The Desi Detective Show

In this episode, Suparna Chatterjee speaks to lawyer-turned-author Mallika Ravikumar about her legal mysteries for children, the M4 Mystery series. Mallika tells us about her move from the courtroom to the writing desk, her legal experiences that led her to write this series, her writing style, her upcoming projects, and of course, her favourite desi detectives. Host: ⁠Suparna Chatterjee⁠ Instagra...

In a small town in the south of India, jewels of the temple goddess go missing. The accountant is found dead on the temple steps. An unfortunate accident, they all say, what with the rains the previous night. All, except young Arali, who cannot rest until she finds answers.  But this is 1901. Arali is only 14.  And, the aforementioned accountant's death has made her a widow. In this episode, S...

 In 1896, criminal investigation was revolutionised by a system developed by two real-life desi detectives, Azizul Haque and Hem Chandra Bose. In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee traces the origins of the study of fingerprints, explains why a fingerprint at the crime scene is such an integral part of criminal investigations, and highlights the contributions of sub-inspectors Azizul Haque and...

In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee speaks to kidlit author Lubaina Bandukwala about her historical mystery book, set in 1942, during the Quit India movement. Lubaina talks about the incredible first-hand research that went into writing this book, about the Peek-A- Book literature festival she helps organise, and her fun hobby - collecting inspectors from around the world. Host: Suparna Chatt...

In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee speaks to kid-lit author and illustrator, Lavanya Karthik, about her book, A Demon in Dandi. The year is 1930. All the world's eyes are on this tiny village by the Arabian Sea, where Mahatma Gandhi will arrive soon to break the salt law. But there is a demon roaming the village, claiming victims. Can the young Dinu solve the mystery before Bapu arrives?...

In this episode, author Salil Desai talks about his journey into novel writing, the influences and inspirations that have shaped his storytelling - from Hitchcock and Colin Dexter to Hakan Nesser and P.L.Deshpande, his beloved fictional character Inspector Saralkar who has been with him for 6 books already, the art and craft of coming up with a suitable title, and of course, his book with the unli...

Writers have consistently found ways to incorporate wildlife into interesting whodunit plots. In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee delves into some prominent detective stories from India featuring wildlife in a significant manner. She is joined by wildlife photographer (and avid detective fiction fan) Shoumo Bhattacharya, who talks about his favourite detective stories featuring animals, and a...

In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee talks to author Kanchana Banerjee about her book, Nobody's Child, published by @harpercollinsin, where a TV celebrity is presumed dead, only to resurrect two years later, throwing the nation into a frenzy. We also talk about the writing process, the joys and the frustrations of being a writer, navigating psychologically disturbing passages and the diffi...

In this stimulating conversation, drawing from his vast knowledge of Hindi movies and popular culture, author Arnab Ray discusses what he thinks makes a good detective novel. We talk about the male gaze in crime novels, 'And Then There Were None' and other things Christie, post-war detective novels from Japan, his favourite desi detective, Byomkesh Bakshi, and of course about 'The Maha...

The name Rabindranath Tagore needs no introduction.  In this episode, Suparna takes a look at his run-ins with the detective department of the Calcutta police in real life, and the short story he penned titled The Detective published in 1898.  Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com) Instagram: soup_and_chat and thedesidetectiveshow Email: thedesidetectiveshow@gmail.com Books and refer...

This is the concluding part of the sensational germ murder case of colonial India. A sizeable inheritance, a disgruntled half-brother, a killer bacteria and the plot of a Sherlock Holmes novel come together in the sensational royal murder involving the scion of a zamindari estate called Pakur.  The planning was so meticulous and the execution so clinical, that it made headlines around the globe, f...

This is Part 2 of the sensational 'Germ Murder' of 1933. A sizeable inheritance, a disgruntled half-brother, a killer bacteria and the plot of a Sherlock Holmes novel come together in the sensational royal murder involving the scion of a zamindari estate called Pakur.  The planning was so meticulous and the execution so clinical, that it made headlines around the globe, from London to Sydn...

A sizeable inheritance, a disgruntled half-brother, a killer bacteria and the plot of a Sherlock Holmes novel come together in the sensational royal murder involving the scion of a zamindari estate called Pakur.  The planning was so meticulous and the execution so clinical, that it made headlines around the globe, from London to Sydney to New York. This case was unlike anything the world had seen...

