A Book A Day - A Literary Podcast from India

The Tao Te Ching (or Daodejing) is a foundational ancient Chinese classic text of philosophical and religious Taoism, traditionally attributed to the sage Lao Tzu. In this series, I am narrating as well as interpreting this great source of wisdom which continues to enlighten us till this day. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene he...

The Tao Te Ching (or Daodejing) is a foundational ancient Chinese classic text of philosophical and religious Taoism, traditionally attributed to the sage Lao Tzu. In this series, I am narrating as well as interpreting this great source of wisdom which continues to enlighten us till this day. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene he...

The Tao Te Ching (or Daodejing) is a foundational ancient Chinese classic text of philosophical and religious Taoism, traditionally attributed to the sage Lao Tzu. In this series, I am narrating as well as interpreting this great source of wisdom which continues to enlighten us till this day. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene he...

The Tao Te Ching (or Daodejing) is a foundational ancient Chinese classic text of philosophical and religious Taoism, traditionally attributed to the sage Lao Tzu. In this series, I am narrating as well as interpreting this great source of wisdom which continues to enlighten us till this day. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene he...

In this episode, I discuss Letters to a Young Poet. It is a collection of ten letters written by the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke to Franz Xaver Kappus, a 19-year-old military cadet, between 1903 and 1908. The book offers profound advice on writing, solitude, love, and the nature of life, becoming a source of inspiration for artists and writers. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is host...

In the second part of our discussion on Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being , I examine the second section of the book, Soul and Body. In this part we explore how modern science has changed the age-old duality of soul and body, and how that affects our understanding of human relationships. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from th...

In the first part of our discussion on Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being , I examine the opening section of the book, Lightness and Weight. In this part Kundera reworks Nietzsche’s idea of eternal recurrence into a meditation on whether life is meaningful as heavy burden or fleeting lightness. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you f...

Alain De Botton's Status Anxiety is a book about an almost universal anxiety that rarely gets mentioned directly: an anxiety about what others think of us. In this episode I discuss the second part of this book, which is about the solutions to heal and overcome our status anxiety. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene heights of the...

Alain De Botton's Status Anxiety is a book about an almost universal anxiety that rarely gets mentioned directly: an anxiety about what others think of us. In this episode I discuss the first part of this book, which is about the causes behind our status anxiety. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene heights of the Himalayas. Every...

In the fifth volume of In Search of Lost Time , Marcel Proust describes the emotion of jealousy. Marcel, the narrator, is living with Albertine in his family’s Paris apartment. This is the only time in the whole novel where he has her so close, under his roof, and yet instead of bringing him peace it becomes the most suffocating period of jealousy. I narrate some of the passages from the book with...

To conclude our theme on nature writing, today I have got a book with literally this title. It's called Nature Writing, written by Richard Herley. Although not very popular, this book has got a beautiful prose with insightful observations which take you close to English countryside and its flora and fauna. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from...

Today, once again, I discuss another lovely book on nature. It's called The Spell of the Sensuous, written by David Abram. In this book David Abram draws on sources as diverse as the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty, Balinese shamanism, Apache storytelling, and his own experience as an accomplished sleight-of-hand of magician to reveal the subtle dependence of human cognition on the natural environment...

Nature, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is a book-length essay, first published anonymously in 1836. In this work, Emerson reflects on the beauty and power of nature and argues that it can serve as a source of inspiration and enlightenment for individuals. He encourages readers to look beyond the surface of nature and appreciate its underlying spiritual essence. I discuss these ideas from the book in toda...

Continuing this week's theme of books on nature, I discuss Ruskin Bond's The Book of Nature in today's episode. Ruskin Bond has celebrated the wonder and beauty of nature as few other contemporary writers have, or indeed can. This particular book brings together the best of his writing on the natural world, not just in the Himalayan foothills that he has made his home, but also in the cities and s...

Do plants have intelligence? Do they have memory? Are they better problem solvers than people? In his book The Revolutionary Genius of Plants, Stefano Mancuso reveals the surprisingly sophisticated ability of plants to innovate, to remember, and to learn, offering us creative solutions to the most vexing technological and ecological problems that face us today.  Let's talk about this book in this...

The Tyranny of Pop is an essay by English philosopher Roger Scruton, which criticises the pervasive presence and perceived banality of pop music in public spaces and modern life. In this episode, I narrate the essay. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene heights of the Himalayas. Every episode brings you powerful ideas, timeless wis...

For today's episode I've picked a really interesting book. It's called The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time . As the name gives it away, there are love letters written by some of the most inspiring men and women of the past. Let me read some of them for you. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene heights of the Himalayas. Every e...

In the third part of our discussion on the book Himalaya: Adventures, Meditations, Life , I discuss the final section of the book which talks about the life in the Himalayas. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene heights of the Himalayas. Every episode brings you powerful ideas, timeless wisdom, and life-changing stories—one book at...

Continuing our discussions on the book Himalaya: Adventures, Meditations, Life , today I discuss some of the spiritual and religious writings on the Himalayas. Stay tuned for more bookish chats. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene heights of the Himalayas. Every episode brings you powerful ideas, timeless wisdom, and life-changing...

Let me take you on a journey through the Himalayas. In the next three episodes, we will explore the adventures, spiritual lessons, and life experiences as shared by some of the greatest writers and travellers of the past. I am taking help of the book titled Himalaya: Adventures, Meditations, Life. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the sere...

Today I pick this book called 100 Great Indian Poems. It features, of course, 100 poems from different Indian languages, translated into English. Some of these poems go all the way back into the ancient India, whereas others are from medieval as well as modern times. In this episode, I recite some of my favourite poems from the book. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Dee...

Today, I am discussing Alan Watt's brilliant book titled The Wisdom of Insecurity. The book breaks down our psychological need for stability and explains how it's led us right into consumerism, why that won't solve our problem and how we can really calm our anxiety. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene heights of the Himalayas. Eve...

In today's episode, I talk about CS Lewis's short but powerful book: A Grief Observed . Lewis wrote it after the death of his wife, Joy Davidman, in 1960. The book can be a perfect companion if you're experiencing the struggles of grief in your life. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene heights of the Himalayas. Every episode bring...

In today's episode, I talk about Junichiro Tanizaki's In Praise of Shadows. It is a really short book but it's a beautiful meditation on traditional Japanese aesthetics and how it's rooted in the underlying philosophy of its culture. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene heights of the Himalayas. Every episode brings you powerful id...

In his book The Art of the Novel , Milan Kundera explains the history of the novel as an art form. In today's episode, I pick one essay from this book which talks about the death of the novel as an art form. About A Book A Day podcast: This podcast is hosted by author Deepak Rana, coming to you from the serene heights of the Himalayas. Every episode brings you powerful ideas, timeless wisdom, and...