyclopedia of ‘Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India’.
Political scientist Dr Vinay Sitapati talks to Sandip about this latest book, Jugalbandi: The BJP before Modi.
Dr Shashi Tharoor on who does nationalism really mean in the Indian context, and how it is different from patriotism.
Sandip speaks with epidemiologist Dr Giridhar R Babu about the great vaccine race, and whether millions of COVID-19 infections are being undercounted.
Sandip talks to Mandira about her career, how she has reinvented herself over the years, and her memoir, Happy For No Reason.
Sandip talks to Dr Gagandeep Kang about what we’re really looking for in a COVID-19 vaccine, and clears up some burning coronavirus concerns.
Sandip talks to author Karishma Upadhyay about her new book on Parveen Babi, the glamorous star whose life was turned upside down by her mental health struggles, and discusses how far we've come, or not come, since then.
Historian Romila Thapar on the history of dissent in India – from Vedic Brahmanism to Shaheen Bagh.
Award winning photographer and filmmaker, Ronny Sen on the questions we should be asking about drug addiction and the issues that India's drug laws fail to address.
National Award winning film editor and writer Apurva Asrani on why he has been overwhelmed by the changes he has seen in Bollywood since the Section 377 verdict was announced two years back.
Sandip speaks to Paul Gravett, the world's foremost comic book authorities, about the unique power of comic books to absorb and reflect cultures.
In this episode, Sandip talk to clinical psychologist Dr Sonali Gupta about how to cope with anxiety during this pandemic and her book, 'Anxiety: Overcome It and Live without Fear'.
In the latest episode of the Sandip Roy Show, Dalit activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan talks about how the Cisco case highlights the problem of caste discrimination in the US.
In this episode, Sandip talks to journalist Snigdha Poonam about what made TikTok different from other social media apps, how it affected the lives of young Indians, and why it has been a cultural phenomenon.
In this episode, Sandip talks to Kanchi Kohli, senior researcher at Center for Policy Research (CPR), about how the pandemic has affected the way the ministry has been taking decisions and changing the fundamentals of the environment assessments process.
In this episode, Sandip talks to award-winning science writer Angela Saini, whose latest book Superior, talks about how the feeling of racial superiority has been hardened through 'race science' that lets people believe that is not prejudice but biology behind these ideas.
Sandip talks to ecological economist, Nilanjan Ghosh, Director of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Kolkata about the future of Sundarbans and the damage that cyclone Amphan has done to the region.
In this episode, Sandip talks to psychologist and author, Tanu Shree Singh, about how to talk to your kids about Bois Locker Room and have other difficult conversations.
Dr Pratima Murthy on how mental health is suffering during this time. From the toll that the lockdown has taken on people suffering from alcohol addiction and severe mental illness like schizophrenia to the problems being faced by the elderly and the stigma associated with the disease.
In this episode, Sandip talks to Dr. Giridhar R Babu, professor and head of life course epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) about how we will know whether India is ready to come out of the lockdown on May 3, and the kind of new India that we will emerge into.
In this episode, Sandip talks to Chinmay about India’s internal migrants, the myths that surround them, how the government can better address their problems, the emerging trends in migration and his book, India Moving: A History of Migration.
In this episode, Sandip talk to journalist Dilip D'Souza about this latest book, The Deoliwallahs: The True Story of the 1962 Chinese-Indian Internment.
In this episode, Dr Gagandeep Kang, one of India's leading clinical scientists, busts myths about coronavirus, talks about why she is hopeful for a vaccine and how climate change affects the spread of such viruses.
In this episode, Sandip talk to Viswanathan Anand about how he deals with losing, why he admires John McEnroe, his autobiography and more.
In this episode, Sandip talks to Kapil Komireddi about how secularism was worn down in India, how historians inadvertently contributed to it and his latest book, Malevolent Republic.
Investigative journalist, Katherine Eban, on her book Bottle of Lies that documents global fraud, large-scale data fabrication and unsafe practices inside Indian drug plants.
Writer, translator and literary historian, Rakhshanda Jalil, on her collection of essays titled 'But You Don't Look Like A Muslim'.
The best conversations Sandip had with this year's guests, including Amitav Ghosh, Prannoy Roy, Harsh Mander, Paro Anand, Anjali Gopalan and more.
What a hitchhiker learned from riding across India in trucks and the insight it gave him about how corruption works.
