Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria

Ep. 00: Introduction to Postcards From Nowhere

1 min 34 sec

Postcards from Nowhere is a travel podcast that takes you on journeys exploring culture, history, food and people in the form of stories. With over a decade of travel stories in his kitty, Utsav Mamoria narrates the stories of the strange, obscure and fascinating things about the world, often interspersed with practical tips and deep realizations, which would shape the way you travel. Tune in to the new episode every Thursday. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Ep. 01: What is Slow Travel

7 min 16 sec

In the most reviled parts of Bombay, living in the butt of a joke Sakinaka, I decided to take a walk from my home to the Sakinaka junction. Only to discover that it is called Dr. Datta Samant Chowk. Utsav Mamoria In June 2018, Utsav Mamoria took a 3month sabbatical from his fulltime job to slow travel the less explored parts of the world. Soon he realized he has something in common with a two time Pulitzer prizewinning journalist who is on the longest journey of his lifetime Tune in to episode 1 to understand what slow travel is all about, and how it can change the way we travel. You may be surprised to find that even you can travel slow, no matter what your traveling interests are. You can follow Utsav on his instagram handle: whywetravel42 You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 02: Jijivisha

8 min 14 sec

A month alone spent in a oneroom cottage in the Himalayas sounds like an ideal way to unwind and relax. This week, host Utsav Mamoria talks about his trip to Hampta where he stayed with the 70yearold cottage caretaker Dolma Aunty and her dog Rambo which gave him a guiding philosophy of life, an idea which we could all embody. You can follow Utsav on his instagram handle: whywetravel42 You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 03: Curating your Travel

7 min 12 sec

In a very Zindagi na Milegi Dobara style, Utsav and his friends ended up a two week trip to Turkey where they realized different ideas about traveling. This week, host Utsav talks about how we can make our trip one of the most memorable and fun experience. They also share tips and tricks to understand how you can curate your travel. You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42 You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 04: Solo Travel- Is it for you?

8 min 48 sec

This week on Postcards from Nowhere, Utsav talks about why it is ok not to travel solo, even though it is recommended by everyone. He investigates it from a lens of anthropology and behavioural science, and draws upon his decade long experience of travelling solo. He also talks about the closeted realities of solo travel, which most travel bloggers and influencers wont talk about. Tune in to discover an easy and practical way to figure out if solo travel is indeed for you You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42 You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 05: Art doesn’t have to be boring

7 min 15 sec

How many times have you been to an art gallery and found it utterly boring How many times have you left a gallery in haste promising never to bore yourself with art again This week on Postcards from Nowhere, Utsav talks about a new perspective on art and to ensure that art doesnt have to be boring. You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42 You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 06: Kalaripayattu

7 min 7 sec

A casual meandering around the Tea Gardens in Munnar, Kerala led Utsav to a Kalaripayattu performance. What was meant to be a cultural immersion turned out to be an experience which helped him untie mental knots Tune in to Episode 6, to understand what is kalaripayattu and how this ancient martial art form could provide us ways to tackle our everyday problems and hardships.

Ep. 07: Couchsurfing and Humanity

5 min 59 sec

How do you travel and live in a city for Free Yes, not Cheap but Free. In Shanghai, Utsav decided to try out Couchsurfing. He started out a social experiment lasting 6 months where he hosted close to 40 people, eventually became a way to reaffirm his faith in humanity. Tune in to episode 7 to find out how he crossed paths again with one of his Couchsurfers 2 years later. You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42 You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 08: Chinese Tourists and Empathy

8 min 33 sec

How many times have you encountered large groups of Chinese tourists, who literally take over a place and kill it for others We all feel annoyed with them, and Utsav was no different till he ended up living in Shanghai, China for 6 months. This week, he talks about the slow realisation of why the Chinese ended up like this, and what it means for us as travellers. Aided by a crash course in contemporary Chinese history, he discovers the value of empathy the emotion in short supply. You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42 You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 09: Shifting Your Gaze

7 min 10 sec

In the spring of 1790, a 29yearold Frenchman wrote the weirdest travelogue one could ever imagine. He was so pleased with his writings, that he went on to write another one in 1798, which was no less weird. He pioneered an ingenious way to travel everyday, which should have made him worldfamous. Now you may not be able to quit your job and travel the world, but you could definitely follow the tips of this Frenchman. In Episode 9, Utsav talks about a simple way in which you can travel everyday You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42 You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep.10: Bury Your Cynicism

8 min 39 sec

As Utsav set out to solo travel for 3 months to Bosnia Herzegovina, Armenia, and Georgia, he constantly questions about safety and his ability to survive in remote places. Indeed, as the world becomes more xenophobic, narrow minded and inwardlooking, it may come across as a pertinent question. Tune in to episode 10, where Utsav not only puts this question but also tells you why you should never have such worries again. You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42 You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 11: Happiness vs. Satisfaction

6 min 19 sec

Everyone wants to be happy in their lives but sometimes the endless search for happiness leave us unsatisfied. This week on Postcards from Nowhere, Utsav talks about happiness vs. satisfaction, and what is common between Nobel Prize winning economist, Daniel Kahneman and Dolma Aunty, the amazing caretaker of the cottage where he spent a month alone in the Himalayas. You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42 https://instagram.com/whywetravel42igshid1h7y2srg5qqbx You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 12: Monk and Mental Knots

7 min 6 sec

On a long walk in the Himalayas, Utsav met with an 80 year old monk who was learning to drive a Jeep. If you are wondering why would a man, who is devoid of worldly desires, was learning to drive, tune in to the Episode 12, where we listen to the monk who gives a startlingly simple insight into how we should live our lives. You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42 You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 13: Beauty Of Uzbekistan & The Geometry Box

6 min 25 sec

How often have you turned up at a place and found yourself in awe of its beauty We often associate beauty with talent, ingenuity and brilliance. Arriving in the historic city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan, Utsav stumbled upon the surprising simplicity of beauty and the unsung hero of all human achievement. Tune in to Epsiode 13 to discover how the most stunning architecture has to do with your orange yellow 6th grade geometry box. You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42 You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 14: Melons of Samarkand

6 min 38 sec

What connects the famous traveller Ibn Battuta in the 14th century, the Mughal Emperor Babur in the 18th century, and your poor podcast host Utsav in the 21st century A fruit And not just any fruit, the absolute pinnacle of agricultural glory. In Episode 14, he goes deep into the experience of eating a Melon from Samarkand. You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42 You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 15: Vincent van Gogh and Uzbekistan

7 min 13 sec

Van Gogh and Uzbekistan didnt exist in each others time but yet what connected them was the love for the colour blue.Tune in to the episode to know how the colour blue holds immense meaning to the people of Uzbekistan, and how it is present all across Islamic architecture.You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 16: Secrets of Doors

6 min 29 sec

On a random stroll in the streets of Bukhara, Uzbekistan Utsav overheard a conversation about doors. Yes, the humble home door. What secrets could the design of a simple door hide And what if that secret can be found in India as wellTune in to the episode, as Utsav decode the secrets of culture hidden in the humble door.You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42https://instagram.com/whywetravel42igshid1h7y2srg5qqbxYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 17: Train Journeys and Humanity - Part 1

7 min 34 sec

During his time in Uzbekistan, Utsav decided to rough it out and travel in a second class compartment on a 17 hour train journey. What he wasn’t prepared for was his interaction with the locals. Not with one or two, but an entire compartment, all wanting to talk at once Join him in this two part series, where he narrates his experiences of this slice of Uzbeki life.You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42https://instagram.com/whywetravel42igshid1h7y2srg5qqbxYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 18: Train Journeys and Humanity - Part 2

6 min 14 sec

You have eaten this snack, guaranteed. But in all probability, you have no idea that its the worlds more popular snack. Traversing countries, religions and centuries, this humble snack is loved all over the world. Dive into this episode where host Utsav will narrate a fascinating food story, a trip in nostalgia land and an immersive travel experience.You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 19: World's Most Popular Snack

7 min 27 sec

You have eaten this snack, guaranteed. But in all probability, you have no idea that it is the worlds more popular snack. Traversing countries, religions and centuries, this humble snack is loved all over the world. Dive in for a fascinating food story, a trip in nostalgia land and an immersive travel experience.You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42https://instagram.com/whywetravel42igshid1h7y2srg5qqbxYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep 20: Dark Truth About Indian Food

6 min 14 sec

We all love Indian food and swear by it. A few weeks abroad is all it takes for a desi food craving to kick in. However, there is a dark aspect about our food which we all know, but seldom talk about. We see it everyday, but have chosen to ignore it. Join Utsav as he walks you down memory lane, and pushes you to have a conversation you may have avoided altogether.You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 21: Caste, Class & Glass

6 min 15 sec

What can the cult classic Gangs of Wasseypur teach us about Indian food, and the religious and caste underpinnings of it In this episode, Utsav revisits a scene in the film, and talks about how we need to introspect and evaluate if we are unknowingly practicing discrimination, not only abroad, but more importantly at home.You can follow Utsav on his Instagram handle: whywetravel42https://instagram.com/whywetravel42igshid1h7y2srg5qqbxYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 22: The Story of Two Bengals

8 min 55 sec

If youve been a fan of Bengali food like Ive been, you may be surprised to know that there exists a whole other kind of Bengali food you may not have even heard of. Its a friendly food rivalry known to all Bengalis but it is a story of how our climatic conditions, geography and economic conditions shape our food. Join Utsav, as he walks you through this dichotomy of Bengali food, and gives us a simple tip on where to find the best food in any place you travel to.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 23: The beloved Udupi joint

8 min 3 sec

In 1922, fed up of his family squabbles, K Krishna Rao, left his home in Udupi, Southern Karnataka and moved to Chennai to work as an attendant at a restaurant. He eventually moved up and gave rise to a whole subculture of Indian food Udupi restaurants. This week, Utsav talks about a success story of internal migration, but one that is laced with a discriminatory remanent of the past.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 24: Chai: Colonising the Colonisers

8 min 3 sec

If there is one beverage which our country unabashedly loves, its Chai. We cannot imagine an India without Chai, and yet what you may not know is that Chai is less than 2 centuries old in India. This week, Utsav narrates the fascinating story of how chai became a part of our DNA and reflects on the absurdity of food origin debates.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 25: India's Widow Cuisine

7 min 35 sec

Near the end of the 18th and final of her pregnancies, Hiranmayi Ghatak, became a widow. Her body had withstood a whirlwind of miscarriages and stillbirths, which resulted in a total of eight living children by the time she was 37. For the rest of her life, much like countless women before her, she was forced to live very frugally and eat minimally. This week, Utsav brings to the fore a cuisine which is celebrated as a culinary achievement but was borne out of sheer exploitation Indias Widow Cuisines.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 26: Cuisine you've never tasted

6 min 56 sec

Kanta Prasad is 64, but his childhood memories are vivid. If he ever discovered that an animal is going to be slaughtered nearby, he would run holding a widemouthed container to collect the blood, the intestines and the offal, all parts that the upper castes discarded. The rakti, coagulated blood, was and still is a Dalit delicacy. This, week Utsav talks about a cuisine most of us have never even tasted. And if you were a Dalit, would you still celebrate your cuisine if it was trauma on your plate, day after day after day Special thanks to Rajyashri Goody http://www.rajyashrigoody.com/ for her kind permission to use her recipe booklets for the episode.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 27: World's Most Visited Necropolis

7 min 53 sec

In Paris, lies the Père Lachaise Cemetery, where you find the remains of a woman and two men. The Cemetery of the East, is the final resting ground of people from all walks of life in France. And yet, these three stand out. Away from crowds at the Eiffel, away from all the glitz and glamour of Paris, is the story of these three, who left an indelible impact on the world. But for the longest time, a dark secret haunted them. This week, Utsav brings to you that secret, which unfortunately is the fate of many today.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 28: The Impossible Dome

6 min 48 sec

For 40 years, the Duomo or Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, sat fully constructed barring a dome. The Florentines had become so embarrassed by their failure to complete the dome announced a contest for the ideal dome design, with a handsome prize of 200 gold florins—and a shot at eternal fame. Leading architects of the age flocked to Florence and presented their ideas. This week, Utsav takes you to Florence and uncovers the story of the man who did the impossible, and why we all have it in ourselves to do it.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 29: Sunlight - Europe vs Asia

8 min 27 sec

The iconic American stand up comic George Carlin once made a strong case of worshipping the sun, as it is indeed omnipresent But it was only during a trip to Rome did I realise how the sun and sunlight have indelibly influenced architecture. This week, Utsav talks about how both Europe and Asia have used sunlight in fascinatingly different ways, both giving rise to beauty that leavs us in awe.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 30: The Last of the Good Times?

