The episode opens with Vishal talking about what writing means to him. We talk about how he went from engineering to a career in education, from having a start-up to being a political consultant for the DMK to now setting up Model Schools in Tamil Nadu. He also shares his experience of studying at Harvard and his take on education systems. Vishal talks about a book he's written on how education and culture influence each other along with sharing other projects he's looking to work on - a book on biryani & caste and an essay on moustaches! The episode ends with Vishal reading an excerpt from his book.
Vishal currently works with the Madhi Foundation as a Senior Manager, helping the Government of Tamil Nadu implement Model Schools in each District. He is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a Masters in International Education Policy and has previously worked as a political consultant for the DMK, helping strategise and design their campaigns for the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections. Vishal has just finished his first book "The Smart & The Dumb: Stories on the Politics and Purposes of Education in India" which is a collection of narrative non-fiction stories that portray how education affects culture and vice versa. You can find him on Instagram @vishalvasanth
Sangeetha Menon a.k.a.The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/
Mentions: Perumal Murugan, Jaymohan, Video Mariamman and Other Stories, Samanth Subramanian, Following Fish, Kavitha Rao, Journo Hardy, Onam In A Nightie by Anjana Menon, Shadow City by Taran Khan, Sangam literature, Harvard, Sahitya Akademi, Ramachandra Guha, Janaki Nair
Social Media:
Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles
Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh
Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com
Music:
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Produced By White Hot
