17/09/2020
Episode 08 is here, live & running
“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relatives.”
- Oscar Wilde
Good food does that and more. We talk about food in this episode – its salience in our celebrations, its magic in evoking memories, being a marker of our identity, in experiencing the divine and as an expression of love. There’s no stopping our appetite to talk about food. From Gandhi’s letters and Vivekananda’s wanderings to Naipaul’s distaste and Rushdie’s memories, in the chaats of Assi Ghaat, the mahaprasad of Puri, in films like The Lunchbox and Maya Bazaar – food is everywhere in our culture.
We serve up a platter that should sate you.
In Spotlight, we talk about life and times of Begum Akhtar. From the penury of a childhood spent in Faizabad to being the toast of musical soirées across India, Begum’s trailblazing career gave dignity and respect to light classical singing forms like dadra, thumri and ghazal. The strong classical roots of her gayaki combined with an easy, assured style and an arresting stage presence made Begum a cultural phenomenon of post-independent India. A Begum Akhtar disc playing in the living room reflected a refined taste. We pay our tribute to the tour de force that was Begum Akhtar.
Plus, our usual discussion on what we are reading, listening and watching.
Episode Highlights:
00:00 to 25:00 – Introduction, Food in Culture, Celebration of Food, Onam Sadhya, Bhojohari Manna
25:00 to 45:00 – Food as Memory, Midnight’s Children, Guide, Bawarchi, Maacher Jhol and Caribbean Chutney Song
45:00 to 65:00 – Divinity of Food, Food in Puri, Udupi, Kashi, Chaat, Malaiyo, Karejwa,
65:00 to 100:00 – Food as Identity, Gandhi and Garlic, Veg/Non-Veg divide, Premchand’s Pandit Moteram Ki Diary, the great Rosogolla debate, The Mistress of Spices, Golmaal, Mithun’s Rice Plate and Halwa-waala
100:00 to 120:00 – Food as an Expression Love, A Love Supreme, The Abundance, The Lunchbox, Aamish, Ganashatru, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Juice, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye
120:00 to 145:00 – Introduction to Begum Akhtar, What Makes Her Unique, Early Life, Ghazals
145:00 to 174:00 – Post independence Fame, Singing the Great Poets (Ghalib, Momin, Faiz, Kaifi, Shakeel), Thumris and Folk Songs, Disciples and Legacy
174:00 to 180:00 – Recommendations
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“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relatives.” - Oscar Wilde Good food does that and more. We talk about food in this episode – its salience in our celebrations, its magic in evoking memories, being a marker of our identity, in experiencing the divine and as an expr...