My Book

Prof Neerja Mattoo – academic, writer and translator from Kashmir – discusses her book The Greatest Kashmiri Stories Ever Told, a collection of short stories translated in English from Kashmiri language, with Malvika Kaul in this 2nd episode of My Book, a Podcast about Books & Authors with a South Asian touch, produced by Cine Ink in London. The book has been published by Aleph Book Company.

The two discuss how conflict and violence have changed the ‘paradise on earth’ and shaped its culture and literature. Prof Mattoo shares why she felt the need to translate stories written by some of the finest Kashmiri language writers. She reads excerpts from the book and snatches of the quaint Kashmiri language.

Neerja Mattoo has taught in Kashmir for over three decades. She has published five books, including the critically acclaimed, The Mystic and the Lyric: Four Women Poets from Kashmir.

Malvika Kaul is an academic and writer based in New Delhi. She has reported for dailies like The Indian Express, The Times of India, Hindustan Times and The Asian Age, on issues of health, gender and conflict for over two decades. She was recently awarded a PhD for her thesis on how Indian print media reports the conflict in Kashmir. Her thesis examined editorial policy of newspapers, the challenges of a reporter in a conflict zone, and why some narratives dominate Kashmir coverage.

My Book podcast has been produced by Achala Sharma and Pervaiz Alam for Cine Ink in London.

Author, broadcaster and traveller, Sam Miller, discusses his latest book ‘Migrants: The Story of Us All’ with Loveleen Kacker in this first episode of My Book, a Podcast about Books & Authors with a South Asian touch, produced by Cine Ink in London.

Published by Abacus in Feb, 2023, Miller’s book cuts through the toxic debates about migration at a time when a number of countries have announced draconian laws to tackle migration, and tells the rich and collective stories of humankind’s urge to move.

Former BBC journalist, Sam Miller was born and brought up in London, but has spent much of his adult life in India. He is the author of Fathers (2017), Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity (2009), Blue Guide: India (2012) and A Strange Kind of Paradise: India Through Foreign Eyes (2014).

Author and Podcaster, Loveleen Kacker is a former Indian Administrative Service Officer based in London. The Series Producers are Achala Sharma and Pervaiz Alam. This podcast was recorded in London in March, 2023.