Best Southasia Podcasts (2025)

1
Vidya Krishnan on how India's politics magnified its Covid-19 death toll: State of Southasia #24 43:44

5d ago43:44

43:44

In early May, when the world’s attention was on the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan and the threat of war, India’s government released data that showed it in poor light. The new data from the civil registration system – the country's official record of births and deaths – showed that there had been about 3.7 million excess deaths dur…

1
Thomas Bell on a walking history of the Himalayan landscape: Southasia Review of Books podcast #24 49:33

12d ago49:33

49:33

A conversation with the journalist Thomas Bell on his latest book, ‘Human Nature’ , and the social, cultural and natural history of people’s lives in the Himalayan environment . Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanth…

1
Anuradha Bhasin on Kashmir’s repeated calamities through the India-Pakistan conflict: State of Southasia #21 46:54

19d ago46:54

46:54

Since 22 April, when militants carried out a deadly attack in Pahalgam district killing 26 civilians – most of them Hindu tourists – Kashmir has faced one of its worst crises in recent years. The attack triggered a dangerous escalation in hostilities between India and Pakistan with cross-border missile strikes and shelling and a looming threat of w…

1
Michelle de Kretser on her new novel, ‘Theory & Practice’: Southasia Review of Books podcast #23 1:00:53

26d ago1:00:53

1:00:53

A conversation with the Sri Lankan-born Australian author on unsettling the realist novel form and exploring the messy gaps between ideals and actions: https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/michelle-de-kretser-novel-theory-and-practice Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices fro…

1
Alpa Shah on the Bhima Koregaon case and India’s democratic decline: State of Southasia #22 47:08

1M ago47:08

47:08

The Bhima Koragaon case has come to be seen as emblematic of the gravest problems with India's democracy. Between June 2018 and October 2020, 16 people were arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case, accused of inciting violence in a riot and of being part of a conspiracy to assassinate India’s prime minister Narendra Modi. The arrests occurred despite t…

1
Rahul Bhatia on India’s turn towards authoritarianism: Southasia Review of Books podcast #22 1:03:23

1M ago1:03:23

1:03:23

A conversation with the Mumbai-based journalist on the roots of Hindutva, the proliferation of Aadhaar and the surprising origins of India’s identification project. Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha…

1
Pranaya Rana on Nepal’s royalist resurgence: State of Southasia #21 52:37

2M ago52:37

52:37

In early March this year, a massive gathering of some 10,000 royalist supporters gathered to greet Nepal's former king, Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, as he returned to the capital Kathmandu from the city of Pokhara. The rally had political observers in Kathmandu wonder about the possibility of a return to monarchy in Nepal. On Friday, 28 March, a simi…

1
Anand Teltumbde on the contested legacy of B R Ambedkar: Southasia Review of Books podcast #21 1:31:38

2M ago1:31:38

1:31:38

In a sharp critique of iconisation, Teltumbde pushes back against the hagiography surrounding B R Ambedkar, calling for a nuanced reassessment of his contested legacy in view of the ongoing oppression of Dalits in India today. Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging l…

1
Shafiur Rahman on the Rohingya’s endless troubles in Bangladesh: State of Southasia #20 40:44

2M ago40:44

40:44

The Rohingya are facing a new crisis. Cuts to foreign aid by the United States government under Donald Trump have caused huge upsets in the humanitarian sector worldwide and refugees are among the hardest hit. The cuts have caused a freeze on funds in healthcare facilities within Rohingya camps in Bangladesh leading to a reduction in doctors and he…

1
The Sri Lankan-Pākehā writer Saraid de Silva on her Women’s Prize longlisted novel ‘Amma’: Southasia Review of Books podcast #20 27:53

2M ago27:53

27:53

A conversation with the Sri Lankan-Pākehā writer on exploring anger, trauma, queerness and displacement in a multigenerational saga of three women from the Southasian diaspora. Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this epis…

