Books and Beyond with Bound

Ever wonder how historical mysteries unfold in fiction? 

In this episode of Books and Beyond Tara and Michelle chat with Priyanka Pathak Narain, author of The Somnath Cipher. Her novel is packed with ancient puzzles, cryptic messages, and real historical events like Mahmud of Ghazni's invasion. She shares her experiences as an investigative journalist, covering stories like the Mark Foley scandal, and her transition to reportin...

In this episode of Books & Beyond Tara and Michelle dive into the thrilling world of ‘The Descendants’ by Laksh Maheshwari and Ashish Kavi. The novel begins with a meteor landing where Jay and his mentor Kaka find a fascinating element in the orb. Their quest leads to explosive family secrets with roots stretching all the way back to the Mahabharata war.

First in the trilogy, the novel exquisitely blends elements of mythology, f...

Ever dreamed of opening your own restaurant? Wondering what it takes to turn that dream into reality? 

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle and Tara chat with Ravi Wazir, author of Beyond the Menu who has over 30 years of experience in hospitality. Ravi spills the secrets of running a successful restaurant – from understanding what customers want to balancing creativity and business. He shares the highs and lows of managing...

How are mourning practices in India varied? Are mourning rituals gendered? 

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara speaks with Dr. Minakshi Dewan about her book The Final Farewell: Understanding the Last Rites and Rituals of India’s Major Faiths. After her father’s death, Dr. Minakshi chose to personally perform the Antim Sanskar, a ritual traditionally reserved for male family members. This experience, combined with her period o...

Are influencers rewriting the rules of publishing?

Back with a brand new season of Books and Beyond, in this episode Tara and Michelle discuss the rise of influencer books and what it means for the Indian publishing scene. From the buzz at Penguin Palooza to the power of social media, they dig into how influencer-led content is changing the game. Plus, they tackle the big question: what happens to traditional authors when influencer...

How can data make or break a company? Is all data useful? And can data be “too much of a good thing”?

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara speaks to Nitin Seth, CEO at Incedo and the author of Mastering the Data Paradox and Nirmalya Kumar, a Professor and former Strategy Head for the Tata Group, who has written Clash: Amazon vs. Walmart. 

They discuss how data on its own is nothing unless you know how to use it and the pros and ...

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara speaks to Mitali Mukherjee about her book Cryptocrimes.

Tara and Mitali dive into the chaotic world of cryptocurrency, and discover why Mitali compares it to a naughty child running amok in a classroom. Through engaging anecdotes and insightful conversations, she explores the intersection of crypto technology and India’s jugaad culture. Mitali unearths the dark side of cryptocurrency in Indi...

Can a corvid detective solve a murder? Why does the weather department need a singer? And how does a cloud herder take care of his flock? Find out the truth behind all these stories in Gigi Ganguly’s new book “Biopeculiar”. 

This is the first-ever book of Westland’s new speculative imprint ‘IF’. 

In this episode, Gigi and Michelle discuss their love for weird stories, the animals that inspired Gigi to write, and why a spec fic imprin...

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.

This is the basic plot of ‘Strange Sally Diamond’ whose author, Liz Nugent joined Tara and Michelle on this episode of Books & Beyond to discuss Irish crime writing and the complexities of writing about trauma and identity.

Together they shared their perspectives on the ...

In this episode, Tara and Michelle speak to Vibha Kagzi, author of ‘Break The MBA Code’ - a book that goes into detail about how to get into Ivy League colleges and what a person should do to make their admission application more appealing.

They talked about the challenges of pursuing an MBA as a woman, with speakers sharing their personal experiences and insights. Vibha debunked common myths surrounding MBA admissions, emphasizing ...

Content Warning: Discussions about torture, violence, and mental health issues.

The most agonizing and horrifying torture devices from the medieval era - but with a twist!

In this episode, Tara and Michelle speak to Aparna Sanyal, author of 'Instruments of Torture' - a book that explores modern society through metaphorical depictions of 8 torture devices. From ‘The Spanish Boot’ that covers impossible beauty standards to ‘T...

Who is India’s first ‘Birdwoman’? Who is the ‘Turtle Girl’? 
How many of India’s women wildlife biologists can you name?

In this episode, Tara speaks with Anita Mani, editor of ‘Women in the Wild’ - an anthology of stories of India’s pioneering women wildlife biologists.

 From the 1940s to the present, Anita features the profiles of Indian women who dedicated their life to protecting biodiversity, from Jamal A...

This is the story of an entrepreneur who almost sold his soul to AI.

In this episode, Michelle speaks with Appupen and Laurent Daudent, the illustrator-scientist duo that came together to create 'Dream Machine' - a graphic novel on AI! The book follows Hugo, who is on the verge of selling his AI tech to a large corporation. But what if the motives behind this purchase are not exactly ethical?

Appupen and...

Before Adam and Eve, there was Adam and Lilith.
But who is Lilith and what happened to her?

In this episode, Michelle speaks with Shinie Antony, author of ‘Eden Abandoned’, which tells the story of Adam’s first wife and the first woman ever - Lilith.  When Lilith refused to submit to Adam, she got banished from Eden and erased from the scriptures. But what did she do next?

Michelle and Shinie discuss villainiz...

It might be time to ditch the traditional path to success and follow the path of “evil”! 

In this episode, Michelle and Tara speak with Anand Neelakanthan, author of the ‘The Asura Way’, a book that redefines the asura lifestyle and explores why “negative” traits like anger, pride, competition, commonly associated with the asuras, can actually benefit us!

In this exciting partnership series with Jaico Publishing H...

What does one of India's top entrepreneurs have to say about writing, making money, and marketing books?

In this episode, Tara and Michelle speak with Ankur Warikoo, bestselling author of 'Make Epic Money', a book that teaches you everything you wish you knew about money!
Ankur talks about how his relationship with money changed, gaining financial freedom, and writing a book for youngsters to learn every...

Discover some of the finest works of Indian detective fiction, all in one place!

In this episode, Michelle and Aishwarya speak with Tarun Saint, curator of 'The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction', Volumes 1 and 2! The first of its kind, the anthology compiles everything from intriguing whodunits, supernatural mysteries, and serial murders, spread across two volumes.

Join us as Tarun talks about g...

What's it like being a female taxi driver in a city notorious for being unsafe for women?

In this episode, Michelle speaks with Manjula Padmanabhan, author of 'Taxi', whose protagonist, 'Maddy', runs a women's-only taxi service in Delhi! And when Maddy receives an attractive job offer as a pretend male chauffeur for a powerful old man, she accepts and becomes 'Madan'. But what happen...

South Asia boasts a less than 1% divorce rate. But the real reason behind it is far from happy marriages.

In this episode, Tara and Michelle sit down with Aisha Sarwari and Shasvathi Siva, as they talk about misogyny and marriages in South Asia.

Aisha's book, 'Heart Tantrums', is a memoir that addresses her immigrant life and her marriage to a man with a personality-altering brain tumor and how, d...