On Episode 82 of #LearningStories we chat with Diya Sengupta. Diya is the founder and co-curator of Juhu Reads, a silent reading community in Mumbai. She is also a Sustainability Strategy leader in a global strategy and consulting firm. She was born in Durgapur in West Bengal. She grew up across mining towns in Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh owing to her father's transfer prone job with Coal India Limited. Her reading and writing comes from fond memories of growing up in India's hinterlands. She is an avid reader and passionate book reviewer. In this episode we spoke about her childhood, her love for books and how she nurtured and built a silent reading community in the fast paced city of Mumbai.

Timestamps

(00:10) - Podcast Introduction

(01:10) - Guest Background

(02:00) - About Juhu Reads

(03:30) - Stories from your Childhood

(03:38) - "I am always happy to talk about books and childhood"

(03:58) - "I grew up in small mining towns"

(04:00) - What did your parents do?

(04:35) - What did your grand parents do?

(04:45) - "I was born in Durgapur, West Bengal"

(04:50) - "I spent the first seven years of my life in Asansol, West Bengal"

(05:30) - What were your first memories of books as a child?

(05:55) - "My parents were both avid readers of Bangla and English Literature"

(07:40) - "I remember climbing mango and guava trees with my books"

(08:45) - What did your mother and father love reading?

(10:30) - "My parents had a large home library"

(12:40) - What were your memories of growing up in small mining towns as a teenager?

(16:57) - "I would have to buy books from larger cities"

(17:40) - "I moved to Calcutta for further education at the age of 17"

(19:00) - What did you decide to study in high school and university?

(19:32) - "If I chose Arts I would be looked down on as Science was prioritized"

(22:22) - "I completed my Bachelor in Commerce from University of Calcutta"

(23:00) - "I moved to Mumbai for a finance job in the mid 2000s

(23:30) - How did you transition into a career in the field of sustainability?

(24:30) - "In between I took a year off to complete an executive MBA"

(26:30) - What were your memories of living & working in Mumbai in the 2000s and 2010s?

(29:45) - What is your idea of home?

(32:30) - "I am a country and provincial girl at heart"

(34:00) - What is the day to day life of a consultant?

(37:00) - How reading fiction can help you professionally

(39:00) - What is a silent reading community? What are its origins?

(41:00) - What is the story of Juhu Reads and its readers?

(43:30) - What were some challenges you faced in the first few months of Juhu Reads?

(47:20) - What were some joyful stories of readers you meet at Juhu Reads?

(52:40) - What are some book recommendations?

(53:00) - "Since 2022, I developed an interest in contemporary Indian writers"

(53:50) - Why read, 'The Firebird' by Saikat Majumdar?

(54:10) - Why read, 'A Speck of Coal Dust' by Rohit Manchanda?

(54:55) - Why read, 'The Last Song of Dusk' by Siddhant Dhanvant Sanghavi?

(55:35) - Why read, 'Blue Women' by Anukriti Upadhyay

(56:00) - How I write book reviews? Why they matter

(59:20) - How has reading added value to your life?

(01:02:00) - Closing Notes

Links

1. Diya on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/diya-sengupta-410b5213/

2. Juhu Reads Instagram Page - https://www.instagram.com/juhureads/

3. Author Page on Scroll.in: https://scroll.in/author/23853

4. Article on Juhu Reads 100th session - https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/culture/article/world-book-day-2025-its-100-how-mumbais-silent-reading-communities-continue-to-engage-readers-23525485

Description

This is an audio and video show where we interview a diverse set of learners from the 21st century. Each guest profiled here has a unique story to share about how they acquired a set of valuable skills and knowledge in a creative and innovative manner.

On Episode 81 of #LearningStories we chat with Devayani Khare. She is a communications consultant and geomorphologist. Through her career in communications, she has worked in fields as diverse as fundamental biology, translational research, biodiversity and conservation, and even as a travel writer. At present, she is an environmental advocacy communicator for an organisation called Break Free From Plastic. For the past 4 years, she has also been running a newsletter called Geosophy, that explores geoscience topics. She has always believed that landscapres contain clues to the past and present. You can find her on Linkedin and Substack.

Timestamps

(00:10) - Introduction and Background

(02:00) - Stories from your Childhood

(02:10) - "As a child, I guess I was just as wild and curious"

(02:20) - "My school campus was very far away from the city"

(03:10) - "The school was very experimental and hands on"

(03:40) - What are your earliest memories of learning geography in school?

(05:30) - What was your experience in high school?

(06:20) - "I did not study geography in 11th and 12th"

(06:40) - What subjects did you want to study in university?

(07:20) - When did you choose to specialize in geography?

(08:40) - What is involved in the study of geography at university?

(08:50) - "At the undergraduate level it is focused on human geography"

(09:20) - "At the master's level I studied geomorphology"

(10:30) - How do you define geography?

(11:20) - "Geography is a snapshot of everything related to landscapes"

(13:30) - How is geographical information used in a government and industry context?

(18:00) - What are some examples of geo heritage sites around the world?

(20:50) - What bodies regulate geological and geo heritage sites around India?

(23:00) - How to transition from academic to on the job learning?

(23:30) - "It was difficult to find jobs after my degree in Geography"

(25:00) - Working for the Western Ghats Biodiversity Portal in Pondicherry

(25:30) - "Communications was the common theme across all my jobs"

(28:00) - Job of a communications consultant on a day to day basis

(33:00) - What is the story behind the 'Geosophy' newsletter?

(39:00) - How do you research and write your essays and articles?

(40:10) - Writing about geo heritage sites in India

(42:50) - "Sometimes it takes me 10-20 hours of research for one piece"

(43:00) - "With geography there are no definite answers"

(45:00) - On the Lonar crater in Maharashtra

(45:30) - On the Gandikotta fort in Andhra Pradesh (see article linked below)

(48:30) - On the Geosophy Bookshelf and Book Recommendations

(51:40) - How to teach children Geography in our schools?

(56:30) - What have you learned and observed from your travels as a geomorphologist?

(1:01:00) - Closing Notes

Links

Devayani's Website - https://www.devayanikh.com/

Devayani on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/devayani-khare

Geosophy Newsletter Archives - https://substack.com/@geosophy/posts

On Episode 80 of #LearningStories, I interviewed Suchin Mehrotra. Suchin is a critic and film journalist who covers streaming for The Hollywood Reporter India. He's also the host of The Streaming Show podcast on his own YouTube channel, and has written for publications like Film Companion, News9 and The Hindustan Times among others. An unabashed mainstream cinema junkie, he sincerely believes that movies and storytelling can change the world. You can find him on Instagram, Spotify and Youtube.

Timestamps

(00:10) - Introduction and Background

(02:10) - Stories from your Childhood

(02:15) - “I moved between Mumbai, Bengaluru and London”

(02:50) - “My dad was a lawyer and mom was a housewife”

(03:20) - Where did you complete your schooling?

(03:40) - What did you study at university?

(03:45) - Why did you study economics at university?

(04:20) - “I worked in banking for 2 years in London”

(06:30) - What are some key childhood and teenage memories with films?

(08:00) - When did you realize you loved movies a bit more than just another hobby?

(09:03) - What happened when you watched ‘Haider’ in 2014?

(09:20) - “I just wanted to write about this movie”

(09:50) - “I used to watch, ‘The Front Row’ with Anupama Chopra.”

(10:40) - “I then started a blog on films”

(11:50) - What are some observations on film journalism in India?

(12:00) - “I believe Film Journalism is an art form”

(12:30) - “Film Culture in India is insane”

(12:50) - On Film Journalism in the west

(13:40) - “There are few publications that take films seriously in India”

(14:50) - “Scroll, The Hindu, Mint, Frontline have good writing on films”

(15:20) - What have you learned from other film journalists in your trade?

(16:20) - Difference between trade journalists, film journalists and film critics?

(18:10) - “Anupama Chopra and Baradwaj Ranjan are the north stars for most critics”

(18:30) - On Rahul Desai’s film criticism

(18:50) - On Uday Bhatia’s film criticism

(19:07) - On Gayle Sequeira’s film criticism

(19:20) - On Pratyush Parasuraman’s film criticism

(19:40) - On Vishal Menon’s film criticism

(20:20) - On Sidhant Atlakha’s film criticism

(20:40) - On David Ehrlich’s film criticism

(21:45) - How did you transition from banking in London to journalism in Mumbai?

(22:40) - “There are few courses on film criticism”

(23:40) - “Film Critics need to love films, love writing and love writing about films”

(25:00) - What happens to the film critic in the world of social media?

(26:00) - What was your experience being a freelance film journalist?

(26:50) - “For a year, I just watched films every Friday and wrote about each film”

(29:00) - How do film reviews change in the video and print form?

(32:00) - How can publications support film critics?

(34:00) - The pressure of earning a living as a film journalism

(34:20) - On the star rating system of reviewing films

(35:00) - How film reviews affect films in India?

(39:30) - How film critics can throw light on the work of other technicians in the film industry?

(41:40) - What was your experience as a programme coordinator at the MAMI film festival?

(43:35) - On the role of film festivals for independent and world cinema

(48:10) - On the era of streaming and the rise of OTT shows in India

(49:10) - “The finest story telling in India is on the streaming space”

(59:10) - Film and Show Recommendations

Links

Suchin’s Reviews on The Hollywood Reporter India - https://www.hollywoodreporterindia.com/author/suchin-mehrotra

Suchin’s Reviews on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/suchin545

Suchin’s Reviews on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@suchinmehrotra

Streaming Show Playlist - https://bit.ly/thestreamingshow

Description

This is an audio and video show where we interview a diverse set of learners from the 21st century. Each guest profiled here has a unique story to share about how they acquired a set of valuable skills and knowledge in a creative and innovative manner.