Podcast
The Indian Edit
Hosted by Nitasha Manchanda · EN
Welcome to the Indian Edit, a new series of in-depth interviews with inspiring entrepreneurs, educators and culture-makers. Subscribe here on iTunes and stay updated at http://theindianedit.com and on instagram @theindianeditpodcast
15episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ep. 100: Bringing Indian Classics to us all with Harvard University Press's Editorial Director Sharmila Sen
Jan 1700:53:36Tap to summarize“There's nothing dead about the Indian classics. It's not a revival of anything. It's not a museum piece. I think our classical tradition is alive through the stories our parents and grandparents told us…[and through popular culture]…..but with few exceptions, we don't know about the classics from our neighboring state, right? I always hope that the girl in Chandigarh can read a Mangal Kavya from Bengal, a boy in Patna can read a Telugu classic. Someone sitting in your old hometown, Pune can read Bulleh Shah.”🎙️ In this episode (100!) of The Indian Edit, join me with writer, scholar, and Editorial Director of Harvard University Press, Sharmila Sen. We explore Sharmila’s personal journey from growing up in Bengal to immigrating to the United States as a child, her reflections on race, belonging, and visibility, and her work stewarding the linguistically ambitious literary project: The Murty Classical Library of India.Shownotes for Episide 100:Growing Up Between WorldsSharmila’s childhood in Calcutta (Kolkata) and her move to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1982Assimilation, accent, and the desire to “disappear” as a young immigrantLearning Americanness through television, language, and cultural mimicryRace, Privilege, and VisibilityComing to understand race in the U.S. as an immigrant from IndiaThe contrast between being part of a dominant group in India and a racial minority in AmericaThe persistent “foreignness” assigned to Asian AmericansPassing, names, and the refusal to erase one’s identityLanguage as IdentityBengali as a lived, literary, and emotional languageExperiences living and working in Pakistan and BangladeshLearning Urdu (including Nastaliq script) and PunjabiThe cultural and political significance of language in South AsiaThe Murty Classical Library of IndiaFounded in 2010 with support from Rohan MurtyInspired by Harvard’s Loeb Classical Library (Greek & Latin classics)Publishes bilingual editions (original text + English translation)Covers 2,500 years of writing across 19 South Asian languagesAims to make Indian classics accessible to scholars, general readers, and future generationsTen Indian Classics (10th Anniversary Anthology)Curated selections from the Murty Classical LibrarySpans 2,500 years and 9 languagesIncludes:Poems of the early Buddhist nuns (Therīgāthā)Tulsidas’s RamayanaSufi poetry by Bulleh ShahGuru Nanak’s hymnsPersian chronicles of Emperor AkbarUrdu, Tamil, Sanskrit, Punjabi, and moreExplores the idea of classics as living traditions, not museum artifactsWhy Indian Classics Still MatterClassics as “background noise” that continues to shape cultureStories and verses that live on through oral tradition, popular culture, and daily lifeReading across regions and languages as an act of cultural connection and nation-building📚 Books & Resources MentionedNot Quite Not White – Sharmila Sen (memoir)The Murty Classical Library of India (Harvard University Press)Ten Indian Classics – Edited by Sharmila SenAmar Chitra KathaThe Ramayana and Mahabharata (regional retellings)🔗 Find all books and resources at theindianedit.com📢 Stay ConnectedIf you enjoyed this episode:Share it with a friendFollow the podcast on Instagram @theindianeditpodcastVisit theindianedit.com for full show notes and links
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Mini-Edit 6: Readers and writers! Author Sonali Dev is back with a new book and lots of great tips