8 min 4 sec

Through Airbnb, Utsav ended up booking a place in a dangerous neighbourhood of northern Paris. But what we were not prepared for was our Airbnb host, who was unlike anyone we had met before. In a Covid world, it seems that we have already lived the last of our good times Or maybe not This week, Utsav brings to you an unlikely story of finding hope in the most dire times. If you are feeling low, we highly encourage you to listen to this.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 31: Entire World in a Room

7 min 43 sec

There is a room on the 2nd Floor of the Palazzo Vecchio, the civic palace of Florence. The room, known as Sala delle Carte Geografiche, fits the entire world. The artifacts in this room belong to the 16th century, and yet they reveal our world today in myraid ways. This week, Utsav talks about the eccentricities of map making and mankinds love affair with maps. Join him to discover a part of your childhood, which got lost on the bumpy road to adulthood.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 32: Walking: An Act of Resistance

6 min 52 sec

Tiblisi, the capital of Georgia is one of the few places in the world where the Sunni and Shia Muslims pray together in the same mosque. Armenia is a country with the highest per capita chess grandmasters in the world. But how are these two facts connected This week, walk with Utsav and understand why entangling ourselves in the places we go to is a great way to travel, and why walking is an act of resistance to the mass manufactured realities of travel.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 33: Finding our Kollektivschuld

6 min 54 sec

In 1946, post the defeat of Germany in World War II, the psychoanalyst Carl Jung coined a word which turned into a national emotion. Travelling through Armenia and speaking to young and old alike took me back to Turkey. Specifically, Gezi Park in Taksim Square, Istanbul. But how are Germany, Turkey and Armenia connected This week, Utsav takes you on a journey which made him feel the very emotion which the Germans felt post World War II, and maybe one which we all need to feel today.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 34: Citrus, Science and The Sicilan Mafia

8 min 19 sec

On 20th May 1747, a doctor aboard HMS Salisbury did something that changed the course of Italian history. But all he did was give lemons and oranges to the sailors. What could that have to do with the Sicilian Mafia, and what lessons do they hold for us travellers This week, Utsav takes you through the story of Citrus spread over two centuries, and tells you why Citrus is more than just food and fragrance in Italy.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 35: Naples, Grit and Hemingway

8 min 35 sec

In late 2018, archaeologists working at the Pompeii site discovered Grafitti which recalibrated the events around the explosion of Mount Vesuvis. The graffiti itself was emblematic of an intensely Italian passion Food. This week, traveling in time, Utsav connects the dots in the city of Naples, spanning the deadly LTTE, Ernest Hemingway, Italys most prolific food export, and another unlikely food which encapsulates the way we should see Naples.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 36: The War that Never Ended

8 min 34 sec

What is a war doing in a travel podcast And that too a war that has never ended We dont really know when it began, but we know for sure it has never ended. Its so every day that we dont or choose not to see it. A realization that began in walk in Naples led me to coursing its history, and witnessing a global movement. This week, I take you to the war in 16th century Rome, modern day Chile and your own backyard, maybe even your own home. Trigger Warning: Please note that this episode contains references to rape and violence that some people may find disturbing.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 37: Galileo, The Divider and Memory

7 min 46 sec

From the Indian mathematician Bhāskara II to the Italian inventor Da Vinci, this enigma confounded intellectuals for seven centuries. In a casual museum visit to Florence, he also understood a lesser fascinating enigma the actual use of the divider yes, the one in your geometry box.This week, join Utsav as he uncovers a timeless driver of human excellence, and what an endless pursuit can teach us about how we must spend our time on this planet.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 38: Amalfi, Cairns and Pilgrimage

8 min 19 sec

In 1980, Rick Ridgeway, the first American to summit the K2, attempted to climb a high mountain in China. He failed. 19 years later, he returned with a young 20 year girl, but the purpose was changed. It was a pilgrimage of sorts. What eventually decided the fate of this pilgrimage was the same thing which saved Utsav and his partner from a potentially disastrous hike in Amalfi. This week, join Utsav as he brings to the fore a prehistoric practice, seeped in kindness, silently helping mountaineers and hikers all over the world.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 39: Icebergs, Relativity and Revenge

8 min 10 sec

An iceberg, theoretical physics and an expressionist painting. What could these three unlikely bedfellows have in common, that too spread over two centuries This week, join Utsav as he takes you to Havana, Buenos Aires and Paris, and brings to light how the gift of hindsight we have today is the curse of foresight from yesterday and how it teaches us a life principle which has stood the test of time.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 40: The Secret Museum of China

8 min 32 sec

An absurd, deeply flawed notion left close to 600 million sparrows dead in China in the late 1950s. But it was only amongst the many missteps which came to define the Peoples Republic of China. In the new series China Unseen, join Utsav as he draws upon his experiences of living in the country, and uncovers everyday life in the Middle Kingdom. An intimate look at contemporary China from within, and how the country came to become what it is today. This week, Utsav takes you to a secret museum right in the heart of Shanghai, which chronicles an exceptional time in modern China.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 41: The China Marriage Market

8 min 45 sec

In Peoples Park in central Shanghai, every Sunday afternoon, a congregation of old people shows up religiously, week after week. These are not people enjoying their retirement, they are on a mission. A mission which gives them anxiety, sours their relationship with their kids, and often remains unfulfilled. In continuation of the series China Unseen, this week Utsav takes you to this very park, which reveals a sobering reality of modern China, and maybe even the rest of the world. Tune in, and discover what is common between India and China, and why your host was given two pairs of silver chopsticks as a farewell gift.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 42: The Ghost Cities

8 min 4 sec

Between 2011 13, China used up more cement to build cities than the United States used in the entire 20th century. The new cities became so prevalent that a moniker was assigned to them Ghost cities because no one really lived there. But what happens to a ghost city many years later In the third episode of China Unseen, Utsav takes you to a ghost city and tells you what he saw, that surprised him. This week, tune in to discover what lies beneath the veneer of a ghost city.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 43: The Ant Tribe

8 min 46 sec

In the late ’60s and ‘70s, anticipating the devastation of a Cold Warnuclear fallout, Chairman Mao directed Chinese cities to construct apartments with bomb shelters capable of withstanding the blast of a nuclear bomb. In Beijing alone, roughly 10,000 bunkers were promptly constructed. But what has become of those bunkers today In the fourth episode of China Unseen, Utsav takes you up close and personal into what goes on in those bunkers everyday, and what it has to do with young Chinese people. Tune in, and understand the massive problem the world is sitting on today.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 44: The Evil Cult China Bans

7 min 48 sec

China has made tremendous progress in lifting the country out of poverty, The Communist Party takes pride in enabling this and boasts of how many choices the Chinese have today. However, it parallelly bans and actively prosecutes people from a religious order, which combines meditation and slowmotion exercises, very much in line with Taoist principles. In the fifth episode of China Unseen, Utsav takes you on a journey about an upheaval the country is going through, and why it may sweep through China faster than the Party can manage. Tune in, to understand Chinas greatest fear.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 45: The Revolution is a Dinner Party

8 min 18 sec

China came out of the Cultural Revolution and rose to become an economic powerhouse. A starving country in the past today is not only selfsufficient with food, but also is a major exporter. However, the prosperity has come with its challenges. In the sixth episode of China Unseen, Utsav breaks down Chinas relationship with food, busting many myths along the way, and takes you to a unique restaurant that is subtly changing the way young China views its past. Tune in, to understand why the revolution is now a dinner party.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 46: Miànzi and Girlfriend for Rent

8 min 8 sec

Imagine going home over a holiday, but dreading the whole experience. All because your parents will ask about the lack of your love life i.e. your boyfriend/girlfriend. However, the young Chinese people have come up with an ingenious way of solving the problem. In the seventh episode of China Unseen, Utsav brings to you a foundational idea of Chinese society Miànzi, and how that drives every single social interaction in China, sometimes even between family. Tune in, to understand why we need to be kinder in our judgements towards new cultures and people, and how to actually do so.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 47: The Mistress Dispellers

8 min 35 sec

The enemy of marriage is time,” she said, smiling. By the eighth year, the honeymoon period had long given way to “the salt and vinegar of daily life.” “Even the tongue and teeth occasionally get in each other’s way,” Imagine saying this not to a marriage counselor, but to a man who goes by the title of Mistress Dispeller. In the eighth episode of China Unseen, discover the unique phenomenon of women hiring people to get rid of mistresses, instead of divorcing their husbands. What might seem as a weak and unfair choice has complex layers, telling us how a nations economic prosperity does not necessarily mean a better life for women. Tune in, and uncover the enigma of Mistress Dispellers.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 48: Gastronationalism - Romancing Potatoes

9 min

What connects the Matt Damon film The Martian, A restauranter in Beijing and a lady who signs peans to a vegetable Turns out, its the potato. From the most humble of vegetables, comes the story of Chinas sweeping ambition to change the food practices of a country which has grown addicted to meat. From Yunnan in the Southwest, to Gansu in the Northwest, across North China and into the Northeast, is the story of the potato, at the crossroads of cultural resistance and The Cultural revolution. Tune in, and discover why for contemporary China, potatoes could change the course of a nation.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 49: The China Chilli Love Affair

8 min 47 sec

Recently, neuropsychologists have uncovered a link between the chili pepper and risktaking. But what does history tell us And how does a plant native to South America find itself as the defining element of the cultural identity of Sichuan This week, on the last episode of China Unseen, I bring to you the fascinating story of how China fell in love with the Chilli a story of economics, two wars and medical philosophy.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 50: Why We Travel feat. Utsav, Ayushi and Rytasha

50 min 36 sec

And here we are After sending 50 Postcards from Nowhere, this week, we take a break from our usual storytelling to have 3 adults or are we talk about travel. We have Ayushi and Rytasha from Agla Station Adulthood on the show In this episode Utsav talks about his foray into travel, the genesis of this podcast and why we travel Tune in to recap the journey of PFN 50 Postcards in and many more to goFind more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can follow Ayushi on social media:Twitter: justayushi https://twitter.com/justayushiInstagram: ayushia9 https://www.instagram.com/ayushia9/You can follow Rytasha on social media:Instagram: rytash https://www.instagram.com/rytash/You can listen to Agla Station Adulthood: https://ivmpodcasts.com/aglastationadulthoodYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 51: North Sikkim - The Trip that Wasn't?

8 min 40 sec

How often have you waited to take a trip, and it does not happen For the last 5 years, Utsav had been wanting to see Gurudongmar lake in North Sikkim. Just before the pandemic hit, he made his second attempt but was he successful. This week, tune in, as Utsav documents his struggle to reach a place where the water does not freeze even at 30 degrees, and along the way stumbles upon a legend like no other.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 52: What's in a name - Ask Africa

8 min 40 sec

In 1840, a Scottish man, David Livingstone arrived in Africa at the age of 27, and went on to become the greatest explorers of the continent, discovering the Victoria falls in current day Zimbabwe. However, his naming of the Victoria falls was only a precursor to what the continent had to see in the coming century. This week, Utsav takes you on a rapid history of names in Africa, and helps you decode the reasons why renaming places is a complicated, slippery issue. Tune in, as we sweep through Nigeria in the West, Sierra Leone in the east to Bombay and Allahabad in India and understand the politics of renaming places.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 53: Aral Sea, Karakalpakstan: Surviving the Armageddon

9 min 51 sec

What happens when an action from 100 years ago has a profound, unimaginable impact today How does a sea the size of Himachal Pradesh or the entirety of Croatia simply disappear If this sounds like science fiction, this week, Utsav takes you to Karakalpakastan, an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan, which is a glimpse of the world ravaged by climate change. This kicks off a new series: Our Changing World: Stories of Climate Change, where we travel to the remote and not so remote parts of the world, understanding how climate change is impacting us in ways we have not imagined.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.Check out the entire series of Uzbekistan episodes:Ep. 13: Beauty Of Uzbekistan The Geometry Box https://bit.ly/36DthdSEp. 14: Melons of Samarkand https://bit.ly/34C0t2CEp. 15: Vincent van Gogh and Uzbekistan https://bit.ly/3nnI3v7Ep. 16: Secrets of Doors https://bit.ly/2SDazusEp. 17: Train Journeys and Humanity Part 1 https://bit.ly/34Ek0zMEp. 18: Train Journeys and Humanity Part 2 https://bit.ly/3lngfoQEp. 19: Worlds Most Popular Snack https://bit.ly/30H8pyJYou can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 54: Kiribati, Oceania: Weightlifting, Refugees and a Vanishing Country

9 min 1 sec

In the 2016 Rio Olympics, a wrestler from Kiribati celebrated his performance. But he had not won a medal. In the same year, another man from Kiribati filed a case against the New Zealand government at the UN Human rights council. What do these two men, from the tiny island nation of Kiribati have in common In the second episode of Our Changing World: Stories of Climate Change, Utsav takes you to Kiribati and asks a pertinent question: How does climate change impact poorer nations Join him as he busts myths about climate change, against the backdrop of a vanishing nation.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 55: Paneveggio, Northern Italy: Disapperaring Violins and a Silent City

9 min 44 sec

In January 2019, the city of Cremona in Italy went silent for 5 weeks, for a rather unique reason. But for that, we need to go back over 300 years, to follow the work of a man who created some of the most prized violins in human history The Stradivarius, the most expensive one being sold for 20 Million dollars. In the third episode of Our Changing World: Stories of Climate Change, Utsav takes you to the forests of Peneveggio in Northern Italy, and how climate change is impacting classical music, and why did the town of Cremona go silent. Join him as he shows us an unlikely and unimagined side of climate change.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 56: Indonesia to Italy: Art unravels climate change

