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
How Delhi’s street names reveal its history, with Adrija Roychowdhury
Journalist Adrija Roychowdhury joins Sandip Roy to talk about her new book, 'Delhi in Thy Name' which traces the history of the capital city through the naming of its streets.
Using SRK to understand womanhood and the Indian economy, with Shrayana Bhattacharya
Economist Shrayana Bhattacharya on why she spent fifteen years interviewing women who are SRK fans, and what that revealed to her about the Indian economy and womanhood.
What we don’t understand about India’s data, with Rukmini S
Data journalist Rukmini S joins host Sandip Roy to talk about her new book Whole Numbers and Half Truths, and what we don’t understand about India’s data.
Johann Hari on how our attention is being stolen
Best-selling author Johann Hari speaks to Sandip about his new book, Stolen Focus, in which he writes about how we have profoundly misunderstood what’s happening to our attention, and calls for an attention rebellion.
Mridula Ramesh on what it would take to solve India’s water crisis
From the Indus Valley civilisation to British policies that still affect us, Mridula Ramesh talks about all that has led to India's grave water crisis.
Why eating insects makes sense, with Srishtaa Aparna Pallavi and Tansha Vohra
Srishtaa Aparna Pallavi and Tansha Vohra talk about the practice of eating insects in India, why certain foods are considered inferior, and their favourite insect recipes.
Amitav Ghosh on whether a climate apocalypse is inevitable
Jnanpith award winner and writer Amitav Ghosh talks about his latest book, The Nutmeg's Curse, and why we may need a new narrative to talk about climate change.
How Nehru debated his adversaries, with Adeel Hussain and Tripurdaman Singh
In their latest book, Nehru: The Debates that Defined India, Adeel Hussain and Tripurdaman Singh look at four men debated the first Prime Minister, and how theses exchanges came to shape India as we know...
Josy Joseph on how India’s deep state is threatening our democracy
Josy Joseph joins Sandip Roy to talk about his latest book, The Silent Coup: A History of India's Deep State.
Rethinking the Indian Monsoon, with Dr Sulochana Gadgil
In this episode, Sandip speaks to one of the world's foremost monsoon meteorologists, Dr Sulochana Gadgil about the myths and realities surrounding the monsoons.
The battles of India’s first women in medicine, with Kavitha Rao
Kavitha Rao talks to Sandip Roy about her latest book, 'Lady Doctors: The Untold Stories of India's First Women in Medicine'.
What we don’t understand about Gandhi’s non-violence, with Jyotirmaya Sharma
In this episode, Sandip talks to Jyotirmaya Sharma, professor of political science at the University of Hyderabad, about his new book – Elusive Nonviolence: The Making and Unmaking of Gandhi’s Religion of Ahimsa.
How alternate realities really work (beyond Whatsapp forwards)
Shivam Shankar Singh and Anand Venkatanarayanan talk about their book, The Art of Conjuring Alternate Realities: How Information Warfare Shapes Your World.
The story of India through 100 objects, with Vidya Dehejia
In this episode, Sandip talks to Vidya Dehejia, Barbara Stoler Miller Professor of Indian and South Asian Art at Columbia University, about her latest book, India: A Story through 100 Objects.
What a Pak-China-Afghan axis will mean for India, with C Raja Mohan
Sandip Roy talks to Professor C Raja Mohan about the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, and its implications for India.
Shahrukh, Aamir, Salman: How the 3 Khans changed India, with Kaveree Bamzai
Veteran Journalist Kaveree Bamzai talks about her latest book, The Three Khans: And the Emergence of New India.
An intimate history of a changing Kashmir, with Farah Bashir
In this episode Sandip talks to author Farah Bashir about her memoir, Rumours of Spring, which is an intimate history of Kashmir told through the eyes of a young girl.
How China spun the COVID-19 narrative, with Manoj Kewalramani
Manoj Kewalramani on whether China has successfully spun the Covid-19 narrative to its advantage, and his latest book Smokeless War: China's Quest for Geopolitical Dominance.
Chinmay Tumbe on what we can learn from past pandemics
Sandip Roy talks to Chinmay Tumbe about the pandemics India has witnessed in the past, how they changed the country, and what we can learn from them.
Nik Sharma on the science of taste and why we like the things we do
Chef Nik Sharma breaks down the science of taste, talks about the joy of cooking, and discusses his latest book – The Flavor Equation.
Dr Gagandeep Kang addresses the concerns around India’s vaccine policy
In this episode, Sandip talks to Dr Gagandeep Kang, who addresses the concerns around India’s vaccine policy.
Ghazala Wahab on what it means to be an ‘Indian Muslim’ today
Discussing the the changing face of Indian Islam, and what it really means to be an ‘Indian Muslim’ today.
Sharmila Tagore remembers Satyajit Ray on his 100th birth anniversary
Renowned actor Sharmila Tagore joins Sandip to celebrate this occasion, take a look back at his films, and talk about what made him stand apart from others.
Memories of food and what’s missing on our plate, with Anumitra Dastidar and Shalini Krishan
Sandip talks to the co-founder of Edible Archives, a restaurant-cum-research centre in Goa that is spearheading a new way to think about food memory and food heritage.
The conundrum of BJP’s meteoric rise in Bengal, with Neelanjan Sircar and Sajjan Kumar
In this episode, Sandip is joined by political analyst Sajjan Kumar and Neelajan Sircar, assistant professor of political science at Ashoka University, to talk about the West Bengal state polls 2021.