Books and Authors

By: Hindustan Times - HT Smartcast
  • Summary

  • In this podcast, National Books Editor Manjula Narayan tells you about books, authors and their journeys. This is a Hindustan Times production, brought to you by HT Smartcast
    Show More Show Less
Episodes
  • In the land of the lotus eaters
    Jan 10 2025
    Bhang has been mentioned in the Vedas; the use of cannabis as a medicinal boon has been mentioned in a lot of Indian scriptures for thousands of years, and it has been used in Ayurveda. During the British era, the colonisers looked down upon cannabis usage among Indians. They were familiar with alcohol but not with ganja and they considered it beneath them. So, it is the recent history of cannabis in India that has made it taboo. But it is still the most used "illicit" narcotic in the country. In India, with even something that's illegal, if it's culturally appropriate, a lot of people will tun a blind eye. This is so especially in the north of the country. India is very complex and its perspectives towards this plant are also very complex and divisive. In places like Uttarakhand and Himachal, the attitude to cannabis is different; in the south, in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, even openly talking about using it is a big no-no" Karan Madhok, author, 'Ananda; An Exploration of Cannabis in India' talks to Manjula Narayan about everything from Lord Shiva and the availability of bhang in Banaras, Manipur's Satjal and Kawariyas to the immense economic potential of the plant, its medicinal uses, the movement for its decriminalization, and the road ahead for this ancient Indian weed
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Cosy Delhi crime
    Jan 4 2025
    "I'm a big fan of a very specific genre of crime novels, which is the Golden Age novels, the Agatha Christies and the GK Chestertons, the novels of the 1940s and '50s. I don't get to read those types of books any more, where at the heart of the book is a very classic murder mystery, a whodunnit. You're not really that concerned about realism; it's not very gritty; there's not a lot of murders that are very unpleasant. Someone just drops dead and everyone's concerned about who's done it. I wanted to write a book like that. These days, the kind of crime that's being written — there's a lot of police procedurals; there's a lot of realistic crime. I wanted to veer away from all of that. There's so much going on that's unpleasant that people really like to have a break from all of that. You know, it's nice to worry about something as frothy as a murder mystery that you can curl up with over a cup of coffee!" - Samyukta Bhowmick, author, A Fatal Distraction, talks to Manjula Narayan about her cosy crime novel set in Delhi.
    Show More Show Less
    50 mins
  • Cuba: Will the revolution endure?
    Dec 12 2024
    After the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba was seen as the last outpost of communism. China went a different way and is now essentially a capitalist society where the communist party is in power. In Kerala, Cuba was seen by those people who were ideologically committed to communism as something sacred. That kind of ideological affinity might have come down but there is still an attraction to Cuba as a country that has miraculously withstood 64 years of extreme American sanctions" - Ullekh NP, author, 'Mad About Cuba; A Malayali Revisits the Revolution' talks to Manjula Narayan about everything from the flight of bright young Cubans from the country, the little known visionary side of Che Guevara, and Fidel Castro's introduction of Indian moringa to the Caribbean nation, to the dynamic women who head Cuba's exceptional health initiatives, why a taxi driver now earns more than a doctor there, and how the book might help readers understand both Cubans and Malayalis better!
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins

What listeners say about Books and Authors

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.