Celebrate: The Podcast

Welcome To Celebrate The Podcast Season Two Flip The ScriptEpisode 06: On A Vacay From Life, The Chef in Me Was BornPragyan is a former computer engineer, graphic artist & photographer now turned chef who co founded Café Yum Mi Banh Mi with his wife, Barsha Deka, that is the only café in the whole of India’s north east that serves authentic Vietnamese food and coffee. Pragyan shares how a 3-month solo backpacking trip across Vietnam spent with monks, practising martial arts with them, doing a photography gig and teaching English to university students helped him overcome his stammering, sky rocket his confidence and most importantly, finally find that one thing he could do for the rest of his life- build heartfelt connections with people over a plate of warm home baked banh mi.Episode Highlights:1. Why Pragyan decided to take a career break and went off all the way to Vietnam2. His 3 months in Vietnam- what he did 3. Was it Vietnam or the Vietnamese people or his first bite into banh mi that changed his life?4. What makes Cafe Yummy Banh Mi unique? It's not just the delicious banh mi!5. About Gauhati University and mourning the Zubeen Garg phenomenon6. The influence of music in his life and the chef in him7. Why no Assamese- Vietnamese fusion at his cafe8. Support from family and wife and his attitude towards social expectations9. Life plans since his days as an engineering student10. The joy and ease of collaborating with Barsha, his wife11. His mantra- Every Customer is Special, make them extra special, ensure their entry, time and exit from the cafe is special, make each feel seen12. One problem with the Assamese hospitality and the benefits of the 'Lahe-Lahe' mentality13. It's a Pet-friendly cafe but Mimi has not visited it14. His life if he had not made that trip to Vietnam15. The gift of his stammering challenge16. His message for students and young adultsConnect With Pragyan here:Instagram LinkedInFacebook

Welcome To Celebrate The Podcast Season Two Flip The ScriptEpisode 05: I Know It Sounds Crazy But I’ll Find You A Starlight Ft. Tvisha Banerjee13 yr old Indie pop singer Tvisha is our youngest guest. Tvisha has been performing since the age of five. She is learning from both the Trinity School of Music, London and Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalay. In 2019, she walked the ramp at Lakmé Fashion Week for Hamley's and trained under Neeraj Gaba, LFW show director & mentor of India's Next Top Model. Tvisha has been taking the scene of world music by the storm with her debut single, “You’ll Be Mine” winning a Gold, Silver and Unique Personality Special Prize at Season 4 of the World Artistry Music Award 2025.In this episode Tvisha shares what inspired her debut composition and what it means to sing, write and compose peppy award winning songs in a world obsessed with algorithms and algebra.Episode Highlights:1. How she got interested in music and singing2. Interest in composing songs3. Inspiration behind composing 'You'll Be Mine'4. How she composed 'You'll Be Mine'5. Her upcoming next song6. First time experience of recording in a studio7. Reaction of teachers, friends and family on release of the song8. Her routine and everyday schedule9. Her modelling journey started10. Hindustani & Western classical- how it shapes her unique singing style11. Family life: jamming with father & brother + creative inspiration from mother12. Experience of competing at the World Music Artistry Awards 202513. Encouragement for aspiring singers14. How listeners and fans can support herConnect With Tvisha here:InstagramListen To 'You'll Be Mine' here:YouTube

Celebrate The Podcast Season Two Flip The ScriptEpisode 04: Let’s talk The Less Spoken Realities of Life Ft. Deepak ThawaniDeepak Thawani is a businessman by profession, an engineer by education, and a storyteller at heart who has over a decade's experience in the food and beverage industry. After whipping up lattes and hand tossed pizzas, Deepak decided to swap the whisk for the pen to boldly challenge parental manipulation disguised as duty, concern, tradition and obedience that enables unresolved trauma to run between generations unchallenged, repeating the same unhappy marriages. Together with his deep interest in human relationships, emotional complexities, and social silences, he felt inspired to pick up the pen and craft stories that talk about the less-spoken realities of life. 'The Silent Thread', his debut novel, is a heartfelt reflection of his beliefs and experiences that tells a meaningful, thought-provoking story which mirror Society’s inner struggles and forced norms.Episode Highlights:The transition from running a cafe to reading and writingReason for the title 'Silent Thread'Dysfunctional parenting in Indian families- how it costs happiness and the one choice that changes everythingChallenges in writing a book that is not a love story yet all about love- from finding a publisher to readers' reviewsAbout the protagonist Jhanvi- who really is she?Link between parental love and marital loveWhy we need to talk about generational trauma in India nowBecoming a father and experiences of fatherhoodHow writing helps regulate your emotionsWhat's brewing next?Connect with Deepak here: Instagram LinkedIn

