The perverse rationale of the business world with journalist Mutasim Khan
Why did an economics graduate switch from working at a private equity fund to journalism? How is privatisation of education panning out in India? Who are the different players in Bangalore's water crisis?
Mutasim and I discuss his experience so far as a business journalist, and the insights he has gained in the process. He talks candidly about the factors that drove him to take up this profession.
Host: Purvi Rajpuria
Guest: Mutasim Khan
Mutasim's byline (https://the-ken.com/writers/mutasimthe-ken-com/) at the Ken.
Mutasim's Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mutasim-khan/).
Email me: documentingculture.pod@gmail.com
My Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/streetno.4/), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@documentingculture), and Substack (https://purvirajpuria.substack.com/).
21 May 2026
Street Photography and Personal Resonance with Soumyendra Saha
How does one describe the art of street photography, and why is an artist drawn to it in the first place? How does street photography help you discover a city? And what is its relationship with the digital revolution?
We answer these questions and more in this episode of the Documenting Culture podcast.
Guest: Soumyendra Saha
Host: Purvi Rajpuria
Photographers mentioned:
Henri Cartier Bresson
Richard Kalvar
Robert Frank
Diane Arbus
Elliott Erwitt
Flickr groups:
Gauntlet
Small Grower’s Street Association
Hardcore Street Photography (better known as HCSP on Flickr)
121clicks (wesbite here (https://121clicks.com/))
Street Fight
Street and Repeat
Street Photography Now Project
Other online communities:
Artphotofeature.com (https://www.facebook.com/artphotofeaturecom/) (Magazine here (https://www.apfmagazine.com/))
Worldsp.co (https://worldstreetphotography.tumblr.com/)
Soumyendra da's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/soumyendras/) and website. (https://www.soumyendrasaha.com/#1)
Follow me on Instagram, (https://www.instagram.com/streetno.4/) YouTube, (https://www.youtube.com/@documentingculture) Apple Podcasts, (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/documenting-culture/id1861127884) and Substack. (https://purvirajpuria.substack.com/)
Email me at: documentingculture.pod@gmail.com
26 Feb 2026
Art Comes from the Urgencies of a Place with Visual Artist Pallov Saikia
What does it mean to inhabit a place that has now been swept away by the river? What does this do the psyche of a person, and how does one make sense of such an experience?
How does an artist, with a loaded past, navigate the art school setup, and emerge from it with a clear sense of where they want to go? What, ultimately, is the purpose of an arts practice, and why is an artist compelled to follow it?
I unpack these questions and more with visual artist Pallov Saikia.
Host: Purvi Rajpuria
Guest: Pallov Saikia
Follow Pallov's work here (https://www.instagram.com/pallavsaikia/?hl=en).
Find me on Instagram, (https://www.instagram.com/documentingculture.pod/) Youtube, (https://www.youtube.com/@documentingculture) and Substack (https://purvirajpuria.substack.com/).
Email me with questions, comments and suggestions at documentingculture.pod@gmail.com
00:00 Intro02:20 River erosion in Rahmoria 09:21 Artistic and cultural influences growing up15:30 Art college years In Guwahati18:27 Colonial syllabus in art college24:04 Teaching art in Arunachal Pradesh29:14 Master’s degree years31:08 Pressure to produce work32:32 Financial pressures33:06 Interview stories from Rahmoria38:01 Process of practice39:00 Going beyond documentation42:56 Collective imagination of his community45:43 Why he practices art48:34 Outro
12 Jan 2026
On Documenting the Climate Crisis (and other such questions) w/ photographer Arko Datto
Documentary photographer and filmmaker Arko Datto talks about his practice and process of developing various bodies of photographic works. One of his most extensive projects, titled 'Shunyo Raja,' documents the ecological crisis unfolding in the Bengal Delta.
The conversation covers questions of memory, ecology, surveillance, nationalism, and the world of images at large.
Host: Purvi Rajpuria
Guest: Arko Datto
Follow Arko's work here (https://arkodatto.art/) and here. (https://www.instagram.com/arkodatto/)
Find me on Instagram, (https://www.instagram.com/documentingculture.pod/) Youtube, (https://www.youtube.com/@documentingculture) and Substack (https://purvirajpuria.substack.com/).
Email me with questions, comments and suggestions at documentingculture.pod@gmail.com
13 Dec 2025
On Covering the Bihar Elections w/ journalist Anant Gupta
My guest this episode is Anant Gupta, a political correspondent at Scroll.in (https://scroll.in/). We discuss his reporting process for covering the 2025 Bihar elections, and the many factors shaping the election results. This includes the in-fighting between the Congress and the RJD, BJP's role in Bihar politics, voter sentiments toward Nitish Kumar, and the opposition's failed attempts at presenting a coherent election campaign.
Host: Purvi Rajpuria
Guest: Anant Gupta
Read Anant's reporting here (https://scroll.in/author/27110).
Email me with thoughts, suggestions and feedback: purvi.rajpuria@gmail.com (mailto:purvi.rajpuria@gmail.com)
Shownotes:
Books:
Ruled or Misruled (https://www.amazon.in/Ruled-Misruled-Story-Destiny-Bihar/dp/9385436309) by Santosh Singh
The Brothers Bihari (https://www.amazon.in/Brothers-Bihari-Sankarshan-Thakur/dp/9351774805/ref=pd_lpo_d_sccl_2/520-7722337-4204951?pd_rd_w=1hf0s&content-id=amzn1.sym.e0c8139c-1aa1-443c-af8a-145a0481f27c&pf_rd_p=e0c8139c-1aa1-443c-af8a-145a0481f27c&pf_rd_r=5VMM8V11XXR6N94THB4Z&pd_rd_wg=oTR76&pd_rd_r=d4f87a09-db72-4848-8a55-60e7f7768220&pd_rd_i=9351774805&psc=1) by Sankarshan Thakur
Community Warriors (https://www.amazon.in/Community-Warriors-Anthem-South-Studies/dp/1843317095) by Ashwani Kumar
YouTube Channels:
Followup Bihar (https://www.youtube.com/@FollowupBihar12)
The Jantana (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoRwYumkCRW89XocmjuUQSA)
Journalists:
Amarnath Tewary (https://www.thehindu.com/profile/author/amarnath-tewary-751/) of The Hindu
Santosh Singh (https://indianexpress.com/profile/author/santosh-singh/) of The Indian Express
Follow my work here (https://www.instagram.com/streetno.4/).
0:00 Intro
2:53 How different social classes depend on the government
7:04 The reporting process
9:35 Voter sentiments in North-West Bihar
13:08 Research before going on field
16:20 Relationship between Nepal protests and Bihar elections
17:40 Friendly fights between the RJD and Congress
20:25 Other constituencies covered
22:53 Core reason for RJD & Congress in-fighting
26:02 Congress' social base in Bihar
29:15 Success of the BJP-JD(U) coalition
31:05 Religion & communalism in Bihar
35:45 Muslim vote in Bihar
38:10 Slow communalism & religiosity in Bihar
38:55 BJP's role in Bihar
44:00 Vikaas vs caste binary
45:50 Why Nitish has a bad rep in liberal circles
50:15 2020 vs 2025 state elections
51:45 Why the opposition campaign failed
55:15 How social media distorts our understanding
57:45 Outro
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