8 min 48 sec

In 1993, Dario Camuffo and Giovanni Sturaro started looking at the paintings of two 18th century landscape artists from Italy. However, Camuffo and Sturaro werent art critics or artists themselves, they were climate scientists. And their interest was purely scientific. But what exactly was it that interested them in the paintings of Venice In the fourth episode of Our Changing World: Stories of Climate Change, Utsav takes you to a museum in Venice, the labs of scientists and how the use of an ancient lighting technique is helping them map the trajectory of climate change, answering a very real question: How quickly is Venice sinkingTo understand more about the intersection of art and travel, check out the followingEp 5: Art does not have to be boring https://bit.ly/2Jeq22UEp 13: Beauty of Uzbekistan and the geometry box https://bit.ly/3ovrcqSEp 15: Vincent Van Gogh and Uzbekistan https://bit.ly/2TtkCTBFind more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 57: Indonesia to Italy: Art unravels climate change - Part 2

8 min 18 sec

10th April 1815: On a remote Indonesian island, a volcano, Mt Tambora, erupted. It was no ordinary eruption largest in recorded human history and the largest of the Holocene 10,000 years ago to present. It ended up having an enormous impact on the climate of the world. But it also impacted writers, artists and painters in a multitude of ways. One of which is now helping us understand how the future is going to look. In the fourth episode of Our Changing World: Stories of Climate Change, Utsav crisscrosses from Mt. Ijen in Indonesia to Athens in Greece, to uncover a phenomenon which could change how our world actually looks in the future.To understand more about the intersection of art and travel, check out the followingEp 5: Art does not have to be boring https://bit.ly/3mOPVVuEp 13: Beauty of Uzbekistan and the geometry box https://bit.ly/3ovrcqSEp 15: Vincent Van Gogh and Uzbekistan https://bit.ly/2TtkCTBEp 56: Indonesia to Italy: Art unravels climate change https://bit.ly/32cakM6Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 58: The Chernobyl you did not see on TV

9 min 29 sec

What does an Icelandic composer, a Belarusian author and a Nobel Laureate have in common to do with the Chernobyl disaster And why are we talking about Chernobyl 34 years after the disaster, and over a year after the world was swept up in the frenzy of the HBO show In the sixth episode of Our Changing World: Stories of Climate Change, Utsav takes you to the exclusion zone of Chernobyl, beyond where Dark tourists linger, to bring to the fore a story of hope and healing, of how Chernobyl is doing after all these years. Tune in, to understand how a place once habited by humans and deserted today, looks after 34 years of isolation.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 59: Beginning of the end: World's most beautiful Migration

9 min 54 sec

For a declining Native American tribe, its a symbol of future abundance and health. For a whole host of scientists and conservationists, its a horror story unfolding over the last few decades. Their annual migration is known to be one of the most beautiful in the world. But its under significant threat. In the penultimate episode of Our Changing World: Stories of Climate Change, Utsav takes you to the world of Monarch Butterflies spanning the US, Canada and Mexico, and talks about one of the most fundamental principles of the world we all need to know to navigate it.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 60: Fighting Climate Change: Why we Su*k!

8 min 50 sec

Weve all heard the story Put a frog in boiling water and it will jump out. Put it in cold water, bring it to a boil and the frog will be toasted to death. In times where the impact and advancement of climate change are not disputable, why are we acting like frogs Why are we so terrible at fighting climate change Taking you from the port cities of Surat, Cochin and Malacca to our prediction for sweets, this week, in the last episode of Our Changing World: Stories of Climate Change, Utsav addresses one of the most pressing questions of our times. And even though this entire series may have been disheartening, there is hope. Tune in to understand how our ability to be toilet trained Yes, we are serious may give us hope in what seems like a battle we are destined to lose.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 61: Bajau Laut: Last of the Sea Nomads

10 min 10 sec

In a letter dated 14 May 1728, a Dutch East India company official writes to the GovernorGeneral about a group of people camping out in the ocean off the coast of Indonesia. Two hundred years later, marine biologist suggests a theory of our evolution which gets dismissed by the scientific fraternity. So what do these two incidents have in common In the first episode of a new series, People Unlike Us, Utsav takes you up close to the life of a people who have lived on the sea for over a thousand years The Bajau Laut, more popularly known as the Sea Nomads. Tune in to see up close a way of life most of us could not imagine, and how their existence could have clued into the future of our own.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 62: Okinawa, Japan: Living for a Century

9 min 17 sec

What does the 80s blockbuster film The Karate Kid, a 17th century poem by an English poet have in common with the people who live for over a 100 years And what if there are multiple communities of people, right from North America to Asia who live for a century In the second episode of the series, People Unilke Us, Utsav takes you to Okinawa in Japan, where you are considered Young at the age of 80. Tune in to find their secrets We already may have one of them in our lives, but we may just be oblivious to it.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 63: Whistled Languages: From Mexico to Vietnam

10 min 39 sec

What if I put a bunch of children from varied countries, from Mexico to Vietnam, in a room. What if I told you that they may eventually develop a common language to communicate Across the world, there are societies which have independently developed a whistling language: they chat, flirt and hunt through whistling In the third episode of the series, People Unilke Us, Utsav takes you to a village in Turkey with a bird language, a village in Mexico with a strange reason to whistle, and to the Canary islands where whistling is still a part of everyday life. Tune in to uncover what unites these places in evolving a whistling language.Bonus: If you wish to learn a whistling language, download the Islık Dili Sözlüğü app from Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/detailsidec.self.whistlelanghlenINglUSFind more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 64: Bushmen of the Kalahari: The First People

10 min 24 sec

In 2016, deep into the heartland of Ethiopia, a herder by the name of Ali Bereino, chanced upon a bone in the goat pen in his backyard. It took an archeologist to determine the significance of Alis find. In many ways, it was literally the bone the world was waiting for. In the fourth episode of the series, People Unlike Us, Utsav takes you to the vast expanse of the Kalahari desert, to peek into the lives of the San people, the closest descendants of our ancient ancestors. As we look to say goodbye to 2020, tune in to understand what lessons do the San people hold for us, and how we need to think about the watershed year that 2020 has been.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 65: Black Holes and 2020: Reflections on Travel

8 min 58 sec

Black Holes Those enigmas of the universe we all have conceptually heard of but dont really understand. Taking a break from regular episodes, here comes a 2020 yearender reflecting on a strange year gone by. This week, join Utsav as he asks us to relook at 2020 in a completely new light, much like the way we need to rethink what black holes are. Straddling the work of Albert Einstein and his failed plans of traveling to Tajikistan, tune in to discover how 2020 can help us reimagine the way we have traveled till now.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 66: Superhuman Runners The Rarámuri, Mexico

10 min 30 sec

In the 1928 and 1968 Olympics, Mexico participated in the marathon and failed to get a podium finish. The runners, who came in with a great reputation and a mystic halo around them felt that the 26mile race was too short. In fact, in 1928, they had to be stopped to tell them that the race was already over. In the last episode of People Unlike Us, Utsav takes you up close to the Raramuri people, who are known to be the ultimate ultramarathoners, running upto 200 miles at a stretch of over 48 hours. Tune in, to discover the life lesson the Raramuri hold for us, something which I wish all of us is able to find in 2021.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 67: Underground Caves of Naica and Deep Time

8 min 15 sec

58 degree celsius, 100 humidity and pitch dark. This is not Mars, but somewhere on our very own planet. While 2020 killed all our travel plans, I am sure even that would not make you go here. But there was a Spanish man who was waiting for the moment he could visit this place. A place where you would not survive for more than a couple of minutes. This week, starting a new series, Alien Landscapes, it take you deep into the Naica mines in Mexico, and bring to the fore the idea of Deep Time. Tune in, to discover what scientific and life secrets hide in these mines which today are not accessible to anyone.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 68: Danakil Depression, Ethiopia: Secrets of the Cosmos

8 min 49 sec

What do the father of the nuclear age, the Italian American physicist Enrico Fermi and a young European traveller by the name of Mubarak Bin London have in common And why would it lead you to one of the most inhospitable and inaccessible places on earth, a place which Fermi hadnt ever set foot in In the second episode of the series, Alien Landscapes, Utsav takes you to the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia and tells you why it has become a hotbed for an emerging science which could hold the secrets of the cosmos. Tune in, and discover that sometimes you dont need to go to space to understand whats really out there.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 69: Svalbard and Syria: Lonely Together

10 min 3 sec

Extreme temperatures, check. The harsh desert climate, check. One place is an arctic desert in the northernmost part on our planet, the other a hot desert country plagued by a brutal, seemingly unending civil war. Svalbard is a unique lonely place you cannot be born, die or be buried there. Less than 10 of the place has any vegetation. Outside its capital city, you are more likely to encounter a polar bear rather than a human. However, it has a unique claim to fame, one which rescued a battered and depleted Syria. In the third episode of the series, Alien Landscapes, Utsav takes you to two unlikely places, Svalbard and Syria, and how they have found a unique way in being lonely together. Tune in, and discover an ambitious project, which one day could save all our lives.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 70: Atacama Desert, Mars and Insignificance

9 min 49 sec

Deep into South America, lies a place which is considered barren and inhospitable. And for good reason how can life flourish in a place which has less than 15 mm of rainfall every year. But its barrenness is its advantage, for it houses some of the most elite and far ranging scientific pursuits known to man. In the fourth episode of the series, Alien Landscapes, we travel to the Atacama desert in Chile, where both above our heads and beneath our feet, science is breaking new ground everyday and what has Mars got to do with it. Tune in, and understand what have we lost with our civilisational pursuits, and how we are insignificant in the larger scheme of things.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 71: Blood Falls, Antarctica and Moons of Jupiter

8 min 57 sec

Erling Kagge, is no ordinary man. In 1992, skiing and walking 1300 kilometres, over 52 days, he reached the South Pole. Alone. A few hundred miles away, there is a waterfall known as the Blood Falls, after the red water which constantly flows out of its parent glacier. But what do Earling and the Blood Falls, have to do with the Moons of Jupiter. In the fifth and final episode of the series, Alien Landscapes, we travel to the most inhabitable place on earth, Antarctica, to uncover the secrets of the cosmos, the earth and the sea. Tune in, and understand what Erling went on to achieve, and the startlingly simple life insight he has to share with us.Find more travel stories on PostcardsFromNowhere with Utsav Mamoria.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 72: Marie Curie, Jane Austen and Banknotes

9 min 2 sec

What could Marie Curie, a two time Nobel Prize winner and the famous poet Jane Austen possibly have in common And what does that have to do with banknotes, an everyday object we scarcely pay any attention to This week, starting a new series, Currencies and Stamps, we travel from the WW 1 trenches in France to modern day UK and Tunisia and answer a simple question What does a banknote tell us about a country Tune in, and understand why you should closely look at the notes of a country and what secrets it could reveal.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 73: Stanely Kubrick, Chess and Armenian Dram

8 min 53 sec

What does the Oscar winning iconic director Stanley Kubrick have in common with a Chess grandmaster And what does it have to do with banknotes of Armenia This week, in the second episode of Currencies and Stamps, we travel all the way to Armenia and uncover how banknotes can be used to trace the cultural changes of a young nation. Tune in, and understand how banknotes, when turned into objects of everyday symbolism can become the carrier of a new nations confidence at the world stage.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 74: Currency as Tragedy: Manipur, WW II and Memory

7 min 49 sec

What happens when a British civilian administrator in the Indian government, a graduate in math and physics from Cambridge, on a fatal mission to organize a guerrilla network against the Japanese disappears And what does that have to do with currencies This week, in the second episode of Currencies and Stamps, crisscrossing Britain, Japan, Burma and Manipur, we delve into a rather unexplored aspect of currencies: What if the currency you hold is a reminder of personal tragedy Tune in, to uncover how currency can be a reminder of tragedy, and what it means ot trace the footsteps of a lost loved one.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 75: Bhutan, Talking Stamps and Elvis Presley in Burkina Faso

8 min 12 sec

Why would the sleepy Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan decide to suddenly issue talking stamps Or the tiny West African nation of Burkina Faso issue stamps featuring the American singer and musician Elvis Presley In fact, these were not frivolous pursuits by deluded monarchs or a tin pot dictator but were well thought out strategies. This week, in the fourth episode of Currencies and Stamps, we delve into the unique phenomena of how countries issue stamps with people who have no connection to them. Tune in, to discover how the simple act of issuing stamps could hold the key to the fortunes of smaller and often forgotten countries.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 76: Venice, Finland and Stamps of the Future

8 min 16 sec

What does Venice, a floating city with an algae problem and Finland, a country battling climate change have in common And what could it possibly have to do with stamps This week, in the fifth episode of Currencies and Stamps, we explore the intersection of stamps and climate change, and how are countries are bringing out these problems through their stamps. Tune in, and discover how Venice and Finland have been printing the stamps of the future.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 77: Mariana Trench, Mt. Everest and Depths of Travel

9 min 9 sec

On January 23, 1960, at a little after one in the afternoon, two men seated on small stainless steel boxes inside a forged steelalloy cabin, settled gently onto a patch of ivorycoloured silt on the floor of the Mariana trench. At a depth of 35,800 feet, they had achieved every explorers dream. But what has become of the human desire for exploration, especially in pandemic times This week, join Utsav as he travels to one of the most visited places in India: Goa, and witnesses something unique to come away with an oft ignored insight on human exploration. Tune in, and discover how even going back to the same place again can provide us with new experiences.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 78: Dark Tourism, Titanic Cruises and Graffiti

