Books and Beyond with Bound

What if the key to environmental action isn’t outrage, but observation? And what if the real climate crisis is a crisis of attention?

In this powerful conversation, nature writer and activist Yuvan Aves talks about his lyrical and politically urgent book Intertidal. Set along Chennai’s disappearing coasts and wetlands, the book prompts readers to notice, remember, and reconnect with the living world around them. 

Yuvan shares how he ...

What happens when a celebrated film journalist turns the camera inward? 

In this moving episode, veteran critic and author Bhawana Somaaya unpacks her memoir Farewell Karachi. Known for her decades-long career documenting Bollywood’s biggest stars like Hema Malini and Amitabh Bachchan, Bhawana shares the deeply personal stories behind her family’s displacement from Karachi to Mumbai during Partition.

She recounts everything from her ...

What if one secret could shatter everything you thought you knew about your family?

In this episode, Bhavika Govil dives into her haunting, lyrical novel Hot Water, a coming-of-age story about the silences that pull families apart.

Bhavika talks about the novel’s striking water motif and the emotional and craft challenges of writing Ashu, a 14-year-old boy and Meera, a 9-year-old girl, and trying to make them feel both real and raw.

T...

Tried a fad diet and a get-rich scheme, but failed to do both? Let's talk about what actually works.

Ankush Datar, the author of The Health and Wealth Paradox, breaks down the complexities of health and financial planning by getting back to the core principles. His unique approach explains how managing your health and wealth isn’t so different after all. In this episode, Tara Khandelwal and Ankush explore how first principles t...

Lost in Translation? Or Found in the Process?

In this episode, we talk to Gowri Ramnarayan and Kamalakar Bhat, two translators dedicated to bringing Tamil and Kannada texts to life in English.

Gowri shares the complex challenges of translating her grandfather’s historical novel, Ponniyin Selvan, from seamlessly blending poetry into prose to interpreting the layered meanings of cultural expressions. Kamalakar open...

What happens when the love of family feels more like a battlefield?

In her debut novel Famous Last Questions, Sanjana Ramachandran explores the messy, painful, and sometimes beautiful struggle of growing up caught between parental expectations and the search for your true self. With sharp honesty and warmth, she dives into themes of rebellion, identity, and the healing power of mindfulness.

Join Tara and Sanjana as they tra...

Are the wrong people making the biggest decisions at your company?

Tara and Michelle talk to Jennifer Sundberg—co-founder of Board Intelligence and co-author of Collective Intelligence—about why most leadership teams are flying blind. They dive into how poorly framed questions and bloated reports sabotage decision-making, why writing is thinking, and how to fix broken systems from the inside out. With examples ranging from NASA to F...

Should we boycott problematic authors—or just read them with guilt? Tara and Michelle dive into the messy politics of author scandals, from cancel culture to complicity. Plus, what happens when AI writes a book? Would you read it? Should it even exist?

Tune in for a no-holds-barred chat on the ethics of art, the limits of accountability, and how readers can show up for real authors in a shifting industry. They also spill on their ow...

What do a privileged student with a saviour complex and an ambitious outsider in Bollywood have in common?

Debut authors Nayantara Alva and Puneet Sikka take us into two very different Indias—one set in a liberal arts college, the other on a chaotic film set. 

Tara and Michelle chat with the authors about their writing processes, the themes that shaped their coming-of-age novels, and how they brought their lived ...

Tara talks to journalist and debut author Atharva Pandit, whose novel Hurda is inspired by a real-life case that briefly made headlines in 2013, and then vanished.

What begins as a mystery about three missing girls from a village in Maharashtra becomes a statement on what gets remembered and what gets buried. 

Atharva shares how a two-page newspaper feature became the seed for a decade-long creative journey. He discusses the blurry b...

Ever wondered how translators breathe life into stories across languages? Or what it takes to bring the essence of one culture into another?

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara and Michelle unravel the secrets of literary translation with two of India’s finest: Arunava Sinha, who has translated over 80 masterpieces, and Ministhy S., known for her thought-provoking translations of powerful and diverse narratives.

From the untold...

Curious about how contemporary fiction explores women's sexuality, family, and the messy transition into adulthood?

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara and Michelle sit down with Anisha Lalvani to discuss her debut novel, Girls Who Stray, a coming-of-age story set in Noida. The novel follows A, a 23-year-old literature graduate, as she navigates love, family, and a tangle of crime and self-discovery.

Anisha shares how her ...

How do teenage years shape the way we view the world around us?

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle and Tara chat with 20-year-old author and philosophy blogger Saania Saxena about her debut book, Teenage Chronicles. Saania, who started her blog at just 12 to cope with school pressures, created a book that features five relatable teenage characters navigating emotions like jealousy, anger, and the complexities of friendshi...

What do a right-wing YouTube creator and a small-town salesgirl have in common? 

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle and Tara sit down with Prayaag Akbar, author of Mother India, to explore the intersections of identity, ambition, and the rapid transformations of urban India. Through the lives of Mayank, a right-wing YouTuber, and Nisha, a small-town salesgirl navigating Delhi’s class-driven chaos, Prayaag examines the hum...

Curious about how fiction unravels the complexities of identity and migration?

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle and Tara sit down with Ammar Kalia, author of A Person is a Prayer, and Ram Murali, author of Death in the Air, to discuss their remarkable debut novels.

Ammar Kalia explores the ripple effects of migration on family dynamics through the lens of Bedi’s journey from Kenya to India. Ram Murali’s Death in the Air ...

As India rises on the world stage, what stories and narratives are we ready to share?

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara and Michelle speak with author Sriram Devtha the author of Amrut:  The Great Churn. Diving into the heart of Indian brands that have received global recognition with Amrut Distilleries, a brand pushing boundaries in the whiskey market. We explore the journey from its early days to becoming a major soft powe...

Curious about India’s unique relationship with the environment and the often-overlooked heroes who shaped it?

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle and Tara welcome celebrated historian Dr. Ramachandra Guha, and talk about his recent book Speaking with Nature. Known for his extensive work on Gandhi, Dr. Guha now uncovers the lives of Indian environmentalists who, since the 19th century, championed sustainable ways of living ...

Ever been captivated by the supernatural or curious about the secrets behind spirit worship?

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle sits down with Hari Kumar, author of Daiva, who takes us into the fascinating world of spirit worship practiced in Karnataka and northern Kerala’s Tulu Nadu region. Hari dives into the intense practice of spirit possession, where individuals become vessels for powerful spirits like Panjurli and B...

Curious about how fiction explores the intersection of identity, memory, and love? 

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle and Tara sit down with Dharini Bhaskar author of ‘Like Being Alive Twice’ and Rupleena Bose author of ‘Summer of Then’ to talk about the art of writing female coming-of-age stories. They dive into the challenges of creating relatable female characters and discuss how their personal experiences shape their...