
About
Scrolls & Leaves is a podcast featuring stories from the margins of history. Join us on the Silk Road and on ocean voyages, with explorers and emperors, traders and healers as they embark on adventures. Our hosts, Mary-Rose Abraham and Gayathri Vaidyanathan, present little-known tales from history, science and cultures to better understand our present. This podcast’s immersive audio sounds best using headphones
Episode 1
Pandemics & Borders
In 1817, cholera broke out in Bengal and became a pandemic. Millions died. Europeans were ruling most of Asia, and they imposed restrictions on movement that’ve persisted to this day.
Season 1, Episode 1 | 38 min
Episode 2
Healing Plants
We know plants are healers, of course. But they’re also so much more. They have shaped our history. Just a few centuries ago, they drove exploration, started wars, transformed economies. Today, they are the bedrock of big pharma.
Season 1, Episode 2 | 36 min
Meet the Hosts

Mary-Rose Abraham
Host

Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Host
We enjoy few things as much as intriguing tales out of history. We think these stories can help make sense of our sometimes-inexplicable world.