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  • Forget Hindi or English, what about the other 777 languages? ft Ganesh Devy and Anvita Abbi

    Forget Hindi or English, what about the other 777 languages? ft Ganesh Devy and Anvita Abbi
    2025/05/11
    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
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    54 分
  • The Mystery of the Awadh 'Royals' of Delhi's Malcha Mahal ft Aletta André and Abhimanyu Kumar

    The Mystery of the Awadh 'Royals' of Delhi's Malcha Mahal ft Aletta André and Abhimanyu Kumar
    2025/04/27
    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
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    58 分
  • The Urdu newspaper that dared to speak truth to power ft Chander Mohan and Jyotsna Mohan

    The Urdu newspaper that dared to speak truth to power ft Chander Mohan and Jyotsna Mohan
    2025/04/13
    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
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    52 分
  • Manu Pillai on how Hinduism and Christianity transformed each other

    Manu Pillai on how Hinduism and Christianity transformed each other
    2025/03/30
    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
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    59 分
  • How caste influences food—from cookbooks to public health ft Sylvia Karpagam and Sucharita Kanjilal

    How caste influences food—from cookbooks to public health ft Sylvia Karpagam and Sucharita Kanjilal
    2025/03/17
    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
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    50 分
  • The holy cow and the dairy dilemma ft Yamini Narayanan

    The holy cow and the dairy dilemma ft Yamini Narayanan
    2025/03/02
    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
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    48 分
  • Indulge: How is India's speciality coffee scene brewing?

    Indulge: How is India's speciality coffee scene brewing?
    2025/02/16
    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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    1 時間 3 分
  • Lee Durrell on 100 years of Gerald Durrell

    Lee Durrell on 100 years of Gerald Durrell
    2025/02/02
    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
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    54 分