Episode notes
Sandip recently had a birthday and that got him reminicing about rituals...
Dispatches from Kolkata
by Sandip Roy · English · Society & Culture
Every week NPR contributor (and former San Franciscian) Sandip Roy brings you a little taste of the 'new India' – a letter home from his other home.
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E636 · 30 Sep 2026 · 6 min
Audacity of Hope
Sandip reflects on the 'audacity of hope' that arts organizations exhibit as he tours various cities in the Bay Area during his recent book tour.
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E635 · 23 Sep 2026 · 6 min
The French Connection
the French came back to India last week. The French Ambassador was in Chandannagar to work with the city on restoring its French Colonial buildings and heritage.
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E634 · 9 Sep 2026 · 6 min
Holding Out for a Hero (at the Centennial celebration of Uttam Kumar)
Sandip attends a festival honoring a long dead Bollywood star and discovers why Uttam Kumar still commands attention.
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E632 · 19 Aug 2026 · 6 min
Swimming Against the Tide (with Lou Lou van Damme)
In the Pallani Hills at Isla's Ridge, the Grand Damme of 'swimming against the tide' sat down with Sandip for a cup of tea.
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E631 · 12 Aug 2026 · 6 min
The Last Queen of Bengal
Queer histories often seem to exist in a vacuum. As if it all started with Stonewall in New York or Harvey Milk in San Francisco. But queer people existed long before then, trying to carve out their space in the world.
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E630 · 5 Aug 2026 · 6 min
Summer of the Egg
There's a current trend in Bengal called "Deem therapy," but while it's a great pleasure for the public at the moment, Sandip wonders when the yolk will run out.
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E629 · 29 Jul 2026 · 6 min
Ratha Yatra (Chariot Festival)
Last week was Rath Yatra, the chariot festival in India. Sandip hops aboard and takes us on a trip to revive a once thriving system of tansit in Kolkata.
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E628 · 8 Jul 2026 · 6 min
American Dream
On the 250th Anniversary of American Independence, Sandip Roy reflects on what then "American Dream" means to him.
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E627 · 1 Jul 2026 · 6 min
Obscene Vulgarity
A controversy over a 4,500 year old "Dancing Girl" once again raises the question over what constitutes obscenity and vulgarity. Sandip Roy covers his eyes and looks into the situation.
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E626 · 24 Jun 2026 · 6 min
Mural of Pride
Even as corporates and multinationals move away from DEI policies that once made June an explosion of rainbow, LGBT lives are not going back into the closet. Sandip Roy visits and old tattered building in Mumbai to explain.
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