9 min 28 sec

Since 1993, the Kazimierz district in Kraków, Poland has seen a huge influx of tourists, thanks to the film Schindlers List, an uplifting story of how the Schindlers saved a thousand mostly Polish German refugees from the Holocaust. The phenomenon is not unique. Starting a new series, Dark Tourism, we explore why are we so attracted to places of death and suffering. In the first episode, we shift our gaze towards the more ubiquitous, but less observed sites of dark tourism, and how a single such site in Bogota, Colombia triggered a new way of looking at the world. Tune in, and discover the fascinating phenomenon of Dark Tourism.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 79: One Man, 50,000 Bombs and Hope in Cambodia

8 min 34 sec

What would you do if you were forced to pick up a gun at a tender age of 10 And fight numerous wars for the next ten years, without ever having any choice This isnt fiction, but the story of countless youth from Cambodia who grew up in the 70s. This week, in the second episode of Dark Tourism, we listen to the story of Aki Ra, a man who turned around not only his life, but that of his country too, and created a museum unlike no other in the world. Tune in, and listen to the inspirational story of Ak Ra, and how we must visit countries which have been ravaged by war.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 80: Love, Olympic Glory and Death in Sarajevo

9 min 9 sec

A city finds itself at the centre of the worlds attention twice in a span of ten years, but for completely opposite reasons. In 1984, it became the first Balkan country to host the Winter Olympics. In 1992, it was home to the first televised war in human history. This week, in the third episode of Dark Tourism, we take you to the city of Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and tell a story of love, loss and remembrance. Tune in, and understand what it means to live in a country after a war has ended.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 81: Yugoslavia, Aliens and Colonial Gaze

9 min 44 sec

They number in hundreds, if not thousands and they are the best kept secret of the Balkan countries, right from Slovenia to Macedonia. However, the world has come to see them very differently, thanks to the colonial gaze that has been upon them. This week, in the fourth episode of Dark Tourism, we take you to Kosovo and Serbia, upclose to these monuments, and how they came to be misrepresented to the world. Tune in, and understand how we must stay away from stereotypes, and see these sites of dark tourism from the perspective of locals.You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 82: The Impossible Tunnels of Vietnam

7 min 55 sec

The American Army fighting the war in Vietnam never took it seriously. They never estimated the extent to which these tunnels existed, for they seemed outside the scope of the American imagination. And yet, these impossible tunnels were very much a reality. This week, in the fifth episode of Dark Tourism, we take you to Vietnam, up close to the Cu Chi tunnels. Tune in, and understand how the narrative of any war ravaged nation hides so many more, and how we must visit these places. You can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 83: Forgotten Pandemics, Jim Corbett and Nationalism

9 min 21 sec

A pandemic which killed an estimated 2 to 6.4 of Indias population, and became one of the only decades where our population actually declined. Its largely forgotten today. What did the 1918 Pandemic have to do with Jim Corbett and the leopards of Kumaon What does it have to do with the home grown FMCG giant Godrej In the last episode of the Dark Tourism Series, we travel across the length and breadth of India to understand why did we forget such a catastrophe, and what lessons it holds for us as citizens today.You can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 84: Dadar, Railways and Outer Space

9 min 48 sec

For the outsider, Mumbai means Marine Drive and South Bombay. For anyone who has lived long enough in the city, they know that Dadar is the heart of the city which beats endlessly. This week, starting a new series, Exploring your Backyard, we tell you how this iconic neighbourhood has shaped the country in ways you would not have imagined. Or how Dadar in a unique way played a role in national integration in the 70s and 80s. But what you probably dont know is Dadars connection to outer space. Tune in, to understand why its important to explore our own backyards, and how a piece of Dadar history floats endlessly in space.You can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 85: Colaba, Mark Twain and Dr. Ambedkar

9 min 20 sec

You cant have been to Mumbai and not been to Colaba. The ultimate tourist hotspot, with colonial architecture and the bullet riddled walls of Cafe Leopold. This week, in the second episode of Exploring your Backyard, we take you to two silent spectators of Colaba, which are barely even noticed even by those who live there. Walk with us through Colaba to uncover its connections with Mark Twain, Marie Curie and Dr Ambedkar amongst others. Tune in, and discover the stories of Colaba you havent heard of, and what simple truth they unravel for us. Google Earth Location of Mahagony Tree: https://bit.ly/3tXpvDZGoogle Earth Location of Baobab Tree: https://bit.ly/3eZeiyxAlso Listen Ep. 52: Whats in a name Ask Africahttps://ivm.today/3otmiLmYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 86: Cotton Green, American Civil War and Rise of Bombay

8 min 44 sec

Cotton Green, the forgotten, nondescript station on the Harbour line of the Bombay suburban train network. But once, this area was the beating heat of Bombay. This week, in the third episode of Exploring your backyard, we take you to the story of the meteoric rise of Bombay, which had wide ranging causes, right from the American Civil War in the 1860s to the opening of the Suez Canal. Join us as we rediscover not only this forgotten station, but also Bombays most neglected piece of heritage. Tune in, and find a simple way in which we could claim our forgotten heritage.Check out the other episodes on Bombay Colaba, Mark Twain and Dr. Ambedkar: https://ivm.today/342dDWMDadar, Railways and Outer Space: https://ivm.today/3xuayw9Also You can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts websitehttps://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 87: How Pandemics Shaped Bangalore

9 min 28 sec

In 1792, the British departed from Srirangapatna near Mysore to Bangalore for a rather strange reason To escape the mosquitos. But that wasnt the only deadly thing that shaped the future of Bangalore. This week, in the fourth episode of Exploring your backyard, we turn our eye towards Bengaluru, and how pandemics came to shape the city in ways we could not imagine. Dive in to understand how they gave birth to new areas like Basavanagudi, gave rise to a goddess and her temple, and its connection to an absolutely strange kind of peanuts, all of which you could experience even today. Check out the other episodes on Bombay Colaba, Mark Twain and Dr. Ambedkar: https://ivm.today/342dDWMDadar, Railways and Outer Space: https://ivm.today/3xuayw9Cotton Green, American Civil War and Rise of Bombay: https://ivm.today/3oWu54QYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 88: Ulsoor, Yoga and Opium Wars

9 min 9 sec

What connects the Thai Forest Tradition of Buddhism to the neighbourhood of Ulsoor in Bangalore No, its not a Buddhist monastery. It is in fact a tree whose fruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and the state fruit of Karnataka. This week, in the fifth episode of Exploring your backyard, we move into Ulsoor, which hides the story of two polar opposites. Tune in, to understand what connects Ulsoor to Yoga and the Opium wars, and why our neighbourhoods are like the fruit which gave Ulsoor its name.Check out the other episodes on Bombay Colaba, Mark Twain and Dr. Ambedkar: https://ivm.today/342dDWMDadar, Railways and Outer Space: https://ivm.today/3xuayw9Cotton Green, American Civil War and Rise of Bombay: https://ivm.today/3oWu54QYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Ep. 89: Malleswaram, Lost Temples and the Nobel Prize

7 min 30 sec

A German Jew fleeing Nazi Germany. A temple buried and lost to the vagaries of time. A steamboat journey on the Mediterranean sea. This week, in the sixth episode of Exploring your backyard, we visit Malleshwaram, and how unlikely events and forces came together to establish this suburb. And how the city became home to one of Indias foremost intellectuals, who went on to win the Nobel Prize. Tune in, to understand how these disparate events are connected, and the important lesson Malleswaram holds for us, as we look to preserve our heritage in a rapidly changing world.Check out the other episodes on Bombay Colaba, Mark Twain and Dr. Ambedkar: https://ivm.today/342dDWMDadar, Railways and Outer Space: https://ivm.today/3xuayw9Cotton Green, American Civil War and Rise of Bombay: https://ivm.today/3oWu54QYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Ep. 90: Lalbagh, Mount Everest and Volcanoes

9 min 39 sec

Its been the site of a war, it has a connection to Mount Everest and a very very old connection to the human race. This week, in the seventh episode of Exploring your backyard, we visit the well known Lalbagh botanical gardens in Bangalore. This is the story of how well known but little understood Lalbagh is, and how many fantastic things one can see in the city, which are just a cab ride away from our homes. Tune into this series finale, and think about the ways we could make our heritage part of our lives, as some of them could be as old as 3 billion yearsCheck out the other episodes on Bombay Colaba, Mark Twain and Dr. Ambedkar: https://ivm.today/342dDWMDadar, Railways and Outer Space: https://ivm.today/3xuayw9Cotton Green, American Civil War and Rise of Bombay: https://ivm.today/3oWu54QYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Ep. 91: Red Sea, Tintin and Sunken Tanks

9 min 51 sec

What could the iconic cartoon character Tintin possibly have in common with a marine biologist which kickstarted the global environmental movement. And what could both of them possibly have to do with a small nation in West Asia This week, starting a new series, Beneath the Veneer, we travel to the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan, where Utsav takes you through his first experience of encountering the Red Sea. Tune in, and discover what secrets the ocean has in store for us.Check out the other episodes on Bombay Colaba, Mark Twain and Dr. Ambedkar: https://ivm.today/342dDWMDadar, Railways and Outer Space: https://ivm.today/3xuayw9Cotton Green, American Civil War and Rise of Bombay: https://ivm.today/3oWu54QYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Ep. 92: Jordan, Civilization and Buri Nazar!

9 min 43 sec

These structures are found all over the world right from Europe all the way to South Korea. They are seen in India too, 2,200 of them, but I can assure you that none of you have seen it. This week, in the second episode of Beneath the Veneer, we travel to one such structure in Jordan, and how it sends us on a meandering journey to discover the secrets of human civilisation. Tune in, to discover what these structures are, where you can see them in India and how they are linked to the Indian national obsession, Buri NazarCheck out the other episodes on Bombay Colaba, Mark Twain and Dr. Ambedkar: https://ivm.today/342dDWMDadar, Railways and Outer Space: https://ivm.today/3xuayw9Cotton Green, American Civil War and Rise of Bombay: https://ivm.today/3oWu54QYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Chettiars, Burma and Fiery Dragons

14 min 35 sec

What does a small cluster of less than 100 villages in Tamil Nadu have in common with agrarian flatlands of Burma And what are both of these doing in a conversation taking place in a modern urban home in the IT corridor of Bangalore This week, in the the third episode of teh series, The Great Migration, we look at the story of the Chettiar community, who at the dawn of the 20th century owned a financial empire that straddled both South and South East Asia. Their migration and subsequent legacy in Burma is contested, and brings to the fore tough questions about the legacy of migratiory communities. Tune in, and discover the life lessons in their story, and an emotional passionate lesson from a modern urban home in Bangalore. Special thanks to Jaisimha Chandra, who not only opened his home to me, but took time out to share the rich collection of artefacts he has so lovingly preserved. Till then Check out the other episodes of Indias Linguistic HeritageThe Hidden Story of Sanskrit, and the NorthSouth Divide : https://ivm.today/3CpKQuOReclaiming Indias Linguistic Heritage: 300 Ramayanas: https://ivm.today/3kgatazPartitions Unknown: Hindi, Urdu and the Umbilical Cord: https://ivm.today/3DhQCz2The Hidden Injustice in Indias Languages: https://ivm.today/3HA6YWoBreast Tax, Brahmins and the Bizzare origins of Modern Malayalam: https://ivm.today/3nQyuamThe Improbable Impact Of Nature On 2000 Languages: https://ivm.today/3EvvmXzYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Clove, Transnational Smuggling and Nostalgia

10 min 28 sec

Peter Piper picked some packs of pickled peppers in each pack of pickled peppers that peter piper picked was 3 pickled peppers. Now peter piper is happy with all 36 of his pickled peppers. How many packs of pickled peppers did peter piper pickWhat does this tongue twisting nursery rhyme have to do with a global smuggling operation between two colonial powers of the 18th century And what does it possibly have to do with a 400 year old tree in one of the thousands of islands that make up Indonesia This week, in the sixth episode of the series Fabulous Foods, we trace the journey of Clove, from the islands of Indonesia to the student hostels of India, and uncover the web of transnational smuggling and nostalgia that has come to define it today. Tune in, and discover what this sweet and spicy spice teach us about empathy.Till then Check out the other episodes of Fabulous FoodsCoconuts, Cold War and Nuclear Fusion : https://ivm.today/3riUjReIndian Jews, Konkan Coast and KippurChiPuri : https://ivm.today/3KEh8qhNutmeg: The Worlds Most Violent Spice : https://ivm.today/3uE4bY4Portuguese, Banned Languages and Grinding Songs : https://ivm.today/3JEpZH7Dosa, Apocalypse and Dashavataras of Vishnu : https://ivm.today/3xoXfQbYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts websitehttps://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