Over the decades, India's political leadership has had a complicated relationship with scientific innovations. Arun Sukumar, the head of the technology initiative at the Observer Research Foundation of New Delhi joins Sandip to discuss pivotal moments in India's tech history, how Prime Minister Modi sold Indians "a lethal cocktail of faith and technology" and more.
The myriad ways in which plastic affects our lives and how we can realistically fight it.
In this episode, Sandip talks to historian William Dalrymple about how the East India Company came to rule India and why many know so little about it.
In this episode Sandip talks to writer and Supreme Court lawyer Chitranshul Sinha about the history of the sedition law in India and why it still exists in the 21st century.
Sandip talks to writer Paro Anand about her latest book, Being Gandhi and what we can still learn from the father of the nation.
Sandip talks to Paromita Vohra the founder of Agents of Ishq about how ideas of sex and love are evolving and why sex education is important for a good sex life.
Sandip talks to Parmesh Shahani about what corporate India looks like one year after the 377 verdict.
Sandip talks to Amrita Tripathi, the founder-editor of the Health Collective, about her latest book that tries to open up conversations about depression and tell us that we are not alone in dealing with it.
Devdutt Pattanaik on what we get wrong about Yoga, how much is it really connected to faith and why the ancient Indians practiced it.
Food Historian Salma Yusuf Husain takes us through the wondrous kitchen of the Mughal emperor and talks about the surprising dishes that the Mughal's gave us.
Amitav Ghosh talks about migration, cosmopolitanism, the lack of climate change in literature and his latest novel - The Gun Island.
Sandip talks to Sadat about what made him finally come out, why people around him saw it as an act of cowardice and his skepticism of 'liberal' Islam.
LGBTQ rights activist and the founder of Naz foundation, Anjali Gopalan, on the way we treat our animals and what that says about us as a society.
In this episode, Lisa Ray talks about being boxed into the category of a "sex symbol", the problem of hypersexuality in Bollywood, her struggles with eating disorders and more.
Writer and human rights activist Harsh Mander on the threat that we face as a nation and the need for fraternity in our society.
Ratnaboli Ray, the founder of Anjali, a mental health rights organization in Kolkata, talks to Sandip about the challenges and her efforts of getting people with mental illnesses to cast their votes.
In this episode, Sandip speak to lawyer and legal scholar Gautam Bhatia about his new book 'The Transformative Constitution: A Radical Biography in Nine Acts'.
In this episode, Sandip talks to the man who, in many ways, brought elections to our living rooms.
Journeys into the world of kink and the learnings that we can all take from the BDSM community.
In this episode, Sandip talks to the beloved author, Ruskin Bond, about his journey as a writer so far.
Journalist Yashica Dutt talks about how she passed as being upper caste and what made her finally come out as Dalit.
Author Jonathan Gil Harris explains how Bollywood films are closely related to the work of Shakespeare and how the 'masala' genre celebrates India's cultural diversity.
Shabnam Aggarwal talks of the risk she took to follow her dream, and the lessons she learned when she failed.
Carnegie Fellow Milan Vaishnav on how Indians like to elect people facing criminal charges
In this episode, Sandip speaks to author and journalist Aatish Taseer about his experiences writing The Twice Born: Life and Death on the River Ganges.
John Zubrzycki talks to Sandip about the history of magic and magicians in India, from fakirs to P.C. Sorcar
Pushpesh Pant talks to Sandip about food memories, sweets and what the map of India would look like if it were drawn by food.
A special episode with extended excerpts from James Crabtree, Devdutt Pattanaik and Shubha Mudgal
Shubha Mudgal talks about music, activism, education and more, with stories from her life and experiences.
Mythologist and writer Devdutt Pattanaik talks about life for LGBTQI people after #377, Indian society's relationship with sex, our tendency to tribalism and more.
A conversation with one of the oldest of the dwindling Jewish community in Kolkata, Flower Silliman.
Sandip and James talk about the book The Billionaire Raj, the personalities of these tycoons and India's problem with corruption and crony capitalism.
On this episode, Sandip sits down to chat with author and film journalist Aseem Chhabra, who wrote the recently released unauthorized biography, Priyanka Chopra: The Incredible Story of a Global Bollywood Star. Aseem talks to Sandip about Priyanka's career in Bollywood, the way she adapted to Hollywood and how she managed to keep her relevance in India.
In this episode Sandip talks to photographer and visual artist, Anusha Yadav, who founded the Indian Memory Project, about how the project came about, the kind of stories it tells about love, loss, family and secrets, and what she has learned from curating it.