PODCASTS TO LEND AN EAR TO

THE LIT PICKERS

Writers Deepanjana Pal and Supriya Nair host this sharp, funny, free-flowing podcast where they talk about everything literary—dying genres, underrated authors, posthumous revisions, literature festivals, books that challenged literary establishments and so on. The podcast began life in 2020 and has 25-plus episodes so far, with the latest being released in March last year.

KHANDAAN: A BOLLYWOOD PODCAST

There are bigger and more popular Bollywood podcasts out there, but few have

Khandaan’s style, encyclopaedic knowledge or easygoing vibe. Hosted by three millennials who eat, sleep and dream Bollywood— Asim Burney, Amrita Rajan and Sujoy Singha—Khandaan has had over 180 episodes so far. While Bollywood (especially the movies of the Khan trio) remains the focus, there have been lively discussions on films from other Indian industries too, Ponniyin Selvan 2, for example.

NO SUGARCOAT BY POOJA DHINGRA

A renowned pastry chef and owner of the Le15 Patisserie that specialises in macarons and other French desserts, Dhingra started the No SugarCoat podcast in 2018. In it, she discusses different food traditions, recipes and her own journey to chefdom. She invites fellow professional chefs (like Rashmi Uday Singh and Thomas Zacharias) regularly, who talk about the pressures of cooking on strict timelines, running a business in a cut-throat industry and so on.

MAED IN INDIA

One of the few podcasts in the country that focus on indie music, Maed in India is hosted by producer and former RJ Mae Thomas. Every episode features an independent musician (in India or abroad) talking about their music, their inspirations, the conversation ending with acoustic, minimalist versions of their original compositions. This one is for the true music geek interested in every micro-aspect of making music—including tech skills like recording and mixing.