West Indies Cricket, Jackals and Mariamman Temples

12 min 26 sec

In the early 2000’s, a concerned government official approached Dave Martins. Dave was an iconic musician from the Caribbean, who was the lead vocalist of the band Tradewinds. Someone who had his finger on the pulse of the Southern Caribbean islands. The government official asked him to write a song to quell the ethnic violence in Guyana. In another time, at the turn of the 20th century, Tamilians from Madurai and Dindigul were flocking the ports of Pondicherry, Karikal and Madras waiting to board ships for a better future.What could possibly connect the ethnic violence in Guyana to the ports of Tamil Nadu This week, in the eight episodes of the series, The Great Migration, we trace the history, mythology and stories of indentured migrants. We discover what connects West Indies Cricket, Jackals, the Mariamman Temples of Tamil Nadu and the Sheetla Devi temples of North India, and what they teach us about the human race.Thanks to Shubham Sharma https://twitter.com/thatsharmaboy who graciously aided the research for this episode. Books:1. Beyond a Boundary by CLR James: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B00L28MXLS/refredirmobiledesktopencodingUTF8qid1646233334reftmmkinswatch0sr812. Connie: The Marvellous Life of Learie Constantine Learie Constantine was a hero of CLR James. Cricketer, political activist, lawyer, TT’s high commissioner to the UK. His Biography: https://www.amazon.in/ConnieMarvellousLifeLearieConstantine/dp/0349140391Songs3. Hooper and Chanderpaul by Dave Martins: https://www.youtube.com/watchv0QrYDNQlBGg4. Music by Sundar Popo and Ramdew Chaitoe5. Calypsos by Lord Relator Till then Check out the other episodes of The Great MigrationBhojpur, Sexuality and Migration Songs: https://ivm.today/3LQvFQCMoney Orders, Dehradun and Transatlantic Slave Trade: https://ivm.today/34UHdlnChettiars, Burma and Fiery Dragons: https://ivm.today/3JOMfyAGujaratis, Uganda and The Last King of Scotland: https://ivm.today/33HernsThe Malayalis of Pakistan: https://ivm.today/3Hk67YQSindhis, Crocodiles and Abida Parveen: https://ivm.today/3BRlRRWYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42aYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Portugese, Banned Languages and Grinding Songs

11 min 10 sec

What connects the assasination attempt of King Jospeh 1 in Portugal, the ban on the Konkani language in Goa and a story about a young Lord Krishna, whose bravery provided the name of a famous waterfall And how does it have an impact on almost all our culinary practices as Indians This week, in the fourth episode of Fabulous Foods, we discover an unlikely music and storytelling tradition which is fast disappearing from our landscape. Tune in, and discover how this tradition encapsulates primal emotions felt by women, and how does it become a benchmark to evaluate countries we travel to.Special thanks to Heta Pandit for her important book, Grinding Stories Retold: Songs from Goa https://champaca.in/products/grindingstoriesretoldsongsfromgoavariant39553068695587Check out their YouTube channel for more such songs: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChcxBGuuS423ga3EOQRkINATill then Check out the other episodes of The Great MigrationBhojpur, Sexuality and Migration Songs : https://ivm.today/3LQvFQCMoney Orders, Dehradun and Transatlantic Slave Trade : https://ivm.today/34UHdlnChettiars, Burma and Fiery Dragons : https://ivm.today/3JOMfyAGujaratis, Uganda and The Last King of Scotland : https://ivm.today/33HernsThe Malayalis of Pakistan : https://ivm.today/3Hk67YQSindhis, Crocodiles and Abida Parveen : https://ivm.today/3BRlRRWYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts websitehttps://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Dosa, Apocalypse and Dashavataras of Vishnu

11 min 49 sec

What does a 12th century treatise on the life of a medieval king in Karnataka have in common with 1st century Sangam literature from Tamil Nadu, that describes the ancient food practices of the Tamil people And do they have to do with Dashavatars of Vishnu This week, in the fifth episode of the series Fabulous Foods, we travel from Udupi in Karnataka to Madurai in Tamil Nadu, and dive into the fascinating history of the dosa, its origins and evolution. Tune in, and discover where one can find the authentic dosa and what life lessons does this humble and beautiful food hold for us. Till then Check out the other episodes of The Great MigrationBhojpur, Sexuality and Migration Songs : https://ivm.today/3LQvFQCMoney Orders, Dehradun and Transatlantic Slave Trade : https://ivm.today/34UHdlnChettiars, Burma and Fiery Dragons : https://ivm.today/3JOMfyAGujaratis, Uganda and The Last King of Scotland : https://ivm.today/33HernsThe Malayalis of Pakistan : https://ivm.today/3Hk67YQSindhis, Crocodiles and Abida Parveen : https://ivm.today/3BRlRRWYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts websitehttps://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Biryani vs Pulao, Deceit and Mughlai Cooking

11 min 59 sec

In 1856, the last Nawab of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah invites a prince from Delhi to his durbaar. He serves a dish, which masquerades as a a murabba a thick, highly spiced conserve made of fruit or vegetables. In return, the prince invites Wajid Ali Shah to Delhi, and he too serves hundreds of dishes which are not what they appear. This week, in the seventh episode of the series, Fabulous Foods, we explore a tradition of delightful deceit which became the hallmark of Mughlai cuisine, and settle the Veg Biryani debate. Tune in, and discover the myths and magic of Mughlai cuisine, and the important lesson it holds for us.Check out the other episodes of Fabulous FoodsCoconuts, Cold War and Nuclear Fusion : https://ivm.today/3riUjReIndian Jews, Konkan Coast and KippurChiPuri : https://ivm.today/3KEh8qhNutmeg: The Worlds Most Violent Spice : https://ivm.today/3uE4bY4Portuguese, Banned Languages and Grinding Songs : https://ivm.today/3JEpZH7Dosa, Apocalypse and Dashavataras of Vishnu : https://ivm.today/3xoXfQbYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts websitehttps://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

An Empty Chair, Stalinist Russia and Rave Idli

8 min 8 sec

1939, Edinburgh. The 7th International Congress of Genetics was being held, but it was not just another scientific conference. It was held after a gap of 4 years, and the most discussed subject had nothing to do with genetics. Everyone was discussing an empty chair. A few decades later, the prime minister of one of the largest nations in the world was frantically reaching out to the world to solve her food shortage problems.

Black Death, Bahubali and the World's Most Expensive Spice

8 min 45 sec

After its arrival in Crimea in 1347, it rapidly spread through Constantinople, Spain, France and southern England. By 1350, it devastated Northern France, the British Isles, Germany and the Scandinavian region. It then crept up to Russia, touching Moscow in 1353. It killed an estimated 30 to 65 of European population. Thousands of kilometres in a town in Karnataka, a ritual which takes place every 12 years makes it an important piligrimage site for Jains all over India.

European Impressionism, Japanese Nationalism and Cherry Blossom Trees

9 min 8 sec

In the autumn of year 1280, Kublai Khan, the only nonHan to rule China convened a meeting at his summer palace in Shangdu, Inner Mongolia. He wanted to mount and attack on Japan, and eventually did so in 1281. Seven hundred years later, Japan was fighting another war it qas losing quickly World War II. What could possibly connect these two wars fought in completely different eras And what does that have to do with cherry blossom trees and a cocktail you can find all around the world This week, we travel to Japan, and uncover the story of Cherry Blossom Trees, and how they shaped European Impressionism and Japanese Nationalism.

The Trees that built Venice

8 min 44 sec

In 1964, the directors at the National Library of Spain in Madrid made a startling discovery. Owing to an error in the printed catalogue, two hitherto unknown notebooks belonging to a famous inventor were discovered.

Anne Frank, Lootera and Endless Life of Trees

9 min 6 sec

On May 18, 2016, students in Islington, north London, gathered to attend a treeplanting ceremony. It had a small plaque explaining that the tree had been planted “in the hope that the young people of Islington will live in a society of mutual understand

Ancient Celtic Language, Yetis and the Wood Wide Web

8 min 42 sec

In 1920, Colonel Charles Bury was nervous about a diplomatic conversation with the then British Viceroy of India. He wanted to convince the Viceroy to allow a trip to Peak XV, which was suspected to be taller than Mount Kanchenjunga.

The strange, colliding worlds of Tagore and Yeats

13 min 34 sec

On 4th May 1799, the British forces defeated the famed king of Mysore in a battle, largely owing to the kings chief minister betraying him. About 8500 kms away, the battle finds a reference in a 200 ft talk Obleisk in Phoenix Park

Titanic, Mosul and the Global shame of Western Museums

10 min 46 sec

On 15th April 1912, the RMS Titanic sank into the Atlantic Ocean. 100 years later, the city of Belfast inaugurated the opulent Titanic Museum, built at the cost of a whopping 116 million Euros. The museum also tells another story, from India.

Bombay, Paris and the improbable victory for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland

9 min 35 sec

In the early 1960’s, a young man from the Varad village on the Konkan Coast of India goes to study medicine at KEM Hospital in Bombay. Continents away in Paris at the Pere Lachaise cemetery, lies buried one of the finest playwrights and poets of the 1990.

Cooking Rhinoceros, Rajputana Kings and Fake Meat

8 min 39 sec

This week, in the eleventh episode of the series Fabulous Foods, we discover how nature and history have shaped Rajasthani food, the origin stories of famous Rajasthani dishes, and the wisdom of our traditional food practices.

A 400 Year Old Curse, Coffee and Indian Chinese food

10 min 2 sec

In 1612, the royal family of Mysore The Wodeyars brought upon themselves a curse which lasted 400 years.

The famine induced cuisine of North Korea

9 min 41 sec

The supreme leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un stepped over the Demilitarized Zone or DMZ boundary line and entered South Korea. It was the first time since the 1950 Korean War that a North Korean leader had entered South Korean territory. As a symbol of peace, the Kim Jong Un also got a chef from Pyongyang to cook a signature dish from North Korea, one that became a symbol of North Korean cuisine. This week, we travel to the border of the two Koreas, and discover the famineinduced cuisine of North Korea and the need to preserve your family’s culinary heritage.

Ep. 94: The Bedouins of Jordan, Hospitality and Karam

9 min 26 sec

In the arid desert landscapes of Jordan, amongst the Balga tribe of Bedouins, is the famous story of the Ibn Khaltan, a man known all over for his incredible generosity, bordering on madness. This week, in the fourth episode of Beneath the Veneer, we travel to Little Petra in Jordan, and understand the intimate aspects of Bedouin hospitality. Tune in, and discover how Utsav had a very memorable experience of this hospitality, and how the bediouns know something, much beyond religion, which could be a guiding light for all us worldwide.Check out the other episodes on Beneath the Veneer: Jordan Red Sea, Tintin and Sunken Tanks : https://ivm.today/3du4fAEJordan, Civilization and Buri Nazar : https://ivm.today/3hp1qDiAmman, Ashok Chakra and Swastik : https://ivm.today/3wI7paoYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

The Art of Writing Time: Persian and Sanskrit Chronograms

9 min 19 sec

Two systems of writing time developed independently: One in Kashmir, and the other in Kerala. But they developed in completely different cultural milieus. And its all connected to the parking lot of Maulana Azad Medical college in Delhi. This week, in the second episode of The Kashmir Diaries, we delve into the art of Persian and Sanskrit chronograms, which have been used for centuries for everything from poetry to statecraft to science. Tune in, and explore the beauty of these chronograms, and how they provide us hope in the preservation of our intangible cultural heritage.Check out the other episodes on Beneath the Veneer: JordanRed Sea, Tintin, and Sunken Tanks: https://ivm.today/3du4fAEJordan, Civilization, and Buri Nazar : https://ivm.today/3hp1qDiAmman, Ashok Chakra and Swastik : https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Zbayul: The Invisible Village of Ladakh

10 min 56 sec

In 1948, as India was fighting Pakistan in Kashmir, the Pakistani army reached this village but bypassed it completely. Simply because hidden behind a gorge, with just one access point, the village was invisible to them. Legend has it that when the army of a neighbouring kingdom tried to invade the village, they were greeted with huge boulders falling off the gorge, which forced the army to retreat. This week, in the ninth episode of Kashmir diaries, we travel to Ladakh and witness one of the most interesting experiments in local heritage conservation, housed in a 500yearold home.Special thanks to Antara Chatterjee from Little Local for providing detailed information about Zbayul and answering queries. You can follow Project Zbayul on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/projectzbayul/hlenLittle Local https://www.instagram.com/little.local/hlen and Roots Ladakh https://www.instagram.com/rootsladakh/hlenCheck out the other episodes of The Kashmir DiariesKashmiris, Hangul and the Manual of Life: https://ivm.today/3o0jE1GSrinagar, Ancient Carvings and Supernovas: https://ivm.today/3hECuatKargil, Hundarman and the Museum of Memories: https://ivm.today/2Vx8ANGYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

The Hidden Story Of Sanskrit, And The North - South Divide

11 min 5 sec

In the summer of 1420, following a strange series of events, the migration of a community of people started from a border town between Tamil Nadu and Kerala, to a village in Karnataka. The village eventually came to have a unique claim to fame: It became known as Indias Sanskrit village, where every resident spoke Sanskrit. And yet, lesser known is the story of another language that is spoken there. This week, starting a new series, Indias linguistic heritage, we dive into the hidden story of Sanskrit, the origin of us Indians and what it tells us about race and languages. Tune in, and discover, how using a combination of genetics and linguistics, the pointlessness of Indias North South divide.Check out the other episodes of The Kashmir DiariesKashmiris, Hangul and the Manual of Life: https://ivm.today/3o0jE1GSrinagar, Ancient Carvings and Supernovas: https://ivm.today/3hECuatKargil, Hundarman and the Museum of Memories: https://ivm.today/2Vx8ANGShahtoosh: The Wild Story of the Worlds Most Expensive and Illegal Fabric: https://ivm.today/3E22Z2shttps://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Breast Tax, Brahmins And The Bizarre Origins Of Modern Malayalam