1
Jayati Ghosh on USAID the politics of foreign aid: State of Southasia #19 39:28

2M ago39:28

39:28

In January this year, soon after taking over as president of the United States for the second time, Donald Trump announced a suspension of all prgrammes of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), pending review. Six weeks later, the United States government announced that it was shutting down 83 percent of those programmes, …

1
Mohamed Shafeeq Karinkurayil on the cultural archives of Gulf migration in Kerala: Southasia Review of Books podcast #19 59:57

3M ago59:57

59:57

A conversation with Mohamed Shafeeq Karinkurayil on documenting the cultural imaginaries of Kerala and the Gulf through migrants’ literary and visual records of their transnational lives and aspirations. https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/ mohamed-shafeeq-karinkurayil-kerala-gulf-migrant-archives Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from …

1
Manan Ahmed Asif on Lahore as a city exiled from its pasts: Southasia Review of Books podcast #18 56:29

3M ago56:29

56:29

A conversation onLahore’s histories, the role of itinerancy, memory and violence, and the questions of state control and nationalism in Pakistan. https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/manan-ahmed-asif-lahore-pakistan-writing-history Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging …

1
Yasmin Sooka on truth and reconciliation in Sri Lanka: State of Southasia #18 55:18

3M ago55:18

55:18

In December, the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), an international non-government organisation working to promote justice and accountability in Sri Lanka after its civil war, announced that it had in recent years submitted more than 60 sanction and travel ban requests against Sri Lankan officials and security personnel for alleged hu…

1
Nusrat F Jafri on a personal history of caste and conversions in India: Southasia Review of Books podcast #17 1:03:07

4M ago1:03:07

1:03:07

Uncovering her maternal ancestors’ past rooted in the Bhantu identity, the cinematographer and writer Nusrat F Jafri offers a rare account of the so-called criminal tribe, the circumstances of their conversions and the continuities of caste oppression in India today. himalmag.com/podcast/nusrat-jafri-caste-conversions-identity-india Welcome to the …

1
Kanupriya Dhingra on the survival of Old Delhi’s book bazaar: Southasia Review of Books podcast #16 40:42

4M ago40:42

40:42

A conversation with the book historian on how Daryaganj’s Patri Kitab Bazaar tells the story of Delhi’s urban aspirations, spatial politics and informal economies: https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/kanupriya-dhingra-delhi-daryaganj-book-bazaarWelcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors…

1
Priyanka Dubey on the risks to journalists in India’s hinterlands: State of Southasia #17 37:13

4M ago37:13

37:13

On 3 January, the body of Mukesh Chandrakar, a journalist in the Bastar region of India’s Chhattisgarh state, was found in a septic tank, bearing signs that he had been brutally killed. He had been missing for two days. Investigations into the case indicate that his murder is linked to his reporting for a national news channel about corruption in a…

1
Weena Pun on the invisibility of women in Nepal’s society and literature: Southasia Review of Books podcast #15 42:58

4M ago42:58

42:58

A conversation with the Nepali-born writer on her debut novel ‘Kanchhi’, and capturing the realities of women’s lives in rural Nepal. https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/weena-pun-kanchhi-women-rural-nepal-literature Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voice…

1
Susan Banki on the battles of Nepali-Bhutanese refugees: State of Southasia #16 51:00

5M ago51:00

51:00

Bhutan’s Nepali-speaking diaspora, created by the expulsion of the Lhotshampa in the 1990s, can help the country’s tottering economy, the researcher says – if the Bhutan government were ready to reach out. In the introduction to her book The Ecosystem of Exile Politics: Why Proximity and Precarity Matter for Bhutan’s Homeland Activists, Susan Banki…

1
Sadaf Wani on the lifeworlds of Srinagar: Southasia Review of Books podcast #14 49:09

5M ago49:09

49:09

In her biography of the city, the Kashmiri writer highlights the complications of Srinagar’s identity and recentres the everyday lives of its people, particularly women. https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/srinagar-kashmir-identity-women-memory-tourism-history-sadaf-wani Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we …

