Episoder
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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 -
Mangler du episoder?
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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
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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 - Se mer
