Kitaab Kaulum

Broadcaster Achala Sharma is in conversation with Dr Vinay Kumar, one of the leading psychiatrists in India, about his collection of Hindi poems ‘Yakshini’, named after a statue made of sandstone of female deity and spirit dated to the 3rd century BCE.

‘The day I looked at the famous Deedar Ganj’s Yakshini in a museum, little did I know that my life was going to change for ever. I could go back to my subconscious mind, draw imagery and inspiration and put it on a piece of paper in the form of poetry’, says Dr. Vinay Kumar in this 30th episode of Cine Ink podcast series about books ‘Kitaab Kaulum’.

Yakshini, published by Rajkamal Prakashan, is Vinay Kumar’s fourth book of Hindi poetry, including acclaimed ‘Qarz e Tehzeeb’ and ‘Mall Mein Kabootar’.

A former Secretary and Vice President of the India Psychiatric Society, Dr. Kumar has recently been elected as the President of the society and has published several research papers and two books on psychiatry related subjects.

He is the founder of Manoved Mind Hospital in Patna, Bihar.

Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, S.Y. Quraishi busts many myths and claims about the population of Indian Muslims in conversation with broadcaster Achala Sharma in this episode of ‘Kitaab Kaulum’.

The author of ‘The Population Myth: Islam, Family Planning and Politics in India’, published by HarperCollins, says India’s family planning programme policy has yielded solid results and is almost on track.

Quraishi’s book reveals how the right-wing spin to population data has given rise to myths about the Muslim rate of growth , often used to stoke majoritarian fears of a demographic skew. He uses facts to demolish these, and demonstrates how a planned population is in the interest of all communities. The book delves into the Quran and the Hadith to show how Islam might have been one of the first religions in the world to actually advocate smaller families, which is why several Islamic nations today have population policies in place.

SY Quraishi has also written a much acclaimed book: An Undocumented Wonder: The Great Indian Election: The Making of the Great Indian Election

‘Hymns in Blood’ is an English translation of a Punjabi novel ‘Khoon de Sohile’ by legendary Punjabi author Nanak Singh, first published in February 1948, and now translated for the first time into English by his grand son Navdeep Suri, a former diplomat who has served in India's diplomatic missions in Washington DC and London. He was also India's ambassador to Egypt and the UAE.

Navdeep Suri in conversation with broadcaster Achala Sharma says dealing with the trauma of partition of India in 1947, the novel provides a message of healing that is as relevant today in the context of Hindu-Muslim communalism as it was 75 years ago and provides a timely reminder of the grief and trauma that a religious divide brings in its wake.
The novel tells the story based in 1947, Chakri, an idyllic village on the banks of the Soan near Rawalpindi, surrounded by stalks of golden wheat and festive songs. Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs eagerly await the end of winter and get together to prepare for Lohri.
Amidst this joyous bustle, Baba Bhana, the erudite village elder, worries about the future of his foster daughter, Naseem. Life comes to a halt when news of a possible partition of India reaches the village. Amid a frenzy of communal violence, Baba Bhana and his family must reluctantly leave their beloved village. They embark on a long and dangerous journey, slowly coming to terms with the fact that their lives may be changing forever.

The novel ‘Hymns In Blood’ written by Nanak Singh of ‘Pavitra Papi’ and ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’ fame, translated from the Punjabi by Navdeep Suri has been published by Harper Collins India in 2022.

EP 27: Sumitra and Anees by Seema Chishti

‘Sumitra and Anees, Tales and Recipes from a Khichdi family’ by the Delhi based journalist Seema Chishti is a poignant tale of her loving parents- Sumitra and Anees- falling in love, having an inter-faith marriage and leaving a legacy of great humanity and values for her. Seema Chishti is in conversation with broadcaster Achala Sharma in this episode of Kitaab Kaulum.

Seema Chishti argues how in the India of today, social and communal fault lines have become starker than ever before. Inter-faith marriages, once seen as the hallmark of a plural society, are now being increasingly used to further a divisive political narrative.

Journalist Seema Chishti, herself the product of an inter-faith marriage from a time when the ‘idea of India’ was not just an idea but a lived reality, tells in this book the story of her parents: Sumitra, a Kshatriya Hindu from Mysore in Karnataka, and Anees, a Syed Muslim from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh. Woven into their story are recipes from Sumitra’s kitchen, a site of confluence for the diverse culinary traditions she mastered. The book has been published by Harper Collins India.

‘Parantha Breakup’ is a new Hindi short-story collection by well known writer, novelist and editor, Kshama Sharma, who has also written a large number of books for children of all ages. She edited India’s popular magazine for children, Nandan.

Kshama Sharma discusses ‘Parantha Breakup’ and her other literary work with broadcaster Achala Sharma in this episode of Kitab Kaulum. ‘Parantha Breakup’ has been published by Vani Prakashan.

An author of four novels and eleven short story collections, Kshama Sharma is a Phd in literature and journalism. Her prominent books include titles such as Doosra Paath, Mobile, Name Plate, Kasbe Ki Ladki, Thank You Saddam Husain and Baat Abhi Khatm Nahin Hui.

Broadcaster Achala Sharma interviews Namita Gokhale, author of twenty books and winner of Sahitya Akademi Award for 2021, about her latest book ‘The Blind Matriarch’ in this episode of Cine Ink Podcast series ‘Kitaab Kaulum’.

She is also the co-founder and co-director (with William Dalrymple) of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Published by Penguin Random House-Viking, ’The Blind Matriarch’ examines the Indian joint family against the backdrop of the pandemic. The Hindi translation ‘Aandhari’ by Prabhat Ranjan has been published by Rajkamal Prakashan.

She was given Sahitya Akademi Award for her English novel ‘Things To Leave Behind’ in 2022.

Namita Gokhale’s debut novel, ‘Paro: Dreams of Passion’, was published in 1984. Other recent books include  ‘Betrayed By Hope’, a play on the life of the poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt, and ‘Jaipur Journals’, a fictional reading of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Listen to an exclusive interview with The International Booker Prize winner Geetanjali Shree. Her Hindi novel ‘Ret Samadhi’ (Tomb of Sand) is the first book originally written in any Indian language to win the International Booker Prize, and the first novel translated from Hindi to be recognised by the award.

In conversation with broadcaster Achala Sharma, recorded on the eve of Booker announcement in London, Geetanjali Shree discusses the process of writing her award winning novel, working along with her translator, Daisy Rockwell, her life and work in this 24th episode of Cine Ink Podcast Series ‘Kitaab Kaulum’.

‘Ret Samadhi’ has been published by Rajkamal Prakashan, New Delhi, and translated in English by Daisy Rockwell under the title ’Tomb of Sand’ published by Tilted Axis Press UK.

Set in northern India, Tomb of Sand follows the adventures of an 80-year-old woman who unexpectedly gains a new, and highly unconventional, lease of life. The result is a book that is engaging, funny and utterly original, at the same time as being an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries - whether between religions, countries or genders.

Meet Sukrita Paul Kumar, poet and critic, in this episode 23 of Cine Ink Podcast Series Kitaab Kaulum. In conversation with broadcaster Achala Sharma, Sukrita shares her thoughts on her latest book of poetry in English ‘Vanishing Words’ published by Hawakal in India.

Born in Kenya, Sukrita now lives in Delhi and is the Routledge Series Co Editor of “Writer in Context” Series. Her co-edited book on the eminent writer Krishna Sobti is the first in the series. Formerly a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, Sukrita was an invited poet at the International Writing Programme, Iowa, USA, and Hong Kong Baptist University. Earlier, she held the prestigious Aruna Asaf Ali Chair at Delhi University.

Amongst her critical books are Narrating Partition and Conversations on Modernism. Her translations include Nude, a book of poems by Vishal Bhardwaj, and Blind (HarperCollins).

In the segment ‘Book Club’, where listeners of Kitaab Kaulum review their favourite books, Soofia Shani talks about a hugely popular Hindi novel ‘Aapka Bunty’ by Mannu Bhandari.

Written by veteran journalist and broadcaster Saeed Naqvi 'The Muslim Vanishes’ is a play that opens up with a sensational premise- All Muslims in India have disappeared from the country overnight.

Presented by broadcaster Achala Sharma, the Cine Ink Podcast discusses the satire with its playwright, Saeed Naqvi, who poses a question whether a Muslim-free India, as a character speculates naively in the play, would be good for socialism, since what the 200 million Muslims leave behind would be equitably shared by the general population. Meanwhile, another character, a political leader, is traumatised by the sudden disappearance of the Muslim voter base and the prospect of a direct electoral confrontation with the numerically stronger Dalits and other backward classes.

In the Book Club segment, Dr. Vijaya Sati reviews a novel ‘Please Look After Mom’ by South Korean author Kyung-sook Shin. The book sold a million copies within 10 months of release in 2009 in South Korea.

This episode of Cine Ink Podcast Series Kitaab Kaulum features London-based Urdu poet, Hilal Fareed and his latest collection of Urdu poetry Pyar Ki Boli Bol (Speak The Language Of Love) in Devanagari script.

An MS in Orthopaedic Surgery from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, AMU Aligarh, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Hilal Fareed works as a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon both in the NHS and in the Private Sector. In conversation with broadcaster Achala Sharma, he shares his passion of writing Urdu poetry and recites his latest Kalaam. Pyar Ki Boli Bol has been published by Vani Prakashan. His first collection of Poems Jab Diyon Ke Sar Uthe (When The Lamps Lightened Up), published in 2011, was received well both by Urdu and Hindi poetry lovers.

With this episode of Kitaab Kaulum, we launch ‘Book Club’, a new segment within the podcast, featuring our listeners and their favourite books. Delhi based photographer and short story writer, Prerna Jain talks about her all time favourite book, Arms and the Man, by George Bernard Shaw.