

Books and Beyond with Bound
Bound Podcasts
Welcome to India’s No. 1 book podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover the stories behind some of the best-written books of our time. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, and insecurities to publishing journeys. And how these books shape our lives and worldview today. Tune in every Wednesday! Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Get in touch with us at connect@boundindia.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 18, 2021 • 46min
3.14 Anubha Yadav: Capturing The Darkest Secrets of Men
Find out how she explores masculinity in India through the coming of age story of 3 brothers in her book, ‘The Anger of Saintly Men’.Anubha shares how she came up with the idea of writing about the tale of three brothers in Haryana and how it was challenging to write a fiction book that comments on caste and sexuality in India. Michelle loves how she uses Mahatma Gandhi to show the contradiction in male gender norms. Tara loves the experimental structure of the book. Why did she decide to write a story from the male perspective? How did she write the difficult scenes in her book? Was Hindi an important part of the book? Tune in to find out!We’re creating a community of podcast lovers in India! Click here to join the #PodSquad: https://chat.whatsapp.com/H853OktwN6X0tx4o6aBOTQ Anubha Yadav is a writer, academic, film-maker based in New Delhi, India. She teaches media studies at Delhi University. When not in a classroom, she would rather write stories. ‘The Anger of Saintly Men’ is her second book. Find the book here: https://www.amazon.in/Anger-Saintly-Anubha-Yadav-Fiction/dp/8194511313/'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/ ‘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.

Aug 13, 2021 • 50min
3.13 Janaki Lenin: Bringing The Wildlife Into Every House Through Writing
Find out how she brings animal science and wildlife conversation to life in her latest book, ‘Every Creature Has a Story’.Janaki talks about how she accidentally got into wildlife research and how she wrote the book to bring the wilderness stories into people’s homes. She talks about her relationship with an editor and how a great editor can push a writer to develop their craft. Tara loves finding out so many facts about animals that she didn’t know before. Michelle thinks it’s important to talk about wildlife conservation, since she also lives near mangroves in Mumbai. They talk about the fascinating giraffes, octopi and other We’re creating a community of podcast lovers in India! Click here to join the #PodSquad: https://chat.whatsapp.com/H853OktwN6X0tx4o6aBOTQ Contest Alert! Follow us @boundindia and DM us on Instagram with the name of your favourite podcast to get a half an hour session with Tara.A city girl gone feral, Janaki Lenin is the author of two volumes of My Husband and Other Animals. Her latest is Every Creature Has a Story. She writes on a wide range of wildlife and conservation subjects for newspapers and magazines. She and her human partner share their home on the outskirts of Mysore with numerous pets and free-ranging wild creatures.Find the book here: https://www.amazon.in/Every-Creature-Has-Story-Behaviour/dp/9353578604/'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/ ‘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.

Aug 4, 2021 • 58min
3.12 Aanchal Malhotra: Remembering Partition Through Oral Histories
Find out how she uses objects to uncover untold stories about the Partition for her book, ‘Remnants of a Separation’. Aanchal shares her family’s history with partition and why she decided to use objects to ask people about sensitive and traumatic memories. She discusses her experience of interviewing people in Pakistan and how her guide Khizarji helped her navigate difficult interviews. Tara can relate to Aanchal due to her own partition family history. And Michelle appreciates how Aanchal is so transparent about the difficulties in the research process. Why can’t Aanchal write in cafes? What languages does she speak and understand? And what is she writing next? Tune in to find out!Want Aanchal to read your personal essay on the partition? Submit your personal essay (<1500 words) on ‘Memory of Partition’ to connect@boundindia.com by 4th September, 2021. Only Word Doc attachments will be considered. Aanchal’s favourite 3 essays will be published on our blog, Jotted. We’re creating a community of podcast lovers in India! Click here to join the #PodSquad: https://chat.whatsapp.com/H853OktwN6X0tx4o6aBOTQ Aanchal Malhotra is an artist and oral historian working with memory and material culture. She received a BFA in Traditional Printmaking and Art History from the Ontario College of Art & Design, Toronto, and an MFA in Studio Art from Concordia University, Montreal. She currently lives in New Delhi. This is her first book. Find the book here: https://www.amazon.in/Remnants-Separation-History-Partition-Material/dp/9353022959/ '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/ Follow us @boundindia on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. ‘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.

