The Bhagavad Gita (2002), Part One & Part Two – aired on Ideas and Tapestry
The Bhagavad Gita is one of the world’s classic religious texts. Revered by Hindus, it has been an inspiration for thinkers from Gandhi to Thoreau. The Gita is a meditation on how we should live our lives; how and when to act; for what purpose, and how to let go. It guides us to embrace our worldly responsibilities as one of many paths to the Divine. Piali Roy traces the unfolding of the Gita in Hindu culture and beyond.
Calcutta Calling (2000), aired on Ideas and Tapestry
When Piali Roy was growing up in the Toronto suburbs, her Indian-born parents often warned her not to forget and lose her culture. But can you find a home in a place that was never really yours to begin with?
The Ideas of Edward Said (1999), Part One & Part Two – aired on Ideas
Few thinkers encompass as many worlds as Edward Said – literature, politics, media, classical music – all are subject to his critical eye. Born in Jerusalem, Said was a witness to the founding of Israel and the flight of the Palestinians. His 1978 book, Orientalism, influenced a generation of scholars, by challenging how categories like “the East” and “the Orient” were perpetuated in society. In conversation with Piali Roy, Said discusses the role of the intellectual, the demonization of Islam and American foreign policy.
Madame Helena Blavatsky (1998), aired on Ideas and Tapestry
Madame Blavatsky founded theosophy, a Victorian new age movement that spanned three continents and influenced artists, thinkers and spiritual seekers alike. Piali Roy investigates the career of this intriguing Victorian guru.
Rabindranath Tagore (1997), aired on Ideas and Tapestry
He has been called the “Shakespeare of India.” Poet, novelist, essayist, playwright, painter and educator, Tagore became a celebrity world-wide after he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. A profile by Piali Roy.
