NDTV Loves Books!

In the sixth episode of NDTV Loves Books, NDTV's Gargi Rawat speaks to American author and photographer Stephen P. Huyler about his book 'Transformed by India: A Life.'

From arriving in India as a young traveller in the 1970s to spending decades documenting its art, communities and traditions, Huyler reflects on a journey that reshaped his worldview.

He speaks about engaging with people across social strata, understanding indigenous cultures, and how India helped him confront his own biases. The conversation also explores the evolving identity of India, the value of tradition in a modern world, and the ethics of documenting lived realities.

In the fifth episode of NDTV Loves Books, NDTV's Gargi Rawat speaks to lawyer and author Anand Prasad about his book Unshackling the Elephant.

Prasad examines the structural challenges within India's legal system - from delays in justice delivery and weak contract enforcement to questions around judicial accountability and state power.

He argues for reforms that make the law more accessible, responsive and aligned with the realities of ordinary citizens, while also sparking debate on issues such as sovereign immunity, public interest litigation, and individual freedoms.

The conversation explores whether India's legal framework can evolve to better serve its people in a rapidly changing society.

In the fourth episode of NDTV Loves Books!, NDTV's Gargi Rawat speaks to journalist Jyoti Yadav about her book Faith and Fury, a powerful account of the COVID pandemic beyond India's big cities. Travelling across villages and small towns during the crisis, Yadav documented the migrant exodus, the collapse of healthcare systems, and the human cost of the pandemic in rural India. She reflects on witnessing death and resilience on the ground, the challenges of reporting during a crisis, and why it was important to record what she calls the "subaltern history" of COVID.

Delhi is often reduced to headlines about pollution and urban chaos. But in Wild Capital, author Neha Sinha invites us to look closer. In Episode 3 of NDTV Loves Books, Gargi Rawat is in conversation with conservationist and she speaks about the Aravallis, migratory birds, forgotten rivers, fireflies in city parks, and how nature quietly holds the capital together. From the Ridge forests to Delhi's wetlands, this is a journey into a side of the city many overlook. A conversation about memory, conservation, and why Delhiites don't have to travel far to witness the wild.

In this episode of NDTV Loves Books, Gargi Rawat speaks to Snigdha Poonam about her book on the global fraud economy - from scam call centres in India to trafficking networks in Southeast Asia. She explains how joblessness, inequality, caste and technology have combined to create a vast, organised ecosystem of deception. The conversation explores the human cost of scams, the psychology behind them, and why fraud today cannot be seen as merely a law-and-order problem.

In a conversation with NDTV's Gargi Rawat, art patron, philanthropist and reality television star Shalini Passi speaks about her debut book The Art of Being Fabulous: 10 Rules for a Beautiful Life. Passi reflects on starting her professional journey later in life, embracing self-belief, navigating fame, and telling deeply personal stories rooted in her childhood and love for Delhi. She also addresses her wellness philosophy, clarifying that it is not medical advice, and discusses creativity, fashion, family influences and the importance of being "the star of your own show." The interview offers an intimate look at her journey from art and philanthropy to authorship and popular culture.