Aug 300:47:08Tap to summarize🎙️ The Indian Edit: Mini Edit with Sonali Dev – “There’s Something About Mira”Welcome back to The Indian Edit! In this special mini edit, award-winning romance author Sonali Dev returns to the podcast to discuss her newest novel, There's Something About Mira (Feb 2025). We dive into the inspirations behind the book, themes of identity, love, and community, and the layered characters that travel from Naperville to New York to Darjeeling and beyond.📚 In This Episode:The origin of There's Something About Mira and how a New York Times article inspired the plotExploring “Brown Town,” community expectations, and finding emotional safetyThe story within the story: a powerful queer love story in 1980s IndiaWhat draws readers to wealthy romantic leads and how Sonali rethinks that tropeCreative energy management and the joys and pitfalls of newsletters & social mediaTravel tips and favorite cities: Mumbai, Darjeeling, ChicagoSonali’s recent reads and book recommendations📘 Books & Media Mentioned:There's Something About Meera by Sonali Dev → Buy on Bookshop / AmazonThe Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev → Read moreSense and Sensibility (Jane Austen homage in Sonali’s series)All We Imagine As Light (film about Mumbai life) → IMDbThe Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese → AmazonPeople of Means by Nancy Johnson 🎧 More with Sonali:Visit: https://sonalidev.comInstagram: @sonali.devNewsletter: Sign up on her website for The Three R’s: a recipe, a recommendation, and a really bad joke!YouTube archive of Lit with Love: Lit with Love on YouTube📍 Cities We Discussed:Mumbai – a city of grit, warmth, and humorDarjeeling – majestic Himalayas and spiritual beautyChicago – architecture, lakefront, theater, and cozy big-city charm✨ If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and share! Catch Sonali’s previous appearance on The Indian Edit in Episode 57.Hear our latest chat now on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you enjoyed this, PLEASE SHARE THE EPISODE WITH A FRIEND!
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Ep. 99: Leading with purpose with Pratham USA CEO Manisha Bharti
Jun 1601:10:32Tap to summarize🎙️ New Episode Out Now!In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Manisha Bharti, CEO of Pratham USA, to explore what it takes to lead one of India’s largest education nonprofits.From her journey through Harvard to her work in HIV response and international development, Manisha shares powerful insights on:✨ Nonprofit leadership & global impact 🌍 Philanthropy in the Indian diaspora 📚 How Pratham empowers youth through education & skilling 🤝 The importance of partnerships and scaling what works 🔍 Her favorite tool for self-awareness: the Enneagram🎧 Plus:Breaking into public health & international developmentUsing private sector strategy to drive nonprofit successAdvice for young professionals seeking purpose-driven careersListen now on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you enjoyed this, PLEASE SHARE THE EPISODE WITH A FRIEND!
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Ep. 98: Rivers Between Us: Family, Heritage, and Storytelling with kidlit author Suma Subramaniam & illustrator Tara Anand
May 3, 202500:53:46Tap to summarizeRivers have been on my mind recently with some recent buzzy arrivals on their power (from Elif Shafak to non-fiction Robert Macfarlane). Join me with author Suma Subramaniam and illustrator Tara Anand to discuss their beautiful picture book My Name Is Long As a River. Inspired by Suma’s own heritage, the story celebrates the deep connections between names, family history, and cultural identity. Together, Suma and Tara share how rivers, poetry, and personal memory shaped this tribute to the power of knowing where we come from.Listen now on iTunes,Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you enjoyed this, PLEASE SHARE THE EPISODE WITH A FRIEND!Rivers have been on my mind recently with some recent buzzy arrivals on their power (from Elif Shafak to non-fiction Robert Macfarlane). Join me with author Suma Subramaniam and illustrator Tara Anand to discuss their beautiful picture book My Name Is Long As a River. Inspired by Suma’s own heritage, the story celebrates the deep connections between names, family history, and cultural identity. Together, Suma and Tara share how rivers, poetry, and personal memory shaped this tribute to the power of knowing where we come from.Listen now on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you enjoyed this, PLEASE SHARE THE EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! Suma SubramaniamTara Anand, photographed by Brittany OxleySHOWNOTES for Ep. 98:Connect with Suma through her website And with Tara Anand hereBooks and other stuff we discussed on the show:Martyr! by Kaveh AkbarTerry Pratchett’s Discworld booksTishani Doshi’s poetry collection A God at the DoorThe Covenant of Water by Abraham VergheseAmar Chitra Katha comicsMalgudi Days by R.K. NarayanSupport the show via Patreon!Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram! Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgardenSpecial thanks to Soumya Saksham, Sudipta Biswas and the team at The Media Tribe for audio-post production!