10 min 27 sec

In the early 19th century, the Maharaja of Travancore levied an absolutely bizzare tax: Any woman who had come of age and had breasts had to pay a breast tax, and bare her breasts to anyone who was of a higher caste to them. This was one amongst the hundreds of taxes the lower castes had to endure, which put them in a cycle of perpetual debt and poverty. And then came a revolt which led the Maharaja to revoke the tax. This week, in the fifth episode of Indias Linguistic Heritage, we explore the bizzare story of the origins of modern Malayalam, which has everything from a breast tax to a religious power struggle. Tune in and discover, what this story means for us as travellers, everytime we encounter a new culture.Check out the other episodes of Indias Linguistic HeritageThe Hidden Story of Sanskrit, and the NorthSouth Divide: https://ivm.today/3CpKQuOReclaiming Indias Linguistic Heritage: 300 Ramayana’s https://ivm.today/3kgatazPartitions Unknown: Hindi, Urdu and the Umbilical Cord: https://ivm.today/3DhQCz2The Hidden Injustice in Indias Languages: https://ivm.today/3HA6YWoYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Money Orders, Dehradun & Transatlantic Slave Trade

9 min 38 sec

In 1898, the New York Times wrote a glowing review of this particular service in India. Closer home, the Bombay Mill Owners Association wasn’t so pleased The service was so popular amongst its workers, that it led to work disruptions. But what has all this got to do with the hill city of Dehradun. This week, in the second episode of the series, The Great Migration, we delve into this now forgotten service, that once accounted for 23 of India’s GDP. And we also uncover a curious aspect of migration which exists to this day, maybe even in your passport, which all goes back to 19th century transatlantic slave trade. Tune in, and uncover this aspect of migration in India, and what it teaches us about yearning and finding our own ‘Dehradun’.Till then Check out the other episodes of Indias Linguistic HeritageThe Hidden Story of Sanskrit, and the NorthSouth Divide : https://ivm.today/3CpKQuOReclaiming Indias Linguistic Heritage: 300 Ramayanas: https://ivm.today/3kgatazPartitions Unknown: Hindi, Urdu and the Umbilical Cord: https://ivm.today/3DhQCz2The Hidden Injustice in Indias Languages: https://ivm.today/3HA6YWoBreast Tax, Brahmins and the Bizzare origins of Modern Malayalam: https://ivm.today/3nQyuamThe Improbable Impact Of Nature On 2000 Languages: https://ivm.today/3EvvmXzYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Gujaratis, Uganda and The Last King of Scotland

11 min 20 sec

What does a military dictator in a SouthEast African republic have in common with Ramanand Sagar, the man who made the cult television show Ramayan And what could it have to do with one of the richest communities in India, which actually thrived in that very African republic This week, in the fourth episode of the series The Great Migration, we travel from across Asia and Africa to uncover this connection, all of it culminating in two small housing societies in one of Indias fastest growing cities. Tune in, and discover the meaning of home and identity, and the nuances of what the migrant life holds.Till then Check out the other episodes of Indias Linguistic HeritageThe Hidden Story of Sanskrit, and the NorthSouth Divide: https://ivm.today/3CpKQuOReclaiming Indias Linguistic Heritage: 300 Ramayanas https://ivm.today/3kgatazPartitions Unknown: Hindi, Urdu and the Umbilical Cord: https://ivm.today/3DhQCz2The Hidden Injustice in Indias Languages: https://ivm.today/3HA6YWoBreast Tax, Brahmins and the Bizzare origins of Modern Malayalam: https://ivm.today/3nQyuamThe Improbable Impact of Nature On 2000 Languages: https://ivm.today/3EvvmXzYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Sindhis, Crocodiles And Abida Parveen

10 min 34 sec

In the 14th season of Coke Studio Pakistan, Abida Parveen and Naseebo Lal gave us a beautiful song steeped in the Sufi tradition Tu Jhoom. Almost 75 years ago, the prolific writer Saddat Hassan Manto, gave us Yazid, a story set in the backdrop of partition. But there is an unlikely connection between the two. This week in the sixth episode of the series The Great Migration, we uncover the story of the Sindhis, which goes much beyond their famed penchant for business. Tune in, to discover why crocodiles are important to them, the heritage they left behind in Pakistan and the lessons their story holds for all of us today.Listen to Tu Jhoom on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watchv7D4vNcK6D38Poems of Mahesh Nenwani: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23338759Till then Check out the other episodes of Indias Linguistic HeritageThe Hidden Story of Sanskrit, and the NorthSouth Divide : https://ivm.today/3CpKQuOReclaiming Indias Linguistic Heritage: 300 Ramayanas: https://ivm.today/3kgatazPartitions Unknown: Hindi, Urdu and the Umbilical Cord: https://ivm.today/3DhQCz2The Hidden Injustice in Indias Languages: https://ivm.today/3HA6YWoBreast Tax, Brahmins and the Bizzare origins of Modern Malayalam: https://ivm.today/3nQyuamThe Improbable Impact Of Nature On 2000 Languages: https://ivm.today/3EvvmXzYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Siddis, Limes and Benazir Bhutto

10 min 46 sec

In October 2021, the Kannada film Salaga, featured a track which was sung by a Hindustani classical singer, the first from her community. Further up north in Hyderabad, since the 18th century, there is a popular form of music which features only drums. Across the border in Pakistan, a song sung by Balochi singer Shabana Noshi became the anthem of the Pakistan Peoples Party, following which Benazir Bhutto rose to power. But what if I told you that the thing which connects these 3 disparate songs has nothing to do with India or Pakistan or even South Asia. This week, in the seventh episode of The Great Migration, we uncover the story of Siddis, who have a 600 year history in India, and are economically and socially marginalised today. Tune in, discover their connection with Limes, and what they can teach us about the rich pluralistic trasitions of India.1. Song from the Kannada film Salaga Tiningaa Miningaa Tishaa: https://www.youtube.com/watchvtGyLZ4bVR202. Dilan Teer Bija by Shabana Noshi https://www.youtube.com/watchvhVIfPT0RWlo3. The tune of Dilan Teer Bija copied in the song Main na Jhooth Bolun, composed by RD Burman Similarity 1:23 onwards https://www.youtube.com/watchvHzWn771Cp044. Citrus, Science and the Sicilan Mafia: https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/show/postcardsfromnowhereRtWECIO0QQVWGoBt/episode/ep34citrusscienceandthesicilanmafiaI1Tn8cotVYKy8AXIstartTime0Till then Check out the other episodes of The Great MigrationBhojpur, Sexuality and Migration Songs : https://ivm.today/3LQvFQCMoney Orders, Dehradun and Transatlantic Slave Trade : https://ivm.today/34UHdlnChettiars, Burma and Fiery Dragons : https://ivm.today/3JOMfyAGujaratis, Uganda and The Last King of Scotland : https://ivm.today/33HernsThe Malayalis of Pakistan : https://ivm.today/3Hk67YQSindhis, Crocodiles and Abida Parveen : https://ivm.today/3BRlRRWYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Indian Jews, Konkan Coast and Kippur-Chi-Puri

21 min 37 sec

About 2000 years ago, a group of people escaping persecution by the Greeks landed on the shores of Alibaug in Maharashtra, India. They were a small community, and soon spread out across the state. A similar phenomenon was observed in Cochin and Calcutta as well. The community went onto integrate so well into the regions they lived in, that they became indistinguishable from the natives. This week, in the second episode of Fabulous Foods, we follow the lives of this tiny, dwindling community spread across India. Tune in, and discover why their story is a masterclass in cultural assimilation, and how their food and cultural practices could show us the path to living harmoniously.Huge thanks to Shulamith Malekar for graciously sparing her time to speak with me. Also thanks to Noel Malekar for allowing us to use some of his music as a part of the episode. You can follow Noels music here YouTube Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJkK...Instagram https://www.instagram.com/noelmalekar Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/cinematicnoelTill then Check out the other episodes of The Great MigrationBhojpur, Sexuality and Migration Songs : https://ivm.today/3LQvFQCMoney Orders, Dehradun and Transatlantic Slave Trade : https://ivm.today/34UHdlnChettiars, Burma and Fiery Dragons : https://ivm.today/3JOMfyAGujaratis, Uganda and The Last King of Scotland : https://ivm.today/33HernsThe Malayalis of Pakistan : https://ivm.today/3Hk67YQSindhis, Crocodiles and Abida Parveen : https://ivm.today/3BRlRRWYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts websitehttps://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Nutmeg: The World's Most Violent Spice

12 min 20 sec

Why is the spice Nutmeg being mentioned in Indias foremost treatise on military strategy Why is it mentioned in a trifold collection of Sanskrit poetry about politics, erotic passion and renunciation And what does it all have to do with the tiny cluster of islands in the southeastern Indian ocean, part of modern day Indonesia This week, in the third episode of Fabulous Foods, we trace the journey of two tireless travellers, Nutmeg and Mace, and how they went on to become mainstays in global cuisines. Tune in, and discover the fundamental differences between the use of nutmeg in the east and the west, and what lessons do they hold for a world recovering from the pandemic.Till then Check out the other episodes of The Great MigrationBhojpur, Sexuality and Migration Songs : https://ivm.today/3LQvFQCMoney Orders, Dehradun and Transatlantic Slave Trade : https://ivm.today/34UHdlnChettiars, Burma and Fiery Dragons : https://ivm.today/3JOMfyAGujaratis, Uganda and The Last King of Scotland : https://ivm.today/33HernsThe Malayalis of Pakistan : https://ivm.today/3Hk67YQSindhis, Crocodiles and Abida Parveen : https://ivm.today/3BRlRRWYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts websitehttps://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Living Fossils, National Identities and 200 MM year old trees

10 min 14 sec

This week, we travel from the Wollemi National Park in Australia to the Xingdoushan Nature Conservation Area in China to uncover the story of two living fossils, and how trees can shape national identities.

Elm Trees, National Revolutions and Modern Paper

9 min 15 sec

In 1765, colonised America was hit by a British stamp tax. A group of local businessmen in Boston calling themselves the Loyal Nine began meeting in secret to plan a series of protests against the Stamp Act. They gathered under a large tree.

Udta Punjab, Falcons and Mahabharat War Formations

9 min 3 sec

In 1634, on Baisakhi day, a Sikh hunting party set their hawk or Baaz upon the royal Baaz of the Mughals. The Sikh Baaz prevailed, and the Mughal Baaz was captured. Angered by this action,

Inuit Throat Singing, Polar Bears and Stillness

9 min 1 sec

In January 2022, Tanya Tagaq, a 47 year old Canadian singer released her album Tongues.The Rolling Stone called her ‘one of the avantgarde’s most dynamic performers. The Pitchfork said that her ‘music joins landscape, culture and resistance

Led Zeppelin, Harry Potter and Murals of Belfast

9 min 31 sec

In 1971, Belfast witnessed a rising rock band debut their unnamed fourth album. Despite their first three albums breaking sales records, the album had a very cold reception. Decades later, a British author shopped her book to over ten publishers.

Amelia Earhart, Microscopes and the Mental Health Crises of Northern Ireland

9 min 50 sec

On 20th May 1932, a 34yearold woman set off from Newfoundland, the easternmost province of Canada. She flew for almost 15 hours, and created aviation history. She was supposed to land in Paris, but ended up in Derry, Northern Ireland.

Magdalene Laundries, Alternative Rock and the Shame Industrial Complex

10 min 41 sec

In the summer of 2009, as the world was still reeling from the impact of The Great Recession, a young man, by the name of Kieran McGuinness, was trying to perfect a song. It was inspired by some grafitti he had seen in Spain. But the song had a purpose

The Troubles, Derry Girls and The Cranberries

12 min 49 sec

In 1993, a young alternative rock band was touring England. The lead vocalist, passed through a town near Liverpool which had been the site of a brutal bombing. Moved by the death of two people, she penned a stream of conciousness song

Trinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation

9 min 56 sec

On 25th August 1992, the Serbian paramilitaries set fire to the National Library of Sarajevo. The library burned for 2 days and 2 nights before the fire could be bought under control. A few centuries prior in 1592, Trinity College

Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation

8 min 24 sec

This week, starting a new series, Ireland Untravelled, we traverse the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland and discover its connection with lost treasures, dynamite and the dream and reality of a unified Irish nation.

Podi, Jesus Christ and the LTTE

8 min 53 sec

In the thirteenth episode of Fabulous Foods, we travel to coastal Tamil Nadu, and discover the bizzare connection between Jesus Christ, the deadly militant organisation LTTE, and a simple food which shatters our ideas of entire cuisines in India

Nine Poisons, Tamil Mountain Gods and Food as Faith

7 min 44 sec

This week, in the ninth episode of Fabulous Foods, we travel to a temple in Tamil Nadu and uncover the ancient connection between food as medicine No, not Ayurveda.