Welcome to Celebrate The Podcast Season Two: Flip The ScriptEpisode 03: It’s Scientific To Pursue The Truth Featuring Dr Biman Nath, Ph.DDr Biman Nath graduated from the Kirori Mal college, Delhi Univ and then went on do his MS and PhD in University of Maryland, USA. After that, he did his Postdoctoral work at the Max Planck Institute in Bonn, Germany and Inter-University Centre for Astronomy & Astrophysics. After teaching and researching for 28 years at the Raman Research Institute, Bangalore he is currently a visiting professor at Indian institute for Scientific Education and Research, IISER Mohali.His debut book, ‘Nothing is Blue’ was shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award for Fiction in 2009. His second novel The Tattooed Fakir was published by Pan Macmillan in 2012 and latest book, 'The Whistleblower’s Wife' in 2025.Episode Highlights:1. The philosophical bit about looking at the sky and stars2. Biman ji's interest in writing and stars- from childhood to becoming an established author3. From science writing to fiction: mental barriers to writing fiction4. About his debut novel 'Nothing Is Blue' : Focus on the timelessness of human behaviour 5. His habit of writing dairies, reading and role of libraries7. Student life - then vs now: importance of 'Me-time'8. His second book 'The Tattooed Fakir': Focus on quest for the truth about the past9. Moral responsibilities when writing historic fiction10. His third and latest book, 'The Whistleblower's Wife'- Stepping into contemporary fiction11. Experimenting with genres, pov & challenges12. His writing approach13. The true reward in writing a book14. Influence of renowned Indian scientist Dr Jayant Narlekar's science writing15. How other species view stars?16. Media adaption of books- things to be careful about17.Reading extracts from 'The Whistleblower's Wife'18.His next book- on animal astronomersConnect With Dr Biman Nath here: Biman Nath (@starlight_biman) • Instagram photos and videos

Welcome to Celebrate The Podcast Season Two: Flip The ScriptEpisode 02 : Greater The Conflict, Better The Creativity Ft. Dr Enakshi Sengupta, Ph.DDr Enakshi Sengupta debuted as a writer with ‘The Silk Route Spy: The true story of an Indian Double Agent’, which is based on her grandfather in-law Nandlal Kapur’s life. She has been a researcher and scholar all her life and after daringly serving in Kurdistan, where she developed a novel entrepreneurial program jointly sponsored by an international charity and The American University, she was inspired to start Borders Without Barbed Wires, a not-for-profit organization that facilitates accessibility of education for refugees and displaced persons. She was very much in Afghanistan when the Taliban rose to power after the American military withdrew in 2021.At that time, she was working as the Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the American University of Afghanistan. And that’s how her second book, 'Escape From Kabul' was born. Connect with Enakshi ji on Instagram here: Enakshi Sengupta Kapur (@enakshisg)Episode Highlights: 1)    What Nandlal Kapur actually wanted to be Vs What he ended up being + the women in Kabul: Role of circumstances and personal aspirations2)    What motivated her to tell the story of her grandfather in-law, apprehensions and nature of research done3)    Difference between academic and non academic publishing4)    The world of Publishing in India– difference from world5)    Movie adaption possibilities for The Silk Route Spy: Reasons to be worried6)    How serving in a war zone inspired Border Without Barbed Wires7)    The everyday struggles of the repressed women today in Afghanistan and Iraq8)    Reading excerpts from The Silk Route Spy

Welcome to Celebrate The Podcast Season Two: Flip The ScriptEpisode 01: Time Travelling With My Great Uncle To Find My Home ft. Leena Dhingra[This episode has been released on the auspicious occasion of Parakram Diwas (Birth Anniversary of Indian revolutionary leader Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose).In 2026, this day also happens to be Basant Panchami -the day that marks arrival of spring in India by celebrating the Goddess of Knowledge.]Accomplished author and British Film and television actor, Leena Dhingra is a name, voice and face recognised worldwide as ‘Nani Umbreen’ from the ‘Demons of Punjab’ episode of Doctor Who but for Indians from pre partitioned India, she is the personification of strength and courage of one who has shown that it is still possible to reclaim personal, filial and generational identities through writing and find closure even if they had been forced to be hidden and be unspoken due to adverse political and social circumstances. She is also 'Auntie Bindu' from the comedy show, Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee, 'Mrs Shah' from the movie ‘East Is East’ and most recently, she was Zainab Hyatt in the Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge.Both her debut novel, ‘Amritvela’ and recent book, ‘Exhumation: The Life and Death of Madan Lal Dhingra’ focus on the pain, dislocation, confusion and heartbreak that come from being denied the basic human acknowledgement of having existed and held an identity.In this episode, Leena ji shares how writing and publishing Exhumation: The Life and Death of Madan Lal Dhingra, part memoir part biography that helped her put to rest lifelong questions of who she was beyond being a constantly displaced child who carried the pain of her parents displaced by the Partition of India, much like her great uncle Madan Lal, the son of a privileged, anglicised Indian family, who while on a quest to find out what he is was destined for ended up being the first Indian freedom fighter to be executed in London. Who Was Madan Lal Dhingra?On July 1, 1909, Dhingra assassinated Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, a British official and political aide-de-camp to the Secretary of State for India, during a public meeting in London. Madan Lal Dhingra was executed on August 17, 1909, at the age of 24. He had arrived in London in 1905 to pursue engineering. A staunch nationalist since his young days, during his trial, he expressed no remorse instead expressed pride in his actions. His daring act continued to inspire many young Indians until independence, however, along with the marginalization of patriotism of Indian revolutionaries, his contribution too has been pushed to the back seat. Episode highlights:1)    What ‘exhumation’ means here: waiting to go home, sense of non-belongingness & not talking instead carrying pain as a huge burden2)    Similarities in life patterns with her great uncle despite being separated by a generation3)    Reading book excerpt: on how she first came to know about her great uncle4)    Writing the book being on a self quest- his quest: where did they both belong?5)    The story behind getting his photograph6)    About Pentonville and Indian Sinn Féin-ists7)    How shooting for ‘Demons of Punjab’/ Doctor Who helped her disidentify from the family trauma she had internalised8)    Re-looking at great uncle 's life and times from the present.9)    Visit to the mazhaar of her uncle who had become a sufi saint jumpstarted her acting career 30 yrs after she left drama school10) Her path to publishing the book11) How telling her great uncle’s story and her own has now brought dept to her writing and brought healing12) When will this book be released in India13) Why she now identifies better as a writer