Jul 28, 2021 • 52min
3.11 Farah Bashir: A Window To Growing Up In 1990s Kashmir
Find out how she provides a glimpse into the experiences and challenges of growing up in war-torn Kashmir through her memoir, ‘Rumours Of Spring: A Girlhood In Kashmir’. Farah tells us why she decided to write this book and how it was challenging to relive some painful memories. She talks about her grandmother, Bobeh, who was a strong female figure in her coming-of-age story and why she decided to structure the book around her death. Tara loves this as she’s also close to her grandmother! Michelle is moved by the vividness and intensity of some of the descriptions and scenes, like the absence of windows. Why did Farah decide to write this memoir? What influences have shaped her writing identity? And how does she feel about childhood now? Tune in for a moving and revelatory episode. Farah Bashir was born and raised in Kashmir. She was a former photojournalist with Reuters and currently works as a communications consultant. ‘Rumours of Spring’ is her first book. Find the book here: https://www.amazon.in/Rumours-Spring-Girlhood-Farah-Bashir/dp/9354224210 '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/ Looking to write your dream memoir? We can help! Email us at connect@boundindia.com or DM us @boundindia on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.We’ve joined #PodForChange to raise donations for Covid relief. Donate here: www.auwa.in/podforchange‘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.

Jul 20, 2021 • 45min
3.10 Yasser Usman: The Biographer That Captures Bollywood’s Golden Era
Find out how he uncovers the untold stories and troubled lives of Bollywood celebrities like Rajesh Khanna, Rekha, Sanjay Dutt and Guru Dutt in his biographies. Yasser breaks down his research process - from approaching the celeb for interviews to going through old articles and talking to people who knew them well. He shares some interesting anecdotes about Rajesh Khanna and Rekha, and how the media only focused on certain parts of their lives. He also reveals how his interactions with Guru Dutt’s sister helped him survive the pandemic!Tara loves learning more about the previous Bollywood era. Michelle loves how he delves into the lives of Bollywood celebs like we delve into the lives of authors! How did Yasser become a Bollywood biographer? How does he decide which celebs to research next? And what are his tips for young and aspiring biographers? Tune in to find out! Book Recommendations:The Kapoors: The First Family of Indian Cinema by Madhu JainParveen Babi: A Life by Karishma UpadhyayThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas TalebYasser Usman is an award-winning TV journalist and the author of four bestselling film biographies: Rajesh Khanna: The Untold Story of India’s First Superstar; Rekha: The Untold Story and Sanjay Dutt. His recent book is the critically acclaimed - Guru Dutt - An Unfinished Story. He has been a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award for excellence in journalism, Indian Telly Award, Red Ink award among many others.Find the book here: https://www.amazon.in/Guru-Dutt-Unfinished-Yasser-Usman/dp/9386797887 '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 9 countries! Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ Create your own podcast with our 2 week masterclass! Details available here: https://boundindia.com/events/create-your-own-podcast-an-interactive-masterclass/Check out our pathbreaking publishing podcast, ‘The Book People’: https://boundindia.com/the-book-people-podcast/ Find us @boundindia on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.We’ve joined #PodForChange to raise donations for Covid relief. Donate here: www.auwa.in/podforchange‘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.

