A Book A Day - A Literary Podcast from India

The partition of India into two separate nations, India and Pakistan that is, was a significant event in history. I discuss some of the causes behind it in this episode. Please visit www.kalampedia.orgto read more on this subject. Also do check out our kalampedia.substack.com where you'll find some interesting content in the coming days.

In this episode, once again, I share a wonderful book on monsoon rains. Written by Ruskin Bond, Rain in the Mountains recounts the author's experience of living in the Himalayas, especially during the monsoon season.

In this episode -- since we are in the midst of the monsoon season -- I talk about a wonderful book on the monsoon. It's called Chasing the Monsoon. Please check out the latest newsletter at kalampedia.substack.com to see our complete reading list for the season.

In the concluding episode of our Ramayana series, let's find out what happens in the war that takes place between Rama and Ravana.

In the penultimate episode of our Ramayana series, we reach some interesting turn of events where the war between Ram and Ravan seems inevitable.

Continuing our Ramayana series, I narrate the sequence of events that take place during the exile period. Here we get introduced to another major character. Ravana.

In this episode of our Ramayana series we follow the life of Rama after his marriage to Sita. Keep following the podcast to listen to the entire series.

Ramayana is one of the major Hindu epics. In this series I am going to narrate the key parts of this story. For this I am going to take help of the original text by Valmeeki and the abridged English version by C. Rajagopalachari. Stay tuned.

In this episode, I pick two books and discuss how tea reached us from the mountains of China. These books are: The Classic of Tea (Cha Ching) and Empire of Tea. I would love to hear your thoughts too. You can write to me at contactkalampedia@gmail.com and share your feedback.

Bringing some interesting myths and legends from ancient China to tell you more about the origins of tea. Please check out our latest Kindle book on the subject: The Tea Philosophy: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Way https://amzn.eu/d/3llUsh6

‘Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence,’ wrote Okakura Kakuzo in The Book of Tea.  I discuss this book in today's podcast. You can get it from the link below. Let me know your thoughts. Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3N5M45l

To conclude our theme of Himalayas, I am going to narrate a few passages from Rabindranath Tagore's memoirs where he describes his childhood experience in the Himalayas.

The year was 1894. Mark Twain, the great American writer, had gone bankrupt due to some poor investment choices. Therefore, in order to extricate himself from the debt, he undertook a journey through the British Empire, which, back then, meant pretty much the entire world. The route provided a wonderful opportunity for Twain to deliver his lectures and also write a book, which was published in 189...

In the next few episodes I will share some fascinating writings on the Himalayas. In the first part of this series I narrate a short essay by Ruskin Bond, where he describes his experience of spending a night in a remote Himalayan village.

Here is another short story from the Quran. Again, this story comes originally from the Hebrew Bible, whereas in the Qur'an you'd find slightly different versions of these stories.

In this short episode let me narrate the story of David and Goliath as it is mentioned in the Qur'an.

Continuing the theme of Islam, I am going to narrate a few stories from the Qur'an in the next few days. These stories are taken from Tafsir Ibn Kathir. This book is the most renowned and accepted explanation of the Quran.

I discuss the controversial issues related to Islam which often divide today's politics. The Muslim world has to grapple with these questions and settle them, if different cultures are going to live in peace and harmony with each other. Let me know your thoughts.

To understand Islam, we have to understand its primary source, the Qur'an. In this podcast I discuss the approach we need while reading and interpreting the sacred text. Please share your feedback and questions at www.kalampedia.org.

Is Islam a religion of peace? Or does it preach violence? These are some of the controversial questions that divide today's political discourse in many parts of the world. Let's try to untangle this in our Ramadan special series.

Wishing Happy Ramadan to all the Muslims out there. In this series I am going to discuss some of the historical, political and philosophical aspects of Islam. Stay tuned. Don't forget to subscribe.

In this episode I briefly talk about the history of The Gitas (remember there is not just one, The Bhagavad Gita), and how they have evolved over time.

Indian religions have a peculiar approach which cannot be understood in a typical western manner. This book by the former Indian president Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan discusses the theological aspects of religions and at the same time guides us to build bridges to connect with each other. On a different note, this is the 300th episode of this podcast. Thank you so much for your positive response....

Here we are. The last episode of our Mahabharata series is here. Enjoy the war!

Here is part five of our Mahabharata series.