India Booked Trailer

In the first episode, India Booked talks to Manimugdha Sharma, News Editor and author of Allahu Akbar: Understanding the Great Mughal in Today's India. Listen to discover about mughals, akbars, nationalism and how bollywood gets Akbar wrong.

Manimugdha Sharma is a quizzer, a journalist, and holds an interest and education in history. In Allahu Akbar, he combines his love and knowledge of the past, to give us an interesting oral account of what Akbar represents in today's times. We discuss Akbar's ruthless achievements in warfare, his political savviness and how media agenda setting and the (mis)representation of matters has not changed through times. We also touch upon the subject of secularism and discuss if Akbar was the statesman he's made to be and ask the pertinent question: should the present be judged by the yardstick of the past? Listen in to find out!

 In the second episode, travel through a Christian village in Meghalaya, meet the Kolkata-based Jewish community and feast on the 56-course feast at Jagannath as India Booked talks to Varud Gupta, author of the cookbook-cum-travelouge Bhagwaan Ke Pakwaan. Listen to discover what he has to share on the connections between faith and food in the communities of India and how they are trying to preserve their culinary cultures.

Varud Gupta is an NYU graduate in Finance. He has also penned Chhotu, a coming-of-age graphic novel set against the Partition. Bhagwaan ke Pakwaan, which loosely translates to Food of the Gods, captures stories of what different cultures have to offer around their famous recipes. Listen now to find out how food, faith, and community are interwoven in India and how the stories came together in the book.