A Book A Day - A Literary Podcast from India - podcast cover

A Book A Day - A Literary Podcast from India

Kalampedia
My name is Deepak Rana. Every day, I pick at least one new book, read what it has to offer, make notes and share the best ideas with you. Sounds fun, right? Join me in this journey and explore a whole new world of books and stories. For any suggestions/queries please contact us at contactkalampedia@gmail.com or visit Kalampedia.org on your browser.
Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

India-Pakistan Partition - Sam Dalrymple - Shattered Lands

Continuing our discussion on Sam Dalrymple's book Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia, I discuss the most talked-about partition - India and Pakistan. Thank you so much for listening. Don't forget to like and subscribe. Please support me on Kalampedia .

Jun 29, 202527 minSeason 1Ep. 394

India-Burma Partition - Shattered Lands by Sam Dalrymple

In this episode, I pick Sam Dalrymple's debut book Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia, and discuss the story of India-Burma (now Myanmar) partition. Keep following the podcast to hear more about the other partitions that shaped the maps of South Asia and gave rise to a number of independent nations. Thank you for listening. Please visit Kalampedia to support us.

Jun 28, 202530 minSeason 1Ep. 396

Bollywood Songs and Movies on Rains - Monsoon Feelings Book

In the final episode of our series on this book called Monsoon Feelings, I discuss some of the Bollywood songs and movies that carry the monsoon theme. I hope you've enjoyed listening to this discussion. Thank you for listening. Do not forget to like and subscribe. Visit Kalampedia to support us.

Jun 27, 202532 min

Mughal Art and Poetry on Rains - Monsoon Feelings Book

In this episode, continuing our theme of monsoon, I discuss how Mughals celebrated the season of rains and the kind of art they created. The content is based on the book titled Monsoon Feelings. Thank you for listening. Please don't forget to like and subscribe. Visit Kalampedia if you would like to support our work.

Jun 26, 202517 min

Hindi-Urdu Poetry and Monsoon Feelings - Monsoon Books

Continuing our discussion on this wonderful book Monsoon Feelings, in this episode we explore two ideas: Radhavallabh tradition and Hindi-Urdu Barahamasa poetry. We explore how different religious and cultural traditions in medieval India depicted the monsoon rains. I hope you enjoyed the episode. Please visit Kalampedia to show us your support! Thank you!

Jun 22, 202524 min

Monsoon Feelings - Persian Poetry - Books on Monsoon

In the ongoing theme of books on monsoon, I pick one of my favourite books called Monsoon Feelings. The book really captures the emotions associated with the monsoon season and how it has been expressed in various art forms in South Asia in the last millennium. In today's episode I focus on the chapter on Persian poetry and its association with the monsoon. Stay tuned to know more about this book as well as more books on monsoon.

Jun 21, 202522 min

Meghaduta by Kalidasa - Monsoon Books

In the next few episodes, I will be bringing and sharing some of the finest books on the monsoon season. Starting with Kalidasa's Meghadutam, we are going to explore centuries of literature. Thank you for listening. Keep supporting on Kalampedia .

Jun 17, 202523 minSeason 1Ep. 388

How to Forget - Meera Ganapathi's Walking Meditations

In this episode, I narrate a few verses from Meera Ganapathi's wonderful new book titled How to Forget: A Book of Short Steps and Long Walks. If you'd like to read more about the book, you can check out my piece here .

Jun 12, 202514 minSeason 1Ep. 387

Hojoki - Kamo No Chomei's Ten Foot Square Hut - Overcoming Our Fears and Anxiety

We often have this fear in our mind: what if we lose everything? What will we do? Where will we go? Thanks to the 12th century Japanese monk and poet, Kamo No Chomei, we can overcome these fears. Let's meditate on his short but profound work called Hojoki, where he describes his life experiences of living in a ten feet square hut.

May 31, 202529 minSeason 1Ep. 386

Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time - A Lover's Gaze

In this episode, I narrate a few passages from Marcel Proust's masterpiece In Search of Lost Time. You will notice how beautifully Proust describes a lover's gaze when his partner is sleeping in the bed. It's a writing masterclass, and at the same time, a form of therapy where you simply surrender to the beauty of prose.

May 23, 202520 minSeason 1Ep. 385

A Short Love Story by Haruki Murakami

In this episode I narrate a beautiful short love story by Haruki Murakami. The title is On Seeing a 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning. Quite a title, isn't it? I hope you will enjoy the story. Thank you for your support. Keep showing your love on kalampedia.org!

May 22, 202515 minSeason 1Ep. 384

Rebati by Fakir Mohan Senapati and Other Odia Short Stories

In this episode I discuss the most popular Odia short story, which also happens to be the first modern Odia short story. It is called Rebati and it was written by Fakir Mohan Senapati in 1898. But that is not it. I also briefly tell you about some of the other classic Odia stories with the help of a book titled Maguni's Bullock Cart and Other Classic Odia Stories. Thank you so much for listening. Please keep supporting. If you'd like to donate or subscribe to newsletter, please visit us on www.k...

Apr 06, 202520 minSeason 1Ep. 383

Kannada Short Stories Book by Mini Krishnan and Susheela Punitha

Mini Krishnan has created a series with HarperCollins India where she is collecting classic short stories from various regional languages and with the help of a translator making them accessible to the English readers. This time, we have her collection of Kannada short stories. The book is called A Teashop in Kamalapura and Other Classic Kannada Stories. In this episode we discuss some of these stories. Thank you for listening. You can visit www.kalampedia.org to read more about the book or supp...

