Deepti Kapoor's Age of Vice, published in 2023, is a story of power, corruption, and complicity, set in modern India. In the early 2000s, the lives of Ajay, Neda, and Sunny – the novel's three main characters – cross in New Delhi. There is idealism, optimism even; but also crime, drugs, and violence, as Sunny Wadia follows in the footsteps of his powerful father. Age of Vice, which became a New York Times bestseller and will be adapted into a tv series, is not a didactic novel, but a deeply researched portrait of a changing country, with a fast-growing economy, and ever greater inequality.
Deepti visited Zurich in October 2024 to talk about the book at Asia Society Switzerland's Big Picture event. The conversation was moderated by James Crabtree, 2024 TOY Senior Fellow at Asia Society Switzerland and himself author of The Billionaire Raj, a well-received book on crony capitalism and the rise of India's billionaire class. Listen to their conversation in this episode of the STATE OF ASIA podcast, or watch them at the event in this video.
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STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.
Season 7, Bonus Episode 2 - Published: December 9, 2024
Host, Editor/producer: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland