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PODCAST

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria

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.

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All Episodes

9:21

The war influenced cuisine of Tamil Eelam

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2023/04/06

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,

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9:41

The famine induced cuisine of North Korea

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2023/03/30

27th April 2018The supreme leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un stepped over the De-militarized 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 famine-induced

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8:48

Genetics, Milk and the Great Indian Sweet Divide

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2023/03/23

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 lesser-known and one well-known, both of which have the same underlying cause. It

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9:35

Rashomon and the Kaavad storytellers of Rajasthan

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2023/03/16

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 India's Linguistic Heritage, we explore the

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8:47

Malaria, Leeches and Wayanad Ramayanas

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2023/03/09

"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? This week, we travel to Wayanad in Kerala and discover the

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8:13

Integral Calculus, Women Circumnavigators and...

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2023/02/23

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. This week, we celebrate Women’s History Month and uncover the tragic history of the discovery

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8:33

Egyptian Pharaohs, Incense Trade Routes and Agarbatti

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2023/02/16

1470 BC - A five-ship caravan by Egyptian Pharoah Hatshepsut undertakes a unique voyage, possibly the first plant-collecting mission masterminded by a woman. The voyage is successful as the touring party returns with 31 live plants of a certain species. Over 4000 kms away, in a port once considered one of the greatest in the world, an extract of the same plant is making its way around the world. But which plant is this, and why does it matter today? This week, we travel from Luxor in Egypt to

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8:08

An Empty Chair, Stalinist Russia and Rave Idli

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2023/02/09

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. This week, we travel from Edinburgh to Stalinist Russia and then finally to

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8:45

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

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2023/02/02

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. What is that 'it' that

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10:14

Living Fossils, National Identities and 200 MM year...

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2023/01/26

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. Till then Check out the other episodes of "Ireland Untravelled" Lost Treasures, Dynamite and the Irish Nation : https://ivm.today/3okwxm5Gaelic and the stunning decline of the Irish Language : https://ivm.today/3zmhE9iTrinity Long Room and the Soul of the Irish Nation :

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7:54

The tree that built New Zealand

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2023/01/12

Sometime around early 1880, Edward Morse, an American zoologist and archaeologist, travelled through Japan. On a train ride between Yoko-hama 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 pre-fecture. 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

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9:08

European Impressionism, Japanese Nationalism and...

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2023/01/05

In the autumn of year 1280, Kublai Khan, the only non-Han 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 was 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,

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9:15

Elm Trees, National Revolutions and Modern Paper

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2022/11/17

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 to protest against the act. Only a few years later in 1790, a similar tree was planted in Vienne in France as a mark of protest, which eventually led to the French Revolution. Later in the Greek revolution of 1821, a thousand such trees were brought to resist the

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8:44

The Trees that built Venice

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2022/11/10

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. In Milan, a physicist discovers an interesting hypothesis about trees in the notebooks of the same inventor, and goes out to prove it in his 2018 paper. This week, we travel to Venice and discover the story of Leonardo Da Vinci’s lesser known exploits in Botany, and the unlikely story

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9:06

Anne Frank, Lootera and Endless Life of Trees

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2022/11/03

On May 18, 2016, students in Islington, north London, gathered to attend a tree-planting 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 understanding and respect for diversity”. The guest of honour was Dr Eva Schloss, an 87-year-old Auschwitz survivor, who saw the horse chestnut as “a symbol of hope”. But it was no ordinary tree. This week, we travel from Amsterdam to Dalhousie, and follow the

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9:03

Udta Punjab, Falcons and Mahabharat War Formations

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2022/10/27

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, Emperor Shah Jahan from Lahore sent 7,000 soldiers under Mukhlis Khan to attack. The outcome of the war shaped the history of the Sikhs. In 2016, the Bollywood film Udta Punjab took a penetrating look at the drug problem of Punjab, where seven out of every ten college going students are into substance abuse. But

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9:01

Inuit Throat Singing, Polar Bears and Stillness

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2022/10/20

"In January 2022, Tanya Tagaq, a 47 year old Canadian singer released her album - Tongues.The Rolling Stone called her ‘one of the avant-garde’s most dynamic performers. The Pitchfork said that her ‘music joins landscape, culture and resistance.’Music joining landscape and resistance?This week, we travel to a place which has just 2 people per 100 square kilometres - The Canadia Arctic. Tune in, and discover the stories and worldviews of the indigenous Inuit people, and what their connection to

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8:56

Impossible Journeys, Polynesian Navigation and BRT...

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2022/10/13

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. Travellers who for thousands of years, have traversed vast oceans without any navigational aids. But what does it have to do with the BRT Wildlife Sanctury in Karnataka, India, which is about 7800 kms away from Satwal. This week, we travel from the

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9:31

Led Zeppelin, Harry Potter and Murals of Belfast

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2022/10/06

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, all of whom rejected it.This week, in the fifteenth episode of the series Ireland Untravelled, we discover the connectionbetween the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin, the children's classic Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter and the complicated past and

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8:42

Ancient Celtic Language, Yetis and the Wood Wide Web

Postcards From Nowhere with Utsav Mamoria ·

2022/09/29

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. Back in his home in Ireland, at the Charleville Castle, a 400 year tree waited for his arrival. Charles - Bury though, got his approval and was making a fascinating discovery on the route to Peak XV. This week, in the fourteenth episode of the series Ireland

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