1
Southasia in review 2024 44:06

5M ago44:06

44:06

Putting the year in perspective, editor Roman Gautam and the hosts of Himal’s podcasts take a look back at the highlights, stories and episodes that shaped an extraordinary and challenging year December is nearly over, and 2025 is just around the corner, so we’re bringing you a very special episode where Himal’s editor Roman Gautam and podcast host…

1
State of Southasia #15: Sana Batool on anti-Shia violence in Pakistan 28:59

6M ago28:59

28:59

On 21 November, a deadly attack targeted a convoy of Shia Muslims traveling from Parachinar to Peshawar in Pakistan’s Kurram district, a region with a long history of sectarian violence. The convoy, consisting of over 100 vehicles, was ambushed by Sunni extremists on the Tal Parachinar Road, a crucial lifeline for the Shia-majority area. Despite be…

1
Southasia Review of Books podcast #13: Tariq Ali on a life in writing and dissent 53:51

6M ago53:51

53:51

In his new memoir, spanning the 1980s and the present, the renowned writer and activist reflects on neoliberalism in the West and turmoil in Southasia, and fiercely critiques the War on Terror and the crimes of Israel: https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/writing-dissent-activism-southasia-palestine-revolutions-memoir-tariq-ali We’re on a mission to gi…

1
State of Southasia #14: Patricia Mukhim on Manipur’s unending crisis 38:05

6M ago38:05

38:05

Manipur has been mired in an ethnic and political conflict since May 2023, primarily involving violent clashes between the Meitei community, which predominantly resides in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki-Zomi-Hmars, which are tribal communities mostly living in the state's hilly areas. The violence, fueled by longstanding ethnic tensions, has resul…

1
Southasia Review of Books podcast #12: Ari Gautier on the dark side of Pondicherry 1:25:25

6M ago1:25:25

1:25:25

Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan, associate editor at Himal Southasian, speaks to Ari Gautier on his new short story collection, Nocturne Pondicherry, translated from the French by Roopa…

1
State of Southasia #13: Pankaj Sekhsaria on India’s Great Nicobar misadventure 47:56

6M ago47:56

47:56

In September, India’s home minister Amit Shah suddenly announced a name change for the capital of the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands – from Port Blair to Sri Vijaya Puram. He said the move was meant to “free the nation from the colonial imprints”. But surprised residents of the islands were not entirely happy with the new name that …

1
Southasia Review of Books podcast #11: Sex, scandal and the death of a poet in 1970s Karachi 56:00

7M ago56:00

56:00

In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan, associate editor at Himal Southasian, speaks to the journalists Saba Imtiaz and Tooba Masood-Khan about their new book Society Girl: A Tale of Sex, Lies, and Scandal (October 2024, Roli Books). On one October morning in 1970, phones began ringing all over Karachi. The established poet and former civil servant Mu…

1
State of Southasia #12: Hurmat Ali Shah on Pashtuns and the Pakistani state 44:03

7M ago44:03

44:03

In January 2018, Naqeebullah Mehsud, a young Pashtun from Waziristan was killed at the hands of police in Karachi. The incident triggered mass protests by Pashtuns, the ethnic community to which Mehsud belonged, which then consolidated into the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). Pashtuns had for decades alleged and protested extra judicial killings an…

1
Southasia Review of Books podcast #10: Zara Chowdhary on ‘The Lucky Ones’ and surviving the violence of the 2002 Gujarat pogrom 1:05:01

7M ago1:05:01

1:05:01

Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan, associate editor at Himal Southasian, speaks to the writer, producer, and educator Zara Chowdhary, joining us from Madison, to talk about her memoir, Th…

