"The cheetah is the only mammal to have become extinct after independence. Today we are an aspirational country. Why can't we restore a species that we lost? I'm asking this from a ... Read more
"The cheetah is the only mammal to have become extinct after independence. Today we are an aspirational country. Why can't we restore a species that we lost? I'm asking this from a purely nationalist point of view" - Divyabhanusinh, author, The Story of India's Cheetahs talks to Manjula Narayan about the long history of the cat in India and the many expected benefits to the ecosystem of its reintroduction.Books & Authors podcast with Divyabhanusinh, author, The Story of India's Cheetahs Read more
"This map of Shahjahanabad, what's now Old Delhi, was made in 1847. After the revolt of 1857 was suppressed by the British, large parts of the city were demolished. So much changed ... Read more
"This map of Shahjahanabad, what's now Old Delhi, was made in 1847. After the revolt of 1857 was suppressed by the British, large parts of the city were demolished. So much changed that this map is an invaluable look at that city as it was before the destruction of 1857" - Swapna Liddle, author, 'Shahjahanabad; Mapping a Mughal City' talks to Manjula Narayan about the exquisite administrative map of the city that's now in the British Museum and what it tells us about the old walled city, its neighbourhoods, its social life and individual citizens both aristocratic and ordinary. Read more
"Birdwatching is a hobby whose time has come in India today. That's why we're seeing such an explosion of interest" - Aasheesh Pittie, author, The Living Air talks to @utterflea ab ... Read more
"Birdwatching is a hobby whose time has come in India today. That's why we're seeing such an explosion of interest" - Aasheesh Pittie, author, The Living Air talks to @utterflea about imitative drongos, the impact of the loss of vultures, and why we love birds Read more
"The Panchatantra is an allegory of humanness. Its animals are not zoomorphic; they are actually humans wearing the mask of animals. The Panchatantra is not at all concerned with m ... Read more
"The Panchatantra is an allegory of humanness. Its animals are not zoomorphic; they are actually humans wearing the mask of animals. The Panchatantra is not at all concerned with morality. It doesn't say that something is right or wrong. None of the stories are judgemental. They don't tell you how to behave; they show you what behaviour is like. It's a mirror held up to humanness. That's one of the Panchatantra's biggest selling points" - Meena Arora Nayak, author of a new retelling of The Panchatantra of Vishnusharma talks to Manjula Narayan about this wonderful collection of stories first compiled around 300BCE, and how they are essentially about the human quest for happiness Read more
"Women have been the maintainers of India's food culture forever. Then, they were empowered by technology and took to blogging about food, and it's grown from there. Most of the re ... Read more
"Women have been the maintainers of India's food culture forever. Then, they were empowered by technology and took to blogging about food, and it's grown from there. Most of the really good deep-dive food writing in India now is largely being done by women" - Charmaine O'Brien, author, Eating the Present Tasting the Future talks to Manjula Narayan about everything from India's post-Liberalisation transformation from being a resource-conservative country to a resource-consumptive one, the great influence of Masterchef Australia, the evolution of India's wines and cheeses, the role of food apps, and the great change that's happening with Indians discovering the country's varied regional cuisines. Read more
"The idea of a suitable religion for democracy strengthened Ambedkar's view of Buddhism. His conversion was not just intellectual but also emotional and spiritual" - Ashok Gopal, a ... Read more
"The idea of a suitable religion for democracy strengthened Ambedkar's view of Buddhism. His conversion was not just intellectual but also emotional and spiritual" - Ashok Gopal, author, 'A Part Apart; The Life and Thought of BR Ambedkar', talks to Manjula Narayan about his mammoth work. Tune in to now! Read more
Listen to Manjula Narayan discuss with Anirudha Bhattacharjee, author, 'Basu Chatterji and Middle of the Road Cinema' about how this book tells us many inside stories about the ace ... Read more
Listen to Manjula Narayan discuss with Anirudha Bhattacharjee, author, 'Basu Chatterji and Middle of the Road Cinema' about how this book tells us many inside stories about the ace director’s films. The anecdotes are not restricted to trivia and behind-the-scene occurrences, as films like Saara Aakash, Piya Ka Ghar, Rajnigandha, Chhoti Si Baat, Chitchor, Manzil, Khatta Meetha, Swami, Priyatama, Baton Baton Mein, Shaukeen and Chameli Ki Shaadi are analysed in detail, even with a mention of their flaws. His shift to television with Rajani, starring Priya Tendulkar, and his work in other Doordarshan serials such as like Ek Ruka Hua Faisla and Byomkesh Bakshi are deal with too. Tune in to know more! Read more
Listen to Manjula Narayan discuss with Avijit Ghosh, author, 'When Ardh Satya Met Himmatwala' about the 1980s in Hindi cinema, it was the decade of the dark and powerful police dra ... Read more
Listen to Manjula Narayan discuss with Avijit Ghosh, author, 'When Ardh Satya Met Himmatwala' about the 1980s in Hindi cinema, it was the decade of the dark and powerful police drama Ardh Satya. It was the decade of the kitschy excess of the action comedy Himmatwala. It was a decade of opposites. It was a time of furious change beyond the silver screen, video cassettes brought cinema to drawing rooms and bedrooms; television and one-day cricket emerged as fierce competition to films; piracy put movie theatres in crisis; film stars were elected to the Indian Parliament in surprising numbers. Read more
Listen to Manjula Narayan discuss with the Aashima Dogra, co-author of Lab Hopping, how from Bhopal to Bhubaneswar, from Bangalore to Jammu, she and her co author Nandita Jayaraj e ... Read more
Listen to Manjula Narayan discuss with the Aashima Dogra, co-author of Lab Hopping, how from Bhopal to Bhubaneswar, from Bangalore to Jammu, she and her co author Nandita Jayaraj engage in thought-provoking conversations with renowned scientists like Gagandeep Kang, Rohini Godbole, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Prajval Shastri, as well as researchers at earlier stages of their scientific careers. Read more
“We can write on Ancient Indian History but that doesn't mean you are finished knowing all there was to know.“ The history of India through 75 objects is a curation of objects from ... Read more
“We can write on Ancient Indian History but that doesn't mean you are finished knowing all there was to know.“ The history of India through 75 objects is a curation of objects from the prehistoric ages through twenty-first century India, author Sudeshna Guha provides a panoramic view of the rich histories of the subcontinent to the host Manjula Narayan. The incisive essays in this collection detail not just the objects but the histories of their reception: examining how changing times and attitudes cast their shadow on the ways in which the past is interpreted and narrated. In doing so, A History of India through 75 Objects inspires us to interrogate our own notions of a knowable past and fixed national history. Teeming with thought-provoking insights and surprising anecdotes, the essays instill a sense of wonder about the continuous processes by which histories are constructed. Read more
