

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria
Utsav Mamoria
Postcards from Nowhere is a travel podcast that takes you on journeys exploring culture, history, food and people in the form of stories. With over a decade of travel stories in his kitty, Utsav Mamoria narrates the stories of the strange, obscure and fascinating things about the world, often interspersed with practical tips and deep realizations, which would shape the way you travel.
Tune in to the new episode every Thursday.
Tune in to the new episode every Thursday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 12, 2023 • 8min
The tree that built New Zealand
Sometime around early 1880, Edward Morse, an American zoologist and archaeologist, travelled through Japan. On a train ride between Yoko-hama and Tokyo, he noticed something odd - A shell mound. This discovery revolutionised the field of anthropology and archaeology in Japan. About 1500 kms away from Tokyo, lies the island of Yakushima, in the Kagoshima pre-fecture. In 1968, a Japanese cedar tree was discovered. 83 feet tall and 54 feet wide, its size was hardly its most amazing feature. What could connect a shell mound and a Japanese Cedar tree? This week, we travel from Yakushima island in Japan to the Waipoua (Why-poua) forests of New Zealand, explore a unique partnership, and uncover the story of the tree that built New Zealand. Tune in, and discover what lessons the creation of modern New Zealand hold for us. Till then Check out the other episodes of "Ireland Untravelled" Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3okwxm5 Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language : https://ivm.today/3zmhE9i Trinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3PnZkSE U2, Body Snatching and the Irish Way of Death : https://ivm.today/3IQ6fl3 Bombay, Paris and the improbable victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland : https://ivm.today/3AJLa9B Irish roads that go nowhere, Houses no one lives in : https://ivm.today/3PGG95X Titanic, Mosul and the Global shame of Western Museums : https://ivm.today/3R9uBce Three Irish Women, Emigration and India's National Anthem : https://ivm.today/3KfZdqz You can check previous episodes of 'Podcasts from Nowhere' on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9 You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: @whywetravel42 (https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 5, 2023 • 9min
European Impressionism, Japanese Nationalism and Cherry Blossom Trees
In the autumn of year 1280, Kublai Khan, the only non-Han to rule China convened a meeting at his summer palace in Shangdu, Inner Mongolia. He wanted to mount and attack on Japan, and eventually did so in 1281. Seven hundred years later, Japan was fighting another war it was losing quickly - World War II. What could possibly connect these two wars fought in completely different eras? And what does that have to do with cherry blossom trees and a cocktail you can find all around the world? This week, we travel to Japan, and uncover the story of Cherry Blossom Trees, and how they shaped European Impressionism and Japanese Nationalism. Till then Check out the other episodes of "Ireland Untravelled" Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3okwxm5 Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language : https://ivm.today/3zmhE9i Trinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3PnZkSE U2, Body Snatching and the Irish Way of Death : https://ivm.today/3IQ6fl3 Bombay, Paris and the improbable victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland : https://ivm.today/3AJLa9B Irish roads that go nowhere, Houses no one lives in : https://ivm.today/3PGG95X Titanic, Mosul and the Global shame of Western Museums : https://ivm.today/3R9uBce Three Irish Women, Emigration and India's National Anthem : https://ivm.today/3KfZdqz You can check previous episodes of 'Podcasts from Nowhere' on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9 You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: @whywetravel42 (https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 17, 2022 • 9min
Elm Trees, National Revolutions and Modern Paper
In 1765, colonised America was hit by a British stamp tax. A group of local businessmen in Boston calling themselves the Loyal Nine began meeting in secret to plan a series of protests against the Stamp Act. They gathered under a large tree to protest against the act. Only a few years later in 1790, a similar tree was planted in Vienne in France as a mark of protest, which eventually led to the French Revolution. Later in the Greek revolution of 1821, a thousand such trees were brought to resist the Turks. How is this particular tree showing up in multiple national revolutions? This week, we travel to 18th century America and France, and uncover the story of a tree, which played a pivotal role in the formation of these modern nations. And along the way, discover the story of the evolution of modern paper. Till then Check out the other episodes of "Ireland Untravelled" Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3okwxm5 Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language : https://ivm.today/3zmhE9i Trinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3PnZkSE U2, Body Snatching and the Irish Way of Death : https://ivm.today/3IQ6fl3 Bombay, Paris and the improbable victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland : https://ivm.today/3AJLa9B Irish roads that go nowhere, Houses no one lives in : https://ivm.today/3PGG95X Titanic, Mosul and the Global shame of Western Museums : https://ivm.today/3R9uBce Three Irish Women, Emigration and India's National Anthem : https://ivm.today/3KfZdqz You can check previous episodes of 'Podcasts from Nowhere' on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9 You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: @whywetravel42 (https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 10, 2022 • 9min
