Ep. 6: Combat Journalism with Teresa Rehman
In Bulletproof, journalist and author Teresa Rehman goes beyond statistics and looks at documentary evidences, and shows us how conflict impacts women, children, health etc. A first-of-its-kind account, Bulletproof is the story of a female combat journalist and her encounters with insurgency from north-east India. In this episode of India Booked, Rehman speaks to Ayushi […]
Mahasweta Devi, in conversation with Naveen Kishore
Customs, words, culture, language are always in a state of translation; from one audience to another, from one story to another, from one medium to another. In this conversation between Mahashweta Devi and Naveen Kishore, the celebrated author muses in the words she jots down, the stories that come with those words, and how they […]
Written in Tears by Arupa Patangia Kalita
Translated by Ranjita Biwas Assam’s struggle for identity and independence has always plagued the state; from the Assam Agitation in the 1980s to the protests against NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Bill of 2019. Without delving into the politics of right and wrong, Arupa Kalita, in Written in Tears, focuses on the life of ordinary […]
In Conversation With: Ranjita Biswas
Ranjita Biswas is a journalist, writer and translator of fiction from Assamese into English. She is currently based in Kolkata. She is the translator of Written in Tears by Arupa Patangia Kalita, a collection of novella stories from Assam. Rupal Vyas caught up with her to talk about the book, translating, juggling several writing careers, […]
Dozakhnama: Conversations in Hell by Rabisankar Bal
Translated by Arunava Sinha Background Dastaan toh daastan’i hotein hain voh akelepaan mein jeetein hain, aur phir akelepaan mein maar jaate hain (Dastaan is Dastaan, they live in loneliness and then die in loneliness) Inception Lying in their respective graves, Ghalib and Manto have a conversation, a conversation that smells of petrichor emanating from the […]
Ep. 5: India’s Highway Economy with Rajat Ubhaykar
In Truck De India!, journalist Rajat Ubhaykar embarks on a 10,000 km-long, 100% unplanned trip, hitchhiking with truckers all across India. On the way, he makes unexpected friendships; listens to highway ghost stories; discovers the near-fatal consequences of overloading trucks; documents the fascinating tradition of truck art in Punjab; travels alongside nomadic shepherds in Kashmir; […]
Nationalism and the Imagination by Gayatri C. Spivak
Over the last few years, there has been a resurgence of nationalist sentiment around the world, especially in India. Fostering a national identity in a country as diverse as ours is no mean task. Nationalism is also ever-evolving and can affect other aspects of life like citizenship. To add to the complexity, national identity often […]
Karna’s Wife by Kavita Kané
“No, it was not very hard to fall in love with Karna, however unsuitable a suitor he was condemned to be.” Yes, it isn’t hard to fall in love with someone like Karna – with his kavach and kundals, with his physique of a warrior and with his God-like aura. However, how hard is it […]
Partition Literature: Books you must read
The Partition was one of the most tragic and traumatic incidents in the history of the country. With large scale atrocities, crimes and brutality that forever defined postmodern South Asian history, the Partition remains an indelible memory for the many people who were caught up in it. As is with tragedy, the Partition too has […]
Ep. 4: Bad Money with Vivek Kaul
Bad Money, Vivek Kaul’s latest works, is an important title for the way he discloses the history of the Indian Economy and Banking system, and discusses why it is important to be aware of where your money goes. In this episode of India Booked, Ayushi Mona discusses with him what constitutes bad money, what the […]
