Books and Beyond with Bound

Tara and Michelle discuss what migration means to them and what kind of stories are missing from the migration narrative. From partition to season migrants, from traveling abroad for higher education to migrating to the Gulf, the typical migration story focuses on moving to another place for a better life and how difficult it is to make it there. Does every migration story focus on struggle? What are the stories and experiences left unrepresented? Who are the best people to tell these stories? Can we change the way we see migration? Tune in for a riveting conversation!Have you read these famous migration stories?The Namesake by Jhumpa LahiriAmericanah by Chimamanda AdichieThe Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev SahotaTara Khandelwal is an editor and the founder of Bound. Michelle D’costa’s poetry and prose has been published in over 50 literary journals. 'Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa of Bound talk to some of the best writers in India and find out what makes them tick. Follow us @boundindia on all social media. ‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Find out what it means to write a ‘feminist romance’ and what differentiates it from a typical romance novel. Tara and Michelle chat with Riva about why she set her debut novel ‘Arzu’ in the 90s liberalization era and explored the socio-economic backgrounds of her characters. Riva explains why she wanted to explore the mind of a ‘working woman’ and what kind of research was required to get the nuances of the story. Why does she call her book a feminist romance? How did she come up with the three love interests? And has her background in films influenced her writing? Dive into the glitzy glam world of industrialists, foreign education, journalism, parties and more. Riva Razdan is a recent graduate of New York University, where she studied under novelists Tishani Doshi (The Pleasure Seekers) and Miguel Syjuco (Ilustrado). She has studied storytelling in Paris, Florence, Abu Dhabi and New York. She currently resides in Mumbai and is a screenwriter for Anil Kapoor Films. Read her book. 'Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa of Bound talk to some of the best writers in India and find out what makes them tick. Brought to you by Bound.This episode has 2 questions sponsored by Penguin Random House India. Check out their 2 recent releases: Tell Me How To Be by Neel PatelKarnali Blues by BuddhisagarOur mentorship offer ends on March 1st 2022. Use the code BOUNDMENTEE2022 to get a 10% discount on our three month mentorship program. ‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Find out how she became an expert of romance and relationships through her romance books and podcast. Tara and Michelle chat with Aastha about why India and Bollywood are obsessed with love! Aastha shares her experience of creating the Love Aaj Kal podcast and why she decided to write a dating guide, ‘The L-word’. Has the dating scene changed drastically since the 90s?  How did she finish writing the book in a month? What were the reactions of love birds on reading her book? Tune in to find out! Aastha Atray Banan has been a journalist for 19 years and is currently the editor of Sunday Midday. She has previously published four romance fiction books, and this is her first non-fiction. Aastha wears many more hats other than being a writer; she has a hit podcast 'Love Aaj Kal' on Spotify India which deals with relationships and love and has also written and released four original songs. Read her book: https://www.amazon.in/L-word-Love-Lust-Everything-Between/dp/9354224768/ 'Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa of Bound talk to some of the best writers in India and find out what makes them tick. Brought to you by Bound. Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ We have limited mentorship slots open! Use the discount code BOUNDMENTEE2022 to get a 10% discount on our 3 month mentorship program. Offer ends on March 1st 2022.‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Find out how she presents the experiences and rigorous training that women go through in her latest army book.In this Editor Special episode, Tara chats with Tanushree about her experiences as an ‘army wife’ and how she developed the characters of Billi, Lakme, Shiny and Nutty. Tanushree shares why discipline is such an important part of training in the army. Tara shares her thoughts while editing Tanushree’s book and they discuss the dynamics of the writer-editor relationship.Soon to be a major web series!Born in New Delhi, Tanushree Podder worked in the corporate sector for eight long years before she quit the rat race to write. Over the years, she has penned eleven novels. Two of her books, Boots Belts Berets and The Girls in Green are soon going to be adapted into web series. She lives with her husband in Pune. Read her book: https://www.amazon.in/Girls-Green-Soon-major-web/dp/9390252814'Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa of Bound talk to some of the best writers in India and find out what makes them tick. Brought to you by Bound. Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ We have limited mentorship slots open! Use the discount code BOUNDMENTEE2022 to get a 10% discount on our three month mentorship program. Offer ends on March 1st 2022. More details here: https://boundindia.com/events/writing-mentorship/ ‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Find out why she decided to explore male friendship and class differences in her debut novel.Tara and Michelle chat with Shivani about how she chose the title ‘Equations’ and the challenge of diving into the minds of male characters. She shares her experience of growing up around literary women like Namita Gokhale and Meru Gokhale. Does Indian fiction need more stories about class? How did she finish this book by writing 200 words a day? Tune in to find out. Mentions:City of Djinns by William DalrympleThe Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniIndia: A Portrait by Patrick FrenchCaste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel WilkersonCaste Matters by Yengde SurajA Rude Life by Vir SanghviThe Harper HouseShivani Sibal was born and brought up in New Delhi, where she continues to live with her husband and daughters. Read her book: https://www.amazon.in/Equations-Shivani-Sibal/dp/9354227570 'Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa of Bound talk to some of the best writers in India and find out what makes them tick. Brought to you by Bound. Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ We have limited mentorship slots open! Use the discount code BOUNDMENTEE2022 to get a 10% discount on our three month mentorship program. Offer ends on March 1st 2022. More details here: https://boundindia.com/events/writing-mentorship/ ‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Find out how she sheds light on the lost stories of extraordinary women in medicine in her non-fiction book. Tara and Michelle chat with Kavitha Rao about her research process -  piecing together information through letters and memoirs - and how she chose which women to feature in the book. They discuss the role of sensitivity readers and why writing nonfiction is so expensive. Why did she decide to write this book? Which women doctors inspired her the most? Why is she obsessed with publishing? Tune in to find out. Book Mentions:Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong by Angela SainiRivers Remember: The Shocking Truth of a Manmade Flood by Krupa GeThe Queen's Last Salute by Moupia BasuStet: An Editor's Life by Diana AthillAnother Life: A Memoir of Other People by Michael KordaThe Bestseller by Olivia GoldsmithListen to Me by Shashi DeshpandeKavitha Rao is a freelance journalist and writer. She lives in Bengaluru. Kavitha has spoken at numerous literary fests, including The Times Lit Fest in Bengaluru, the Tata Lit Fest in Mumbai, and the Kasauli Lit Fest. She has also taught journalism at several colleges including the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media in Bangalore, Sophia College in Mumbai, and the Times College of Journalism in Mumbai. Read her book: https://www.amazon.in/Lady-Doctors-Untold-Stories-Medicine/dp/9390679052/'Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa of Bound talk to some of the best writers in India and find out what makes them tick. Brought to you by Bound. Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ We have limited mentorship slots open! Use the discount code BOUNDMENTEE2022 to get a 10% discount on our three month mentorship program. Offer ends on March 1st 2022. More details here: https://boundindia.com/events/writing-mentorship/ ‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Find out how he revolutionizes the way we write about the environment, starting with the story of the nutmeg!In this special episode, Tara and Michelle dissect the work of award-winning author Amitav Ghosh and chat with him about his latest book “The Nutmeg’s Curse”. Amitav Ghosh says, “climate change is a form of ecological violence.” He shares his research process and his inspirations: from Mahasweta Devi to Herman Melville. How is writing about climate change different in fiction and nonfiction? How did Tara meet Amitav when she was 13 years old? What is he writing about next? Tune in to meet the man behind the legend! Indian authors who write about nature and the environment:Jahnavi BaruaShubhangi SwaroopJanaki LeninSumana Roy Hansda Sowvendra ShekharAmitav Ghosh was born in Calcutta and grew up in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. He studied at the universities of Delhi and Oxford, has taught at a number of institutions and written for many magazines. The first novel in the Ibis trilogy, Sea of Poppies, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2008. In 2015, Amitav Ghosh was named as a finalist of the Man Booker International Prize. Read his latest book: https://www.amazon.in/Nutmegs-Curse-Amitav-Ghosh/dp/1529369436'Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa of Bound talk to some of the best writers in India and find out what makes them tick. Brought to you by Bound. Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ Join our Whatsapp communities:PodSquad: https://chat.whatsapp.com/H853OktwN6X0tx4o6aBOTQ Writers’ Circle:  https://chat.whatsapp.com/GR7577Xfx9s6kv0JzcDVGF  ‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Find out how women are represented in Indian books and films today. Kick off season 4 with a deep dive into gender and representation with Tara and Michelle! They share their favourite books and movies, and discuss what is considered problematic and what is considered inclusive today. Do our childhood favourites like Harry Potter stand the test of time? Can authors create believable characters of the opposite gender? How relevant is the Bechdel Test today? The Bechdel Test was created by American cartoonist Alison Bechdel in 1985. A book / film needs to have 3 things to pass the Bechdel Test:There are at least two women charactersThese women talk to each otherThey discuss something other than a manDo your favourite books and movies pass this test?BONUS SEGMENT: A chat with one of our biggest fans, Surabhi Geetey! 'Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa of Bound talk to some of the best writers in India and find out what makes them tick. Brought to you by Bound. Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ Tara Khandelwal is an editor and the founder of Bound. Michelle D’costa’s poetry and prose has been published in over 50 literary journals. Join our Whatsapp communities:PodSquad: https://chat.whatsapp.com/H853OktwN6X0tx4o6aBOTQ Writers' Circle:  https://chat.whatsapp.com/GR7577Xfx9s6kv0JzcDVGF‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Tara and Michelle reconnect with Manu Pillai about writing and publishing his latest book, ‘False Allies’ during the pandemic. Manu explains how and why he used Raja Ravi Varma’s art to direct his research. And how this book is structured much differently than his previous works. He takes Tara and Michelle deep into the world of empowerment and political intrigue with the story of Jamnabai. Were Indian royals (especially women) as easily manipulated by the British as we thought? Did the pandemic affect his writing? Should Manu start his own podcast? Tune in to join these discussions and more!Book Mentions:Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh by Shrayana BhattacharyaThe Begum and the Dastan by Tarana Husain KhanThe Nutmeg’s Curse by Amitav GhoshThe Last Queen by Chitra Banerjee DivakaruniFor a more in-depth conversation about Manu’s writing process and previous books, tune in to Episode 1.1. Manu S. Pillai is the author of the critically acclaimed The Ivory Throne (2015), Rebel Sultans (2018) and The Courtesan, the Mahatma and the Italian Brahmin (2019). Formerly chief of staff to Shashi Tharoor MP, he is also a winner of the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar (2017). His essays and writings on history have appeared in Mint Lounge, The Hindu, Hindustan Times, Open, New Statesman and other publications. Read his latest book: https://www.amazon.in/FALSE-ALLIES-Indias-Maharajahs-Varma/dp/9391165893'Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa of Bound talk to some of the best writers in India and find out what makes them tick. Now trending in 27 countries! Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ ‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

In this season finale, Tara and Michelle talk about cancel culture, trigger warnings, and their favourite season 3 episodes.From Lolita to Friends to Harry Potter, Tara and Michelle discuss the question of problematic stories and their implications in today’s society. They talk about their favourite childhood stories (P.S. they involve animals) and the importance of telling and highlighting untold stories. Why has sensitivity reading become important? Does political correctness hamper creativity? Can art be separated from the artist? Tune in as we tackle these tough questions and many more! We’re creating a community of podcast lovers in India! Click here to join the #PodSquad: https://chat.whatsapp.com/H853OktwN6X0tx4o6aBOTQ 'Books and Beyond with Bound' is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D'costa of Bound talk to some of the best writers in India and find out what makes them tick. Now trending in 12 countries! Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ Tara Khandelwal is an editor and the founder of Bound. Check out her latest newsletter - https://tara489.substack.com Michelle D’costa’s poetry and prose has been published in over 50 literary journals. Check out her latest newsletter - https://michelledcosta.substack.com/ ‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.