Jul 13, 2021 • 56min
3.09 Saba Karim Khan: Writing An India-Pakistan Love Story
Find out how she captured the red-light district of Lahore and wrote a compelling and nuanced love story in her debut novel, ‘Skyfall’. Saba shares how her writing is inspired by her father and why she decided to explore the exact opposite through the villainous father figure in her novel. She tells us why she made her main character Rania a tour guide to show women accessing public spaces. Tara edited her book and knew it was going to be a bestseller. Michelle loves how Saba captures the love and friendship between the two countries. How did Saba include her own experiences in this story? Why did she ask her mother to read the book? What does the publishing industry in Pakistan look like? Tune in to find out! Book Recommendations:In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal MueenuddinRange: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David EpsteinBeautiful Thing by Sonia Faleiro Saba Karim Khan holds a postgraduate [M.Phil] degree from Oxford University and currently teaches at New York University's international campus in Abu Dhabi. She has taught two creative writing courses and led four creative writing workshops for undergraduate MFA students. Her work has been published in The Huffington Post, DAWN, Express Tribune and ThinkProgress, Washington. She has also been commissioned to write the memoirs of a classical music artist in Pakistan, whose repertoire focuses on ghazals by Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Mirza Ghalib. Find the book here: https://www.amazon.in/Skyfall-Saba-Karim-Khan/dp/9390252385 '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 9 countries! Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ We can pitch your book to publishers! Send your manuscript and bio to connect@boundindia.com or DM us @boundindia on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.We’ve joined #PodForChange to raise donations for Covid relief. Donate here: www.auwa.in/podforchange‘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.

Jul 7, 2021 • 53min
3.8 Rohini S. Rajagopal: The Reality Of Infertility In India - A Medical Memoir
Find out how she captured her journey with infertility and years of medical research into her one-of-a-kind medical memoir, ‘What's a Lemon Squeezer Doing in My Vagina?'Rohini shares her writing process: from storing all her medical documents to writing for 30 minutes at a time. She recounts how her brother acted as her sounding board and beta reader: convincing her to write this book as a memoir instead of a nonfiction how-to book. Tara loves how Rohini was able to cover such a taboo topic with depth and vulnerability. Michelle loves medical memoirs! How did she come up with this title? How did she come up with this title? How did her family feel about the book? And what does she plan to write next? Tune in to find out!Book Recommendations:Wave by Sonali DeraniyagalaEducated by Tara WestoverBorn a Crime by Trevor NoahBottle of Lies by Katherine EbanBad Blood by John CarreyrouThe Small-Town Sea by Anees SalimRohini S. Rajagopal was leading a fairly humdrum life in Bangalore when an encounter with infertility stopped her in her tracks. In a temporary suspension of good sense, she quit her well-paying, flexible-hours job to write this book that narrates her journey from infertility to motherhood. But for her current penury, she has no regrets about that move. She has a master's degree in English (media and communication). Her special talents include fitting dishes inside overfilled refrigerators and taking three-hour-long afternoon naps without the slightest trace of guilt. You can find her on Instagram @rajagopal.rohini. Find the book here: https://www.amazon.in/Whats-Lemon-Squeezer-Doing-Vagina/dp/0143452002/ '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 9 countries! Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ Follow us If you need help starting your podcast, reach out to us at connect@boundindia.com or DM us @boundindia on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.We’ve joined #PodForChange to raise donations for Covid relief. Donate here: www.auwa.in/podforchange‘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.

Jun 22, 2021 • 50min
3.7 Moni Mohsin: Using Social Satire To Capture The #MeToo Movement In Pakistan
Tara talks to the talented Pakistani writer, Moni Mohsin, about how she uses social satire to comment on current events in her 2 bestselling books ‘The Diary of a Social Butterfly’ and ‘The Impeccable Integrity of Ruby R’. Moni shares how the ‘metoo’ movement inspired her to write her latest politically charged novel. And how the male politician character is inspired by Trump and 1970s Amitabh Bachchan! Tara loves how her opening line, ‘Haww’, immediately drew the attention of publishers. How did she go from writing columns to books? Why does social media make her uncomfortable? How has the writing community in Pakistan supported her? Tune in to find out!Authors Moni Loves: Kamila Shamsie, Mohsin Hamid, Mohammed Hanif, Daniyal Mueenuddin, Evelyn Waugh, Nancy Mitford, Elizabeth TaylorMoni Mohsin was born and raised in Pakistan. She has written two novels, The End of Innocence and Tender Hooks aka Duty Free and two books of collected columns, The Diary of a Social Butterfly and The Return of the Butterfly. She now lives between London and Lahore.Find the book here: https://www.amazon.in/Impeccable-Integrity-Ruby-R/dp/0670094315 '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. Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ Follow us @boundindia on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Reach out to us at connect@boundindia.com for more information on our editorial services. We’ve joined #PodForChange to raise donations for Covid relief. Donate here: www.auwa.in/podforchange‘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.

