The Desi Detective Show

This is the final episode on the Bawla murder case of 1925, a brazen attack on Malabar Hill that shook British India. The case was raised in the House of Commons, and it ended with a Maharaja having to abdicate his throne.

References: The Bawla Murder Case by Dhaval Kulkarni

Article in BBC : ⁠A Murder that shook British India...⁠

⁠Bawla Murder Case: A 1925 Trial analysis⁠

Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala 

Haradhoner Doshti Chhele:

https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

On the 12th of January, 1925, when four men of the British Army - Lt. Saegert, Col. Vickery and lts Batley and Stephen- set out for the Taj  Mahal Hotel, after having enjoyed a game of golf at the Willingdon Sports Club, little did they know, they were about to change history.

In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee talks about the daring murder of Abdul Kader Bawla, which ended with a king being toppled from his throne.

References: The Bawla Murder Case by Dhaval Kulkarni

Article in BBC : A Murder that shook British India...

Bawla Murder Case: A 1925 Trial analysis

Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala 

Haradhoner Doshti Chhele:

https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

Thirteen friends and 1 unsolved murder. During a weekend trip to Matheran, Rakesh Jhaveri and his driver are found dead on a rainy night. The cops dismiss it as an unfortunate accident. Eleven years later, Rakesh's daughter Tara, now 17, has decided she wants answers. She's not the only one, though. A nameless, faceless friend has been patiently documenting evidence. And Tara's mother, Pramila, getting her memory back might just be the final clue they need to solve the case.

In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee chats with journalist-turned-author Shabnam Minwalla about Death Comes to Matheran, her lifelong love for murder mysteries, and how Mumbai continues to inspire her with stories.

Host: Suparna Chatterjee

Guest: Shabnam Minwalla

Books by Shabnam Minwalla

1. Death Comes to Matheran

2. Saira Zariwalla is Afraid

3. Zen

4. Darkness at Star Mills

5. The Spellmakers of Dorabji Street

6. The Nimmi series

7. Body in the Swimming Pool (The Chicken Pox Mystery Club)

Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala 

Haradhoner Doshti Chhele:

https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

In this episode, Suparna Chatterjee speaks to lawyer-turned-author Mallika Ravikumar about her legal mysteries for children, the M4 Mystery series. Mallika tells us about her move from the courtroom to the writing desk, her legal experiences that led her to write this series, her writing style, her upcoming projects, and of course, her favourite desi detectives.

Host: ⁠Suparna Chatterjee⁠

Instagram: soup_and_chat and thedesidetectiveshow

Guest: ⁠Mallika Ravikumar

Books by Mallika Ravikumar

1. The Case of the Vanishing Gods
2. The Case of the Missing Turtles
3. The Case of the Mysterious Witches
4. The District Cup
5. The Battle for Baramulla
6. Of Revolutionaries and Bravehearts
7. 565: The Dramatic Story of Unifying India
8. Tracing Roots
   

Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala 

Haradhoner Doshti Chhele:

https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

In a small town in the south of India, jewels of the temple goddess go missing. The accountant is found dead on the temple steps. An unfortunate accident, they all say, what with the rains the previous night.

All, except young Arali, who cannot rest until she finds answers. 

But this is 1901. Arali is only 14. 

And, the aforementioned accountant's death has made her a widow.

In this episode, Suparna Chatterjee talks to author Aditi Krishnakumar about her Young Adult historical murder mystery, The White Lotus. We learn about Aditi's interesting background in mathematics, literature, management and law, all of which have helped shape her writing. We talk about what makes Young Adult such an exciting genre, and of course, learn about her favourite desi detective, Kalpana Swaminathan's Lalli.

Host: Suparna Chatterjee

Instagram: soup_and_chat and thedesidetectiveshow

Guest: Aditi Krishnakumar

Books by Aditi :

The White Lotus

That Year at Manikoil

Miracles for the Maharaja

Murder in Melucha

The Magicians of Madh

Codex

A Whole Summer Long

Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala 

Haradhoner Doshti Chhele:

https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

 In 1896, criminal investigation was revolutionised by a system developed by two real-life desi detectives, Azizul Haque and Hem Chandra Bose.

In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee traces the origins of the study of fingerprints, explains why a fingerprint at the crime scene is such an integral part of criminal investigations, and highlights the contributions of sub-inspectors Azizul Haque and Hem Chandra Bose, who sadly did not receive their due under a colonial government.

Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala 

Haradhoner Doshti Chhele:

https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee speaks to kidlit author Lubaina Bandukwala about her historical mystery book, set in 1942, during the Quit India movement. Lubaina talks about the incredible first-hand research that went into writing this book, about the Peek-A- Book literature festival she helps organise, and her fun hobby - collecting inspectors from around the world.

Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com)

Instagram:⁠⁠⁠ thedesidetectiveshow⁠⁠⁠ and⁠⁠⁠ soup_and_chat⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Lubaina Bandukwala

Instagram: ⁠lubaina.bandukwala

Books and references:

The Chowpatty Cooking Club

Misadventures of a Diamond Thief

The Coral Woman

Thank God it's Caturday

Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala 

Instagram: @b_prasanna and @khurshedbatliwala

Haradhoner Doshti Chhele:

https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee speaks to kid-lit author and illustrator, Lavanya Karthik, about her book, A Demon in Dandi.

The year is 1930. All the world's eyes are on this tiny village by the Arabian Sea, where Mahatma Gandhi will arrive soon to break the salt law. But there is a demon roaming the village, claiming victims. Can the young Dinu solve the mystery before Bapu arrives? 

Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com)

Instagram:⁠⁠ thedesidetectiveshow⁠⁠ and⁠⁠ soup_and_chat⁠⁠

Guest: Lavanya Karthik

Instagram: @_lavanyakarthik_

Books and references:

A Demon in Dandi

The Dreamers - a series

Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala 

Instagram: @b_prasanna and @khurshedbatliwala

Haradhoner Doshti Chhele:

https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

In this episode, author Salil Desai talks about his journey into novel writing, the influences and inspirations that have shaped his storytelling - from Hitchcock and Colin Dexter to Hakan Nesser and P.L.Deshpande, his beloved fictional character Inspector Saralkar who has been with him for 6 books already, the art and craft of coming up with a suitable title, and of course, his book with the unlikely murderer, The Grudges of Gajanan Godbole.

Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com)

Instagram:⁠ thedesidetectiveshow⁠ and⁠ soup_and_chat⁠

Guest: Salil Desai

Instagram: ⁠@salildesai_mysteries

www.salildesai.com

Books and references:

Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles/Anthony Berkeley

The Murder of Roger Akroyd by Agatha Christie

Books by Salil Desai

Killing Ashish Karve

The Murder of Sonia Raikonnen

Three and a Half Murders

Murder Milestone

The Kid Killer

206 Bones

The Grudges of Gajanan Godbole

The Sane Psycopath

Murder on a Side Street

Lost Libido and Gulp Fiction

Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala 

Instagram: @b_prasanna and @khurshedbatliwala

Haradhoner Doshti Chhele:

https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

Writers have consistently found ways to incorporate wildlife into interesting whodunit plots. In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee delves into some prominent detective stories from India featuring wildlife in a significant manner. She is joined by wildlife photographer (and avid detective fiction fan) Shoumo Bhattacharya, who talks about his favourite detective stories featuring animals, and about his detecting experiences in the jungle. 

Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com)

Instagram: thedesidetectiveshow and soup_and_chat

Guest: Shoumo Bhattacharya

Instagram: @shoumo29

Books mentioned in this episode:

By Edgar Allan Poe - Murders in the Rue Morgue

By Arthur Conan Doyle - The Hound of the Baskervilles,

The Adventures of the Speckled Band

By Agatha Christie - Dumb Witness, A Death in the Clouds, Elephants Can Remember, Five Little Pigs, Pale Horse

By Saradindu Bandopadhyay - Chorabali (The Quicksand), Makorshar Rosh (The Tarantula's Juice), Shojarur Kanta (The Quills of the Porcupine), Chiriakhana (The Zoo).

By Satyajit Ray - Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress), Royal Bengal Rohosyo (The Mystery of the Royal Bengal Tiger), Badshahi Angti (The Emperor's Ring)

By Sunil Gangopadhyay - Sabuj Dwiper Raja (The King of the Verdant Island)

By Vaseem Khan (@vaseemkhanwriter) - The Baby Ganesh Detective Agency

By Abir Mukherjee (@radiomukhers) - A Necessary Evil

By HRF Keating - Inspector Ghote Hunts the Peacock

By Harini Nagendra (@harini.nagendra) - A Nest of Vipers, Into the Leopard's Den

By Suparna Chatterjee (@soup_and_chat) - The All Bengali Crime Detectives, A Gathering of Crows

By Mallika Ravikumar (@mallika.ravikuamr) - The Case of the Missing Turtles

By Ravi Subramanium (@ravisubramanian70) - The Mystery of the Missing Cat

Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala 

Instagram: @b_prasanna and @khurshedbatliwala

Haradhoner Doshti Chhele:

https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr