To what extent has gay representation in Indian popular culture evolved? Is it now simply trendy to include gay characters, or are these portrayals also becoming deeper and more meaningful? This week, to kick off Pride Month, we explore how the portrayal of gay lives in Indian popular culture has changed over the decades. Host Sandip Roy speaks to …

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.By Sandip Roy

Trump’s tariff war has left a very sweet and sought after casualty on the docks. Mangos.By Sandip Roy

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.By Sandip Roy

India recently saw heated debates around the three-language formula — a policy suggesting students learn a modern Indian language like Hindi, and English. While some saw it as a backdoor push for Hindi, the real picture might be far more layered. But as we argue over Hindi versus English, or regional versus national languages, a deeper concern ofte…

In a world where we communicate more than ever across time zones and borders Sandip Roy considers the value of a handwritten letter.By Sandip Roy

In 1975, Begum Wilayat Mahal and her children, Princess Sakina and Prince Ali Raza, moved into New Delhi Railway Station, claiming to be descendants of the House of Awadh. After a decade at the station, the government granted them Malcha Mahal, a 14th century hunting lodge deep inside a forest in Delhi. But were they really royalty, or was it all a…

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.By Sandip Roy

Happy New Year! April 15th was the Bengali New Year, but the LAST day of the year means the Charak Mela!By Sandip Roy

Long before press freedom indexes were even conceived, the Urdu newspaper Pratap was speaking truth to power in undivided India — and paying a heavy price for it. Launched in 1919, Pratap quickly ran afoul of the British Raj but remained defiantly independent. After independence, its legacy continued with the launch of Vir Pratap, its Hindi success…

A group trying to save Kolkatas historic trams makes a case that the old streetcars actually benefit the mangroves of the Sundarbans.By Sandip Roy

Freedom fries, the Gulf of America and Cafe Canadiano. Sandip Roy explains.

In this episode, we discuss how early Christian missionaries encountered Hinduism during colonial rule depending on where they landed and whom they met and how they saw very different faiths with different gods, rituals, and customs. Host Sandip Roy is joined by author and historian Manu S. Pillai to discuss his new book, "Gods, Guns and Missionari…

A new approach at the Indian Museum in Kolkata is blending up some interesting pairings. Sandip Roy goes for a visit.By Sandip Roy

Social media was meant to bear witness to our daily lives. Now it might well become a witness for the prosecution.Sandip Roy explains.By Sandip Roy

Social media has revolutionised the world of home chefs, bringing everyday cooks into the spotlight. From a woman in the Northeast showcasing her daily thali of fermented foods to a mother-son duo in rural Bengal cooking over a mud stove, food storytelling is more diverse than ever. Cookbooks are emerging from Dalit kitchens to Saraswat Brahmin tra…

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.

March 3rd was World Wildlife Day and Sandip remembers his very first literary autograph, from Gerald Durrell.By Sandip Roy

For millions in India, the cow is sacred, and many states have laws prohibiting its slaughter. But this raises a question—what do we do with all these cows? And while India reveres the 'Mother Cow,' does the cow herself want to mother anyone beyond her own calf? In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks with Yamini Narayanan about her new book, Mothe…

A lot of people think of Indians as the “model minority.” Hard working, paying taxes and fitting in. But Trump’s focus on Indian immigrants has added another layer to their ‘American’ story.By Sandip Roy

The Cadbury company wants to kill Valentine’s Day, and they have released a powerful foe to do it. The Indian Uncle. Of which group Sandip Roy belongs to.By Sandip Roy

While India has long been known as a tea-drinking nation, the specialtiy coffee scene is rapidly growing, with consumption on the rise and the industry projected to surpass $1 billion by 2032. But is this growth as promising as it seems? In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks to Raghunath Rajaram and Namisha Parthasarathy, founders of Aramse, an i…