The Trees that built Venice
In 1964, the directors at the National Library of Spain in Madrid made a startling discovery. Owing to an error in the printed catalogue, two hitherto unknown notebooks belonging to a famous inventor were discovered. In Milan, a physicist discovers an interesting hypothesis about trees in the notebooks of the same inventor, and goes out to prove it in his 2018 paper. This week, we travel to Venice and discover the story of Leonardo Da Vinci’s lesser known exploits in Botany, and the unlikely story of the humble tree that built Venice. Tune in, and discover what do these notebooks and trees teach us about the way we travel. Till then Check out the other episodes of "Ireland Untravelled" Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3okwxm5 Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language : https://ivm.today/3zmhE9i Trinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3PnZkSE U2, Body Snatching and the Irish Way of Death : https://ivm.today/3IQ6fl3 Bombay, Paris and the improbable victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland : https://ivm.today/3AJLa9B Irish roads that go nowhere, Houses no one lives in : https://ivm.today/3PGG95X Titanic, Mosul and the Global shame of Western Museums : https://ivm.today/3R9uBce Three Irish Women, Emigration and India's National Anthem : https://ivm.today/3KfZdqz You can check previous episodes of 'Podcasts from Nowhere' on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9 You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: @whywetravel42 (https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 3, 2022 • 9min
Anne Frank, Lootera and Endless Life of Trees
On May 18, 2016, students in Islington, north London, gathered to attend a tree-planting ceremony. It had a small plaque explaining that the tree had been planted “in the hope that the young people of Islington will live in a society of mutual understanding and respect for diversity”. The guest of honour was Dr Eva Schloss, an 87-year-old Auschwitz survivor, who saw the horse chestnut as “a symbol of hope”. But it was no ordinary tree. This week, we travel from Amsterdam to Dalhousie, and follow the story of Anne Frank, the meanderings of the Bollywood film Lootera, and what life lessons a solitary chestnut tree holds for us. Till then Check out the other episodes of "Ireland Untravelled" Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3okwxm5 Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language : https://ivm.today/3zmhE9i Trinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3PnZkSE U2, Body Snatching and the Irish Way of Death : https://ivm.today/3IQ6fl3 Bombay, Paris and the improbable victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland : https://ivm.today/3AJLa9B Irish roads that go nowhere, Houses no one lives in : https://ivm.today/3PGG95X Titanic, Mosul and the Global shame of Western Museums : https://ivm.today/3R9uBce Three Irish Women, Emigration and India's National Anthem : https://ivm.today/3KfZdqz You can check previous episodes of 'Podcasts from Nowhere' on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9 You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: @whywetravel42 (https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 27, 2022 • 9min
Udta Punjab, Falcons and Mahabharat War Formations
In 1634, on Baisakhi day, a Sikh hunting party set their hawk or Baaz upon the royal Baaz of the Mughals. The Sikh Baaz prevailed, and the Mughal Baaz was captured. Angered by this action, Emperor Shah Jahan from Lahore sent 7,000 soldiers under Mukhlis Khan to attack. The outcome of the war shaped the history of the Sikhs. In 2016, the Bollywood film Udta Punjab took a penetrating look at the drug problem of Punjab, where seven out of every ten college going students are into substance abuse. But how are these two possibly connected? This week, we travel backwards in time from modern-day Punjab and Nagaland to the times of Mahabharat and uncover the role of indigenous knowledge in possibly slowing down or even halting the extinction of birds central to Indian religions. Till then Check out the other episodes of "Ireland Untravelled" Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3okwxm5 Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language : https://ivm.today/3zmhE9i Trinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3PnZkSE U2, Body Snatching and the Irish Way of Death : https://ivm.today/3IQ6fl3 Bombay, Paris and the improbable victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland : https://ivm.today/3AJLa9B Irish roads that go nowhere, Houses no one lives in : https://ivm.today/3PGG95X Titanic, Mosul and the Global shame of Western Museums : https://ivm.today/3R9uBce Three Irish Women, Emigration and India's National Anthem : https://ivm.today/3KfZdqz You can check previous episodes of 'Podcasts from Nowhere' on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9 You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: @whywetravel42 (https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 20, 2022 • 9min
Inuit Throat Singing, Polar Bears and Stillness
