This is the episode that tells you what the last 75 years have really been like for India as a brand. We have been leading up to this episode all season and this is the one that ties it all together. All those Nizam of Hyderabad references, the homage to the Maharajah, the political upheaval, the companies that led Brand India and the campaigns that brought visitors in. This one is a doozy but it may help to think of it as a podcast form of We Didn't Start The Fire if Billy Joel had set it in India from 1947 till now.

Stay connected with our hosts on Instagram:

• Ramya Ramamurthy: @ditheringfunambulist
• Rachel Lopez: @thegreaterbombay

  You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts website at https://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

  Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.
  We are @IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
  Do share the word with your folks!

Now cigarette smoking is injurious to health, don't drink and drive and definitely don't bet against the house (Oceans 11 lied, the house always wins). With that warning, let us dive into an episode that is a sinner's paradise, and a den of vices. What brands were we partial to, what spirits did we imbibe, how did we gamble away our money and what does this say about us. This is a walk down memory lane that you won't find in any history book for sure. Also, beware of sugar too!

Stay connected with our hosts on Instagram:

• Ramya Ramamurthy: @ditheringfunambulist
• Rachel Lopez: @thegreaterbombay

  You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts website at https://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

  Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.
  We are @IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
  Do share the word with your folks!

This episode looks at the reasons why Indians leave or return and remain in perpetuity exalted or vilified as the diaspora. Over time Indians migrated in droves to countries as diverse as Japan, Uganda, the Caribbean and then predictably to establish Little Indias in suburbs like Southall and New Jersey in the UK and USA. They went in search of money and a better life and became a vote group to reckon with, a movie audience we roll our eyes at and a remittance powerhouse. The real flex, however, aren't the CEOs but the entrepreneurs, the rockstars and the main characters of Netflix shows. We look at all things NRI and the soft power they exert.

Stay connected with our hosts on Instagram:

• Ramya Ramamurthy: @ditheringfunambulist
• Rachel Lopez: @thegreaterbombay

  You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts website at https://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

  Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.
  We are @IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
  Do share the word with your folks!

It is hard to capture exactly how much our lives are influenced by the cities and homes we live in and the public infrastructure we rely on but we won't let that stop us! In this episode we dive into all things decor and architecture, from the post partition refugee camps that were created for immigrants from across the border to the slums that are being cleared today for high rise towers and shopping malls. This episode has everything from iconic chairs of each decade, famous designers' and architects' imprint on our cities and lives as well as the legal jargon that permeates our lives (full form of ULCRA anyone?)

Stay connected with our hosts on Instagram:

• Ramya Ramamurthy: @ditheringfunambulist
• Rachel Lopez: @thegreaterbombay

  You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts website at https://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

  Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.
  We are @IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
  Do share the word with your folks!

That India is an unequal country is unremarkable but if you want to understand exactly how wide the chasm is between the haves and the have nots or how our 1% i.e. the Tatas, Birlas and now Adanis and Ambanis are different from their American or international counterparts like the Rockefellers, Gettys and Vanderbilts this episode is for you.

Stay connected with our hosts on Instagram:

• Ramya Ramamurthy: @ditheringfunambulist
• Rachel Lopez: @thegreaterbombay

  You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts website at https://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

  Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.
  We are @IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
  Do share the word with your folks!

From a nation of DIY beauty products to homegrown brands and marketplaces like Nykaa, Lakme, Sugar, and Colorbar we have come a long way. Looking good is now not just easier or more affordable but also something that fuels our economy (lipstick is indeed recession proof after all). Fashion has also evolved from the six yard to the runway. Find out how your grandmother's choice of beauty and fashion brands led to your "add to cart" preferences.

Stay connected with our hosts on Instagram:

• Ramya Ramamurthy: @ditheringfunambulist
• Rachel Lopez: @thegreaterbombay

  You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts website at https://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

  Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.
  We are @IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
  Do share the word with your folks!

If you had a paisa every time someone said we are a value conscious country you would probably be as rich as the last Nizam of Hyderabad. In this episode we drill down to the last dime and find out how our relationship with money has evolved even as our currency has fluctuated and tried to catapult itself out of the shadow of the pound sterling and US dollars to Sabse Bada Rupaiyya. And yes there is a Bollywood song reference for every major event of our mint because why not - but there is also a major scam of each decade, because grift is the secret of our fiscal deficit…just kidding :-)

Stay connected with our hosts on Instagram:

• Ramya Ramamurthy: @ditheringfunambulist
• Rachel Lopez: @thegreaterbombay

  You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts website at https://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

  Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.
  We are @IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
  Do share the word with your folks!

It was the best and the worst of times. We had a robust, self made, independent media and entertainment industry to reflect the largest democracy in the developing world. We also had the Emergency muzzling free media and bad 80s cinema. Murphy babies were peddling irons. Maharajahs were showing us how to fly with class. Amul girls were telling us the news that mattered while wise women like Lalitaji knew what's what. And if you need added incentive, there is even a NSFW reference for every decade.

Stay connected with our hosts on Instagram:

• Ramya Ramamurthy: @ditheringfunambulist
• Rachel Lopez: @thegreaterbombay

  You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts website at https://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

  Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.
  We are @IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
  Do share the word with your folks!