30 episodes

'Kitaab Kaulum' is a podcast series about books and authors, new and old, talking to authors and discussing their process of writing. The series is in spoken Hindi-English-Urdu, but its scope will cover the books in all languages.

To mark big literary occasions and events, the series will focus on some of the most celebrated authors and their work as well.

Produced by Cine Ink, a London-based digital hub of Hindi and Urdu podcasts, the series is presented by broadcasters Achala Sharma and Pervaiz Alam. Both worked for All India Radio in Delhi and BBC in London.

This podcast is based on the contents of the books and views those of the authors for which Cineink and its team hold no liability whatsoever in this regard.

Cine Ink will post details of each episode along with a link on major podcast networks, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. All details about the series, including all episodes, are exclusively available on our website: www.cineink.com

Kitaab Kaulum Cineink

    • Arts
    • 5.0 • 1 Rating

'Kitaab Kaulum' is a podcast series about books and authors, new and old, talking to authors and discussing their process of writing. The series is in spoken Hindi-English-Urdu, but its scope will cover the books in all languages.

To mark big literary occasions and events, the series will focus on some of the most celebrated authors and their work as well.

Produced by Cine Ink, a London-based digital hub of Hindi and Urdu podcasts, the series is presented by broadcasters Achala Sharma and Pervaiz Alam. Both worked for All India Radio in Delhi and BBC in London.

This podcast is based on the contents of the books and views those of the authors for which Cineink and its team hold no liability whatsoever in this regard.

Cine Ink will post details of each episode along with a link on major podcast networks, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. All details about the series, including all episodes, are exclusively available on our website: www.cineink.com

    EP 30: Yakshini by Dr Vinay Kumar

    EP 30: Yakshini by Dr Vinay Kumar

    Broadcaster Achala Sharma is in conversation with Dr Vinay Kumar, one of the leading psychiatrists in India, about his collection of Hindi poems ‘Yakshini’, named after a statue made of sandstone of female deity and spirit dated to the 3rd century BCE.

    ‘The day I looked at the famous Deedar Ganj’s Yakshini in a museum, little did I know that my life was going to change for ever. I could go back to my subconscious mind, draw imagery and inspiration and put it on a piece of paper in the form of poetry’, says Dr. Vinay Kumar in this 30th episode of Cine Ink podcast series about books ‘Kitaab Kaulum’.

    Yakshini, published by Rajkamal Prakashan, is Vinay Kumar’s fourth book of Hindi poetry, including acclaimed ‘Qarz e Tehzeeb’ and ‘Mall Mein Kabootar’.

    A former Secretary and Vice President of the India Psychiatric Society, Dr. Kumar has recently been elected as the President of the society and has published several research papers and two books on psychiatry related subjects.

    He is the founder of Manoved Mind Hospital in Patna, Bihar.

    • 38 min
    EP 29: The Population Myth: Islam, Family Planning & Politics in India By SY Quraishi

    EP 29: The Population Myth: Islam, Family Planning & Politics in India By SY Quraishi

    Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, S.Y. Quraishi busts many myths and claims about the population of Indian Muslims in conversation with broadcaster Achala Sharma in this episode of ‘Kitaab Kaulum’.

    The author of ‘The Population Myth: Islam, Family Planning and Politics in India’, published by HarperCollins, says India’s family planning programme policy has yielded solid results and is almost on track.

    Quraishi’s book reveals how the right-wing spin to population data has given rise to myths about the Muslim rate of growth , often used to stoke majoritarian fears of a demographic skew. He uses facts to demolish these, and demonstrates how a planned population is in the interest of all communities. The book delves into the Quran and the Hadith to show how Islam might have been one of the first religions in the world to actually advocate smaller families, which is why several Islamic nations today have population policies in place.

    SY Quraishi has also written a much acclaimed book: An Undocumented Wonder: The Great Indian Election: The Making of the Great Indian Election

    • 38 min
    EP 28: Hymns in Blood By Nanak Singh - Translated By Navdeep suri

    EP 28: Hymns in Blood By Nanak Singh - Translated By Navdeep suri

    ‘Hymns in Blood’ is an English translation of a Punjabi novel ‘Khoon de Sohile’ by legendary Punjabi author Nanak Singh, first published in February 1948, and now translated for the first time into English by his grand son Navdeep Suri, a former diplomat who has served in India's diplomatic missions in Washington DC and London. He was also India's ambassador to Egypt and the UAE.

