The Mohua Show

What happens when the life you want conflicts with the expectations of the people you love? And how do you find the courage to choose yourself without losing the people who matter most? In this deeply personal episode of The Mohua Show podcast, host Mohua Chinappa speaks with acclaimed author and mathematician Manil Suri, whose memoir A Room in Bombay explores family, identity, sexuality, memory,...

What can Varanasi teach us about change? What does Hindu philosophy have in common with scientific thinking? What can the Amazon rainforest teach us about happiness? And how does a leader learn to become an enabler rather than the person with all the answers? In this episode of The Mohua Show, Mohua Chinappa sits down with Raja Venkateswar for a wide-ranging conversation spanning Varanasi, Hinduis...

What happens when you build a career without following a formula? In this episode of The Mohua Show podcast , Mohua Chinappa sits down with writer, radio voice, traveller and storyteller Priya Ganapathy for a deeply personal conversation about finding your voice, building a creative career, travel as storytelling, and why age should never decide when you begin. From iconic radio characters like Li...

What happens when the very industry celebrating Indian crafts begins to threaten their survival? In this episode of The Mohua Show podcast, Mohua Chinappa speaks with Vayaka founders Priyanka Rajwar and Roli Mishra about handloom, conscious buying, sustainable fashion and the future of India's rich textile heritage. In this episode, we discuss: • What conscious buying really means • Handloom vs po...

What happens to an artist when the performance ends? In this episode, filmmaker Rajaditya Banerjee takes us into the largely unknown world of the Nachni dancers of Purulia, West Bengal through his documentary Acchutt. The Nachnis have preserved a traditional folk dance form for generations, but behind the colour, music and performance lies a far more difficult reality — social stigma, caste discri...

The Art of Slowing Down: Why We’ve Forgotten to Feel What if the problem isn't that we don't understand art—but that we've forgotten how to pause long enough to experience it? In this episode of The Mohua Show, Mohua Chinappa speaks with Padmaja Nagarur, CEO of Art Flute, about art, intuition, ambition, creativity and the increasingly difficult art of slowing down. In a world driven by visibility,...

What if turning 50 isn't the beginning of slowing down, but the beginning of becoming more yourself? In this episode of The Mohua Show, Mohua sits down with Dr. Gita Prakash, doctor, former Army officer, model and media personality, to unpack what it really means to reinvent yourself at every stage of life. From becoming a doctor at 21 to stepping into modelling at 57, Dr. Gita shares how she refu...

What happens when desire refuses to behave? What happens when literature unsettles law, queerness challenges our ideas of identity, and the past refuses to stay neatly in the past? In this thought-provoking episode of The Mohua Show, Mohua sits down with Professor Madhavi Menon, Professor of English at Ashoka University and author of The Law of Desire and Infinite Variety: A History of Desire in I...

What if the restaurant you love eating at is one of the 90% quietly fighting to survive? In this episode of The Mohua Show, Mohua sits down with Anirudh Kheny, restaurateur and founder of 1Q1 Kitchen and Bar, to unpack what it actually takes to build and survive in the restaurant business in India. From leaving a KPMG consulting career to betting everything on hospitality, Anirudh walks through th...

What if the biggest fertility crisis today isn't just about biology, but about the way we live, eat, sleep, work, and cope with stress? In this insightful episode of The Mohua Show, Mohua sits down with Dr. Rohan Palshetkar, fertility specialist, endoscopic surgeon, and obstetrician-gynecologist, to unpack the realities of fertility, IVF, reproductive health, and modern parenthood. From the emotio...

Unlock the divine power of Surya—and transform your life. Discover how the Sun isn’t just a star, but a living embodiment of Dharma, energy, and self-confidence, as Shalini Modi reveals the mystical stories, spiritual practices, and cosmic symbolism behind the radiant deity we see every day. If you've ever taken the Sun’s presence for granted, this episode will change the way you see and connect w...

What if the streets of Delhi still carry the stories of powerful women who built the city,but history forgot to tell them? In this fascinating episode of The Mohua Show, Anoushka Jain, founder of En Route Indian History, takes us on a journey through Delhi's forgotten past. From Jahanara Begum, who helped design Shahjahanabad, to the women behind iconic monuments, gardens, and public spaces, she u...

Some of the greatest stories don't come from extraordinary people—they come from ordinary lives. In this episode of The Mohua Show , acclaimed Kannada writer Vasudhendra shares his journey as an author, reflecting on childhood memories, family, village life, water scarcity, identity, sexuality, and the courage to write honestly. From preserving everyday experiences through literature to discussing...

