BOOKS AND US

'Khangchendzonga: Sacred Summit' — Author Interview with Pema Wangchuk For the third episode of Season 3, we return to Sikkim — continuing our series of in‑depth conversations with non‑fiction authors. Senior journalist and documentary filmmaker Ranjit Monga talks to Pema Wangchuk (pamdorjee@gmail.com), co‑author of Khangchendzonga: Sacred Summit . In this episode, Pema takes us on a vivid...

Happy to share that Books and Us is celebrating its 3rd anniversary this month. It has been a meaningful and learning journey for us. For our 27th episode, we take a new step — we’ve recorded a video version of the podcast as well. If your listening platform supports video, you can watch the conversation too. Your feedback will mean a lot as we continue to grow and build conversations around books...

Season 3 of ' Books and Us' begins in Sikkim, a region shaped by its diverse communities, layered history, and the sacred presence of Khangchendzonga ( or Kanchenjunga). In this episode, I revisit the landmark non-fiction book ‘ Khangchendzonga – Sacred Summit' with its co-author, journalist Pema Wangchuk ( pamdorjee@gmail.com ) , to explore the cultural, historical, and spiritual stories that def...

In the final episode of Season 2 of Books and Us , we welcome back author and conservation architect Anisha Shekhar Mukherji . Listeners will remember her from our earlier conversations on the 'Red Fort of Shahjahanabad'. This time, she joins us to discuss her remarkable book Jantar Mantar - Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh’s Observatory in Delhi — a work that uncovers the layered history and meaning of o...

In this episode of Books and Us , poet and essayist Sumana Roy ( Sumana Roy ), author of Provincials: Postcards from the Peripheries, joins us to explore the emotional and cultural landscapes of small-town life. Raised in Siliguri, Sumana reflects on what it truly means to be “provincial.” We discuss: The quiet power of provincial geographies Literary lives shaped by small towns Whether cosmopolit...

In this episode, we enter a different kind ofconversation—one that blends financial understanding with practical steps to ensure a loving and smooth transfer of legacy. We feature Let’s Talk Legacy: A Financial Planner forYour Loved Ones by Monika Halan ( MonikaHalan – A trusted personal finance writer, speaker and television personality )  —a book that isn’t just read, butlived. As Monika reminds...

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Kruti S. Dhirwani,a consulting homeopath, clinical nutritionist, and author of Millets - The Trending Ancient Grains. With over 15 years of experience, she is a passionate advocate for including millets in the diet. She discloses that these simple cereals are nature’s answer to many of the world’s problems. Whether itis wholesome nutrition or sustainable agric...

Welcome to the 20th episode of Books and Us —and the 8th of Season 2! Though technically it’s the 21st, as we also released a special episode earlier in July! We've also completed two years since launching this podcast, having crossed 1000 streams and downloads. It may be a modest number, but every listen motivates us to keep going and exploring more compelling topics in the nonfiction categor...

This special bonus episode is the first in a series of conversations with self-published authors. In this episode, we’re joined by the remarkable Vineet Kumar ( The Sunday Traveller – Bookmarked andBewildered ) - an author, army officer, and global explorer whose latest book 'Mayan Routes, Indian Roots' , takes readers on a spellbinding journey across the ancient landscapes of Central Amer...

Dear listeners, welcome to the 19th episode of 'Books and Us'! This episode marks a significant milestone for us, as we celebrate two years since the launch of our podcast. Our journey began with the first episode on May 20, 2023, and it has been nothing short of sweet and enriching. Over the course of these two years, we have had the privilege of engaging with some truly learned authors i...

This episode features futurist Andy Hines ( Andy Hines Futurist | Hinesight....for Foresight ), who has done extensive research into what future awaits humanity. He says that we could be headed into a totally different social, political, and economic paradigm in 20-30 years, as Capitalism may be on its way out. Rising inequality, climate change and stagnation are some of the concerns likely to dri...

This podcast continues the discussion on the book ‘The Red Fort of Shahjahanabad: An Architectural History’ from Episode 4. We decided to do another episode on thesame topic as within the pages of history there are stories that consist of many layers. We wanted to unveil those layers we couldn’t in the last one. Secondly, we got a lot of feedback from listeners who also sent in their questions and...

This episode features Sarbpreet Singh ( https://www.instagram.com/__sarbpreetsingh/ ), the author of 'The Sufi's Nightingale', a book that reimagines the life of 16th century Sufi mystic Shah Hussain and his love for Madho. Those familiar with punjabi sufi poetry would know about Hussain's deeply moving Kaafis or verses which express love and devotion apparently for Madho. Their lo...

