BIC TALKS

What happens when a defiant chronicler and an idealist revolutionary converge in the playground that is India’s freedom struggle? Urdu newspaper Pratap, launched in pre-partition India, was a torchbearer against the British Raj. The man who publicly defended it against colonial censorship was none other than Jawaharlal Nehru. The pen picked up by freedom fighter Virendra, the paper’s editor and the founder’s son who once walked shoulder to shoulder with stalwarts like Bhagat Singh was equally fearless despite threats by the imperial government, Indira Gandhi’s Emergency and a parcel bomb sent to Pratap’s office during terrorism in Punjab. Virendra was first arrested in the historic Saunders murder case. He was also in jail with Bhagat Singh the day the legendary revolutionary was hanged, sharing a rare first-hand witness account. In Independent India, too footsteps filled Pratap and its editors with dread and terror. Pratap: A Defiant Newspaper is a timely reminder of the ethos of a struggle, a template for speaking truth to power at all costs. It is the story of a perfect storm. The book is written by Virendra’s son, distinguished editor Chander Mohan and journalist granddaughter Jyotsna Mohan. Jyotsna and Azeezullah Baig will be in conversation with Maya Sharma. There will be a Q&A session with the audience. In this episode of BIC Talks, Jyotsna Mohan and Azeezullah Baig will be in conversation with Maya Sharma. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in June 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

In this refreshingly jargon-free session, Lavanya Mohan, author of Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees, gets real about why personal finance often feels confusing, boring, or just plain overwhelming. From spending in your 20s to planning in your 40s, Lavanya’s approach is simple, meme-filled, and judgment-free. Whether you’re dealing with your first paycheck, lifestyle creep, or just trying to adult responsibly, this conversation covers how to spend smarter at every life stage—without spreadsheets or guilt. Lavanya will be in conversation with Dipika Jaikishan, Co-Founder and COO of Basis, a platform focused on financial independence for women. Together, with their understanding of how financial literacy intersects with everyday life, especially for younger and often overwhelmed audiences, Lavanya and Dipika bring both insight and clarity to a conversation that promises to be as useful as it is fun. Expect memes, pop culture references, stories from the book, and zero jargon. Just real talk about money—how we use it, why we fear it, and how to make it work for us. In this episode of BIC Talks, Lavanya Mohan will be in conversation with Dipika Jaikishan. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in May 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has long been at the heart of India’s constitutional and cultural tensions — hailed by some as a promise of equality, and critiqued by others as a tool of homogenisation. As the political momentum around the UCC gathers pace once again, with the recent Uttarakhand legislation in the news, this session revisits the debate from a constitutional, feminist, and social justice lens. What does “uniformity” mean in a deeply plural society? Can equality be achieved without erasing difference? How do we center the lived realities of women, religious minorities, Dalits, and Adivasis in this conversation? In this episode of BIC Talks, Raag Yadava, Madhu Bhushan will be in conversation with Alok Prasanna. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in May 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

Gurudev and Bapu explores the extraordinary exchange of letters and ideas between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, set against the backdrop of the Indian freedom struggle. Over 25 years, their correspondence reveals sharp differences on key issues—nationalism, civil disobedience, education—but also unwavering respect and affection between the two. Their dialogue reflects a time in India’s history marked by thoughtful disagreement and political maturity—offering insights into how principled dissent and mutual regard can coexist. Bangalore Little Theatre was honoured to present early performances of the play at places closely associated with Gandhi and Tagore—Sabarmati Ashram, Santiniketan (Visva Bharati), and Thakurbari-Jorasanko (Rabindra Bharati). It has also been staged for the President of India. Adapted from the internationally acclaimed production with over 130 performances in India and abroad, this staging promises a compelling reflection on two great minds and the values that shaped a nation. This performance is a tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s enduring legacy, presented around the time of his birth anniversary. Supported by: JSW In this episode of BIC Talks, Vijay Padaki does a dramatised presentation of the Tagore-Gandhi Exchanges. This is an excerpt from a performance that took place in the BIC premises in May 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

From boasting of a lone International Master (IM) in Manuel Aaron in 1962, India has come a long way in the world of chess, particularly in the last two-and-half decades of the new Millennium. Today, India has 85 Grandmasters, including three women, 23 Woman Grand Masters, 140 International Masters and 42 Woman International Masters while the list of FIDE masters is growing by the day. In the top 10 of any category or age group, Indians figure so prominently that they are second only to the US and China in the men’s and women’s section respectively. The double-gold at the 2024 Olympiad and India’s superb performance in the Candidates added to its growing reputation as a superpower. But if you look from an historic perspective, our champions of today are merely continuing the legacy of a 5,000-year-old tradition which can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization when chess (called Chaturanga then) was, among other things, used for war stimulation. According to legend, Ravan’s wife Mandodari taught him Chaturanga so that he could plan battle strategies. Later, Chaturanga became Chatrang in Persian and Shatranj in Arabic before travelling to Spain and the rest of the western world. In the modern era, chess is looked at in different ways. A gymnasium of the mind. A cerebral tug-of-war. For India, Anand can be the best reference point to start any debate involving chess. In fact, Indian chess can be neatly divided into Pre-Anand and Post-Anand eras. The Pre-Anand period was nascent with not many players around, no infrastructure to talk about or any support from the government or the private sector. Indian chess style was one of the many variants of the official chess as recognized by the ruling body FIDE. By the time Anand became India’s first Grandmaster in 1987 and triggered the post-Anand era, chess was a rapidly growing sport. Let’s look at some figures. Till the start of the new Millennium, India had just three GMs with Dibyendu Barua (1991) and Pravin Thipsay (1997) following in the footsteps of Anand. The first decade of the new century produced 20 GMs and the next 10 a staggering 44. The present decade has already witnessed 16 GMs to take the tally to 85. In this episode of BIC Talks, MS Thej Kumar, Aravind Shastry, Manisha Mohite and Saritha M Reddy will be in conversation with Vijay Mruthyunjaya. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in May 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

