Theyyam: Parapsychology, Paradox and Folk Belief
"The parapsychological element is very strong in Theyyam, which is an example of Indian shamanism. When you worship a Theyyam, you don't need an intermediary, a priest, like you do in a temple; here y...
17 Okt 202458min
An extraordinary intellect
"She was my grandmother so I could have wanted to create a portrait of a person who was very fantastic and - she was fantastic and wonderful - but I didn't want to do anything that wasn't factual tha...
11 Okt 202458min
Video Ga Ga: Excavating a forgotten cultural moment
"In the West and in privileged pockets of India that have access to technology, we think technology is linear — first film, then TV, then video... But actually in India and in most of the countries th...
4 Okt 202458min
The Less Remembered Bits of Modern India’s Origin Story
"British India was what had been annexed before 1857. The rest of it was princely India, which formed 45 percent of the subcontinent, almost half. At school, we learn about what happened in British In...
27 Sep 202445min
Fan Favourite | Medieval Dynasties of Southern India
As HT Smartcast completes 5 amazing years, we are re-releasing the most loved episode from this podcast. "People who are powerful and wealthy are always complex and layered characters," says Anirudh K...
25 Sep 202454min
Of belief and belonging
"If you think about it deeply, everybody makes their own faith. No matter what faith they are from, everyone finds their own journey, their own truth, and they may mix and match things from different ...
20 Sep 202458min
Inspirational flashback to the golden era of Hindi cinema
"I don't think Dev Sahab and Goldie ever pretended they were making art but the artistry was inherent in what they were doing. 'Guide' (1965) is the daddy of all films. In it, Dev Anand's character ju...
14 Sep 20241h
All about the sumptuous Onam sadhya
"It struck me when I was doing the book that people preparing an Onam sadhya were putting together 25-30 dishes that were all gluten free and mostly vegan too. In fact, a sadhya can be fully vegan. Th...
5 Sep 202455min
