'The Other Man' is possibly India's first happy gay novel. Set in Mumbai, this is the story of good looking, rich and successful Ved Mehta who's about to be engaged to the perfectly suitable Disha Kapoor. And then he falls in love with Carlos. Closeted and conflicted Ved wants to make his parents happy by doing what they want. Author @FarhadJD talks to @utterflea about his funny and touching novel.

Speciesists on planets with three moons, pain merchants, murderous dolls in Calcutta, djinns in a future Dhaka, vengeful droids in Karachi, and othering and betrayal in Mumbai Prime - there's all of this in the Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction, Vol 2. Editor Tarun K Saint talks to host Manjula Narayan about this collection of sci-fi and speculative fiction that transports readers to strangely familiar worlds.

Indian feminists and the nation's family planning programme forced vasectomies during the Emergency and the idea of small families as a way to eliminate poverty @ProfMytheli author of 'Reproductive Politics and the Making of Modern India' talks to @utterflea on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Gandhi's introduction of non-violence as an Indian value by fabricating a tradition around it, his radical interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita, his exhortation to the Jews facing Hitler... Jyotirmaya Sharma, author, Elusive Non-Violence; The Making and Unmaking of Gandhi's Religion of Ahimsa talks to @utterflea about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

The idea that ancient Indians were non-violent is completely wrong." - Upinder Singh, author of Ancient India; Culture of Contradictions talks to @utterflea on godess worship and misogyny, Buddhism, the Manu Smriti and more on the Books & Authors podcast.

Battling severe OCD, walking away from his father's business to strike out on his own in LA, and dealing positively with trolls, @sidmallya, author of 'If I'm Honest; A Memoir of My Mental Health Journey' talks to @utterflea about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Cyborg India, the persistence and flexibility of caste, lynching as a form of messaging that marries social media spectacle and communal hatred, cognitive capitalism, and the idea of cosiety - @ranganaut author of 'Who Are We? An Enquiry into the Indian Mind...' talks to @utterflea on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Zainuddin, Ram Das, Vishnupersaud and Rungiah were just some of the brilliant artists who worked with the surgeon-botanists of the East India Company to create exquisite scientifically accurate paintings of Indian flora. Martyn Rix, author of 'Indian Botanical Art; An Illustrated History' talks to @utterflea about this productive collaboration between East and West.

Pre-modern Indian attitudes to animals, what the Mahabharata says about cruelty to bulls, factory farming and vegetarianism, and Mahadevi Varma's stories about animals and their relationships with each other in 'My Family'... Ruth Vanita, who has translated the book talks about all that to @utterflea on this week's Books & Authors podcast

Nazi atrocities against Indians in Germany, Subhash Chandra Bose's unfruitful meeting with Hitler, and the strange amnesia that has led to Mien Kampf being a bestseller in India, @VaibhavP21, author of 'Hitler And India' talks to @utterflea on this week's Books & Authors podcast

Lust, black magic, kidnapping, and murder feature in the story of P Rajagopal, founder of Saravana Bhavan. Murder on the Menu by Nirupama Subramanian shows us a man who stopped at nothing in his attempt to force a woman to marry him. Nirupama Subramanian talks to @utterflea about Murder on the Menu: The Sensational Story of the Tycoon Who Founded Saravana Bhavan.

Building a utopian community, the optimism and the bitter internal battles that were fought, the triumphs, great personal tragedies and philosophical struggles of the pioneers... @akashkapur talks to @utterflea about 'Better to have Gone; Love Death and the Quest for Utopia in Auroville

Shapeshifters, women who turn into tigers, drowned worlds, a son-in-law perplexed by his shadow... 'The Owl Delivered The Good News All Night Long' is a collection of fantastic folktales from across India. Lopamudra Maitra Bajpai who edited the volume talks to @utterflea about the themes and structures of folk lore and the ways in which these tales help you to understand the world.

Why Ratan Tata and Nusli Wadia fell out, Cyrus Mistry's connection to Mughal-e-Azam, Bhikaiji Cama and other fiery Parsi women, intermarriage, orthodoxy, and dwindling numbers - Coomi Kapoor, author of The Tatas, Freddie Mercury & Other Bawas; An Intimate History of the Parsis talks to @utterflea about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

"There's been a shocking lack of academic curiosity or scholarly evaluation of Savarkar," says @vikramsampath, author of 'Savarkar; A Contested Legacy', the second part of his two-volume biography of the father of Hindutva. On this week's Books&Authors podcast, he talks to @utterflea about the dialogue between Ambedkar and Savarkar and the surprising similarity of their views, about the contribution of violent revolutionary activity during the freedom struggle, and the still unacknowledged anti-Brahmin pogrom in Maharashtra following the assassination of Gandhi.

