

Jaipur Bytes
Jaipur Literature Festival
Jaipur Bytes, the official podcast of the Jaipur Literature Festival, is your gateway to enriching and entertaining conversations featuring the finest thinkers, writers, speakers, and doers! Hosted by music programmer & broadcaster Sarthak Kaushik and writer & itihasology's founder, Eric Chopra, the podcast guarantees an eclectic mix of cross-genre discussions traversing diverse themes and ideas. With a constellation of the world's most eminent trailblazers, here's your chance to listen to authors, diplomats, historians, filmmakers, artists, and the unsung heroes of the arts.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 15, 2019 • 39min
Waste of a Nation: Assa Doron, Sanchaita Gajapati, Robin Jeffrey
Assa Doron, Sanchaita Gajapati in conversation with Robin Jeffrey. This episode is a live session from day 5 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Apr 11, 2019 • 42min
The Post American World
Jon Lee Anderson, Peter Bergen and Steve Coll in conversation with Navtej Sarna. The growth of India, China, Brazil, Russia and Africa is generating a new landscape. The tallest buildings, biggest dams, highest-grossing movies and most advanced mobile phones are now all being made outside Europe and the United States. Regions that previously lacked political confidence and national pride are finding them, alongside a newfound economic clout. Can the West transform its global strategy by moving from a position of hegemony to one that recognises this seismic power shift? A distinguished panel look into the future in a conversation moderated by former Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna. This episode is a live session from day 3 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Apr 8, 2019 • 50min
Naye Bharat Ki Hindi
Akhil Katyal, Geetanjali Sree, Neelesh Misra, Pravin Kumar, Rakhshanda Jalil in conversation with Saurabh Dwivedi. This episode is a live session from day 3 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Apr 4, 2019 • 32min
The Shape of Justice
Identifying Gender Violence & Finding Solutions That Fit. Simar Singh, Sohaila Abdulali and Sunita Toor in conversation with Pragya Tiwari. This episode is a live session from day 3 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Apr 1, 2019 • 54min
Jugaad: On Frugal Engineering
Amitabh Kant, Dean Nelson and Nishtha Gautam in conversation with John Elliott. A timely conversation on the uniquely Indian concept of ‘jugaad’, the flexible bottom-up strategy of innovation that seems to come so naturally to a resource starved nation. Based on the concept of doing more with less, this approach to frugal engineering and ingenious solutions often helps turn adversity into opportunity. A spirited conversation on the pros and cons of jugaad with a distinguished panel that includes CEO of Niti Ayog, Amitabh Kant, Dean Nelson, author of Jugaad Yatra: Exploring the Indian Art of Problem Solving, and lyricist, poet and marketer Prasoon Joshi in conversation with writer and journalist John Elliott, author of IMPLOSION: India’s Tryst with Reality. They discuss the need to inspire flexible out-of-the-box solutions as well as the dangers of quick-fix solutions that bypass regulatory standards. This episode is a live session from day 4 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Mar 27, 2019 • 43min
Brexit and the British
Dominic Asquith, Nikesh Shukla, Rachel Johnson and Sir Roy Strong CH in conversation with James Crabtree. This episode is a live session from day 3 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Mar 25, 2019 • 49min
Climate Change: A Call to Action
Darryl Jones, Maja Lunde and Mridula Ramesh in conversation with Marcus Moench. The disruptions of climate change can no longer be ignored. A timely and urgent conversation on perhaps the most crucial issue for our planet that discusses the ingenuity and initiative required to adapt to changing conditions while attempting to reverse their shattering consequences. A panel of distinguished environmentalists and climate warriors speak of their experiences and learnings. Darryl Jones is an academic at Australia’s Griffith University who has been engaged in exploring the many ways that humans interact with nature. Maja Lunde has written several books for children and young adults, including The History of Bees. Mridula Ramesh is the founder of the Sundaram Climate Institute, focused on waste and water solutions and education, and an active angel investor in cleantech startups. Her recent book is The Climate Solution: India's Climate-Change Crisis and What We Can Do about It. Marcus Moench is the founder of ISET-International and has worked extensively on water, climate and urbanisation particularly in Asia. This episode is a live session from day 3 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Mar 21, 2019 • 43min
The Empire of Cotton: Sven Beckert in conversation with Patrick French
Sven Beckert is Laird Bell Professor of American History at Harvard University, where he teaches the history of the United States in the nineteenth century, and global history. Patrick French is a biographer and historian, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and Professor for the Public Understanding of the Humanities at Ahmedabad University. This episode is a live session from day 2 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Mar 17, 2019 • 46min
The Dark of the Dawn: Bhore Ke Andhere Mein
Dhrubo Jyoti, Desraj Kali, Manoranjan Byapari and Sheoraj Singh Bechain in conversation with Harish Trivedi. Transformative Dalit literature has an inspirational role to play in the battle for justice and equity. Iconic writers and journalists who struggled with extreme poverty, prejudice and illiteracy and went on to become highly regarded litterateurs speak of the trajectory of their careers, the hardships and humiliation they faced and the victories and redemptions of literature. Sheoraj Singh Bechain teaches Hindi in the University of Delhi and is the author of several books, including the chilling autobiography Mera Bachpan Mere Kandhon Par. Manoranjan Byapari, a Bengali writer and sociology political activist, learnt to read and write while in jail at the age of 24. He has written over a dozen novels, a hundred short stories and numerous essays. His autobiographical novel, Interrogating My Chandal life, has won several awards. Dhrubo Jyoti is a Dalit and genderqueer person who works on issues of caste, gender and sexuality. Desraj Kali is a Punjabi novelist whose work focuses on the Ghadar movement, the literature and culture of Punjab and Dalit issues. In conversation with writer, editor and critic Harish Trivedi, they discuss their writing in the context of the personal and the political, and the many dimensions of Dalit literature. This episode is a live session from day 2 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Mar 14, 2019 • 52min
The Right To Know: Aruna Roy, Harsh Mander, Urvashi Butalia
Information empowers and its role in a democracy is especially critical and definitive. In this important session, social activist Aruna Roy, the power behind the RTI Movement and Harsh Mander, fearless activist, who works with survivors of mass violence and hunger, the homeless and street children, and also the Director of the Centre for Equity Studies, make a passionate plea for the ‘Right to Know’ in order to challenge the convenient obscurantism of those in power. In conversation with Indian feminist and publisher Urvashi Butalia, a session rich in anecdote and readings from The RTI Story: Power to the People, authored by Roy, and for those who ask questions to seek answers. This episode is a live session from day 2 of #ZEEJLF2019.