6.13 Manjula Padmanabhan: Meet The Woman Who's A Taxi Driver In Delhi

What's it like being a female taxi driver in a city notorious for being unsafe for women?In this episode, Michelle speaks with Manjula Padmanabhan, author of 'Taxi', whose protagonist, 'Maddy', runs a women's-only taxi service in Delhi! And when Maddy receives an attractive job offer as a pretend male chauffeur for a powerful old man, she accepts and becomes 'Madan'. But what happens when the lines blur between 'Maddy' and 'Madan' and she finds herself questioning her identity? Join us as Manjula talks about her inspiration behind the book, her award-winning play 'Harvest', and why Manjula herself never learnt to drive!Books and authors mentioned in this episode:Why Men Rape - Tara KaushalWhite Tiger - Aravind AdigaEquations - Shivani SybilThrough The Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There - Lewis CarollThe Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame Applications for The Bound Publishing Course 2026 are now open.The Bound Publishing Course is a 3-month intensive course on book, magazine, and digital publishing. Through live sessions, workshops, and industry-facing projects, participants gain practical publishing skills and exposure to careers across the industry.Cohort size: 50 seatsFirst round of acceptances: 15th June 2026Applications are reviewed on a rolling bas‘Books and Beyond with Bound’ is the podcast where Tara Khandelwal and Michelle D’costa uncover how their books reflect the realities of our lives and society today. Find out what drives India’s finest authors: from personal experiences to jugaad research methods, insecurities to publishing journeys. Created by Bound, a storytelling company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social media platforms.