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IAN Unplugged 2602 011026 On The Road Weve Travelled Jay, Sanchali, Pramod & Jyoti speak with Syamal & Susmita Poddar about their life, work and legacy

January 12, 2026·58 min·4 clips

Sushmita Poddar explains she gave up her research career to follow her husband to Malaysia with a single line: 'When you grow old you can't cuddle up to a beaker.'

The studio opens with practical reminders. Masala 98.7, the Saturday slot, and the phone number come first, before the main conversation has room to breathe. Weather takes a quick turn too. The cool spell sounds nice, but the panel soon drifts into drought and talk of a hotter summer ahead. Then the hour finds its lane. The Road We've Traveled turns to Shyamal and Sushmita, and the interview moves through school, work, marriage, travel, and memory. Shyamal talks plainly about school, including being first in both bachelor's and master's work. That leads into engineering, management, and the Bechtel years. When asked whether he was one of the few Indians to reach that level, he answers carefully, then says he was fortunate to be among the first. The map keeps getting wider. Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are not just resume stops here. He remembers the near-daily flights, the meetings, and the pace of that life. The panel stays with that routine, partly curious and partly interested in how the family handled it. Sushmita answers with dry humor. She stayed in Houston at first, then had to weigh her own career against moving with him. Her Nobel Prize line lands lightly, as does the bit about growing old with a beaker being no substitute for marriage. By the end, the guests say the conversation made them look back. The close is simple and warm: thanks, a Spotify mention, and the feel of a community interview that turned into a life review.

As heard by us

A warm, meandering interview about work, migration, and the long view of a life.

The episode opens with its usual Saturday drift: weather, drought, and a loose on-air exchange before it settles into Shyamal and Sushmita Poddar's life story.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play for a reflective conversation with Shyamal and Sushmita Poddar about work, travel, and the choices that carried them between Houston, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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