In this episode, we speak to Neha Sinha, wildlife conservator, and writer, about her deeply informative book 'Wild and Wilful'. This episode is all about seeing the world from the point of view of wildlife, which lives amongst or around us. Sometimes intentionally and at other times accidentally we end up encroaching upon their habitats and destroying vegetation that gives them food. They...

In this episode of 'Books and Us' Ranjit Monga talks to Anisha Shekhar Mukherji ( http://anishashekhar.blogspot.com/ ) about her fascinating book ‘ The Red Fort of Shahjahanabad: An Architectural History’. The book explores the many secrets of the historic fort as contained in its exquisite architecture. Anisha is an architect with specialization inconservation and thus examines the RedFor...

 Welcome to season 2 of the Podcast Books and Us. Kicking off the season with a book about a groundbreaking event that kicked off changes in India’s political landscape - the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, the epic 4,000-kilometre nationwide march organizedby the main opposition party – the Indian National Congress from September 2022 to January 2023.  The march from the country’s southern tip at Kanyakumar...

Welcome to episode 12, the last episode of season 1! Today we have as our guest the young and dynamic Manthan Shah, author of the extremely interesting book called ‘Unstoppable: How Youth Icons Achieve Extraordinary Things’, published by Penguin Random House ( Unstoppable- Penguin Random House India ).  The book contains stories of over 40 young achievers from India. This is perhaps the first time...

Poorva Joshipura is a dynamic animal rights activist, and author of the incredible book called ‘Survival at Stake: How Our Treatment of Animals is Key to Human Existence.’  Published by Harper Collins. https://harpercollins.co.in/blog/announcements/survival-at-stake-how-our-treatment-of-animals-is-key-to-human-existence-by-poorva-joshipura/ Poorva is the Senior Vice President of International Affa...

"It is not important to know who was Kabir, but what is important is 'who is Kabir', what impact his rich legacy of songs and verses has had on people, and how they relate to him today", explains singer, and author Vipul Rikhi ( vipulrikhi.com ) as he talks about his latest book 'Drunk on Love: The Life, Vision, and Songs of Kabir', published by Harper Collins. Rikhi gives us a peek into the conce...

There is nothing as frightening as the consequences of Climate Change, something we all have been witnessing since the past few decades. And one of the most visible sources is the mounting garbage we see in and around our cities. " Currently we are living in the largest global garbage crisis of our lifetime and therefore it is important that we adopt a low waste lifestyle and live more sustainably...

In this episode we talk to Vinay Sharma, professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, ( Vinay Sharma (iitr.ac.in), about the lessons which we have learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic. He is co-author of the book 'Stop Predicting: Revisit Life Lessons from Covid-19' published by Bloomsbury. The other co-authors of the book are Dr Rabindranath Bhattacharyya, Professor of Political S...

Reshmi Chakraborty and Nidhi Chawla, co-authors of the book 'Rethink Ageing' ( https://www.rethinkageing.silvertalkies.com/ ), discuss how to remain active, healthy and happy in your senior years. They co-founded the organization Silver Talkies ( www.silvertalkies.com ) in 2014 to empower older adults and talk about their learnings from working with those whose zest for life has not diminished in...

In this episode well known author Stephen Alter talks about the book 'The Corbett Papers' ( https://amzn.eu/d/5nWywWF ) which has been compiled and edited by him and Akshay Shah. The book contains biographical, legal and contextual material on the life and career of Jim Corbett of Kumaon, the hunter of man eaters and conservationist who lived in India till 1947. Stephen Alter is a distinguished wr...

This episode features Sharif Rangnekar, author of two books 'Straight to Normal: My Life as a Gay Man' , and the more recent 'Queer Sapien' ( https://www.amazon.in/Queersapien-Sharif-D-Rangnekar/dp/9355208103 ), in which he explores the meanings of love, freedom, identity and dignity in a society where family, religion, caste and class dictate how we live our lives every day. Throu...

This episode features Renu Kapoor, who married into a large joint family and over the years learned how togetherness is fostered among different members. She decided to put down her experiences in a book in the form of 'mantras' to promote togetherness. So, here she discusses her book 'Serendipity: Mantras for a Family' and the rules which keep everyone happy and united. She is a chartered account...