When Narendra Modi first appeared on the national stage, his supporters touted the Gujarat model as crucial for national success, while opponents feared it might weaken India's foundational pillars. Now, after 20 years, how has the Gujarat model scaled up at the national level? In this episode, political scientist and historian Christophe Jaffrelot…

In an age where everyone can be a social media influencer, the recent attempt on former President Trump’s life shows that experience still matters.By Sandip Roy

A five-month countdown to India's most expensive wedding ever ended last week with the big bash that saw celebrities from all over the world descend on Mumbai. Sandip did not have an invite but sends us a postcard nonetheless.By Sandip Roy

Almost 100 years after Gandhi, the British Prime Minister seems to calling for a ‘British’ Swadeshi movement. But as Sandip Roy points out, Sunak’s call for a nationalist rebellion has only ignited a meme war.By Sandip Roy

In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled on a writ filed by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), stating that the government, both at the state and Centre, must grant full legal recognition to transgender individuals. That judgment, in many ways, helped pave the way for the landmark Section 377 verdict. But ten years on, how much of the promise o…

June has become Pride Month all over the world. In Kolkata this month groups are celebrating 25 years of Sappho for Equality, the city's oldest support group for lesbian. bisexual women and transman rights as well as 25 years of the first Pride Walk in India.By Sandip Roy

Polar ice caps are melting. Huge swathes of the world are sweltering under record high temperatures. But how do you talk about climate change to children, the ones who will inherit this changing world of ours?

India's cola wars have gotten more interesting with the entry of a new cola which is actually an old cola. Campa Cola was once a Coca Cola substitute in India. Now it wants to be a competitor.By Sandip Roy

Alpa Shah’s latest book, The Incarcerations, a finalist for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing, unravels and uncovers the chilling story of the Bhima Koregaon case and how sixteen human rights defenders—including academics, poets, trade unionists, and Dalit organizers—were labeled urban Naxalites, charged with inciting violence, and accused of …

Fountain pens might seem part of a vanishing world but a group of pen enthusiasts seen signs of hope in India. Sandip visits a Fountain Pen festival in Kolkata.By Sandip Roy

Some hailed it as a brave new financial revolution. But where there’s big money to be made, and made fast, there will also be people playing fast and loose. Just as crypto grew by leaps and bounds in India, so did crypto crime.By Sandip Roy

The Aam Aadmi Party, led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is one of the most formidable political parties in the country and has often been described as a game-changer. But to what extent has that been the case? Has it truly transformed Indian politics, or has Indian politics, in turn, reshaped what the party once stood for? In this episode…

There’s a new focus this election season in India, a new type of influencer, the ‘Netizen.’ But what does this really mean for the democratic process?By Sandip Roy

An Indian institution turns 90 at the end of this week.It’s not a bricks and mortar institution. It’s one of India’s most prolific writers - Bond, Ruskin Bond.By Sandip Roy

This week on the show, Sandip Roy speaks with journalist Mitali Mukherjee, whose book "Crypto Crimes" gives us a window into the underbelly of the crypto world and its rapid expansion throughout India. Through personal anecdotes and firsthand narratives, the book delves into the depths of the dark web, exposing the reality behind the unregulated cr…

It’s election season in India and time for two months of marching bands and rallies, but not much talk about economic and healthcare rights. In fact, in India economic rights became known as “directive principles of state policy.” Sandip Roy questions what that actually means.By Sandip Roy

As the Indian heat descends on Kolkata, Sandip considers how our perceptions about the rituals of summer have changed.By Sandip Roy

Despite the frequent buzz around new book releases and the increasing popularity of literary festivals, one glaring absence in the country remains: free public libraries. Join host Sandip Roy this week as he engages in a conversation with Mridula Koshy and Rituparna Neog, community activists part of the Free Libraries Network (FLN), to discuss Indi…

Nepal’s constitution protects sexual minorities. Most recently after a long struggle Nepal registered its first same sex marriage, something India next door has refused to do. And now Nepal’s tourism industry is set to cash in.By Sandip Roy

The very word vacation has its roots in vacare or to be unoccupied. But in reality vacations are anything but unoccupied. Sandip recounts the woes of waking up at the crack of dawn to make your checklist items while on vacation.By Sandip Roy

During a time when India's economy is on the rise, a new book called Unequal: Why India Lags Behind Its Neighbours by Swati Narayan argues that this growth hasn't automatically translated into the empowerment of the poor or an improvement in their social mobility. When compared with its less prosperous neighbors such as Bangladesh and Nepal, India …

Sandip explores a 100-year-old history of Bengali comics and what they gained and lost from their encounter with Laurel and Hardy and Tarzan and Tintin.By Sandip Roy