"In January 2022, Tanya Tagaq, a 47 year old Canadian singer released her album - Tongues.The Rolling Stone called her ‘one of the avant-garde’s most dynamic performers. The Pitchfork said that her ‘music joins landscape, culture and resistance.’ Music joining landscape and resistance? This week, we travel to a place which has just 2 people per 100 square kilometres - The Canadia Arctic. Tune in, and discover the stories and worldviews of the indigenous Inuit people, and what their connection to nature teaches us about travel. Till then Check out the other episodes of "Ireland Untravelled" Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3okwxm5 Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language : https://ivm.today/3zmhE9i Trinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3PnZkSE U2, Body Snatching and the Irish Way of Death : https://ivm.today/3IQ6fl3 Bombay, Paris and the improbable victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland : https://ivm.today/3AJLa9B Irish roads that go nowhere, Houses no one lives in : https://ivm.today/3PGG95X Titanic, Mosul and the Global shame of Western Museums : https://ivm.today/3R9uBce Three Irish Women, Emigration and India's National Anthem : https://ivm.today/3KfZdqz You can check previous episodes of 'Podcasts from Nowhere' on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9 You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: @whywetravel42 (https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 13, 2022 • 9min
Impossible Journeys, Polynesian Navigation and BRT Wildlife Sanctuary
The island of Satwal in the Pacific Ocean is incredibly small - Just 1 square kilometre and supports a population of 500. And yet, it is home to Mau Piailug, a man who holds the secrets of the some of the most long distance travellers of the world. Travellers who for thousands of years, have traversed vast oceans without any navigational aids. But what does it have to do with the BRT Wildlife Sanctury in Karnataka, India, which is about 7800 kms away from Satwal. This week, we travel from the islands of French Polynesia to the BRT Wildlife Sanctuary and discover the secrets of some of the world's greatest long-distance travellers, which include not just humans, but another species on our planet. Tune in, and discover the life lessons they hold for us. Till then Check out the other episodes of "Ireland Untravelled" Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3okwxm5 Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language : https://ivm.today/3zmhE9i Trinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3PnZkSE U2, Body Snatching and the Irish Way of Death : https://ivm.today/3IQ6fl3 Bombay, Paris and the improbable victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland : https://ivm.today/3AJLa9B Irish roads that go nowhere, Houses no one lives in : https://ivm.today/3PGG95X Titanic, Mosul and the Global shame of Western Museums : https://ivm.today/3R9uBce Three Irish Women, Emigration and India's National Anthem : https://ivm.today/3KfZdqz You can check previous episodes of 'Podcasts from Nowhere' on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9 You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: @whywetravel42 (https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 6, 2022 • 10min
Led Zeppelin, Harry Potter and Murals of Belfast
In 1971, Belfast witnessed a rising rock band debut their unnamed fourth album. Despite their first three albums breaking sales records, the album had a very cold reception. Decades later, a British author shopped her book to over ten publishers, all of whom rejected it. This week, in the fifteenth episode of the series Ireland Untravelled, we discover the connection between the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin, the children's classic Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter and the complicated past and present of the murals of Belfast. Tune in, and discover how art can hold meaning across time and space Till then Check out the other episodes of "Ireland Untravelled" Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3okwxm5 Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language : https://ivm.today/3zmhE9i Trinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3PnZkSE U2, Body Snatching and the Irish Way of Death : https://ivm.today/3IQ6fl3 Bombay, Paris and the improbable victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland : https://ivm.today/3AJLa9B Irish roads that go nowhere, Houses no one lives in : https://ivm.today/3PGG95X Titanic, Mosul and the Global shame of Western Museums : https://ivm.today/3R9uBce Three Irish Women, Emigration and India's National Anthem : https://ivm.today/3KfZdqz You can check previous episodes of 'Podcasts from Nowhere' on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9 You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: @whywetravel42 (https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 29, 2022 • 9min
Ancient Celtic Language, Yetis and the Wood Wide Web
In 1920, Colonel Charles - Bury was nervous about a diplomatic conversation with the then British Viceroy of India. He wanted to convince the Viceroy to allow a trip to Peak XV, which was suspected to be taller than Mount Kanchenjunga. Back in his home in Ireland, at the Charleville Castle, a 400 year tree waited for his arrival. Charles - Bury though, got his approval and was making a fascinating discovery on the route to Peak XV. This week, in the fourteenth episode of the series Ireland Untravelled, we discover an ancient language unlike any other, its deep, fascinating connection with trees, and the need for us to constantly return to nature. Till then Check out the other episodes of "Ireland Untravelled" Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3okwxm5 Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language : https://ivm.today/3zmhE9i Trinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3PnZkSE U2, Body Snatching and the Irish Way of Death : https://ivm.today/3IQ6fl3 Bombay, Paris and the improbable victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland : https://ivm.today/3AJLa9B Irish roads that go nowhere, Houses no one lives in : https://ivm.today/3PGG95X Titanic, Mosul and the Global shame of Western Museums : https://ivm.today/3R9uBce Three Irish Women, Emigration and India's National Anthem : https://ivm.today/3KfZdqz You can check previous episodes of 'Podcasts from Nowhere' on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9 You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: @whywetravel42 (https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.