"Ladoo-loving Ganesh in India has transformed into mooli-loving Binayaka in Tokyo!" @pallaviaiyar, author of Orienting; An Indian in Japan, talks to @utterflea about Japanese versions of Hindu deities, the society's surprising lack of tech saviness, its obsession with fantastic toilets, its unacknowledged caste system, and it's surprisingly empowered women on this week's Books & Authors podcast

From the terracotta toys of the Harappans to Shiva as Nataraj, from the pages of the Gwalior Quran to Jain scrolls and the divine body of the Buddha, Vidya Dehejia, author of India; A Story Through 100 Objects talks to @utterflea about the things that have created the multicultural medley that is India.

In her life that spanned 102 years, everyone's favourite feisty grandmother, Zohra Segal worked on stage, in film, and on television, and was successful abroad when few Indian actors were. Ritu Menon, author of Zohra! A Biography in Four Acts talks to @utterflea about Segal's difficult life, her epic perseverance, and her great spirit.

Why man gets wrinkles, why the cat buries its poop, why a doll is worshipped in a village called Kakching... L Somi Roy's 'And That Is Why; Manipuri Myths Retold' is full of wonderful tales. On this week's Book & Authors podcast, @somiroy talks to @utterflea about collecting the myths, Manipur's distinct culture, it's pre-Hindu legends, and its wonderful ponies and passion for polo, among other things.

"The Chinese have so much power that they don't think they need to accommodate India or tolerate any behaviour by India that they don't like," says Kanti Bajpai, author of India Versus China : Why They Are Not Friends, in conversation with @utterflea on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

"Everest teaches you the value of time. The consequences of missing a timeline on the mountain could be death," says Aditya Gupta. The author of 7 Lessons from Everest talks to @utterflea on the Books & Authors podcast about the stunning images he shot during his climb and the lessons he gleaned from the experience

Jallianwala Bagh, the excesses of colonialism, the millions of soldiers from India and Africa who fought in the two World Wars, and the institutionalized racism of the British Empire find no place in British school curricula. As a result, many believe the Empire was an honourable endeavour. Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland, talks to @utterflea about this bizarre phenomenon

The emotional nature of the Chinese, the Western media's biases while reporting on the Tiananmen Square incident (May-June 1989), and the hypocrisy of western governments who used human rights as a pressure point while continuing to reap the great benefits of trade with China in the golden quarter-century that followed... former diplomat @VGokhale59, author of Tiananmen Square; The Making of a Protest talks to @utterflea about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast

The emotional nature of the Chinese, the Western media's biases while reporting on the Tiananmen Square incident (May-June 1989), and the hypocrisy of western governments who used human rights as a pressure point while continuing to reap the great benefits of trade with China in the golden quarter-century that followed... former diplomat @VGokhale59, author of Tiananmen Square; The Making of a Protest talks to @utterflea about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast

Begum Akhtar's magical voice and musical genius, the respect she commanded, and her journey from Akhtarbai Faizabadi to Begum Akhtar, the feminism that made her the first female ustad to initiate disciples with a formal thread tying ceremony, her sense of humour, and great style...Yatindra Mishra editor of Akhtari; The Life and Music of Begum Akhtar talks to @utterflea about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Begum Akhtar's magical voice and musical genius, the respect she commanded, and her journey from Akhtarbai Faizabadi to Begum Akhtar, the feminism that made her the first female ustad to initiate disciples with a formal thread tying ceremony, her sense of humour, and great style...Yatindra Mishra editor of Akhtari; The Life and Music of Begum Akhtar talks to @utterflea about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

How Indian Jews observe kosher laws, the delicious gongura chicken of the Bene Ephriam of Andhra Pradesh and the steamed fish dishes of the Bnei Menashe of Manipur and Mizoram, emigration to Israel, and the great demand for Bombay Duck among the Bene Israel community there - Esther David, author of Bene Appetit; The Cuisine of Indian Jews talks about all that to @utterflea on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

How Indian Jews observe kosher laws, the delicious gongura chicken of the Bene Ephriam of Andhra Pradesh and the steamed fish dishes of the Bnei Menashe of Manipur and Mizoram, emigration to Israel, and the great demand for Bombay Duck among the Bene Israel community there - Esther David, author of Bene Appetit; The Cuisine of Indian Jews talks about all that to @utterflea on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

In The Braided River, Samrat Choudhury combines travel writing, environmental reportage, political and historical analysis, and memoir as he follows the course of the mighty Brahmaputra. Samrat Choudhury, author of The Braided River; A Journey Along the Brahmaputra talks to Manjula Narayan about all that in this week's Books & Authors podcast.

