Books and Beyond with Bound

What do a right-wing YouTube creator and a small-town salesgirl have in common?  In this episode of Books and Beyond , Michelle and Tara sit down with Prayaag Akbar, author of Mother India , to explore the intersections of identity, ambition, and the rapid transformations of urban India. Through the lives of Mayank, a right-wing YouTuber, and Nisha, a small-town salesgirl navigating Delhi’s class-...

Curious about how fiction unravels the complexities of identity and migration? In this episode of Books and Beyond , Michelle and Tara sit down with Ammar Kalia, author of A Person is a Prayer , and Ram Murali, author of Death in the Air , to discuss their remarkable debut novels. Ammar Kalia explores the ripple effects of migration on family dynamics through the lens of Bedi’s journey from Kenya...

As India rises on the world stage, what stories and narratives are we ready to share? In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara and Michelle speak with author Sriram Devtha the author of Amrut:  The Great Churn . Diving into the heart of Indian brands that have received global recognition with Amrut Distilleries, a brand pushing boundaries in the whiskey market. We explore the journey from its ear...

Curious about India’s unique relationship with the environment and the often-overlooked heroes who shaped it? In this episode of Books and Beyond , Michelle and Tara welcome celebrated historian Dr. Ramachandra Guha, and talk about his recent book Speaking with Nature . Known for his extensive work on Gandhi, Dr. Guha now uncovers the lives of Indian environmentalists who, since the 19th century,...

Ever been captivated by the supernatural or curious about the secrets behind spirit worship? In this episode of Books and Beyond , Michelle sits down with Hari Kumar, author of Daiva , who takes us into the fascinating world of spirit worship practiced in Karnataka and northern Kerala’s Tulu Nadu region. Hari dives into the intense practice of spirit possession, where individuals become vessels fo...

Curious about how fiction explores the intersection of identity, memory, and love?  In this episode of Books and Beyond , Michelle and Tara sit down with Dharini Bhaskar author of ‘Like Being Alive Twice’ and Rupleena Bose author of ‘Summer of Then’ to talk about the art of writing female coming-of-age stories. They dive into the challenges of creating relatable female characters and discuss how t...

Ever wonder how a destination can inspire an entire mystery novel? In this episode of Books and Beyond , Tara and Michelle chat with Manjiri Prabhu, India’s first female mystery writer to break into the international scene. She talks about her latest novel, The Mystery of the Portuguese Hearts , set in the heart of Portugal’s wine country. Manjiri reveals how investigator Re unravels the truth beh...

Ever wondered what it’s like to live with a disability? Or how writing can help navigate the toughest of life’s challenges?  In this episode of Books and Beyond , Michelle and Tara chat with Abhishek Anicca, author of Grammar of My Body , a creative memoir about his life with VATERS syndrome, a condition affecting multiple parts of his body. Abhishek dives into his experience of living with chroni...

Ever wonder how historical mysteries unfold in fiction?  In this episode of Books and Beyond Tara and Michelle chat with Priyanka Pathak Narain, author of The Somnath Cipher . Her novel is packed with ancient puzzles, cryptic messages, and real historical events like Mahmud of Ghazni's invasion. She shares her experiences as an investigative journalist, covering stories like the Mark Foley sc...

In this episode of Books & Beyond Tara and Michelle dive into the thrilling world of ‘The Descendants’ by Laksh Maheshwari and Ashish Kavi. The novel begins with a meteor landing where Jay and his mentor Kaka find a fascinating element in the orb. Their quest leads to explosive family secrets with roots stretching all the way back to the Mahabharata war. First in the trilogy, the novel exquisi...

Ever dreamed of opening your own restaurant? Wondering what it takes to turn that dream into reality?  In this episode of Books and Beyond , Michelle and Tara chat with Ravi Wazir, author of Beyond the Menu who has over 30 years of experience in hospitality. Ravi spills the secrets of running a successful restaurant – from understanding what customers want to balancing creativity and business. He...

How are mourning practices in India varied? Are mourning rituals gendered?  In this episode of Books and Beyond , Tara speaks with Dr. Minakshi Dewan about her book The Final Farewell: Understanding the Last Rites and Rituals of India’s Major Faiths . After her father’s death, Dr. Minakshi chose to personally perform the Antim Sanskar, a ritual traditionally reserved for male family members. This...