Jun 16, 2021 • 1h 7min
3.6 Arunava Sinha and Anita Agnihotri: Farmers' Plight In India - A Translation
Tara and Michelle talk to bestselling Bengali author Anita Agnihotri and expert translator of 60+ books, Arunava Sinha, about their latest book ‘The Sickle’, the writer-translator relationship and the growing popularity of regional writing and translations in India.In the last few years, translations are getting the attention they rightly deserve in India from readers and literary awards like the JCB prize. We chat with Anita about the plight of the women in the Marathwada region and how she decided to write about them in Bengali. Michelle is fascinated by how Anita picks up stories from all over the country through her work as an IAS officer. Arunava equates writing to choreographing a performance on a large stage and translation to doing the exact same steps on a tightrope! Tara is super excited by his prediction that translations will become very prominent in India in the next 5 years!How have Anita’s books reached so many countries and readers? Why does Arunava translate from 10 pm to 1 am? Tune in to find out. Want to get the translator's perspective first? Jump to 30:00 to listen to Arunava’s part of the interview. Mentions: Gun Island by Amitav GhoshSuch Small Hands by Andrés BarbaSeventeen by Anita AgnihotriIndira GoswamiHiromi Kawakami, Mieko Kawakami, Sayaka MurataAnita Agnihotri has published over thirty books and has won the Sarat Puraskar, the Pratibha Basu Sahitya Puraskar and the Bhuban Mohini Dasi Gold Medal. Her writing has been translated into several Indian languages and also German and Swedish. Her collection of stories, Seventeen, translated by Arunava Sinha, won the Economist Crossword Book Award for Indian Language Translation in 2011. Arunava Sinha translates Bengali fiction, poetry and non-fiction into English, and fiction from other languages into Bengali. More than sixty of his translations have been published so far in India, the UK and the USA. He teaches Creative Writing at Ashoka University. Find the book here: https://www.amazon.in/Sickle-Anita-Agnihotri/dp/9353451566 '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. Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ Follow us @boundindia on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Reach out to us at connect@boundindia.com for more information on our podcast production services. We’ve joined #PodForChange to raise donations for Covid relief. Donate here: www.auwa.in/podforchange‘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.

Jun 8, 2021 • 41min
3.5 Sonia Faleiro: Uncovering Crime Against Women In Uttar Pradesh
Tara and Michelle talk to Sonia Faleiro about how she investigated the death of 2 teen girls in UP for her latest narrative nonfiction bestseller, ‘The Good Girls’. We’ve joined #PodForChange to raise donations for Covid relief. Donate here: www.auwa.in/podforchangeSonia talks about what made her choose this particular case and how she 5 years writing about it! She shares interesting anecdotes about how she was able to get the villagers to share their stories by actively listening and asking questions that no one had asked them before. Michelle was deeply moved by Sonia’s concern for the girls. Tara is fascinated by how she wrote the book like a who-done-it! How does she deal with the dangers of investigative journalism? Why does she choose narrative nonfiction? And what does she do to unwind? Tune in to find out! Narrative Nonfiction Book Recommendations:Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlancAmerican Fire by Monica HesseSonia Faleiro is an award-winning writer and the author of three previous books. Her previous book Beautiful Thing was selected as an Observer, Economist, Guardian, San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, Time Out, NPR and Kirkus Book of the Year. Her writing and photographs have appeared in the New York Times, Financial Times, Guardian and Granta. In 2011 Faleiro was awarded the Karmaveer Puraskaar for Social Justice 'for drawing attention to India's most vulnerable'. Faleiro is a co-founder of Deca, a global journalism cooperative that creates long-form stories to read on mobile devices. She lives in London.Find her book here: https://www.amazon.in/Good-Girls-Ordinary-Killing/dp/080215820X '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. Read more: https://boundindia.com/books-and-beyond-podcast/ Follow us @boundindia on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Check out our sister podcast, The Book People: https://boundindia.com/the-book-people-podcast/ Looking for a writing mentor to make your characters memorable? DM us or send us an email at connect@boundindia.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.