Apr 03, 202526 minSeason 1Ep. 382

Conversations on Love with Roxane Gay, Justine Picardie and Natasha Lunn

In the third and final episode of our discussion on Natasha Lunn's book Conversations on Love, we cover the more difficult part of a relationship. One, how to sustain romance in a long-term relationship, and two, how to deal with the loss if things go wrong. Hope you enjoyed these conversations and got interesting insights on love. Keep supporting on Kalampedia.org and stay tuned for more discussions on books.

Mar 28, 202521 minSeason 1Ep. 380

Conversations on Love and Sex with Natasha Lunn and Emily Nagoski

In this episode, we analyse the conversation between Natasha Lunn, author of Conversations on Love, and Emily Nagoski, who is a sex educator. The two discuss the neuroscience behind sexual intimacy and how that plays out in long term relationships. Thank you for listening. Do not forget to subscribe if you want to listen to more conversations on book. Visit kalampedia.org to support us.

Mar 27, 202516 minSeason 1Ep. 379

Alain de Botton on Psychology of Love - Conversations with Natasha Lunn

In her book Conversations on Love, Natasha Lunn explores the complexities of love through insightful discussions with experts. Let’s become a part of these conversations and read more about them, starting with Alain de Botton. In this episode I narrate the conversation between Natasha and De Botton and what we can learn from this exchange. Visit Kalampedia.org to read more.

Mar 26, 202516 minSeason 1Ep. 378

The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth - Book Reading of a Novel in Verse

In this short episode, I narrate a few stanzas from Vikram Seth's Sahitya Akademic award winning book The Golden Gate. Written in Onegin Stanzas, the book is a delight for the lovers of verse and narration. Let's hear a few stanzas.

Mar 24, 202512 minSeason 1Ep. 377

Men Without Women - A Short Story by Haruki Murakami

In this episode I critically read and review Murakami's short story Men Without Women. The book is also titled Men Without Women, and as the title suggests, every story is written around the theme of men losing women's presence in their lives.

Mar 22, 202520 minSeason 1Ep. 376

Don't Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen

In this short episode, I discuss a key learning from Joseph Nguyen's popular book Don't Believe Everything You Think. It is the idea that thinking is different from thoughts and how we can avoid overthinking by focusing on the nature of thoughts. Keep following for more bookish content.

Mar 21, 202511 minSeason 1Ep. 375

Balochistan: Bruised, Battered and Bloodied by Francesca Marino Part 2

In the second part of our discussion on Francesca Marino's book Balochistan: Bruised, Battered and Bloodied, I share the current challenges faced by the Pakistani state in Balochistan. Whether it's the neocolonislism of China through China Pakistan Economic Corridor or the geopolitical warfare being played out between USA/India and China/Pakistan, there is much to learn here. Where does that leave the people of Balochistan? That is the real question.

Mar 15, 202521 minSeason 1Ep. 374

History of Balochistan - Book by Francesca Marino

In recent times we have witnessed a growing problem of insurgency and demand for a separate state in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. To simplify the conundrum, I take help of Francesca Maloni's book Balochistan: Bruised, Battered and Bloodied. In this episode, I discuss the history of Balochistan problem. Keep following the next episodes to understand the deeper political and military challenges.

Mar 14, 202531 minSeason 1Ep. 373

Ikigai - Japanese Secrets to Long and Healthy Life

In this episode, I discuss the popular self-help book Ikigai. The book explores the idea of finding meaning in life and use that to live a long and healthy life. Thank you for tuning in. Do not forget to subscribe.

Mar 08, 202525 minSeason 1Ep. 372

The Other in the Mirror - Stories from India Pakistan

In this episode I narrate a story from a beautiful book titled The Other in the Mirror: Stories from India and Pakistan. The book comprises of several short stories, written by Indian and Pakistani writers and tells the tales of partition horrors. I narrate the story called Crossing the Raavi, written by Gulzar. Hope you will like it.

Mar 06, 202515 minSeason 1Ep. 371

A Gujarati Spiritual Poem

In this episode I narrate another Indian spiritual poem, this time translated from Gujarati. The poem is called Black Bag, and it was written by Pawan Kumar Jain, translated into English by Arvind Krisha Mehrotra.

Feb 18, 20255 minSeason 1Ep. 370

Ambapali - A Spiritual Poem

In the next few episodes, I will narrate a poem from different Indian languages, its English translation, of course. Today's poem is called Ambapali. It was Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari and translated into English by Sunita Jain. Keep following the podcast. Visit www.kalampedia.org to share your feedback or any queries.

Jan 22, 20255 minSeason 1Ep. 369

The Kamasutra - Audiobook - Part Seven

In the concluding episode of our Kamasutra series, I discuss the different kinds of congress and some other juicy parts. Keep following us on www.kalampedia.org and share your feedback.

Dec 24, 202413 minSeason 1Ep. 368

The Kamasutra on Kissing and Biting - Audiobook - Part Six

In the Sexual Union segment of the Kamasutra, a lot of emphasis has been given on kissing, scratching, biting, embracing etc with a chapter dedicated to each one of these topics. This is what I discuss in today's podcast. Thank you for listening. Please subscribe and visit www.kalampedia.org to support.

Dec 10, 202418 minSeason 1Ep. 367

The Kamasutra - Audiobook - Part Five

Today we start the most sought after section of The Kamasutra: The Sexual Union. Listen to the types of loves, sexual unions and more in this episode. Thank you for tuning in. Keep following our work at www.kalampedia.org and share your feedback.

Dec 04, 202413 minSeason 1Ep. 366

The Kamasutra - Audiobook - Part Four

In today's episode of our Kamasutra series, I discuss the kind of women described in the Kamasutra. Which women are supposed to be enjoyed and which are prohibited, all this and more, we discuss in this episode. Keep listening to our podcast and visit www.kalampedia.org to share your feedback.

Nov 29, 20248 minSeason 1Ep. 365
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android