1
State of Southasia #11: Jyoti Rahman on rebuilding democracy in Bangladesh 51:55

7M ago51:55

51:55

In mid-October, the Bangladesh interim government announced the cancellation of eight national holidays introduced by Sheikh Hasina during her tenure as prime minister. These holidays celebrated her father and former president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as well as Bangladesh’s liberation from Pakistan in 1971. An adviser to the interim government headed…

1
SaRB #09: Geetanjali Shree and Daisy Rockwell on ‘Our City That Year’ 1:01:44

8M ago1:01:44

1:01:44

Geetanjali Shree’s Our City That Year, translated by Daisy Rockwell (Penguin India, August 2024), is a tale of a city under siege, reflecting a society that lies fractured along fault lines of faith and ideology. First published in 1998, Our City That Year is loosely based on the communal riots and violence in the lead-up to the demolition of the B…

1
State of Southasia #10: Ambika Satkunanathan on the landmark political shift in Sri Lanka 48:40

8M ago48:40

48:40

In 2019, Anura Kumara Dissanayake contested Sri Lanka’s presidential election against the incumbent Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He won only three percent of the vote. In the parliamentary elections a year later, the National People’s power – the coalition that includes Dissanayake’s party, the Janata Vimukti Peramuna – won only three seats. The JVP was dis…

1
State of Southasia #09: Anna M M Vetticad on the gender reckoning in Malayalam cinema 57:28

9M ago57:28

57:28

On 19 August, the government of the Indian state of Kerala released 233 pages of a report on gender discrimination in the Malayalam language film industry based in the state. The government released the report six years after it was commissioned and more than four years after it was first submitted. The report has come to be called the Hema Committ…

1
SaRB #08: The Afghan women writers who bore witness to the fall of Kabul 1:29:56

9M ago1:29:56

1:29:56

In the three years since its return to power, the Taliban have excluded women and girls from almost every aspect of public life in Afghanistan, denying them access to education, employment, even speaking or showing their faces outside their homes. Published this August, My Dear Kabul: A Year in the Life of An Afghan Women’s Writing Group (Coronet, …

1
State of Southasia #08: Kate Clark on how Afghans are coping after three years of Taliban rule 49:05

9M ago49:05

49:05

On 21 August, Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers formally issued “vice and virtue” laws codifying rules of lifestyle and behaviour, entrenching their control over social interactions and the private lives of people in the country. Unsurprisingly, the strictest measures relate to the dress and demeanour of women. The laws say that Muslim women must cover …

1
Southasia Review of Books podcast #7: Neha Dixit 52:17

10M ago52:17

52:17

Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan, assistant editor at Himal Southasian, speaks to Neha Dixit about her debut non-fiction book The Many Lives of Syeda X: The Story of an Unknown Indian. N…

1
State of Southasia #07: Ali Riaz on Bangladesh’s mass protests 55:32

10M ago55:32

55:32

In this episode of ‘State of Southasia’, Nayantara Narayanan speaks to Ali Riaz, distinguished professor at Illinois State University, who studies democratisation, violent extremism, political Islam, and Southasian and Bangladeshi politics. Riaz details how, after the government displayed absolute disregard for people’s lives, it has further lost l…

1
Southasia Review of Books podcast #06: Vajra Chandrasekera 57:49

11M ago57:49

57:49

Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan, assistant editor at Himal Southasian, speaks to the Colombo-based author Vajra Chandrasekera about his debut novel 'The Saint of Bright Doors' (July 202…

1
State of Southasia #06: Harsh Mander on fighting the Hindu right’s social project of hate in India 58:13

11M ago58:13

58:13

In this episode of State of Southasia, assistant editor Nayantara Narayanan speaks to Harsh Mander, the peace activist and founder of Karwan-e-Mohabbat, a campaign in solidarity with victims of communal or religious violence.Mander says that over the past decade the Modi regime has normalised, legitimised, valourised and incentivised hate to such a…