In this episode of The Mohua Show, host Mohua Chinappa sits down with Pia Benegal, one of India's most acclaimed costume designers, to explore the invisible art of costume design and the profound role clothing plays in shaping cinematic storytelling. With over three decades of experience in Indian cinema, Pia shares her creative journey, revealing how every costume begins with deep research into a...

In this episode of The Mohua Show, host Mohua Chinappa sits down with Pavithra Muddaya, co-founder of the Vimmore Museum of Living Textiles, to explore India's extraordinary handloom heritage, the stories of its artisans, and the enduring power of craft traditions. Drawing from over four decades of experience working with weavers across India, Pavithra shares her remarkable journey of starting a b...

What if love wasn't a limited resource? What if commitment didn't have to look the same for everyone? In this episode of The Mohua Show, host Mohua Chinappa sits down with author Arundhati Ghosh to explore one of the most misunderstood and debated relationship models of our time: polyamory. Drawing from her book All Our Loves and her own lived experience, Arundhati shares what it means to love mor...

Are we thinking more or imagining less in the age of algorithms, AI, and endless scrolling? In this episode of The Mohua Show, host Mohua Chinappa sits down with acclaimed graphic novelist and storyteller Sarnath Banerjee, one of the pioneers of the Indian graphic novel movement. From his groundbreaking work *Corridor* to his latest book *Absolute Jafar*, Sarnath has consistently challenged conven...

What happens to emotional short film storytelling when the world is addicted to scrolling? This episode is a masterclass in filmmaking for beginners and seasoned creators alike. In this episode of The Mohua Show, host Mohua Chinappa sits down with Filmmaker Snigdha Roy to talk abouther debut feature film "Akuti" at the New York Indian Film Festival 2026, Snigdha opens up about the emotional honest...

What does it take for a filmmaker from a small village in Sikkim to create a story that resonates with audiences around the world? In this episode of The Mohua Show, host Mohua Chinappa sits down with acclaimed filmmaker Tribeny Rai, whose debut Nepali feature film *Shape of Momo* has earned international recognition at prestigious film festivals, including Busan International Film Festival and Sa...

On The Mohua Show, we celebrate changemakers and their journeys. This video shares an inspirational and real life story about a mother's personal experience with her daughter's rare condition, Arthrogryposis Multiple Congenital. It highlights the challenges faced by disabled individuals and the dedication of content creators who bring such stories to light. ✨ In this heartfelt episode, Meera Vora...

In this episode of The Mohua Show, we sit down with veteran mariner, storyteller, and author Captain Beetashok Chatterjee. Have you ever wondered what it's really like to live in a "floating prison" in the middle of the ocean? Or what happens when a massive ship comes face-to-face with pirates or a deadly cyclone? In this thrilling episode of The Mohua Show, we sit down with Captain Beetashok, a s...

#Podcast #MentalHealth #MedicalClowning #Healing #LaughterTherapy #Sheetal #CancerCare #MentalWellness #Healthcare #EmotionalHealing #ArmyLife #SelfLove #HumanConnection #TheMohuaShow What does it take to leave a stable academic career and become a medical clown? In this powerful episode of The Mohua Show, host Mohua Chinappa sits down with Sheetal Agarwal — Delhi-based sociologist, TEDx speaker,...

India is known for its rich and diverse food culture—but what if one of its most ancient and nourishing cuisines is still largely unknown? In this episode of The Mohua Show podcast , host Mohua Chinappa sits down with Chef Biswajit Moharathi, a MasterChef India contestant and passionate advocate of Odia cuisine, to explore a culinary tradition that is deeply rooted in simplicity, health, and herit...

In this episode of The Mohua Sho w podcast, host Mohua Chinappa speaks with Sandip Ro y— author of Chapal Rani, the Last Queen of Benga l—about one of the most extraordinary and complex lives in Indian theatre. In this episode, we discuss: The life of Chapal Bhaduri, the last great female impersonator of Bengali jatra Identity, performance, and what it means to become someone else The invisible st...

What if ageing wasn’t about slowing down—but about reclaiming your independence, identity, and purpose? In this powerful episode of The Mohua Show podcast, host Mohua Chinappa sits down with Meenakshi Menon — serial entrepreneur and founder of GenS Life —to challenge everything we believe about growing older in India. This weekly inspirational podcast dives deep into ageism, family dynamics, and w...