

Dispatches from Kolkata
Sandip Roy
Every week NPR contributor (and former San Franciscian) Sandip Roy brings you a little taste of the 'new India' – a letter home from his other home.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 21, 2026 • 6min
Winter Chill
Winter in Kolkata has a sound of it's own, and many reasons to enjoy the outdoors.But, Sandip has seen a troubling trend infringe upon what was once a time of cool reverie.

Jan 14, 2026 • 6min
Eat Your Veggies
"Eat your veggies.” That’s an order many of us have grown up with. But now a deli in Cornwall in the U.K. wants to have its veggies and eat it too. And let no one else have any.

Jan 7, 2026 • 6min
Solace and Meaning
Sandip reflects on the past year and while reading his mother's diary finds that the real of one's life may be in the smallest of details.

Dec 24, 2025 • 6min
A City with Room for Everyone
The recent Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk meant more than just a weekend party to Sandip.

Dec 10, 2025 • 6min
Wine o'Clock in Shillong
A small state with hilly terrain is turning into India’s fruit wine haven. Sandip Roy samples the vintage.

Dec 3, 2025 • 6min
Rubber, an Indispensable Substance.
Vidya Rajan, an academic and author specializing in rubber's history, shares her insights on the fascinating world of this indispensable substance. She discusses ancient civilizations' use of rubber, including Olmec innovations that improved its durability. The conversation also covers the brutal colonial exploitation-driven rubber trade, the rivalry between Goodyear and Hancock, and the intriguing quest for sustainable alternatives, like using dandelions for rubber production. Rajan's expert commentary illuminates rubber's complex legacy and its future.

Nov 26, 2025 • 6min
Turkey in a Trash Bag
Thanksgiving was one of Sandip's favorite "American" holidays, now he considers what to give thanks for.

Nov 19, 2025 • 6min
Bright Lights Big City
A city with lights galore is proof of how successful and important it is.Yet darkness too is an old friend. Sandip ponders the shadows.

Nov 5, 2025 • 6min
Zohran Mamdani and South Asian 101
Zohran Mamdani’s candidacy to be the next mayor of New York City has had an unexpected side effect.It’s been a crash course in South Asian Studies 101 for mainstream America.

Oct 29, 2025 • 6min
Kali Puja
Last week was Diwali, the Indian festival of lights. But Sandip Roy grew up with the Goddess Kali.