Kargil, Hundarman and the Museum of Memories

11 min 52 sec

In the IndoPak War of 1971, as the two countries fought bitterly, the fate of a few people change irrevocably Overnight, they found themselves to be citizens of a new nation. This week, in the fourth episode of The Kashmir Diaries, Utsav takes you to Kargil, which overnight became a household name thanks to the war in 1999. But in the narrative of this most recent war, lies forgotten the story of Hundarman and those few people whose lives changed in 1971. Tune in, and explore the story of the most unique museum, situated in a village abandoned for the last 30 years, and understand the hard truths about living along the border and losing your homeland.Check out the other episodes on Beneath the Veneer: JordanRed Sea, Tintin, and Sunken Tanks: https://ivm.today/3du4fAEJordan, Civilization, and Buri Nazar : https://ivm.today/3hp1qDiAmman, Ashok Chakra and Swastik : https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Kashmiris, Hangul and the Manual of Life

9 min 41 sec

About 100,000 years ago, a mutation in a family of deers gave rise to 3 distinct subspecies which came to be known by the geographical regions they travelled to Bukhara in Uzbekistan, Xinjiang in China and Kashmir in India. But what does that deer have to do with the Kashmiri people This week, in the sixth episode of Kashmir Diaries, I bring to you the story of the Hangul, the Kashmir Red Deer, which is also the state animal. This critically endangered species, endemic to Kashmir has strange parallels to the Kashmiri people themselves. Tune in, and discover how the story of the Hangul and Kashmiris are intertwined, and how they gives us the manual of life.Check out the other episodes on Beneath the Veneer: JordanRed Sea, Tintin, and Sunken Tanks: https://ivm.today/3du4fAEJordan, Civilization, and Buri Nazar : https://ivm.today/3hp1qDiAmman, Ashok Chakra and Swastik : https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

The Improbable Impact Of Nature On 2000 Languages

10 min 27 sec

Why does the hill district of Shimla, home to a mere 8 lakh people, have at least 1015 different languages Why does Indonesia have 250 languages, and the strangest of them all Papua New Guinea, an island nation, to this very day, has over one thousand spoken languages Why did these rather disparate places acquire such a high density of languages, despite having relatively smaller populations. This week, in the sixth episode of India’s Linguistic Heritage, we travel far and wide and uncover a fascinating link from the natural world, which has shaped more than 2000 languages world over. Tune in, and discover the lessons it holds for us in travel, and in life.Check out the other episodes of Indias Linguistic HeritageThe Hidden Story of Sanskrit, and the NorthSouth Divide: https://ivm.today/3CpKQuOReclaiming Indias Linguistic Heritage: 300 Ramayanas https://ivm.today/3kgatazPartitions Unknown: Hindi, Urdu and the Umbilical Cord: https://ivm.today/3DhQCz2The Hidden Injustice in Indias Languages: https://ivm.today/3HA6YWoYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Ep. 95: Petra, Awe and Hymns of Nature

8 min 36 sec

In 1845, a young student at the University of Oxford wrote a poem that led him to win the Newdigate Prize. His poem was about a place he never visited. 130 years later, a nurse from New Zealand traveling through this very place, fell in love with a man, married, and started living with him in a cave This week, in the fifth episode of Beneath the Veneer, we travel to Petra in Jordan and experience the hymn of nature which has been playing since the advent of time. Tune in, and discover how the emotion of awe fundamentally changes us as human beings, and what we could learn from the Bedouins of Petra.Check out the other episodes on Beneath the Veneer: JordanRed Sea, Tintin, and Sunken Tanks: https://ivm.today/3du4fAEJordan, Civilization, and Buri Nazar : https://ivm.today/3hp1qDiAmman, Ashok Chakra and Swastik :https://ivm.today/3wI7paoYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website: https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Ep. 93: Amman, Ashok Chakra and Swastik

8 min 44 sec

What could a statue of an Islamic ruler in the Umayyad dynasty near Jordan have in common with Ashoka Pillar in Sarnath India How does Jordan, a country with a 95 Islamic population, have aspects of Hinduism and Buddhism in its architecture. This week, in the third episode of Beneath the Veneer, we travel to Amman in Jordan and Jericho in Palestine, and uncover the fascinating story of cultural migrations. Tune in, to discover how the Swastik, an inherently Indian symbol, has mysteries and is found all over the world.Check out the other episodes on Bombay Colaba, Mark Twain and Dr. Ambedkar: https://ivm.today/342dDWMDadar, Railways and Outer Space: https://ivm.today/3xuayw9Cotton Green, American Civil War and Rise of Bombay: https://ivm.today/3oWu54QYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Egyptian Pharaohs, Incense Trade Routes and Agarbatti

8 min 33 sec

What could connect a treefinding voyage from an Egyptian Pharoah to the ancient Indian port of Bharuch in Gujarat And what does this have to do with the three major religions of the world Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism To uncover this story, tune in to Postcards from Nowhere on the IVM podcast network.

Malaria, Leeches and Wayanad Ramayanas

8 min 47 sec

Banasura Hill in Wayanad is one of the tallest mountains and is named after Banasura, son of the great demon king Mahabali and himself a legendary king with a thousand arms. But what could he have to do with the fact that Malaria is endemic in Wayanad Meanwhile, the entire district is known to have leeches, with the exception of the town of Pulpally, which is Leech free And what could it have to do with the famed Hindu epic Ramayan

The war influenced cuisine of Tamil Eelam

9 min 21 sec

The midnight of 1st June 1981 is etched into the history of Jaffna. The city witnessed a one of its kind of violence, which was not just physical, but imaginative aimed to strike at the heart of the city’s soul. And what eventually led to change the fate of a people. This week, we travel to north and eastern Sri Lanka, and discover how the decades long civil war impacted the food of its most notable minority Jaffna Tamils. Tune in, and discover what it means to travel a country ravaged by war, and what travellers need to be mindful of.

Integral Calculus, Women Circumnavigators and Bougainvillea

8 min 13 sec

1756, France A 27 year old man publishes two volumes on integral calculus. His work is recognized by his peers, he gets elected to the Royal Society in London, but his career as a mathematician also ends with those two volumes. A few decades later, a man circumnavigates the globe, but does not immediately get recognition for it. And all this is connected to one of the most popular flowers in the world.

Rashomon and the Kaavad storytellers of Rajasthan

9 min 35 sec

In the early 19th century, the Maharaja of Travancore levied an absolutely bizzare tax: Any woman who had come of age and had breasts had to pay a breast tax, and bare her breasts to anyone who was of a higher caste to them. This was one amongst the hundreds of taxes the lower castes had to endure, which put them in a cycle of perpetual debt and poverty. And then came a revolt which led the Maharaja to revoke the tax. This week, in the fifth episode of Indias Linguistic Heritage, we explore the bizzare story of the origins of modern Malayalam, which has everything from a breast tax to a religious power struggle. Tune in and discover, what this story means for us as travellers, everytime we encounter a new culture.

Genetics, Milk and the Great Indian Sweet Divide

8 min 48 sec

In the legends of the Puri Jagannath temple, an irate goddess Laxmi is placated by Lord Jagannath by offering her a sweet. Its the same sweet which led to a battle between Odisha and West Bengal with each claiming to be the original inventor of it. But the presence of the sweet itself is a testament of a pattern in sweets in Eastern India, and even in Southern India. This week, we uncover two food divides in India: one lesserknown and one wellknown, both of which have the same underlying cause. It has nothing to do with politics, culture, agriculture, weather or even ecology. Tune in, and discover the story of how genetics shaped Indian food.

Ep. 97: The Last Rosewater Maker of Srinagar

8 min 37 sec

What could be common between the towns in the Isfahan province of Iran, and the city of Srinagar in Kashmir And how could they show us two ends of the same spectrum This week, starting a new series, The Kashmir Diaries, we travel to Srinagar and meet the last craftsman of a dying art Rosewater making. But there is more to rosewater than being a beauty product and a food additive. There is a much richer legacy which is also dying with it. Tune in, and discover the story of the man behind it all, and ponder over an increasingly relevant question How do we preserve our intangible cultural heritageCheck out the other episodes on Beneath the Veneer: JordanRed Sea, Tintin, and Sunken Tanks: https://ivm.today/3du4fAEJordan, Civilization, and Buri Nazar : https://ivm.today/3hp1qDiAmman, Ashok Chakra and Swastik : https://ivm.today/3wI7paoYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts websitehttps://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Gujjar-Bakarwals: The Forgotten People of Kashmir

8 min 34 sec

They form 12 of the population of J K, and yet their story is missing from the larger discourse of Kashmir. The GujjarBakarwals are the nomadic pastoralists who migrated from Rajasthan in the 6th Century, and continue to live off the land. This week, in the third episode of the Kashmir Diaries, we delve into the uncertain future of the community, caught in the web of nationalism, religion, environmental conversation and a disappearing lifestyle. Tune in, and understand the uncomfortable complexities they live in, and what it tells us about Kashmir and the world at large.Check out the other episodes on Beneath the Veneer: JordanRed Sea, Tintin, and Sunken Tanks: https://ivm.today/3du4fAEJordan, Civilization, and Buri Nazar : https://ivm.today/3hp1qDiAmman, Ashok Chakra and Swastik : https://ivm.today/3wI7paoYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts websitehttps://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

2 Years of PFN and A New Manifesto

1 hr 16 min 52 sec

100 Episodes A reason to celebrate, a reason to reflect. This week, we don’t have a postcard, but a long conversation about travel. Utsav speaks with Chuck, the host of Getting Meta, about slow travel, the evolution of Postcards from Nowhere, and what drives him to travel in the first place. This conversation is about the person, beyond the podcast. Tune in, and discover the new Manifesto of the show, and get a glimpse of what’s in store for the coming weeks.You can check previous episodes of The Kashmir Diaries on IVM Podcasts website :https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Srinagar, Ancient Carvings and Supernovas

10 min 18 sec

In 1960, the Indian Archeaologist T N Khazanchi, in a painstaking excavation spanning 11 years, discovered proof of 4 distinct human cultures beginning from the Aceramic Neolithic to the Historical era, which meant that the Kashmir Valley had been inhabited for at least 11,000 years. In the excavation, they also found a stone carving, which did not merit enough attention. This week, in the fifth episode of The Kashmir Diaries, I take you to Burzahom, the site of the excavation to tell you the story of how, just 3 years ago, the rock carving led to a stunning scientific discovery. Tune in, and uncover the story of this discovery which was hiding in plain sight, and what it teaches us about the respecting ancient knowledge systems and wisdom.Check out the other episodes on Beneath the Veneer: JordanRed Sea, Tintin, and Sunken Tanks: https://ivm.today/3du4fAEJordan, Civilization, and Buri Nazar : https://ivm.today/3hp1qDiAmman, Ashok Chakra and Swastik : https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

The Vanishing Art of Kashmiri Carpet Weaving

15 min 42 sec

What started out 600 years ago in Persia present day Iran thrived to become the crown jewel of the Kashmiri arts. However, the art of Kashmiri carpet weaving is now vanishing, on the brink of extinction. This week, in the seventh episode of Kashmir Diaries, we meet Rafiq Ahmed Shah, a 73 year old, fourth generation artist who is fighting to keep this art alive, and is probably the last patron of the art in all of India. Tune in, for an intimate conversation with Rafiq, and how the decline of Kashmiri carpet weaving is emblematic of the languishing state of the arts in India.Check out the other episodes of The Kashmir DiariesKashmiris, Hangul and the Manual of Life: https://ivm.today/3o0jE1GSrinagar, Ancient Carvings and Supernovas: https://ivm.today/3hECuatKargil, Hundarman and the Museum of Memories: https://ivm.today/2Vx8ANGYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Sheshnag, Deadly Hikes and A Thousand Year Old Tradition

9 min 10 sec

In the narrative of Kashmir, what often lies forgotten is the origin story. What could a Naga king who ruled thousands of years ago, have in common with a humble GujjarBakrwal man, and what did they have to do with the origin of Kashmir This week, in the eighth episode of Kashmir Diaries, Utsav narrates the story of a deadly hike at Sheshnag lake, which ended in a rather peculiar way. Tune in, to understand the thousand year old tradition which connected the Naga King and the GujjarBakrwal man, and what lessons it holds for us as travellers today.Check out the other episodes of The Kashmir DiariesKashmiris, Hangul and the Manual of Life: https://ivm.today/3o0jE1GSrinagar, Ancient Carvings and Supernovas: https://ivm.today/3hECuatKargil, Hundarman and the Museum of Memories: https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Shahtoosh: The Wild Story of the World's Most Expensive and Illegal Fabric

12 min 7 sec

A customs inspection at the Switzerland Italy Border, murders in the Tibetan highlands and a weaving workshop in Srinagar Kashmir. What connects these disparate places This week, in the tenth episode of Kashmir Diaries, Utsav brings to you the wild story of Shahtoosh, the most expensive fabric in the world, and completely illegal. Straddling three countries, this story has an innocent animal at the centre of it: The Tibetan Antelope, entwined in an underground nexus of producers, distributors and high end clients. Tune in, and discover what lessons the story of Shahtoosh holds for travellers like you and me.Check out the other episodes of The Kashmir DiariesKashmiris, Hangul and the Manual of Life: https://ivm.today/3o0jE1GSrinagar, Ancient Carvings and Supernovas: https://ivm.today/3hECuatKargil, Hundarman and the Museum of Memories: https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Reclaiming India's Linguistic Heritage: 300 Ramayanas?