Are influencers rewriting the rules of publishing? Back with a brand new season of Books and Beyond, in this episode Tara and Michelle discuss the rise of influencer books and what it means for the Indian publishing scene. From the buzz at Penguin Palooza to the power of social media, they dig into how influencer-led content is changing the game. Plus, they tackle the big question: what happens to...

How can data make or break a company? Is all data useful? And can data be “too much of a good thing”? In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara speaks to Nitin Seth, CEO at Incedo and the author of Mastering the Data Paradox and Nirmalya Kumar, a Professor and former Strategy Head for the Tata Group, who has written Clash: Amazon vs. Walmart.   They discuss how data on its own is nothing unless yo...

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara speaks to Mitali Mukherjee about her book Cryptocrimes. Tara and Mitali dive into the chaotic world of cryptocurrency, and discover why Mitali compares it to a naughty child running amok in a classroom. Through engaging anecdotes and insightful conversations, she explores the intersection of crypto technology and India’s jugaad culture. Mitali unearths the...

Can a corvid detective solve a murder? Why does the weather department need a singer? And how does a cloud herder take care of his flock? Find out the truth behind all these stories in Gigi Ganguly’s new book “Biopeculiar”.  This is the first-ever book of Westland’s new speculative imprint ‘IF’.  In this episode, Gigi and Michelle discuss their love for weird stories, the animals that inspired Gig...

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died. This is the basic plot of ‘Strange Sally Diamond’ whose author, Liz Nugent joined Tara and Michelle on this episode of Books & Beyond to discuss Irish crime writing and the complexities of writing about trauma and identity. Together t...

In this episode, Tara and Michelle speak to Vibha Kagzi, author of ‘Break The MBA Code’ - a book that goes into detail about how to get into Ivy League colleges and what a person should do to make their admission application more appealing. They talked about the challenges of pursuing an MBA as a woman, with speakers sharing their personal experiences and insights. Vibha debunked common myths surr...

Content Warning: Discussions about torture, violence, and mental health issues. The most agonizing and horrifying torture devices from the medieval era - but with a twist! In this episode, Tara and Michelle speak to Aparna Sanyal, author of 'Instruments of Torture' - a book that explores modern society through metaphorical depictions of 8 torture devices. From ‘The Spanish Boot’ that cov...

Who is India’s first ‘Birdwoman’? Who is the ‘Turtle Girl’?  How many of India’s women wildlife biologists can you name? In this episode, Tara speaks with Anita Mani, editor of ‘Women in the Wild’ - an anthology of stories of India’s pioneering women wildlife biologists.  From the 1940s to the present, Anita features the profiles of Indian women who dedicated their life to protecting biodiversity,...

This is the story of an entrepreneur who almost sold his soul to AI. In this episode, Michelle speaks with Appupen and Laurent Daudent, the illustrator-scientist duo that came together to create 'Dream Machine' - a graphic novel on AI! The book follows Hugo, who is on the verge of selling his AI tech to a large corporation. But what if the motives behind this purchase are not exactly eth...

Before Adam and Eve, there was Adam and Lilith. But who is Lilith and what happened to her? In this episode, Michelle speaks with Shinie Antony, author of ‘Eden Abandoned’, which tells the story of Adam’s first wife and the first woman ever - Lilith.  When Lilith refused to submit to Adam, she got banished from Eden and erased from the scriptures. But what did she do next? Michelle and Shinie disc...

It might be time to ditch the traditional path to success and follow the path of “evil”!  In this episode, Michelle and Tara speak with Anand Neelakanthan, author of the ‘The Asura Way’, a book that redefines the asura lifestyle and explores why “negative” traits like anger, pride, competition, commonly associated with the asuras, can actually benefit us! In this exciting partnership series with J...

What does one of India's top entrepreneurs have to say about writing, making money, and marketing books? In this episode, Tara and Michelle speak with Ankur Warikoo, bestselling author of 'Make Epic Money', a book that teaches you everything you wish you knew about money! Ankur talks about how his relationship with money changed, gaining financial freedom, and writing a book for you...

Discover some of the finest works of Indian detective fiction, all in one place! In this episode, Michelle and Aishwarya speak with Tarun Saint, curator of 'The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction', Volumes 1 and 2! The first of its kind, the anthology compiles everything from intriguing whodunits, supernatural mysteries, and serial murders, spread across two volumes. Join us as Ta...