1
Screen Southasia: Q/A on 'Split Ends' with filmmaker Rajan Kathet 36:59

12M ago36:59

36:59

At Screen Southasia, we host monthly online screenings of compelling documentaries from the region, including Nepal, India, Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka. We present a diverse range of films, both classic and new, that showcase the unique cultures, histories and perspectives of Southasia.…

1
Southasia Review of Books podcast #05: Siddhartha Deb on India’s macabre new realities 53:05

12M ago53:05

53:05

Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan, assistant editor at Himal Southasian, speaks to Siddhartha Deb about his novel 'The Light at the End of the World' and his latest book, 'Twilight Prison…

1
Himal Fiction Fest 2024: The future of Southasian Fiction in Translation 1:51:31

12M ago1:51:31

1:51:31

Welcome to the second edition of the Himal Fiction Fest, where we celebrated Southasian fiction in translation. Southasia’s rich literary tradition spans hundreds of languages, cultures, regions and traditions – and translators play a vital role in bringing these works the exposure and recognition they deserve, and connect. To kick off the festival…

1
State of Southasia #05: Journalism in crisis across Southasia 56:27

12M ago56:27

56:27

In this episode of State of Southasia, Nayantara Narayanan speaks to Laxmi Murthy, a senior journalist and the editor of the report, about the important role of the media and the struggles of journalists working in crisis conditions in an especially important year for the region, when several countries in Southasia are holding elections. (Disclosur…

1
Southasia Review of Books Podcast #04: Sumana Roy on literature from the Southasian provinces 39:03

1y ago39:03

39:03

Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan, assistant editor at Himal Southasian, speaks to the Siliguri-based poet, writer and essayist Sumana Roy about her latest book 'Provincials: Postcards fr…

1
State of Southasia #04: Counting the costs of another historic heatwave in Southasia 56:37

1y ago56:37

56:37

Extreme heat has immense economic and social impacts in Southasia, an area that is most vulnerable to heat, that is densely populated, and that has a large numbers of people living in poverty. Research says that extreme heat is here to stay and will likely only get worse. An analysis of the 2022 heatwave across India and Pakistan showed that human-…

1
Southasia Review of Books Podcast #03: Taha Kehar on Southasian mystery novels 33:39

1y ago33:39

33:39

Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan, assistant editor at Himal Southasian, speaks to the Karachi-based author Taha Kehar about his latest novel No Funeral for Nazia. https://www.himalmag.co…

1
State of Southasia #03: Aakar Patel on the unprecedented threats to India’s election 51:48

1y ago51:48

51:48

Over the last many decades, India has taken pride in an election process that, while allowing close to a billion people to exercise their franchise, has always been largely free and fair. However, Narendra Modi’s government has taken a series of actions that have called the sanctity of the country's 2024 general elections into question. This includ…

1
Southasian Conversation: The costs of Reliance's wildlife ambitions 1:33:55

1y ago1:33:55

1:33:55

This Southasian Conversation looks at the costs of Reliance's wildlife ambitions, featuring conservationist M D Madhusudan, environmental lawyer Shibani Ghosh and journalist M Rajshekhar in conversation with Roman Gautam, Editor of Himal Southasian.Led by Anant Ambani and supported by the Indian government, the Reliance conglomerate’s effort to she…

1
Southasia Review of Books Podcast #02: Smriti Ravindra on ‘The Woman Who Climbed Trees’ 34:18

1y ago34:18

34:18

Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan, assistant editor at Himal Southasian, speaks to the author Smriti Ravindra about her debut novel 'The Woman Who Climbed Trees' and the representation of…

1
State of Southasia #02: Ayesha Siddiqa on Pakistan’s election and its message for the military 48:40

1y ago48:40

48:40

In this episode of State of Southasia, Nayantara Narayanan speaks to Ayesha Siddiqa, a political and military analyst from Pakistan and currently a senior fellow at the department of war studies at King’s College in London. Siddiqa is also the author of Military Inc, a revelatory book about the Pakistan military’s economic activities and their fall…

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