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52:58

Celebrating the City of Joy

Anand Nagar, which translates into the City of Joy, is one of the most densely-populated slums in Calcutta. In order to learn more about how people survive in dire poverty, French writer Dominique LaPierre and his wife lived in a hovel alongside the neighborhood's residents. His book about the experience, called The City of Joy, has just been released in paperback.

Interview
25:29

Indian Writer Ved Mehta on His Life and Career.

Indian writer Ved Mehta. He's written several books of autobiography, most all of which have been serialized in "The New Yorker" magazine. His autobiographies are poignant accounts of his blindness, his education in England, and the role that language came to play in his life.

Interview
03:46

Gunter Grass Says "Show Your Tongue"

Book critic John Leonard reviews the German author's new book, about his travels to Calcutta. Frustrated with the industrial revival of the two Germanies, Grass goes abroad to learn about other models of national identity.

Review
22:13

Ketan Mehta Discusses the Tropes of Indian Cinema.

Filmmaker Ketan Mehta (Kay-Tahn May-Ta). He's one of a group of young, politically committed directors in India today who believe movies can be effective tools for social change and not just entertainment, and his films have dealt with such issues as the caste system and feminism. His latest film, "Spices," tells the story of a young woman in a remote village in India and her struggle to resist the advances of a powerful feudal overlord.

Interview
03:44

A Travel Writer's Wanderings through India

Book critic John Leonard reviews "The Search for the Pink Headed Duck," by Rory Nugent, about his travels to India and Tibet. He says Nugent is a "splendid quack" whose stories are exotic and sometimes hard to believe.

Review
04:07

A New Biography Remembers Author Paul Scott

Book critic John Leonard reviews a biography of Paul Scott, who wrote the Raj Quartet, which includes the Jewel in the Crown. The book is written by Hilary Spurling. Leonard knew Scott personally, and says the book does justice to his tragic life.

Review
22:42

Film Director Roland Joffe.

Film director Roland Joffe. His movies include, "The Killing Fields," and "The Mission." His latest film is "City of Joy," based on the book of the same name by Dominique Lapierre about life in the slums of Calcutta.

Interview
23:11

Recent Religious Violence in India

New York Times reporter Edward Gargan is in India covering the erupting conflict between the Muslims and Hindu fundamentalists. Last Sunday a symbol of India's Muslim minority --a 16th century mosque--was destroyed by Hindu zealots. Gargan, along with other British and American journalists, was brutally beaten during the chaos..

Interview
05:54

A Brief Introduction to Indian Movie Music

World Music critic Milo Miles reviews some music from India's Bollywood films. He says songs written for these movies tend to incorporate a wide array of influences, from lush strings to reggae. For a taste, Miles recommends "Dance, Raja, Dance," by Vijaya Anand

Review
18:09

Novelist Amitav Ghosh on the Political Landscape of India

Ghosh was born in Calcutta and studied in India, Britian, and Egypt. He has a new novel, "In An Antique Land," which tells the story of two Indians in Egypt: a 12th century slave who Ghosh had read about, and Ghosh himself. He'll talk with Terry about the current violence in India between Muslims and Hindus.

Interview
21:26

Writer Bharati Mukherjee

Writer Bharati Mukherjee's new novel is Desirable Daughters (Theia Press). Mukherjee is an Indian-born writer who emigrated to the U.S. as an adult. Her new novel is about a traditional Brahmin family transformed by contemporary culture. Mukherjee is the author of five novels, two nonfiction books and two collections of short stories, including The Middleman and Other Stories, for which she won the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Interview
05:17

Film Critic John Powers

Film critic John Powers reviews Lagaan, the new film from India made in Bollywood which he says may be one of the few Indian films to make it big over here. Its already been released in England and is also released on DVD.

Review

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