In the last episode of the first season of Women Who Speak Heritage, I chat with Shubhra Chatterji, aka @historywali, who is a writer-director of celebrated food shows on National Television. But she emerged as one of the most promising content creators in the times of Covid-19 lockdown through her Instagram live series called #HistoryOnAPlate

In this session, we talk about her journey, her passion for food, and food history as she traveled through India's hinterlands in search of lost recipes. She shares her thoughts on shooting in the interiors of the country and writing a book about all the pearls of wisdom she has collected for the last few years.

We faced some severe technical glitches while recording this episode via Instagram's lives. I hope the listener will forgive us for that. The conversation may sound patchy, but the content is pure gold!

I hope to see you soon with the second season of the podcast!

Ciao

In the sixth episode of Women Who Speak Heritage, I chat with Saili Palande Datar, a well-known historian, and archaeologist who talks about how to read a monument. We discuss the different ways to appreciate a historical structure in India with special reference to Indian temple architecture. Saili spills the beans on what an archaeologist or a historian looks for in an ancient monument and the tricks to demystify the iconography and temple architecture for a layperson to understand them better. To sum it up, this 47 min chat is your introductory course in heritage interpretation in India. Ready to take the class 101?

In the fifth episode of Women Who Speak Heritage podcast, I chat with Sayalee Marathe, a jewelry designer, revivalist, and a creative entrepreneur who is the founder of an iconic jewelry brand called Aadyaa Originals from Pune. She talks about her passion for traditional Maharashtrian jewelry and its makeover in silver. She takes us through her journey as a successful entrepreneur, and we also discuss the importance of branding on social media.

In the fourth episode of Women Who Speak Heritage, I speak with Sanjeevani Ayachit, a researcher and professor who is also a Ph.D. in Peshwa era costumes. We discuss the sartorial choices of Peshwa men and women and how absent they are in today's books and other forms of documentation. We also discuss the misrepresentation of Peshwa's frugal lifestyle in the magnum opuses like Bajirao Mastani. Sanjeevani throws some much-needed light on the beautiful fabrics of the bygone era. She also talks about the unique rituals and practices of these people. A special mention to her favorite historical character Mastani, an underrated, misjudged cursed beauty who needs a film of her own!

The episode art is a painting of an unknown woman from Peshwa Museum, Parvati, Pune 

Courtesy: Sanjeevani Ayachit 

Stay tuned!

In the third episode of 'Women who speak heritage' I chat with Yoginee Budhkar, a Ph.D. in Biotechnology who is obsessed with honey bees, honey, and the ancient Indian potion that Gods used to consume! She takes us through the magical journey mead has had and its relevance in Ayurveda and today's medicine. 

For more info on Yoginee's passion project, do visit www.ceranameads.com

Here comes the second podcast episode in the series "Women who speak heritage" where I chat with Smita Babar, an architect, urban conservationist, a researcher, and a solo traveler. We talk about her passion projects, her love for art deco, and about her solo travels and a lot more. Our conversation starts with her important years in Kolhapur and follows her journey to Nazare in Portugal and everything that happened in between in her life! I am amazed by the clarity with which Smita speaks her mind. I hope you enjoy this chat as much as we did!

In the first episode, Preeti Deo (UK) fondly remembers her days at her ancestral home in Marathwada, painting a picture of all the women coming together at 4 pm for her grandma's tea party. Through their gossips and wise tales, she narrates a story of the cuisine of Marathwada, a region often neglected when experts talk about Indian food. She tells me about her quest to connect with her roots and evolution as a cookbook writer who now chronicles her kitchen adventures through her Instagram handle (@myukkitchen).

We talk about a mythological king who became a chef, lost recipes that we need to dig in, a zucchini thalipeeth recipe that she swears by, a Maharashtrian menu for the Queen's birthday party and how to repurpose leftover daal. All this and much more in this elaborate chat that happened over an Instagram live session when the world stopped moving when we were house arrested in the deadly COVID-19 quarantine.