The Sandip Roy Show Express Audio

Alpa Shah’s latest book, The Incarcerations, a finalist for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing, unravels and uncovers the chilling story of the Bhima Koregaon case and how sixteen human rights defenders—including academics, poets, trade unionists, and Dalit organizers—were labeled urban Naxalites, charged with inciting violence, and accused of waging a war against the Indian state. In this episode, Shah joins host Sandip Roy to unpack the case and discuss some of its most puzzling questions.

Alpa Shah is a professor of anthropology at the London School of Economics.

Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The Aam Aadmi Party, led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is one of the most formidable political parties in the country and has often been described as a game-changer. But to what extent has that been the case? Has it truly transformed Indian politics, or has Indian politics, in turn, reshaped what the party once stood for?

In this episode, host Sandip Roy is joined by Ashutosh and Neelanjan Sircar to discuss the evolution of the party, its current standing, the threat it poses to the BJP, and the challenges that lie ahead.

Ashutosh is a former member of AAP, the co-founder and editor of SatyaHindi, and the author of Hindu Rashtra. Sircar is a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR). 

Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

This week on the show, Sandip Roy speaks with journalist Mitali Mukherjee, whose book "Crypto Crimes" gives us a window into the underbelly of the crypto world and its rapid expansion throughout India. Through personal anecdotes and firsthand narratives, the book delves into the depths of the dark web, exposing the reality behind the unregulated crypto bubble that is now witnessing all sorts of crimes.

Mukherjee is the director of the Journalist Programmes at the Reuters Institute at Oxford.

Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Despite the frequent buzz around new book releases and the increasing popularity of literary festivals, one glaring absence in the country remains: free public libraries. Join host Sandip Roy this week as he engages in a conversation with Mridula Koshy and Rituparna Neog, community activists part of the Free Libraries Network (FLN), to discuss India's dearth of public libraries and what can be done about it.

Koshy, an award winning writer, founded The Community Library Project in Delhi in 2015 and is the member of the FLN's steering committee. Neog, a queer rights activist and a library educator, is the founder-director of the Akam Foundation.

Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

During a time when India's economy is on the rise, a new book called Unequal: Why India Lags Behind Its Neighbours by Swati Narayan argues that this growth hasn't automatically translated into the empowerment of the poor or an improvement in their social mobility. When compared with its less prosperous neighbors such as Bangladesh and Nepal, India still falls behind in numerous human development indexes. However, is it fair to compare India to these other countries, or are there additional complexities to consider? In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks to Swati to find out.

Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

As summer sweeps in, we find ourselves once again inundated with reports of record-breaking temperatures, unprecedented heat waves, and other climate disasters. As adults, one question to consider is: How do we talk about climate change with young people, who will ultimately inherit this warming planet? And how can we do so in a manner that is not terrifying or depressing, but rather engages and encourages them to care?

In this episode, host Sandip Roy speaks with Bijal Vachharajani and Rohan Chakravarty, who regularly grapple with these questions in their work.Bijal is a children's book author, climate warrior and commissioning editor at Pratham Books. And Rohan is a cartoonist, illustrator, wildlife enthusiast, and the creator of Green Humour.

Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar