Ever dreamed of opening your own restaurant? Wondering what it takes to turn that dream into reality?

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Michelle and Tara chat with Ravi Wazir, author of Beyond the Menu who has over 30 years of experience in hospitality. Ravi spills the secrets of running a successful restaurant – from understanding what customers want to balancing creativity and business. He shares the highs and lows of managing staff, budgets, customer expectations, and how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the game.

In this exciting partnership series with Jaico Publishing House, we are featuring fascinating new authors every month, writers that captivate the audience and bring forth a revolutionary perspective to Indian literature.

Listen in as Ravi talks about the importance of food safety, ethics, and how technology is transforming the dining experience. If you’ve ever wanted a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to thrive in the restaurant world, this episode is for you.

Books mentioned in this episode:
Diamonds For Breakfast: Cool stories from Bombay’s hottest kitchen
McDonald's: Behind the Arches by John F Love
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
Sweets and Bitters by Satish Arora
Degh to Dastarkhwan: Qissas and Recipes from Rampur by Tarana Husain Khan

‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

How are mourning practices in India varied? Are mourning rituals gendered?

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara speaks with Dr. Minakshi Dewan about her book The Final Farewell: Understanding the Last Rites and Rituals of India’s Major Faiths. After her father’s death, Dr. Minakshi chose to personally perform the Antim Sanskar, a ritual traditionally reserved for male family members. This experience, combined with her period of grieving, led her to explore the funeral rites traditions in India.

Tara and Dr. Minakshi delve into the customs surrounding funeral rites in India, examining the varied religious rituals, the gender roles involved in mourning, and the environmental impacts of these practices.

Tune in and learn more about the $2.5 billion Death Care Industry in India, the role of professional mourners, the portrayal of grieving women in Bollywood, and the evolving landscape of funeral services in the country.

Books mentioned in this episode:
Fire on the Ganges : Life Among the Dead in Banaras - Radhika Iyengar
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End - Atul Gawande
Samskara - U. R. Ananthamurthy
Death in Banaras - Jonathan P. Parry

Movies Mentioned in this episode:
Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi - Seema Pahwa
Rudali - Kalpana Lajmi
Pagglait - Umesh Bist

‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Are influencers rewriting the rules of publishing?

Back with a brand new season of Books and Beyond, in this episode Tara and Michelle discuss the rise of influencer books and what it means for the Indian publishing scene. From the buzz at Penguin Palooza to the power of social media, they dig into how influencer-led content is changing the game. Plus, they tackle the big question: what happens to traditional authors when influencers dominate the shelves? Tune in to find out how content creation, smart distribution, and capturing young readers' attention early are shaping the future of publishing!

Books mentioned in this episode:

Under the Influence - Malini Agrawal
She’ll Never Make It - Masoom Minawala
The Psychology of Money - Morgan Housel
The Sex Book - Lisa Mangaldas
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones - James Clear
Make Epic Money - Ankur Warikoo
The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore- Manu S. Pillai
Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji - Manu S. Pillai
Spare - Prince Harry
Sach Kahu Toh - Neena Gupta
The Girls in Green - Tanushree Podder

‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

How can data make or break a company? Is all data useful? And can data be “too much of a good thing”?

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara speaks to Nitin Seth, CEO at Incedo and the author of Mastering the Data Paradox and Nirmalya Kumar, a Professor and former Strategy Head for the Tata Group, who has written Clash: Amazon vs. Walmart.

They discuss how data on its own is nothing unless you know how to use it and the pros and cons of data-driven decision-making. They share insights on the ongoing competition between Amazon and Walmart in the retail industry, emphasising the need to set goals and understand diverse perspectives and industry trends before making decisions.

In this exclusive series in partnership with Penguin Random House India, we shine a spotlight on two industry experts who are changing the conversation around business, data and AI.

Tune in to hear their personal experiences in entrepreneurship, find out who inspired them and their process of writing books.

‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

In this episode of Books and Beyond, Tara speaks to Mitali Mukherjee about her book Cryptocrimes.

Tara and Mitali dive into the chaotic world of cryptocurrency, and discover why Mitali compares it to a naughty child running amok in a classroom. Through engaging anecdotes and insightful conversations, she explores the intersection of crypto technology and India’s jugaad culture. Mitali unearths the dark side of cryptocurrency in India in her book, revealing the hidden pitfalls and the harsh realities behind the allure of easy profits.

Tune in to discover why, in the world of finance, quick gains aren’t always what they seem.

‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Can a corvid detective solve a murder? Why does the weather department need a singer? And how does a cloud herder take care of his flock? Find out the truth behind all these stories in Gigi Ganguly’s new book “Biopeculiar”.

This is the first-ever book of Westland’s new speculative imprint ‘IF’.

In this episode, Gigi and Michelle discuss their love for weird stories, the animals that inspired Gigi to write, and why a spec fic imprint is important for Indian literature.

Tune in to hear what books inspired their writing, how Gigi came up with the characters in her story and why Satyajit Ray is a gem of the Indian spec fic genre.

Movies Mentioned in this episode:

• Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne by Satyajit Ray, based on the story by Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury
• Interstellar
• Aranyer Din Ratri by Satyajit Ray

Books Mentioned in this episode:

• The Monk and Robot Series by Becky Chambers
• Gullivers Travels
• Your Utopia by Bora Chung
• The Mill House Murders by Ho-Ling Wong
• Under the Skin by Michael Faber
• Coraline by Neil Gaiman
• Story of Your Life Ted Chiang
• Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
• The Matchbox by Ashapurna Devi
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler

‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.

This is the basic plot of ‘Strange Sally Diamond’ whose author, Liz Nugent joined Tara and Michelle on this episode of Books & Beyond to discuss Irish crime writing and the complexities of writing about trauma and identity.

Together they shared their perspectives on the popularity of true crime novels in both India and Ireland, and delved into the complexities of trauma, identity, and parenting in their novels.

Liz discusses her fascination with dark characters and themes, citing Shakespearean tragedies as an influence. She talked about rewriting the ending for American audiences, as they found it too dark. Additionally, she also spoke about how the novel explores the theme of parenting through the lens of a dysfunctional family, highlighting the complexities of raising children in a society that perpetuates patriarchal norms.

Book and authors mentioned in this episode:

• ‘The Last Man’ by Jane Harper
• ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ by Patricia Highsmith
• ‘A Fine Balance’ by Rohinton Mistry
• ‘Perfume’ by Michael Patrick Susskind
• ‘Prophet Song’ by Paul Lynch

‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.

In this episode, Tara and Michelle speak to Vibha Kagzi, author of ‘Break The MBA Code’ - a book that goes into detail about how to get into Ivy League colleges and what a person should do to make their admission application more appealing.

They talked about the challenges of pursuing an MBA as a woman, with speakers sharing their personal experiences and insights. Vibha debunked common myths surrounding MBA admissions, emphasizing the holistic evaluation of a candidate's profile.

In this exciting partnership series with Jaico Publishing House, we are featuring fascinating new authors every month, writers that captivate the audience and bring forth a revolutionary perspective to Indian literature.

Hear directly from one of the top admissions consultants in India as she underlines the importance of honesty, authenticity, and soft skills training during the application process.

Vibha shared her experience as an admissions consultant, highlighting the role of consultants in showcasing genuine strengths and experiences to stand out in a competitive process.

‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.