In trying to understand what is happening in this crazy crazy world, two things are very important - the place where it happens and the time when it happens. These two questions pretty much give the entire context to the mind of a culture. Take the World War II for example, where and when this event happened answers a lot of questions about how the people of the participating countries think.

While we have documented through time, WHAT people thought. Could geographical features explain, in a longer time frame, why cultures think in a certain way? Why are the Americans generally so paranoid? Why are the Chinese so stubborn about their military expansion? Why did Vasco Da Gama or Christopher Columbus want to find India? You might think these questions are not related at all, but they are. In this episode, we deal with these questions and heavily recommend you give "Monsoon" a read. If you're Indian and want to know about our unique position in this world, this one's a must read.

"Monsoon" by Robert D Kaplan - This book is all about giving you the lowdown on how a geographical feature affects a whole country's mindset thereby affecting the way a whole culture behaves. From the smallest cultures to the biggest ones, all of them are affected by geography and the timely events that change these geographies. This particular book travels the Indian Ocean and its cultures. India is obviously at the center of it, quite literally.

By the end of this book, you'll be shocked to know that Vasco Da Gama was not the first European to "Discover" India and not quite shocked to know that Gujjus are everywhere from the east coast of Africa to the islands in Indonesia, since time immemorial. Give our episode a listen and let us know what you think, over on Telegram! See you there! Search for "Intolerant Indians"!