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Ep. 97: The craft of writing in the age of BookTok - with environmental lawyer turned author Farah Naz Rishi
Feb 7, 202501:02:34Tap to summarizeAnother long overdue episode with a FANTASTIC guest! Philly-based lawyer-turned-writer Farah Naz Rishi has written YA, sci-fi, romance, and a heartbreaking memoir ‘Sorry for the Inconvenience’. Pop in your airpods, grab a hot drink, go for a walk, listen how you please, but don’t miss how this Pakistani-American Muslim writer became a TikTok sensation, how she wrote the book that ‘broke Mindy Kaling’s heart’, and of course her favorite books and hometown Philadephia hang outs!Listen now on iTunes,Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you enjoyed this, PLEASE SHARE THE EPISODE WITH A FRIEND!SHOWNOTES for Ep. 97:Connect with Farah through her website and InstagramBuy Sorry for the Inconvenience and Farah’s other books hereBooks and other stuff we discussed on the show:Robin Hobb’s booksR.F. Kuang’s booksUrsula LeGuin’s writing schedulePhilly’s fab restaurant Mawn (I tried it based on Farah’s tip and it is AMAZING, but now apparently hard to get a table!)Free Library of Philadelphia Harriet’s Bookshop in FishtownSupport the show via Patreon!Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram! Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgardenSpecial thanks to Soumya Saksham, Sudipta Biswas and the team at The Media Tribe for audio-post production!
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Ep. 96: How to create a portfolio career with author, doctor, journalist and educator Seema Yasmin
Dec 31, 202401:05:12Tap to summarizeAnd we are back! After a very long delay (you can read why here on the newsletter), I’m delighted to bring you this overdue episode with Dr. Seema Yasmin. Ignore my most awkward intro ever to hear how this brilliant Emmy-award winning journalist, author, medical doctor and professor managed to overcome a challenging childhood and Islamophobia in a small town in England to publishing multiple books and teaching at Stanford by following her passions and pivoting when it felt right! The conversation feels very timely given Seema’s efforts to battle Scientific misinformation, promote reproductive rights and queer and Muslim representation in children’s books.Listen now on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you enjoyed this, PLEASE SHARE THE EPISODE WITH A FRIEND! SHOWNOTES for Ep. 96:Connect with Seema through her website and InstagramBuy Unbecoming and The ABCs of Queer History and all of Seema’s books hereOther books and other tips we discussed on the show:The Who and the What: A Play (I love Seema’s reading challenge ‘A play a day’)Disgraced and other Ayad Akhtar playsShefali Luthra’s Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe AmericaSupport the show via Patreon!Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram! Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgardenSpecial thanks to Sudipta Biswas and the team at The Media Tribe for audio-post production!
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Mini-Edit 5: Mystery author Sujata Massey's tips for a fun-filled Back-to-School season
Sep 5, 202400:36:20Tap to summarizeThe dynamic author Sujata Massey joined me in conversation earlier this summer and shared her resolution to make it her best summer by “only reading pleasurable and escapist books”! Why not take this idea into the hectic ‘Back to School’ season too? Join us as Sujata shares more about her latest Perveen Mistry historical mystery set in 1920s India and don’t miss her fun suggestions for light reading and how to make some free fun for yourself WITHOUT getting on a plane!Sujata was first on the podcast on Ep. 60 which you can catch right here! Hear our latest chat now on iTunes,Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you enjoyed this, PLEASE SHARE THE EPISODE WITH A FRIEND!SHOWNOTES for Mini-Edit 5:Connect with Sujata through her website and InstagramBuy the Perveen Mistry Book 4 here (The Mistress of Bhatia House)Other books and other tips we discussed on the show:Tehrangeles by Porochista KhakpourThe Hachette Book of Indian Detective Fiction Volumes I and IIWives like Us by Plum SykesThe Lost boy of Santa Chiomia The Franchise Affair and Brat Farrar by Josephine TeySupport the show via Patreon!Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram! Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgardenSpecial thanks to Sudipta Biswas and the team at The Media Tribe for audio-post production!
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Ep. 95: Family stories as our most precious inheritance with writer Ritu Hemnani
Aug 5, 202400:44:36Tap to summarize“Why do people migrate?” was the question Ritu Hemnani’s daughter posed to her one day. A deeper look at her own family’s story of migration from Sindh to Hong Kong led this educator to explore the history of the Partition and to share this story with her family and beyond. Author of ‘Lion of the Sky’ a beautiful, middle grade novel in verse, Ritu joins me on this episode to discuss her family’s story of resilience. We chat about the Sindhi language, life in Hong Kong, her experience teaching in an urban British school, and so much more.Listen now on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you enjoyed this, PLEASE SHARE THE EPISODE WITH A FRIEND!SHOWNOTES for Ep. 95:Connect with Ritu through her website and InstagramBuy Lion of the SkyVeera Hiranandani’s books on the Partition The Night Diary and Amil & the AfterOther books and other tips we discussed on the show:Restart by Gordon KormanCharlotte’s Web by E.B. WHiteLong Way Down by Jason ReynoldsThe Crossover by Kwame AlexanderInside Out and Back Again by Thanhha LaiThe Forgettery by Rachel IpArirang Korean restaurantSupport the show via Patreon!Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram! Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgardenSpecial thanks to Sudipta Biswas and the team at The Media Tribe for audio-post production!
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Ep. 94: The joy of children’s books with ‘Girls on Wheels’ author Srividhya Venkat
Jul 12, 202401:05:32Tap to summarizeAnother one for you book lovers out there!Many of us were introduced to the wonder of picture books only once we began reading them to our kids. My latest guest Srividhya Venkat fell in love with children’s books and never looked back (at her former career in accounting)! Srividhya began a second act in early childhood education, and then a third in children’s literature. Her beautiful books ‘Girls on Wheels’ and ‘Dancing in Thatha’s Footsteps’ are a wonder, and she has a brand new one out next week celebrating Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi!Join us in this conversation celebrating the joy of kidlit! Listen and rate us on iTunes,Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this, please do tell a friend!SHOWNOTES for Ep. 94:Connect with Srividhya through her website and InstagramBuy Girls on Wheels, Dancing in Thatha’s Footsteps and Seeker of Truth: Kailash Satyarthi's Fight to End Child LaborOther books we discussed on the show:Where Three Oceans Meet by Rajani LaRoccaMay Your Life Be Deliciosa: A Picture Book by Michael GenhartSupport the show via Patreon!Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram! Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgardenSpecial thanks to Sudipta Biswas and the team at The Media Tribe for audio-post production!
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Mini-Edit 4: A celebration of all our blended identities with "In This Family" creators Shelly Anand and Meenal Patel
Jul 5, 202400:42:21Tap to summarizeLooking for a new picture book to read with kids in your life? This brand new one really made me think about all the tiny and large ways children develop their sense of belonging in a family and their sense of self in the world at large. The rich detail of what family members pass down to new arrivals is beautifully captured in this lovely book written by Shelly Anand, illustrated by Meenal Patel.I get to chat with TWO previous guests on this Mini-Edit (hear Shelly’s story on Ep. 55 and Meenal’s on Ep. 23)! Join me as we dive into the story behind this new book, and please take a second to rate us on iTunes,Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!SHOWNOTES FOR Mini-Edit 4:Connect with Shelly through her website and InstagramFind Meenal through her website and instagramBuy “In This Family”Other books we discussed on the show:Parable of the Sower by Octavia ButlerLast Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda LoBuy me a coffee via Patreon!Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram !Want to talk gardens? Follow me @readyourgardenSpecial thanks to Sudipta Biswas and the team at The Media Tribe for audio-post production!
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