In The Braided River, Samrat Choudhury combines travel writing, environmental reportage, political and historical analysis, and memoir as he follows the course of the mighty Brahmaputra. Samrat Choudhury, author of The Braided River; A Journey Along the Brahmaputra talks to Manjula Narayan about all that in this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Rajinikanth's life as a porter and a bus conductor before he became a superstar, the subaltern fans who made him an icon in Tamil cinema, his close friendships, how his status threatened chief minister Jayalalithaa, and his decision to stay away from politics, Vaasanthi, author of Rajinikanth; A Life talks to Manjula Narayan about all that in this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Rajinikanth's life as a porter and a bus conductor before he became a superstar, the subaltern fans who made him an icon in Tamil cinema, his close friendships, how his status threatened chief minister Jayalalithaa, and his decision to stay away from politics, Vaasanthi, author of Rajinikanth; A Life talks to Manjula Narayan about all that in this week's Books & Authors podcast.

His open marriage with Protima, his torrid relationship with Parveen Babi, the swinging 70s, his career in Hollywood, Bollywood, his Wild success in Italy, and his great honesty in his memoir, Stories I Must Tell, Kabir Bedi talks to Manjula Narayan about all that on the Books and Authors podcast.

His open marriage with Protima, his torrid relationship with Parveen Babi, the swinging 70s, his career in Hollywood, Bollywood, his Wild success in Italy, and his great honesty in his memoir, Stories I Must Tell, Kabir Bedi talks to Manjula Narayan about all that on the Books and Authors podcast.

Part cookbook, part memoir, Indranee Ghosh's Spiced, Smoked, Pickled, Preserved presents vignettes from a family's history over three generations and from her own childhood in Shillong. She talks to Manjula Narayan about her great recipes and her reminiscences of a vanished world on the Books & Authors podcast.

Part cookbook, part memoir, Indranee Ghosh's Spiced, Smoked, Pickled, Preserved presents vignettes from a family's history over three generations and from her own childhood in Shillong. She talks to Manjula Narayan about her great recipes and her reminiscences of a vanished world on the Books & Authors podcast.

The deeply intellectual nature of Hindustani classical music, the path of Indian modernity, and the new intolerance for beauty that arose in the 1980s and has led to the current hostility to nuance in every sphere... Amit Chaudhuri, author of Finding the Raga, talks to Manjula Narayan about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

The deeply intellectual nature of Hindustani classical music, the path of Indian modernity, and the new intolerance for beauty that arose in the 1980s and has led to the current hostility to nuance in every sphere... Amit Chaudhuri, author of Finding the Raga, talks to Manjula Narayan about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

The need to publish books of cultural and historical value, forging bonds with feminist presses across the world, and why its worthwhile to fight for bibliodiversity in publishing... Ritu Menon, founder of the feminist press, Women Unlimited, and author of Address Book; A Publishing Memoir In the Time of Covid, talks about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

The need to publish books of cultural and historical value, forging bonds with feminist presses across the world, and why its worthwhile to fight for bibliodiversity in publishing... Ritu Menon, founder of the feminist press, Women Unlimited, and author of Address Book; A Publishing Memoir In the Time of Covid, talks about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Biophilia, the tangible experience of gardening, forest bathing, and the plantdemic - Trisha Bora, author of How Not to Kill Your House Plants talks about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

Biophilia, the tangible experience of gardening, forest bathing, and the plantdemic - Trisha Bora, author of How Not to Kill Your House Plants talks about all that on this week's Books & Authors podcast.

How do you bring about social change? Are influencers really all that influential? And can a small minority change the way society thinks? Touching on a range of subjects from Black Lives Matter to the Arab Spring, sociologist Damon Centola talks about how big ideas spread.

How do you bring about social change? Are influencers really all that influential? And can a small minority change the way society thinks? Touching on a range of subjects from Black Lives Matter to the Arab Spring, sociologist Damon Centola talks about how big ideas spread.

Gossip, scandal and a perfect murder! Anuja Chauhan's whodunnit Club You to Death features a beautiful corpse, an unusual investigating officer in ACP Bhavani Singh, action set in Delhi's poshest club and a set of characters that gives the reader insights into everything from young love to privilege, politics and hypocrisy.

Gossip, scandal and a perfect murder! Anuja Chauhan's whodunnit Club You to Death features a beautiful corpse, an unusual investigating officer in ACP Bhavani Singh, action set in Delhi's poshest club and a set of characters that gives the reader insights into everything from young love to privilege, politics and hypocrisy.