Books and Beyond with Bound

Content Warning: Discussions about torture, violence, and mental health issues.The most agonizing and horrifying torture devices from the medieval era - but with a twist!In this episode, Tara and Michelle speak to Aparna Sanyal, author of 'Instruments of Torture' - a book that explores modern society through metaphorical depictions of 8 torture devices. From ‘The Spanish Boot’ that covers impossible beauty standards to ‘The Judas Cradle’ that covers a forbidden love affair, each story reveals the dark, unexplored corners of the human psyche. Aparna reminisces about her journey being an alumna of the first Bound Writer's Retreat in 2018!  She also talks about the torture instruments she chose for her book, seeing them in real life, why her writings always have dark themes, and her Bollywood-esque story of meeting her editor from Harpercollins! ‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms. 

Who is India’s first ‘Birdwoman’? Who is the ‘Turtle Girl’? How many of India’s women wildlife biologists can you name?In this episode, Tara speaks with Anita Mani, editor of ‘Women in the Wild’ - an anthology of stories of India’s pioneering women wildlife biologists. From the 1940s to the present, Anita features the profiles of Indian women who dedicated their life to protecting biodiversity, from Jamal Ara who spent her life studying birds and mysteriously disappeared one day, to Vidya Athreya who studies the human-leopard conflict, and contemporaries like Divya Mudappa who studies rainforests!Anita talks about her own interest in wildlife and bird-watching, how the women in her book made path-breaking findings across forests, rivers, oceans and mountains, and what the wildlife conservation industry is like for women- from remote locations, long hours, lack of beds and toilets, and even close encounters with wild animals! Books and authors mentioned in this episode:The Peregrine - J.A. BakerJennifer AckermanMadhaviah Krishnan‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms. 

This is the story of an entrepreneur who almost sold his soul to AI.In this episode, Michelle speaks with Appupen and Laurent Daudent, the illustrator-scientist duo that came together to create 'Dream Machine' - a graphic novel on AI! The book follows Hugo, who is on the verge of selling his AI tech to a large corporation. But what if the motives behind this purchase are not exactly ethical?Appupen and Laurent discuss the evolution of AI and why the hype and fear around it might be misleading. They also address their differing opinions on AI, working together from France and India, and why they regret making AI write a chapter of their book!Books and authors mentioned in this episode:The Circle - Dave EggersMovies and TV shows mentioned in this episode:I, Robot - Alex Proyas (Director)Her - Spike Jonze (Director)Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya - Amit Joshi, Aradhana Sah (Directors)‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms. 

Before Adam and Eve, there was Adam and Lilith.But who is Lilith and what happened to her?In this episode, Michelle speaks with Shinie Antony, author of ‘Eden Abandoned’, which tells the story of Adam’s first wife and the first woman ever - Lilith.  When Lilith refused to submit to Adam, she got banished from Eden and erased from the scriptures. But what did she do next?Michelle and Shinie discuss villainized women in mythology, how Lilith stood up for herself and got branded a “child-eating monster”, and why Shinie thinks an angry, articulate woman is a work of art!Books and authors mentioned in this episode:Lilith - Nikki MarmeryNames of the Women - Jeet ThayilThe Da Vinci Code - Dan BrownThe Covenant of Water - Abraham VergheseMovies and TV shows mentioned in this episode:Supernatural - Eric Kripke (Creator)The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Creator)‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms. 

It might be time to ditch the traditional path to success and follow the path of “evil”! In this episode, Michelle and Tara speak with Anand Neelakanthan, author of the ‘The Asura Way’, a book that redefines the asura lifestyle and explores why “negative” traits like anger, pride, competition, commonly associated with the asuras, can actually benefit us!In this exciting partnership series with Jaico Publishing House, we are featuring fascinating new authors every month, writers that captivate the audience and bring forth a revolutionary perspective to Indian literature.Anand talks about why he ‘became an asura’, why he thinks the stories our parents tell us were invented to keep us in check, and why we need to wholeheartedly embrace the “evil” within us!Tune in! ‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms. 