13 min 9 sec

In 2008, a quasi political organisation asked for the removal of an academic paper from the syllabus of Delhi University. They eventually succeeded in 2011. But what was in that paper that had hurt sentiments This week, in the second episode of Indias linguistic heritage, and on the occasion of Diwali, we dive into a simple question: How many Ramayans Three hundred or Three thousand Which is the original Ramayan Tune in, and discover the mind boggling universe of Ramayans, spread across languages and geographies, and what they tell us about culture.Special thanks goes out to Swastica K, who graciously sang the Sanskrit Shloka you will hear in this episode. Do check out her podcast, Samskrita Kendram

Partitions Unknown: Hindi, Urdu and the Umbilical Cord

10 min 29 sec

In 12th century Delhi, a new language began to emerge, which was initially known as Dehlavi. Parallelly, the political landscape of India changed, with the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate and the arrival of the Mughals. With them came Persian, and quickly established itself as the language of power. Over time, a new language emerged, a combination of Dehlavi and Persian. But the arrival of the British changed everything, and through a maze of social, religious and political factors, the two languages started to grow apart. This week, in the third episode of the series, Indias Linguistic Heritage, discover the story of the Partition which went unnoticed that between Hindi and Urdu, and why separating these two any further would be like cutting the Umbilical cord.Special thanks to Izer, who had rendered a few lines of a popular song for this episode, but it could not be released owing to copyright challenges. Do check out his podcast, Artists Talk hit, a conversational podcast where every week, Indie artists come together to talk about stuff they wish someone had told them when they were starting outhttps://open.spotify.com/show/1l6ndDmuSuEInlzeUZ2NpyCheck out the other episodes of The Kashmir DiariesKashmiris, Hangul and the Manual of Life: https://ivm.today/3o0jE1GSrinagar, Ancient Carvings and Supernovas: https://ivm.today/3hECuatKargil, Hundarman and the Museum of Memories: https://ivm.today/2Vx8ANGShahtoosh: The Wild Story of the Worlds Most Expensive and Illegal Fabric: https://ivm.today/3E22Z2sYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

The Hidden Injustice In India's Languages

9 min 36 sec

In 2018, a research study by the University of Michigan and World Bank found that women who are native speakers of certain kind of languages have a lower labour force participation rate and lower educational attainment. How did our Indian languages fare This week, in the fifth episode of the series, Indias Linguistic Heritage, we uncover the hidden injustice perpetrated by our languages on women right from the Rig Vedic times to even today. The linguistic journey takes us across swathes of North and Western India, though the story remains the same. Tune in, and discover the roots of this injustice, and how it will shape the way we travel and interact with people.Check out the other episodes of The Kashmir DiariesKashmiris, Hangul and the Manual of Life: https://ivm.today/3o0jE1GSrinagar, Ancient Carvings and Supernovas: https://ivm.today/3hECuatKargil, Hundarman and the Museum of Memories: https://ivm.today/2Vx8ANGShahtoosh: The Wild Story of the Worlds Most Expensive and Illegal Fabric: https://ivm.today/3E22Z2sYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

The Caravan Rests

2 min 53 sec

It’s been over 2 years we have travelled together. This month, the Caravan rests to return in 2022.Till then Check out the other episodes of Indias Linguistic HeritageThe Hidden Story of Sanskrit, and the NorthSouth Divide : https://ivm.today/3CpKQuOReclaiming Indias Linguistic Heritage: 300 Ramayanas: https://ivm.today/3kgatazPartitions Unknown: Hindi, Urdu and the Umbilical Cord: https://ivm.today/3DhQCz2The Hidden Injustice in Indias Languages: https://ivm.today/3HA6YWoBreast Tax, Brahmins and the Bizzare origins of Modern Malayalam: https://ivm.today/3nQyuamThe Improbable Impact Of Nature On 2000 Languages: https://ivm.today/3EvvmXzYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Shimla, Rare Books And The American Declaration Of Independence

16 min 37 sec

In 1947, on the eve of Partition, a young man left Lahore and came to Shimla. What makes his journey unique, amongst the millions who must have undertaken this voyage is what he ended up doing in Shimla. What started out as a stationery shop went on to become a storied institution. This week, we travel to Shimla and learn about a rare bookshop which through a hand of chance, came in possession of a piece of history A copy of the American Declaration of Independence. But that was not the only piece of history that the book store held It also held a piece that went back to the very beginnings of an ancient religion. Tune in, and discover the magic of a rare book store, and what lessons in travel it holds for as we step into 2022.Till then Check out the other episodes of Indias Linguistic HeritageThe Hidden Story of Sanskrit, and the NorthSouth Divide : https://ivm.today/3CpKQuOReclaiming Indias Linguistic Heritage: 300 Ramayanas: https://ivm.today/3kgatazPartitions Unknown: Hindi, Urdu and the Umbilical Cord: https://ivm.today/3DhQCz2The Hidden Injustice in Indias Languages: https://ivm.today/3HA6YWoBreast Tax, Brahmins and the Bizzare origins of Modern Malayalam: https://ivm.today/3nQyuamThe Improbable Impact Of Nature On 2000 Languages: https://ivm.today/3EvvmXzYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Bhojpur, Sexuality and Migration Songs

15 min 17 sec

Its all around us, so much so, that probably no state in India has been untouched by it The labour migration. The state which probably provides the most manpower to Indias varied workforce is Bihar. More specifically, the Bhojpur region. While the region has become infamous for its supposedly low brow music and cinema, what hides underneath is a whole genre of art which is seldom heard by outsiders. This week, starting a new series, The Great Indian Migration, we delve into the world of migration songs, where both men and women turn to music to express their emotion, which are loaded with longing and maybe not so surprisingly, sexuality. Tune in and discover the world of Bhojpuri migration songs, and understand what it teaches us about ourselves.Special thanks to Avishesh Jha whose voice you will hear in this episode. He runs a wonderful Hindi storytelling podcast, Chunnu PCO. Set in the 90s, a PCO narrates stories of people who used to make a phone call through it.Check it out https://open.spotify.com/show/2qBkn26TsMUh81hycn56EVYou can follow Avishesh on Instagram https://instagram.com/jha.saahabutmmediumcopylinkTill then Check out the other episodes of Indias Linguistic HeritageThe Hidden Story of Sanskrit, and the NorthSouth Divide : https://ivm.today/3CpKQuOReclaiming Indias Linguistic Heritage: 300 Ramayanas: https://ivm.today/3kgatazPartitions Unknown: Hindi, Urdu and the Umbilical Cord: https://ivm.today/3DhQCz2The Hidden Injustice in Indias Languages: https://ivm.today/3HA6YWoBreast Tax, Brahmins and the Bizzare origins of Modern Malayalam: https://ivm.today/3nQyuamThe Improbable Impact Of Nature On 2000 Languages: https://ivm.today/3EvvmXzYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Ep. 96: Navajo People, Cosmic Order and Hózhó

8 min 20 sec

In a corner of northwestern United States, live a group of Native American people known as the Navajo, who in their language has no word for religion or art. But they have a very unique philosophy which encompasses both Hózhó. This week, join me in understanding the life philosophy of the Navajo people, and what lessons it holds for us as travelers and as humans. Tune in to discover how we should live in an increasingly globalized world, one threatened by pandemics and climate change.Check out the other episodes on Beneath the Veneer: JordanRed Sea, Tintin, and Sunken Tanks: https://ivm.today/3du4fAEJordan, Civilization, and Buri Nazar : https://ivm.today/3hp1qDiAmman, Ashok Chakra and Swastik :https://ivm.today/3wI7paoYou can check previous episodes of Dark Tourism on IVM Podcasts website: https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

The Malayalis Of Pakistan

10 min 5 sec

In 1921, a bloody rebellion in North Kerala led to the death of over 2000 people. In 2018, almost a century later, a song from the film Oru Adaar Love titled Manikya Malaraya Poovi went viral, garnering millions of views, even from parts of India that did not understand a word of Malayalam. But what could connect these two wildly diferent events This week, in the fifth episode of the series The Great Migration, we uncover the fascinating history of a community in Kerala, who through a chain of events found itself living in Pakistan. Tune in to uncover their story, and the uncertain fate they face today. l then Check out the other episodes of Indias Linguistic HeritageThe Hidden Story of Sanskrit, and the NorthSouth Divide : https://ivm.today/3CpKQuOReclaiming Indias Linguistic Heritage: 300 Ramayanas: https://ivm.today/3kgatazPartitions Unknown: Hindi, Urdu and the Umbilical Cord: https://ivm.today/3DhQCz2The Hidden Injustice in Indias Languages: https://ivm.today/3HA6YWoBreast Tax, Brahmins and the Bizzare origins of Modern Malayalam: https://ivm.today/3nQyuamThe Improbable Impact Of Nature On 2000 Languages: https://ivm.today/3EvvmXzYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Coconuts, Cold War and Nuclear Fusion

12 min 47 sec

In the spring of 1943, US torpedo boat No. 109 gets shattered to pieces by a Japanese destroyer. Some of the crew members make a miraculous escape, and one of them goes on to create history. Over 8000 miles across the oceans in Gujarat India, a team of paleobotanists find 37 million year old fossil. This fossil is of an object which is often mailed across the world by tourists who visit Hawaii. But what could possibly connect these three wildly different events spread across space and time This week, starting a new series, Fabulous Foods, we discover the fascinating story of the role this object played in shaping globaly trade and politics, influencing World Wars and the Cold War. Tune in, and discover the humble lessons that this wonderful product, which is older than Homo Sapiens, holds for us.Till then Check out the other episodes of The Great MigrationBhojpur, Sexuality and Migration Songs : https://ivm.today/3LQvFQCMoney Orders, Dehradun and Transatlantic Slave Trade : https://ivm.today/34UHdlnChettiars, Burma and Fiery Dragons : https://ivm.today/3JOMfyAGujaratis, Uganda and The Last King of Scotland : https://ivm.today/33HernsThe Malayalis of Pakistan : https://ivm.today/3Hk67YQSindhis, Crocodiles and Abida Parveen : https://ivm.today/3BRlRRWYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts website https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

Taboo Foods, Hindu Epics and Dharma

11 min 18 sec

Blood filled sausages, goat’s head in sour gruel, grilled stomach membrane and barbecued river rats If this grossed you out, you must listen to this episode. This week, in the eighth episode of the series, Fabulous Foods, we delve into our privileged idea of Taboo foods, the tradition of eating meat in the Ramayan and Mahabharat, and how does the idea of Dharma reconcile eating meat. Tune in, and discover the rich culture of eating meat in ancient India, and an unlikely connection the strictly vegetarian Gujarati Jains have with it.Check out the other episodes of Fabulous FoodsCoconuts, Cold War and Nuclear Fusion : https://ivm.today/3riUjReIndian Jews, Konkan Coast and KippurChiPuri : https://ivm.today/3KEh8qhNutmeg: The Worlds Most Violent Spice : https://ivm.today/3uE4bY4Portuguese, Banned Languages and Grinding Songs : https://ivm.today/3JEpZH7Dosa, Apocalypse and Dashavataras of Vishnu : https://ivm.today/3xoXfQbYou can check previous episodes of Podcasts from Nowhere on IVM Podcasts websitehttps://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: whywetravel42https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

The tree that built New Zealand

7 min 54 sec

Sometime around early 1880, Edward Morse, an American zoologist and archaeologist, travelled through Japan. On a train ride between Yokohama and Tokyo, he noticed something odd A shell mound. This discovery revolutionised the field of anthropology and archaeology in Japan. About 1500 kms away from Tokyo, lies the island of Yakushima, in the Kagoshima prefecture. In 1968, a Japanese cedar tree was discovered. 83 feet tall and 54 feet wide, its size was hardly its most amazing feature. What could connect a shell mound and a Japanese Cedar tree

Impossible Journeys, Polynesian Navigation and BRT Wildlife Sanctuary

8 min 56 sec

The island of Satwal in the Pacific Ocean is incredibly small Just 1 square kilometre and supports a population of 500. And yet, it is home to Mau Piailug, a man who holds the secrets of the some of the most long distance travellers of the world.

The X Club, Colonialism and Foghorns as Music

9 min 54 sec

In 1864, London saw the formation of a club consisting of nine members. It was called the X Club, since it committed its members to nothing. In fact, the only rule of the club was to have no rules. But this wasnt a bunch of ragtag individuals.

Three Irish Women, Emigration and India's National Anthem

10 min 23 sec

1856, Dublin City. Over 3,600 soldiers sit down for a celebratory banquet after a hard fought Crimean war. But where does one find a building large enough to seat these many people A warehouse is converted for this purpose.

Irish roads that go nowhere, Houses no one lives in

11 min 56 sec

Across the countryside in Ireland there are roads which go nowhere, and there are houses nobody lives in. The thousands of traveller less roads and empty homes have a singular story behind them.

U2, Body Snatching and the Irish Way of Death

10 min 1 sec

Three of the most iconic Irish bands walk into a bar The Dubliners, The Chieftains and U2. They grab a few drinks, clear their throats and then proceed to play. The bar owner turns them down, and says that there will be no music at his bar.

Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language

11 min 37 sec

In 2016, a strange event unfolded in Cork County in Ireland. A staff member at the Flying Enterprise pub in Cork city was asked not to speak in Irish. Wait What Not speak Irish in Ireland

Soma - The world's greatest unsolved culinary mystery

10 min 47 sec

This week, in the fourteenth episode of the series Fabulous Foods, we attempt to solve the world’s greatest unsolved culinary mystery, that originated in India.

Appam, Vindaloo and the trade cuisines of Kerala

8 min 14 sec

This week, in the twelfth episode of Fabulous Foods, we travel to God’s own country, Kerala, and discover how Portuguese and Arab influences have shaped the cuisine of the state.