All Our Loves: Journeys with Polyamory in India is an eye-opening book on polyamory—the practice of being in love, with or without sexual intimacies with more than one person simultaneously, with the consent of all. For anyone who has ever dreamed of love, sex, and companionship beyond the limits of traditional monogamy, this groundbreaking exploration navigates the infinite possibilities that polyamory can offer within the complex realities in India. The discussion on the book will revolve around dispelling myths about the practice and understanding the skills necessary to live a fulfilling and responsible polyamorous life. Arundhati will also shed light on negotiating jealousy, coping with breakups and honouring boundaries. As practicing polyamorists she and the discussants will share their experiences, struggles and joys and ways to define relationships on their own terms. If you are polyamorous, have a partner who is, or are just curious – this conversation will open up ways to foster honest intimacy without guilt, fear or shame; find supportive partners and community; enable practices of safe sex, and much more. In collaboration with: ALEPH In this episode of BIC Talks, Arundhati Ghosh, Basit Manham and Anu P will be in conversation with Priya Ramani. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in May 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

The fiercest wars are fought between siblings. Tara, a successful Delhi lawyer, is everything her younger brother isn’t: dedicated, independent, thriving. When their beloved father retires, he summons them to a meeting. But what he has to say threatens to tear the family apart. Tara’s friend Lila has it all: a great job, a lovely home, a beautiful family. But when Lila’s father dies unexpectedly, her brother wastes no time in claiming what he thinks is his. Together, Tara and Lila are forced to confront the challenge that their ambition poses to patriarchal Delhi society. Set against a backdrop of ecological collapse and political unrest, The Tiger’s Share is both a family and a state-of-the-nation novel. The Tiger’s Share, Keshava Guha’s incisive new novel unravels sibling rivalries set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing India. Guha’s storytelling transforms personal conflicts into a lens for examining societal upheavals – from shifting family loyalties to the pressures of urban ambition. In collaboration with:  Hachette UK In this episode of BIC Talks, Keshava Guha will be in conversation with Vikek Shanbhag. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in April 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

What makes a city uniquely itself? Is it its geography, history, location, demographic? Is it its leaders, influencers, inspirations? Or is it something else, an undefinable but palpable spirit, wrought over centuries of a combination of all these, that seeps into the soil and charges the air, infecting residents and visitors alike? Two decades of exploring, discovering, researching – and reading, writing, and talking – about her hometown have convinced Roopa Pai, author, columnist, and co-founder of the heritage walks and tours company, BangaloreWalks, that the latter is true – cities are neither born nor made, they become. Her collection of evocative essays on the city have now been compiled into a book, Becoming Bangalore, published by Hachette India. In her conversation with Brinda S Narayan, Roopa will dive into the city’s history to tease out bits of the Bangalore jigsaw – a chieftain’s decision, a Commissioner’s inclusiveness, a scientist’s quest for excellence, a Dewan’s conviction, a missionary’s zeal, a Maharani’s foresight, an entrepreneur’s vision, an industrialist’s generosity, an activist’s passion, a common man’s ambition, a writer’s pride in his language – in an effort to track down the genesis of Bangalore’s modern, progressive, liberal spirit. What she hopes will emerge from that discussion are tantalizing hints that reveal how a little 16th century settlement on a hill became India’s most charismatic city. In this episode of BIC Talks, Roopa Pai will be in conversation with Brinda S. Narayan. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in April 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.

Spies, Lies and Allies is a thrilling tale about two forgotten revolutionaries who led lives that defy belief. It takes the reader on a wild ride through Kolkata, Hyderabad, London, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Mexico City and Moscow. One was Virendranath Chattopadhyaya, the brother of Sarojini Naidu. The other was M.N. Roy, the founder of Indian communism. Chatto and Roy met spies, dictators, femme fatales, assassins, revolutionaries and bomb-makers. They encountered Lala Lajpat Rai, Veer Savarkar, Vladimir Lenin, Sun Yat-Sen, Chiang Kai-shek, Joseph Stalin, Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. They travelled in disguise and survived assassination attempts by the British secret service. They had tumultuous love affairs with suspected Communist spies. They flirted with anarchism, then became communists, and Roy would eventually end up founding his own philosophy: humanism. Chatto’s sister Sarojini would distance herself from his journey, and his friend Nehru would eventually follow the Gandhian path. Roy would be ignored in newly independent India. But if Chatto and Roy were failures, they were magnificent ones. They battled for their ideas, and their ideas lived on, even if the pair died mostly forgotten. Author Kavitha Rao will be in conversation with Historian Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav. A Q&A with the audience will follow. in collaboration with: Westland Non-Fiction In this episode of BIC Talks, Kavitha Rao will be in conversation with Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in April 2025. Subscribe to the BIC Talks Podcast on your favorite podcast app! BIC Talks is available everywhere, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Overcast, Audible, and Amazon Music.