What does one of India's top entrepreneurs have to say about writing, making money, and marketing books?In this episode, Tara and Michelle speak with Ankur Warikoo, bestselling author of 'Make Epic Money', a book that teaches you everything you wish you knew about money!Ankur talks about how his relationship with money changed, gaining financial freedom, and writing a book for youngsters to learn everything about money that nobody tells them. He also talks about how he started writing, his biggest tip for writers, and the three marketing strategies he used to create a bestselling book! Bonus: Ankur also answers crowdsourced questions about managing money and tips for young writers and entrepreneurs!Tune in!Books and authors mentioned in this episode:The Fountainhead - Ayn RandRework - David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason FriedAtmamun - Kapil GuptaAtomic Habits - James ClearThe Psychology of Money - Morgan Housel‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms. 

Discover some of the finest works of Indian detective fiction, all in one place!In this episode, Michelle and Aishwarya speak with Tarun Saint, curator of 'The Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction', Volumes 1 and 2! The first of its kind, the anthology compiles everything from intriguing whodunits, supernatural mysteries, and serial murders, spread across two volumes.Join us as Tarun talks about going from reading Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie, to curating some of India's best detective fiction from authors like Satyajit Ray to Vikram Chandra in this long-awaited anthology. He also discusses his previous work in speculative fiction, the increasing number of women writers in detective fiction, and what the detective fiction scene in India could look like going forward! Tune in! Books and authors mentioned in this episode:The Sherlock Holmes series - Arthur Conan DoyleThe Famous Five series - Enid BlytonThe Nancy Drew series - Carolyn KeeneThe Hardy Boys series - Franklin W.  DixonThe Lottery - Shirley JacksonLamb to the Slaughter - Roald DahlThe Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms. 

What's it like being a female taxi driver in a city notorious for being unsafe for women?In this episode, Michelle speaks with Manjula Padmanabhan, author of 'Taxi', whose protagonist, 'Maddy', runs a women's-only taxi service in Delhi! And when Maddy receives an attractive job offer as a pretend male chauffeur for a powerful old man, she accepts and becomes 'Madan'. But what happens when the lines blur between 'Maddy' and 'Madan' and she finds herself questioning her identity? Join us as Manjula talks about her inspiration behind the book, her award-winning play 'Harvest', and why Manjula herself never learnt to drive!Books and authors mentioned in this episode:Why Men Rape - Tara KaushalWhite Tiger - Aravind AdigaEquations - Shivani SybilThrough The Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There - Lewis CarollThe Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame ‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms. 

South Asia boasts a less than 1% divorce rate. But the real reason behind it is far from happy marriages. In this episode, Tara and Michelle sit down with Aisha Sarwari and Shasvathi Siva, as they talk about misogyny and marriages in South Asia. Aisha's book, 'Heart Tantrums', is a memoir that addresses her immigrant life and her marriage to a man with a personality-altering brain tumor and how, despite the grief and abuse she faced, she was told that being a devoted wife would fix everything.Shasvathi's book, 'Divorce is Normal', is a handy guidebook that aims to normalize divorce and provide legal, emotional, and mental support for anyone going through divorce, or considering it. What is it like to be a divorced woman in South Asia and why is there so much stigma attached?In this exclusive series in partnership with Penguin Random House India, we will shine a spotlight on two compelling contemporary voices each month, individuals who are reshaping the landscape of Indian literature. Join us in a thought-provoking conversation as we delve into the realities of South Asian marriages, societal expectations, and why it's always better to "struggle with the community"!Books and authors mentioned in this episode:When I Hit You - Meena KandasamyRewriting My Happily Ever After - Ranjani RaoHow Much is Too Much? - Neha MehrotraThe Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret AtwoodAll About Love - Bell Hooks‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms. 

Find out what it was like growing up in post-independence India through the eyes of a man who lived through it all!Join Michelle as she speaks with Bhaskar Roy, author of 'Fifty Year Road', a personal memoir like no other. Bhaskar talks about growing up during the Naxalbari uprising - the armed peasant revolt of 1967 in West Bengal. He shares his earliest memories of witnessing the violence of the Naxalite movement, stories of his parents and their activism, and risky assignments that he's covered during his days as a journalist, including watching a car blow up in front of his eyes!In this exciting partnership series with Jaico Publishing House, we are featuring fascinating new authors every month, writers that captivate the audience and bring forth a revolutionary perspective to Indian literature.Tune in for a never-before-seen view of India's history!Books and authors mentioned in this episode:One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García MárquezSons and Lovers - D.H. LawrenceMovies mentioned in this episode:The Calcutta Trilogy - Mrinal Sen (Director)‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.