Books and Beyond with Bound
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Welcome to India's no. 1 book podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa uncover the stories behind some of the best written books of our time. From personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys, find out what drives India's finest authors to pen our favourite reads. And get an editors' perspective on how these books reflect the..
Books and Beyond with Bound
2d ago
South Asia boasts a less than 1% divorce rate. But the real reason behind it is far from happy marriages.
In this episode, Tara and Michelle sit down with Aisha Sarwari and Shasvathi Siva, as they talk about misogyny and marriages in South Asia.
Aisha's book, 'Heart Tantrums', is a memoir that addresses her immigrant life and her marriage to a man with a personality-altering brain tumor and how, despite the grief and abuse she faced, she was told that being a devoted wife would fix everything.
Shasvathi's book, 'Divorce is Normal', is a handy guidebook that aims to normalize divorce and prov ..read more
Books and Beyond with Bound
1w ago
Find out what it was like growing up in post-independence India through the eyes of a man who lived through it all!
Join Michelle as she speaks with Bhaskar Roy, author of 'Fifty Year Road', a personal memoir like no other. Bhaskar talks about growing up during the Naxalbari uprising - the armed peasant revolt of 1967 in West Bengal. He shares his earliest memories of witnessing the violence of the Naxalite movement, stories of his parents and their activism, and risky assignments that he's covered during his days as a journalist, including watching a car blow up in front of his eyes!
In thi ..read more
Books and Beyond with Bound
2w ago
"We will pay the price for the sins of our forefathers"
In this episode, Michelle speaks with Santanu Bhattacharya, author of 'One Small Voice' - a thought-provoking book about the politics of modern India, whose protagonist witnesses an act of mob violence in the communal riots of 1992 and is haunted by it for the rest of his life.
Santanu speaks about watching multiple videos of the riots for research, being a part of the generation of writers who grew up witnessing it, and why he feels like his whole life has been a passive research for this book.
Tune in!
Books and authors mentioned in ..read more
Books and Beyond with Bound
3w ago
One powerful secret. Two stolen paintings. And a man who will decide the fate of the world.
Join Michelle as she sits down with Tarun Mehrishi, author of ‘The Portrait of a Secret’ - a novel inspired by true events. In an epic combination of art heist, historical fiction and spy thriller, Tarun’s book explores the aftermath of the theft of two priceless paintings and a secret that has the RAW, ISI and the CIA scrambling to gain control.
Tarun talks about how the book was inspired by India’s actual history of stolen art, how he acquired the inside scoop on spy work, and how his book is ..read more
Books and Beyond with Bound
1M ago
Find out what centuries-old epics have to offer in the modern era!
In this episode, Michelle sits down with Amit Majmudar and Shantanu Gupta to discuss all things mythology. Amit talks about his book, 'The Book of Vows', which is a retelling of the Mahabharata through all the vows that took place in the epic, sprinkled with his own insights on ethics and values. Shantanu's 'Teachings from the Ramayana' is a handy book of 25 case studies for families to navigate daily life challenges through crosswords and reflective exercises.
In this exclusive series in partnership with Penguin Rando ..read more
Books and Beyond with Bound
1M ago
"One fine morning, he's told, 'Your father is dead, your brother's been exiled, so now you have to go and become king"’.
In this episode, Tara and Michelle talk to Shatrujeet Nath, author of the series 'Warlord of Ayodhya'. The series focuses on Bharat - Ram's brother - who was never given a voice in the Ramayana. It tells the story of an untrained, unwilling hero who is thrown into the spotlight and has to face troubles far beyond his imagination. Will he succeed or will he bring doom to his kingdom?
In this exciting partnership series with Jaico Publishing House, we are featuring fascinating ..read more
Books and Beyond with Bound
1M ago
Three sisters, none of whom wanted to fall in love, and yet they did.
Are you ready for some dramatic, relatable, and light-hearted desi romance?
In this episode, Michelle and Tara speak to Andaleeb Wajid about her most popular romance series- 'Jasmine Villa'. The series comprises three books, each following one of the three sisters of Jasmine Villa as they navigate Indian family dynamics, sisterhood, and find unexpected romance in a tangle of complex, interconnected relationships.
Andaleeb talks about writing romance in spite of being a cynic, adding drama in her stories for fun ..read more
Books and Beyond with Bound
1M ago
How did one disastrous field trip turn a history teacher's life upside down?
In this episode, Michelle speaks with Anjum Hasan, author of 'History's Angel'- a riveting novel that explores life as a religious minority in modern India. When an easygoing history teacher is provoked by a student into losing his temper, he finds his life thrown into chaos as he battles with what it means to be a Muslim in present times.
Anjum recalls stories from her childhood and growing up Muslim, and talks about why Delhi is the perfect setting for her story, with a rich past that is unraveled through her ..read more
Books and Beyond with Bound
2M ago
Imagine a crowded railway station where an attractive stranger catches your eye. A train passes by and– they’re gone!
In this episode, Michelle sits down with Damyanti Biswas to discuss her book ‘The Blue Bar’, as it unpacks the disappearance of a woman dressed in a blue sequined saree from a crowded Mumbai railway station and how, 13 years later, a trail of murders begin with nothing to show for it- except blue sequins. They discuss how Damyanti sat in railway stations watching trains as part of her research, how she obsessively read about bar dancers, and why The Blue Bar is a Mumbai novel ..read more
Books and Beyond with Bound
2M ago
Picture this: Kerala, a family that suffers a strange hereditary affliction- and everywhere they look is the very thing that could kill them.
In this episode Tara talks to Abraham Verghese about his bestselling book 'The Covenant of Water'. The book is set in the Malabar Coast of Kerala and follows three generations of a family where, in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning.
Abraham talks about how his book was loosely inspired by his mother's 120-paged, illustrated depiction of her childhood, his experience in medicine, and how he always carries a pocketful of knowled ..read more