The Desi Detective Show

Ep 24: The White Lotus with Aditi Krishnakumar

In a small town in the south of India, jewels of the temple goddess go missing. The accountant is found dead on the temple steps. An unfortunate accident, they all say, what with the rains the previous night. All, except young Arali, who cannot rest until she finds answers.  But this is 1901. Arali is only 14.  And, the aforementioned accountant's death has made her a widow. In this episode, Suparna Chatterjee talks to author Aditi Krishnakumar about her Young Adult historical murder mystery, The White Lotus. We learn about Aditi's interesting background in mathematics, literature, management and law, all of which have helped shape her writing. We talk about what makes Young Adult such an exciting genre, and of course, learn about her favourite desi detective, Kalpana Swaminathan's Lalli. Host: Suparna Chatterjee [https://www.suparnachatterjee.com] Instagram: soup_and_chat and thedesidetectiveshow Guest: Aditi Krishnakumar [https://www.instagram.com/aditikrishnakumar/] Books by Aditi : The White Lotus That Year at Manikoil Miracles for the Maharaja Murder in Melucha The Magicians of Madh Codex A Whole Summer Long Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala  Haradhoner Doshti Chhele: https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

Ep 23: The Fingerprint

In 1896, criminal investigation was revolutionised by a system developed by two real-life desi detectives, Azizul Haque and Hem Chandra Bose. In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee traces the origins of the study of fingerprints, explains why a fingerprint at the crime scene is such an integral part of criminal investigations, and highlights the contributions of sub-inspectors Azizul Haque and Hem Chandra Bose, who sadly did not receive their due under a colonial government. https://www.homeobook.com/history-of-fingerprint-in-india/ https://www.livehistoryindia.com/story/eras/fingerprinting-technique Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala  Haradhoner Doshti Chhele: https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

Ep 22: The Chowpatty Cooking Club with Lubaina Bandukwala

In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee speaks to kidlit author Lubaina Bandukwala about her historical mystery book, set in 1942, during the Quit India movement. Lubaina talks about the incredible first-hand research that went into writing this book, about the Peek-A- Book literature festival she helps organise, and her fun hobby - collecting inspectors from around the world. Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com) Instagram:⁠⁠⁠ thedesidetectiveshow⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/thedesidetectiveshow/] and⁠⁠⁠ soup_and_chat⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/soup_and_chat/] Guest: Lubaina Bandukwala Instagram: ⁠lubaina.bandukwala [https://www.instagram.com/shoumo29/] Books and references: The Chowpatty Cooking Club Misadventures of a Diamond Thief The Coral Woman Thank God it's Caturday Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala  Instagram: @b_prasanna and @khurshedbatliwala Haradhoner Doshti Chhele: https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

Ep 21: A Demon in Dandi with Lavanya Karthik

In this episode, host Suparna Chatterjee speaks to kid-lit author and illustrator, Lavanya Karthik, about her book, A Demon in Dandi. The year is 1930. All the world's eyes are on this tiny village by the Arabian Sea, where Mahatma Gandhi will arrive soon to break the salt law. But there is a demon roaming the village, claiming victims. Can the young Dinu solve the mystery before Bapu arrives?  Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com) Instagram:⁠⁠ thedesidetectiveshow⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/thedesidetectiveshow/] and⁠⁠ soup_and_chat⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/soup_and_chat/] Guest: Lavanya Karthik Instagram: @ [https://www.instagram.com/shoumo29/]_lavanyakarthik_ Books and references: A Demon in Dandi The Dreamers - a series Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala  Instagram: @b_prasanna and @khurshedbatliwala Haradhoner Doshti Chhele: https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr

Ep 20: Gajanan Godbole with Salil Desai

In this episode, author Salil Desai talks about his journey into novel writing, the influences and inspirations that have shaped his storytelling - from Hitchcock and Colin Dexter to Hakan Nesser and P.L.Deshpande, his beloved fictional character Inspector Saralkar who has been with him for 6 books already, the art and craft of coming up with a suitable title, and of course, his book with the unlikely murderer, The Grudges of Gajanan Godbole. Host: Suparna Chatterjee (www.suparnachatterjee.com) Instagram:⁠ thedesidetectiveshow⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/thedesidetectiveshow/] and⁠ soup_and_chat⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/soup_and_chat/] Guest: Salil Desai Instagram: ⁠@salildesai_mysteries [https://www.instagram.com/shoumo29/] www.salildesai.com [https://www.salildesai.com] Books and references: Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles/Anthony Berkeley The Murder of Roger Akroyd by Agatha Christie Books by Salil Desai Killing Ashish Karve The Murder of Sonia Raikonnen Three and a Half Murders Murder Milestone The Kid Killer 206 Bones The Grudges of Gajanan Godbole The Sane Psycopath Murder on a Side Street Lost Libido and Gulp Fiction Podcast Theme Music by B. Prasanna and Khurshed Batliwala  Instagram: @b_prasanna and @khurshedbatliwala Haradhoner Doshti Chhele: https://youtu.be/z4S3fVtyCFc?si=XsuWsCUmXZ-GbrFr