The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma

Ep 369: The Life and Times of Ira Pande

Feb 19, 2024

Exploring the life and learnings of Ira Pande, a writer and translator sharing insights on cultural shifts, Indian cinema, family dynamics, and societal challenges. Uncovering taboo topics through language, generational communication barriers, and personal memories. Reflecting on the impactful journey of an immigrant girl, societal biases, and translation challenges. Delving into the evolving language ecosystem, reading habits, and the book 'One Foot on the Ground'.

03:11:29

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Episode guests

Ira Pande

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Preserving languages is key to preserving history and cultural nuances.

Memories shape our personal narratives and evolve over time, influencing our self-perception.

Language diversity in literature shapes perspectives and understanding of the world.

Women writers like Shivani serve as cultural icons and inspire young readers.

Deep dives

Memory and the loss of language

One of the main points discussed in the podcast is the loss of language and its impact on our ability to express and perceive our surroundings. The guest, Ira Pandey, highlights the disappearance of many Indian languages and how that also means losing a way of life and a slice of history. She emphasizes the importance of preserving languages and the specific nuances and cultural references they carry. She also mentions how different languages shape our way of thinking and observing the world. Additionally, she talks about the role of memory and selective recall in constructing our personal narratives, including the choices we make in curating our memories. She mentions that memories can change over time, giving us different perspectives on the same events and influencing our sense of self.

Introduction

2min

Intimate Family Connections and Literary Insights

4min

Reflecting on Generational Memories and Cultural Shifts

23min

Evolution of Indian Cinema and Music

32min

Exploring the Heartbreaking Journey of a Young Immigrant Girl

3min

Exploring Personal Memories and Social Realities

13min

Exploring the Maatunga Racket and the Struggles of Homosexual Individuals

2min

Unearthing Taboos Through Language

8min

Exploring Generational Communication Taboos and Family Dynamics

4min

10.

Family Dynamics and Childhood Memories

17min

11.

Exploring the Multifaceted Lives of Parents

25min

12.

Breaking the Chains of Societal Expectations

22min

13.

Exploring Multilingual Influences on Identity and Translation Challenges

18min

14.

Exploring Language Ecosystem and Societal Biases

3min

15.

Shifting Reading Habits and Impact of Serials

14min

16.

Reflections on 'One Foot on the Ground'

2min

She's a writer. She's a translator. She's as old as this Republic, and she knows it well. Ira Pande joins Amit Varma in episode 369 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about her life and her learnings. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Ira Pande on Amazon, Goodreads and The Tribune.. 2. Diddi: My Mother's Voice -- Ira Pande. 3. Amader Shantiniketan -- Shivani (translated by Ira Pande). 4. Dhano Dhanne — Jaya Varma and the Chandigarh Choir. 5. Pitch Perfect -- Ira Pande's obituary of Jaya Varma. 6. The Life and Times of Mrinal Pande — Episode 263 of The Seen and the Unseen. 7. Pushpesh Pant Feasts on the Buffet of Life — Episode 326 of The Seen and the Unseen. 8. Sara Rai Inhales Literature — Episode 255 of The Seen and the Unseen. 9. Swapna Liddle and the Many Shades of Delhi -- Episode 367 of The Seen and the Unseen. 10. Old world nationalism -- Ira Pande. 11. Buniyaad on Wikipedia, IMDb and YouTube. 12. Do Bigha Zameen -- Bimal Roy. 13. Ganga Jamuna -- Nitin Bose. 14. Awaara and Shree 420 -- Raj Kapoor. 15. Nehru's Hero: Dilip Kumar In The Life Of India -- Meghnad Desai. 16. Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India — Akshaya Mukul. 17. The Gita Press and Hindu Nationalism — Episode 139 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Akshaya Mukul). 18. The Other Side of Silence — Urvashi Butalia. 19. The Life and Times of Urvashi Butalia — Episode 287 of The Seen and the Unseen. 20. Tamas -- Bhisham Sahni. 21. Tamas -- Govind Nihalani. 22. The Secret City -- Robin Gupta. 23. Secret city and more -- Ira Pande. 24. Apradhi Kaun -- Shivani. 25. Apradhini - Women Without Men -- Shivani (translated by Ira Pande). 26. T'ta Professor -- Manohar Shyam Joshi (translated by Ira Pande). 27. कसप -- मनोहरश्याम जोशी 28. The Matunga Racket -- Amit Varma. 29. The Day Ryan Started Masturbating -- Amit Varma. 30. The Secret Diary Of Kasturba -- Neelima Dalmia Adhar. 31. Father Dearest -- Neelima Dalmia Adhar. 32..Remain in Me -- Peter Cat Recording Co. 33. The Incredible Curiosities of Mukulika Banerjee — Episode 276 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Mukulika Banerjee). 34. A Life Apart -- Prabha Khaitan (translated by Ira Pande). 35. Ira Pande on Chetan Bhagat. 36. Akshaya Mukul and the Life of Agyeya — Episode 324 of The Seen and the Unseen. 37. The Refreshing Audacity of Vinay Singhal — Episode 291 of The Seen and the Unseen. 38. Stage.in. 39. Try living in the slow lane -- Ira Pande. 40. A Room of One's Own -- Virginia Woolf. 41. Raw Umber -- Sara Rai. 43. Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover: The Many Lives of Agyeya -- Akshaya Mukul. 44. Here And Hereafter: Nirmal Verma's Life in Literature -- Vineet Gill. 45. Biyaban Me -- Sara Rai. 46. Nabeela Aur Anya Kahaniyan -- Sara Rai. 47. Lapoojhanna -- Ashok Pande. 48. One Foot on the Ground — Shanta Gokhale. 49. The Life and Times of Shanta Gokhale — Episode 311 of The Seen and the Unseen. This episode is sponsored by CTQ Compounds. Check out The Daily Reader and FutureStack. Use the code UNSEEN for Rs 2500 off. Amit Varma and Ajay Shah have launched a new video podcast. Check out Everything is Everything on YouTube. Check out Amit’s online course, The Art of Clear Writing. And subscribe to The India Uncut Newsletter. It’s free! Episode art: ‘’She Writes” by Simahina.

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The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma

Ep 369: The Life and Times of Ira Pande

Episode guests