Books and Beyond with Bound

If you've ever felt the pull of a new city and the desperate need to start over, keep listening. In this episode, Tara sits down with the award-winning author Rahul Bhattacharya to discuss his latest novel, Railsong. Writing about the freedom of a woman set in the 1970s, as a male author, is no small task. Rahul talks about Charu, a motherless daughter of a railway worker who flees to Bombay to build a life from scratch, on her own terms, in a country that's also figuring itself out. Together...

What if the most defining moment of your career was the one you never planned? In this episode of Books & Beyond, Tara speaks with Dr. Ashok Ganguly, former Chairman of Hindustan Unilever, former Rajya Sabha member, and author of We Are Our Future. From failing in school to becoming a global business leader, Dr. Ganguly reflects on a life shaped as much by chance as by choice. He shares the idea that who we become is influenced long before we make conscious decisions; by our genes and o...

What does it mean to feel at home? And what do you do when that feeling never quite arrives? In the latest episode of Books & Beyond, Tara Khandelwal sits down with journalist and author Rahul Pandita to discuss his novel Our Friends in Good Houses, a story about searching for home and a sense of belonging in a world where both can feel elusive. Drawing from decades of reporting in war zones, Rahul reflects on his journey as a journalist, the emotional weight of witnessing a conflict, a...

What does it take to build a Michelin-starred restaurant when you arrive in New York heartbroken and broke? In the latest episode of Books & Beyond, Tara sits down with Suvir Saran, the chef behind Devi; the first Indian restaurant in North America to receive a Michelin star, to talk about his memoir Tell My Mother I Like Boys. But this episode isn’t just about food. From growing up in Delhi feeling “othered,” to becoming one of the world’s first openly gay chefs, to being left on a New...

Be honest. When was the last time you logged off because you wanted to, not because your battery died? In this brand new episode of Books & Beyond, Tara sits down with Anurag Minus Verma, influencer, writer, and podcaster, to trace how the Indian internet went from cyber cafes and Orkut scraps to algorithms that know us better than we do. From going down random rabbit holes and getting emotionally invested in strangers we’ve never met, to collectively losing our minds over the next big c...

What if the most important love story in your life isn’t romantic at all? In our brand new episode, journalist and author Deepanjana Pal talks about her novel, Lightning in a Shot Glass. It’s a witty, radical look at two Mumbai flatmates navigating love, life, and ambition on their own terms. Tara and Deepanjana dive into why female friendships are often the real love stories of our lives and how having chosen family keeps us grounded. They challenge the notion of genre hierarchies while sh...

What does it take to actually curate a literary festival? We’re back! Season 9 of Books & Beyond kicks off with Tara and Aishwarya spilling the tea on their latest project: curating the Literature Section for the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2026! This episode is a deep dive into the madness of curation. Why is Aishwarya obsessed with color-coded Excel sheets? Why is Tara picking out "apples" for a festival? And how many "healthy skirmishes" does it take to build a schedule from scrat...

You don't need a playbook to become a leader, your instincts are your guide. In the latest episode of Books & Beyond, Roopa Kudva, author of Leadership Beyond the Playbook, joins Tara to challenge the formulaic approach to leadership. Instead of giving you a 10-step plan, Roopa hands the steering wheel to you. They dive into why true leadership can’t be squeezed into neat frameworks and why the real growth happens when you start looking inward. Roopa shares her own evolution, from askin...

Ever wished you had an extra hour each day? (Spoiler: you don’t need one!) In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara chats with Apekshit Khare, HR professional and author of The Time Energy Toolkit, about why the problem isn’t our 24 hours, it’s how we use our energy. Apekshit breaks down the very real time struggles we face in India, from social expectations to nonstop notifications, and shares small, doable shifts that actually work. Think: finding your purpose, setting chill social media...

What dangerous secrets lie beneath the "comforting newborn smell" of one of the most trusted companies in the world? In this explosive episode, Pulitzer Prize-nominated NYT journalist Gardiner Harris pulls back the curtain on Johnson & Johnson's history, detailed in his book No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson. Gardiner reveals J&J's systemic deception, from knowingly selling asbestos-contaminated baby powder for seven decades to marketing drugs as cancer cures th...

How do you rebuild your life when one moment changes everything? In this episode, Tarini Mohan, the author of the memoir, Lifequake shared the raw and honest story of suffering a traumatic brain injury and waking up from a coma with lifelong disabilities. She details the disorienting early days of recovery, how she fought her way back to pursue her MBA at Yale, and the simple cup of coffee that reminded her where joy resides. Tarini also discusses the incredible discipline behind writing her ...

What if the person your ex-husband fell for was your doppelganger? In this episode, Sanjena Sathian takes us inside her new novel Goddess Complex, exploring one of the most personal choices a woman can make. Step into the world of Sanjana Satyananda, a woman navigating life after a challenging period in her life, grappling with themes of motherhood, fertility, divorce, and absurdly enough, a doppelganger with a cult following. With a protagonist who almost shares her name, Sanjena reveals how...