Dispatches from Kolkata

Dispatches from Kolkata

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

Domestic vs Natal Family abuse

August 13, 2025 • 6 mins
Swayam, a feminist prganization in India, is hoping to make everyone think about "domestic" violence differently.
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Finger Lickin' Good

August 6, 2025 • 6 mins
Civilazation is always in the eye of the beholder, as Sandip was reminded of after Texas Congressman Brandon Gill's recent comment about proper dining etiquette.
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It's a Small World

July 30, 2025 • 6 mins
The news that there might be a Disneyland spread over 500 acres of Manesar in Gurugram near New Delhi has set social media afire in India.
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The Sound of Thrichy

July 16, 2025 • 6 mins
Sandip journeys to Thrichy in south India where he understands of what's being said around him. And finds it oddly calming.
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An Indian Emergency in America

July 9, 2025 • 6 mins
The Indian community in America is often seen as uncles and aunties who are just interested in Diwali parties and temples and acting as cheerleaders for the government back home.But in 1975 they did step up for democracy.
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Visible or Seen

July 2, 2025 • 6 mins
As another Pride month comes to a close Sandip asks the question is being visible enough?
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Language Soup

June 11, 2025 • 6 mins
Language is a loaded thing around the world these days. In the USA Spanish as a language has become a hot button political issue in some parts. But no one has it as bad as India.
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Times Are Changin'

June 4, 2025 • 6 mins
When Sandip came to America on his student visa his biggest concern was weather or not to bring a pressure cooker. Today the concern is a bit more than that.
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City of Terraces

May 28, 2025 • 6 mins
In a world preoccupied with exerting our rights over a patch of land, Sandip remembers he once I had a patch of sky as well and a clothesline strung across it where his stories could hang out to dry.
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Mangos No More

May 21, 2025 • 6 mins
Trump’s tariff war has left a very sweet and sought after casualty on the docks. Mangos.
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The Marble Man Who Made Classic Films

May 14, 2025 • 6 mins
As Indians celebrate the 140th birth anniversary of Satyajit Ray another story is coming to light. How a humble business man became his most ardent fan and producer.
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Postcards

April 30, 2025 • 6 mins
In a world where we communicate more than ever across time zones and borders Sandip Roy considers the value of a handwritten letter.
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Something Fishy

April 23, 2025 • 6 mins
We have become a country of food pop-ups and one where everyone’s food sticks in someone else’s craw. As the political row over the Chittaranjan Park fish market shows when someone is ready to fish in troubled waters even a red herring will do.
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Charak Mela

April 16, 2025 • 6 mins
Happy New Year! April 15th was the Bengali New Year, but the LAST day of the year means the Charak Mela!
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Tram Fest!

April 9, 2025 • 7 mins
A group trying to save Kolkatas historic trams makes a case that the old streetcars actually benefit the mangroves of the Sundarbans.
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Café Canadiano

April 2, 2025 • 6 mins
Freedom fries, the Gulf of America and Cafe Canadiano. Sandip Roy explains.
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Museums in the Museum

March 26, 2025 • 6 mins
A new approach at the Indian Museum in Kolkata is blending up some interesting pairings. Sandip Roy goes for a visit.
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Look Before You Post

March 19, 2025 • 6 mins
Social media was meant to bear witness to our daily lives. Now it might well become a witness for the prosecution.Sandip Roy explains.
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Pure Imagination

March 12, 2025 • 6 mins
We all love chocolate. And Sandip used to bring home little samples of the confection to share with his family and friends in India. But perhaps he didn’t need to travel so far.
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Durrell at 100

March 6, 2025 • 6 mins
March 3rd was World Wildlife Day and Sandip remembers his very first literary autograph, from Gerald Durrell.
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