8.2 Puneet Sikka and Nayantara Alva: Finding Love In Unexpected Places, Two New Coming of Age Stories

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 experiences to the page. Nayantara unpacks creative burnout, messiness in friendships, and reclaiming self-worth. Puneet explores reinvention, reality TV, and what it means to be seen.

If you’re curious about how authors build layered, complex characters or want a peek behind the scenes of the Indian creative industry, this episode’s for you.

Books, shows and films mentioned in this episode:

• Calling Sehmat - Harinder S. Sikka
• Kimino Nawa
• Women Who Run with the Wolves - Clarissa Pinkola Estés
• The Artist's Way - Julia Cameron
• Fleabag - Phoebe Waller-Bridge
• The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón
• Girl, Woman, Other - Bernardine Evaristo
• Body Kintsugi- Senka Marić

‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.