Episodes

  • Stories from Indian Kitchens: Part 2, ft. Vikas Khanna

    Stories from Indian Kitchens: Part 2, ft. Vikas Khanna
    Apr 13 2023
    To commemorate the six-month run of From the Bookshelves, Divya Shekhar brings you a special episode featuring the latest book of a Michelin-starred celebrity chef. Vikas Khanna speaks about 'Imaginary Rain', the story of an immigrant woman running a restaurant in the US, and a semi-autobiographical dedication to Khanna's grandmother, who is also an inspiration for his cooking. In a straight-from-the-heart conversation, he talks about why he started writing, the challenges of translating Punjabi to English, and why his book is another attempt for him to remain inspired
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Bhairavi Jani on the diversity in Indian entrepreneurship

    Bhairavi Jani on the diversity in Indian entrepreneurship
    Feb 16 2023
    Can you develop a better understanding of your country if you travel across its States for over 18,000 kilometres, on the road? When fourth-generation entrepreneur Bhairavi Jani did that, she discovered interesting truths about India that are now part of her book 'Highway to Swades'. She speaks with Divya Shekhar about why "starting up" is very different in villages and non-metros, how the history of trade has shaped the way we trust and do business, and what her travels taught her about the purpose of enterprise and giving back to society
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka on his next book and life after winning Booker Prize 2022

    Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka on his next book and life after winning Booker Prize 2022
    Feb 2 2023
    Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize 2022 for his novel 'The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida' barely three months ago. He speaks with Divya Shekhar about using ghosts, ghouls and horror to craft a whodunit in the backdrop of the raging civil war in 1990, Sri Lanka, how people in the country use humour to convey pain and trauma, why his next book is on the "absurdities of the corporate world", why he has barely been able to write after the Booker Prize win, and what his win means to writers and the publishing business for his country Sri Lanka
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Kris Gopalakrishnan on framing India's IT story

    Kris Gopalakrishnan on framing India's IT story
    Dec 15 2022
    Kris Gopalakrishnan, Infosys co-founder, looks back at his early days to talk about how a few "middle-class entrepreneurs" built one of India's most successful IT companies, and in the process, describes the emergence of India's technology industry
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Can we trust India's drug regulator? Dinesh Thakur and Prashant Reddy weigh in

    Can we trust India's drug regulator? Dinesh Thakur and Prashant Reddy weigh in
    Oct 20 2022
    Four cough and cold syrups made in India have allegedly caused the death of 66 children in Gambia, which is being investigated by Indian drug regulator. India has had at least five major events of poisoning by DEG in the past. In today's episode, Dinesh Thakur and Prashant Reddy, authors of 'The Truth Pill' published by Simon & Schuster India talk about the problem with drug regulation in India, regulators are more responsive to pharma companies rather than the people of India, and what adverse events due to substandard drugs mean for the $42 billion pharma industry in India
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    23 mins
  • Workplaces need to be less stressful: Aparna Piramal Raje on living with bipolar disorder

    Workplaces need to be less stressful: Aparna Piramal Raje on living with bipolar disorder
    Oct 6 2022
    Aparna Piramal Raje comes from a prominent business family. She is a writer, educator, public speaker, and, in her own words, "happy, thriving and bipolar". Her new book, 'Chemical Khichdi', is published by Penguin Random House India. In this episode of From the Bookshelves of Forbes India, Aparna talks about how she and her family coped with her mental health condition, finding one's identity, the role of privilege in mental health awareness and de-stigmatisation, and why it's important for corporate leaders to be more vulnerable, sensitive and empathetic
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    24 mins
  • Kotler and Sarkar: On brand activism, and why credibility of Indian CEOs is at an all-time low

    Kotler and Sarkar: On brand activism, and why credibility of Indian CEOs is at an all-time low
    Sep 28 2021
    Marketing guru Philip Kotler and Christian Sarkar in their new book discuss the seven wicked topics they have identified for brand activism. The book is an insightful read on how brands end up on either side of the regressive or progressive activism debate, with examples like Anita Roddick building the Body Shop. In this conversation, Kotler and Sarkar discuss moral myopia to brands, why credibility of CEOs in India is at an all-time low, to climate change
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    32 mins
  • Dr Sudipta Sarangi: Why we like free stuff, and the economics of other small things

    Dr Sudipta Sarangi: Why we like free stuff, and the economics of other small things
    Jan 14 2021
    Dr. Sudipta Sarangi's debut novel 'The Economics of Small Things' questions our small actions and why we do things the way we do them, and the economics behind them. The book explains concepts of economics with real life questions, like why we ask for freebies while buying vegetables, and more importantly, why the shopkeeper will give you freebies. The book presents some interesting case studies, including the correlation of the pied piper of Hamelin in the context of economics
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    34 mins