Journalism of Courage
The Sandip Roy Show
What makes people tick? What are the stories they carry with them? In a world of shouting heads, veteran journalist, radio commentator and novelist Sandip Roy sits down to have real conversations about the fascinating world around us and the people who shape it. Catch these engaging interviews every other Sunday
The Sandip Roy ShowWhat makes people tick? What are the stories they carry with them? In a world of shouting heads, veteran journalist, radio commentator and novelist Sandip Roy sits down to have real conversations about the fascinating world around us and the people who shape it. Catch these engaging interviews every other Sunday
Episode
192
December 14, 2025
How colonialism shoved India’s queer history into the closet ft Sindhu Rajasekaran
This week host Sandip Roy is joined by writer Sindhu Rajasekaran, whose new book traces how the British reformed and silenced India’s queer futures, to take a look at erased lineages and what they mean...
Episode
191
November 30, 2025
Indulge: Is fine dining in India going small? ft Gauri Devidayal, Yash Bhanage and Shuli Ghosh
We explore how India’s fine dining scene is being redefined by small, intimate, and cutting-edge standalone restaurants.
Episode
190
November 13, 2025
Rakshit Sonawane on the rarely told urban Dalit storySubscriber Only
Author Rakshit Sonawane joins Sandip to discuss his novel The Scum of the Earth and how fiction helped him tell his personal story of caste, identity, and resilience.
Episode
189
October 27, 2025
The history of rubber we would rather erase ft Vidya RajanSubscriber Only
With growing concerns about whether we have enough rubber to sustain our future needs, host Sandip Roy speaks with Vidya Rajan about her book Rubber: The Social and Natural History of an Indispensable Substance.
Episode
188
October 12, 2025
Is the Hindi heartland becoming India’s Hindu heartland? ft Ghazala WahabSubscriber Only
This week on the show, host Sandip Roy speaks with Ghazala Wahab, whose new book, The Hindi Heartland, traces the region’s complex history and examines its continuing influence on India’s politics and society.
Episode
187
September 22, 2025
Indulge: Is India the next cheese frontier? ft Namrata Sundaresan and Mansi JasaniSubscriber Only
This week, as part of our series on Indian indulgences, we explore how local terroir is shaping India’s cheese story.
Episode
186
September 8, 2025
Kunzang Choden on Bhutan beyond the tourist trailSubscriber Only
Sandip speaks with Kunzang Choden about her memoir and what it was like to grow up in Bhutan during the 1950s and 60s.
Episode
185
August 17, 2025
Why India needs to take sleep seriously ft Dr GC KhilnaniSubscriber Only
Host Sandip Roy discuses India’s national sleep crisis, a problem that affects all ages, from anxious teenagers to overworked professionals, with Dr. G.C. Khilnani, a renowned pulmonologist and chairman of the PSRI Institute of Pulmonary,...
Episode
184
August 5, 2025
The underbelly of the gig economy ft Vandana VasudevanSubscriber Only
This week we explore the human impact of South Asia’s growing gig economy and the hidden stories behind its convenience.
Episode
183
July 28, 2025
How we love the mango but know very little about it ft Sopan JoshiSubscriber Only
As mango season winds down, Sandip Roy speaks to Sopan Joshi about the deeper story of India’s beloved fruit—beyond nostalgia, into its roots in culture, science, and survival.
Episode
182
July 7, 2025
Lal Bahadur Shastri, India’s forgotten PM ft Sanjeev ChopraSubscriber Only
Author Sanjeev Chopra joins Sandip Roy to explore the overlooked legacy and lasting impact of Lal Bahadur Shastri, India’s second Prime Minister.
Episode
181
June 25, 2025
How Indians in America took on Indira Gandhi’s Emergency ft Prof Anand Kumar and Sugata SrinivasarajuSubscriber Only
Journalist Sugata Srinivasaraju and Professor Anand Kumar tell us about how the Indian diaspora in the US challenged the Emergency.
Episode
180
June 16, 2025
Ruchir Joshi on the Calcutta you don’t knowSubscriber Only
Author Ruchir Joshi joins Sandip Roy to discuss his novel The Great Eastern Hotel and revisit 1940s Calcutta — a city caught between empire, resistance, and transformation.
Episode
179
June 1, 2025
Pride Month Special: How has gayness evolved in popular culture?Subscriber Only
This week, to kick off Pride Month, we explore how the portrayal of gay lives in Indian popular culture has changed over the decades.
Episode
178
May 11, 2025
Forget Hindi or English, what about the other 777 languages? ft Ganesh Devy and Anvita AbbiSubscriber Only
This week on the show, GN Devy and Anvita Abbi unpack India’s linguistic diversity and the urgent need to preserve its many endangered languages.
Episode
177
April 27, 2025
The Mystery of the Awadh “Royals” of Delhi’s Malcha Mahal ft Aletta André and Abhimanyu KumarSubscriber Only
A new book uncovers whether a family’s claim to the legacy of Awadh was genuine or a carefully crafted lie.
Episode
176
April 13, 2025
The Urdu newspaper that dared to speak truth to power ft Chander Mohan and Jyotsna MohanSubscriber Only
This week on the show, we trace the journey of Pratap and Vir Pratap, exploring how these publications carried forward a legacy of fearless journalism from colonial rule into independent India.
Episode
175
March 30, 2025
Manu Pillai on how Hinduism and Christianity transformed each otherSubscriber Only
Author and historian Manu S. Pillai to discuss his new book, "Gods, Guns and Missionaries," which explores how these cross-cultural encounters not only attempted to reshape India but also unexpectedly influenced the construction of a...
Episode
174
March 17, 2025
How caste influences food—from cookbooks to public health ft Sylvia Karpagam and Sucharita KanjilalSubscriber Only
Host Sandip Roy is joined by Dr Sucharita Kanjilal, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Bard College, and Dr Sylvia Karpagam, a public health doctor and researcher to discuss how food continues to shape identity, social...
Episode
173
March 2, 2025
The holy cow and the dairy dilemma ft Yamini NarayananSubscriber Only
Yamini Narayanan unpacks the complexities of India’s dairy industry and the uncomfortable truths consumers often ignore.
Episode
172
February 16, 2025
Indulge: How is India’s speciality coffee scene brewing?Subscriber Only
In this episode, we discuss India's rapidly growing specialty coffee scene with Raghunath Rajaram and Namisha Parthasarathy, founders of Aramse, an independent speciality coffee company and Binny Varghese, co-founder of the Barista Training Academy.
Episode
171
February 2, 2025
Lee Durrell on 100 years of Gerald DurrellSubscriber Only
In conversation with Lee Durrell, we recount Gerald Durrell's compassion for wildlife conservation and his childhood experiences in Corfu, leading to the creation of his most famous book.
Episode
170
January 21, 2025
Northeast India wants tourists. But is it ready?Subscriber Only
Host Sandip Roy speaks with Nishant Sinha, co-founder of Chalo Hoppo, and Grace Marbaniang, co-founder of Escape to Meghalaya, to explore the rising appeal of Northeast India as a must-visit destination and examine whether the...
Episode
169
January 5, 2025
Mapping the story of new India through its working class ft Neha DixitSubscriber Only
In The Many Lives of Syeda X, journalist Neha Dixit examines a Muslim woman’s journey while capturing India’s changes over three decades.
Episode
172
December 23, 2024
Indulge: The brave new world of Indian craft chocolateSubscriber Only
Chaitanya Muppala, Vikas Temani, and Patricia Cosma discuss the future of Indian craft chocolate in a market long dominated by established brands like Cadbury and Amul.