In this episode of The Desi Detective Show, author Meeti Shroff-Shah talks to host Suparna Chatterjee about the world of Temple Hill, that posh area in south Mumbai home to Gujarati Jains, for whom Ahimsa or non-violence is a fundamental tenet of life. A murder in such a neighbourhood, where all life is considered sacred, is unthinkable. Yet, that is what the residents of Temple Hill find themselv...

In this episode, I take a look at Saradindu Bandopadhyay's iconic creation, Byomkesh Bakshi. Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com) Instagram: soup_and_chat and thedesidetectiveshow Email: thedesidetectiveshow@gmail.com Books and references: Byomkesh Somogro by Saradindu Bandopadhyay Inside messbaris Academic articles by Sunit Barui and Abeer Kapur Podcast theme music by Khurshed...

We are 10 episodes down, and I think this is a great time to thank all the listeners who have been very generous with their support, by sending feedback and comments on the episodes, and by supporting the podcast by sharing it on social media.  Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com) Instagram: soup_and_chat thedesidetectiveshow Email: thedesidetectiveshow@gmail.com Theme music by B....

In this episode, award-winning author Nev March talks about her book, Murder in Old Bombay, which draws inspiration from the unsolved 1890s mystery that resulted in the death of two young, well-to-do Parsi ladies. In this candid chat, Nev draws parallels with what is happening around the world today, and we get a glimpse of 19th-century India through the eyes of the Parsi community.  Host: Suparna...

What does a hair oil brand have to do with detective fiction in India? And what was the scientific mystery story written by Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose? Find out in this episode of the Desi Detective Show. Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com) Instagram : ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠thedesidetectiveshow⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠ soup_and_chat⁠ Email: thedesidetectiveshow@gmail.com Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batl...

In this episode, author Harini Nagendra talks about how she brings history, ecology and her love for cosy murder mysteries together to recreate the life and times of early 20th Century Bangalore. Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com) Instagram : ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠thedesidetectiveshow⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠ soup_and_chat⁠ Guest: Harini Nagendra Instagram: harini.nagendra www. harininagendra.com X: @HariniNag...

We all know Mirza Ghalib as the greatest writer of Urdu poetry. But Mirza Ghalib as a detective? Now, that's an interesting idea. In this stimulating conversation, author Raza Mir discusses his book Murder at the Mushaira, a murder mystery set in Delhi in 1857. He talks about the many interesting and lesser-known facets of Mirza Ghalib's life, nuances of ghazal poetry, and provides the listeners w...

In this concluding part, I discuss the witness testimonies and the evidence presented in court, which established once and for all, whether this man claiming to be the second prince of Bhawal, is in fact genuine or a charlatan. Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com) Instagram : ⁠⁠thedesidetectiveshow⁠⁠ and soup_and_chat Email: thedesidetectiveshow@gmail.com Guest: Dr Somnath Chatterj...

The Curious Case of the Bhawal Sanyasi continues in this episode. Please do listen to Part 1 of the story, before listening to this episode. Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com) Instagram : ⁠thedesidetectiveshow⁠ and soup_and_chat Email: thedesidetectiveshow@gmail.com Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala Instagram: b_prasanna and khurshedbatliwala Books and References: Wikip...

In this episode (and the next 2), I talk about the case that resulted in one of the longest legal battles in colonial India - a case so absurd, so improbable and so intriguing with its many twists and turns, that it lingers on the public imagination to this day. This was a story where the truth was certainly stranger than fiction! It's the curious case of the Bhawal Sanyasi.  *** Spoiler Warning!...

Just how old is the oldest whodunnit from India? Who were the first writers of detective fiction in this country? And who were their inspirations? How did India get her first detective department? Find out in this episode of the desi detective show. Host: Suparna Chatterjee ( www.suparnachatterjee.com ) Instagram : thedesidetectiveshow and soup_and_chat Email: thedesidetectiveshow@gmail.com Music...

Numerous fictional detectives have been born in India. But in fame and popularity, none come close to Satyajit Ray’s Feluda. Today I take a look at Feluda stories with a new gaze, not as a young child reading them for the first time, but as an adult who has had the benefit of having read many many detective novels since, to try and understand why Feluda stories enjoy the kind of popularity that th...