    Navdeep Suri in conversation with broadcaster Achala Sharma says dealing with the trauma of partition of India in 1947, the novel provides a message of healing that is as relevant today in the context of Hindu-Muslim communalism as it was 75 years ago and provides a timely reminder of the grief and trauma that a religious divide brings in its wake.
    The novel tells the story based in 1947, Chakri, an idyllic village on the banks of the Soan near Rawalpindi, surrounded by stalks of golden wheat and festive songs. Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs eagerly await the end of winter and get together to prepare for Lohri.
    Amidst this joyous bustle, Baba Bhana, the erudite village elder, worries about the future of his foster daughter, Naseem. Life comes to a halt when news of a possible partition of India reaches the village. Amid a frenzy of communal violence, Baba Bhana and his family must reluctantly leave their beloved village. They embark on a long and dangerous journey, slowly coming to terms with the fact that their lives may be changing forever.

    The novel ‘Hymns In Blood’ written by Nanak Singh of ‘Pavitra Papi’ and ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’ fame, translated from the Punjabi by Navdeep Suri has been published by Harper Collins India in 2022.

    • 29 min
    EP 27: Sumitra and Anees: Tales and Recipes from a Khichdi family by Seema Chishti

    EP 27: Sumitra and Anees: Tales and Recipes from a Khichdi family by Seema Chishti

    EP 27: Sumitra and Anees by Seema Chishti

    ‘Sumitra and Anees, Tales and Recipes from a Khichdi family’ by the Delhi based journalist Seema Chishti is a poignant tale of her loving parents- Sumitra and Anees- falling in love, having an inter-faith marriage and leaving a legacy of great humanity and values for her. Seema Chishti is in conversation with broadcaster Achala Sharma in this episode of Kitaab Kaulum.

    Seema Chishti argues how in the India of today, social and communal fault lines have become starker than ever before. Inter-faith marriages, once seen as the hallmark of a plural society, are now being increasingly used to further a divisive political narrative.

    Journalist Seema Chishti, herself the product of an inter-faith marriage from a time when the ‘idea of India’ was not just an idea but a lived reality, tells in this book the story of her parents: Sumitra, a Kshatriya Hindu from Mysore in Karnataka, and Anees, a Syed Muslim from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh. Woven into their story are recipes from Sumitra’s kitchen, a site of confluence for the diverse culinary traditions she mastered. The book has been published by Harper Collins India.

    • 36 min
    EP 26: Parantha Breakup by Kshama Sharma

    EP 26: Parantha Breakup by Kshama Sharma

    ‘Parantha Breakup’ is a new Hindi short-story collection by well known writer, novelist and editor, Kshama Sharma, who has also written a large number of books for children of all ages. She edited India’s popular magazine for children, Nandan.

    Kshama Sharma discusses ‘Parantha Breakup’ and her other literary work with broadcaster Achala Sharma in this episode of Kitab Kaulum. ‘Parantha Breakup’ has been published by Vani Prakashan.

    An author of four novels and eleven short story collections, Kshama Sharma is a Phd in literature and journalism. Her prominent books include titles such as Doosra Paath, Mobile, Name Plate, Kasbe Ki Ladki, Thank You Saddam Husain and Baat Abhi Khatm Nahin Hui.

    • 25 min
    EP 25: The Blind Matriarch by Namita Gokhale

    EP 25: The Blind Matriarch by Namita Gokhale

    Broadcaster Achala Sharma interviews Namita Gokhale, author of twenty books and winner of Sahitya Akademi Award for 2021, about her latest book ‘The Blind Matriarch’ in this episode of Cine Ink Podcast series ‘Kitaab Kaulum’.

    She is also the co-founder and co-director (with William Dalrymple) of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

    Published by Penguin Random House-Viking, ’The Blind Matriarch’ examines the Indian joint family against the backdrop of the pandemic. The Hindi translation ‘Aandhari’ by Prabhat Ranjan has been published by Rajkamal Prakashan.

    She was given Sahitya Akademi Award for her English novel ‘Things To Leave Behind’ in 2022.

    Namita Gokhale’s debut novel, ‘Paro: Dreams of Passion’, was published in 1984. Other recent books include  ‘Betrayed By Hope’, a play on the life of the poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt, and ‘Jaipur Journals’, a fictional reading of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

    • 37 min

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