Shows
Maharani TalksE55: Kumi Naidoo - How human rights and climate justice go hand in handMy guest this episode is the distinguished Kumi Naidoo - a human rights and climate justice activist. Naidoo first began his journey at the age of 15 fighting against the then apartheid government in South Africa by organising school boycotts. He was arrested several times for civil disobedience and when the government imposed a state of emergency, he was forced to go underground and flee to the UK, where he became a Rhodes scholar. He eventually returned to South Africa in 1990 when Mandela was released from jail, and went onto play a vital role in shaping the then...
2024-03-311h 12
Maharani TalksE54: Aashima Dogra, Nandita Jayaraj - How can women in Indian science no longer be the exception but the norm?What is it like to be a woman scientist in India? Why don’t we see enough of them? If you’re quick to point the superstar ones, sadly they’re not always the norm. In fact, research has shown that women in academia are expected to be much more competent than their male counterparts to be considered for the same role. It’s this bias that got Aashima Dogra and Nandita Jayaraj to start ‘The Life of Science’ web portal to document stories of regular women in science, and the systemic bias they fight in their everyday liv...
2023-11-0748 min
Maharani TalksE53: Ankush Sabharwal - Are we ready for AI?Artificial intelligence or AI is quite the buzzword these days. Many of us would not have missed the news pouring in about AI - sometimes it is promising and at times, it isn’t reassuring. But Ankush Sabharwal, founder and CEO of CoRover, believes AI is more than a buzzword. It is here to stay - simply because an average human is already relying on AI in ways that they don’t realise. CoRover is a platform for conversational AI. The kind of AI Chatbot-as-a-service (CaaS) that we encounter through customer support with organisations. The company is also...
2023-07-2634 min
Maharani TalksSmish Designs - The Art of ProtestHow often have you shared a digital artwork on social media to simply convey your thoughts on an issue? The power of digital art to convey dissent or to protest has grown to become one of the most preferred ways to vent frustration or show solidarity. Its creation is not intended to sell (maybe that will soon change), but it does often cause one to react. A reason probably why many of these artists choose to be anonymous. Smish Designs is a digital artist and illustrator whose work is a searing commentary on the socio-political e...
2023-03-0351 min
Maharani TalksAnjali Gopalan - The way forward for the Indian queer communityIn many ways, Anjali Gopalan has been a torchbearer for the LGBTQIA+ community. She started Naz Foundation in 1994 to lead a dedicated fight against HIV/AIDS issues and defend those marginalised due to their sexuality. Naz Foundation is the original petitioner to challenge Section 377 criminalising homosexuality, an archaic law which was struck down by the Supreme Court four years back. Honouring her persistent fight for equality, she has received the Knight of the Legion of Honour, one of the highest honours from the French Government in 2013, shortlisted for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, named one of Time...
2022-10-2538 min
Maharani TalksChef Thomas Zacharias - Taking the #Indianfoodmovement back to its rootsThe Bombay Canteen is considered as one of the most popular restaurants in the country and its food most sought out. It has been adjudged as The Best Restaurant in India in 2018 by Conde Nast Traveller and was also included in its list of 100 places in the world to eat. And as the restaurant’s former Executive Chef, Thomas Zacharias’ constant innovation of the Indian food became its pièce de résistance. Through his latest venture, The Locavore, Chef Zacharias is keen to create a community around our rich Indian food legacy and in the process put the...
2022-07-1850 min
Maharani TalksDr. Susmita Mohanty - Exploring space missions beyond NASAAs someone who has a keen interest in space, I’m very excited to finally feature Dr. Susmita Mohanty, spaceship designer and a serial space entrepreneur, who started India’s first private space startup, Earth2Orbit - at a time when the Indian space industry didn’t welcome private players. She had also previously founded MoonFront and LIQUIFER, worked briefly with NASA & Boeing and as a climate activist, visited both the Artic & Antarctica on invitation. A protégée of Arthur C. Clarke, she has been featured in numerous publications such as Fortune, Vogue and Bloomberg. Dr. Sus...
2022-03-061h 03
Maharani TalksE48: Raksha Muthukumar - Tech unions keep Big Tech in checkTech unions are considered a rarity in Silicon Valley. So, when Google employees announced the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU), named after Google’s parent company, it ended up becoming a catalyst for white collar workers to stand up against injustices in the workplace. Raksha Muthukumar was one of the union’s earliest members and helped in its formation. A GeorgiaTech graduate, during her work stint with Google, she saw the growing discontent among employees over Google’s sexual discrimination practices, which led to the 2018 global walk out by Google employees, and over its ethical use of technology, which s...
2022-02-0342 min
DisconnectedFighting Fake News in India with Journalist Mahathi Rangarajan #10The introduction of the smartphone to India is irreversible - but has it been for the better?For many in the country a smartphone presents their first calculator, camera, gaming device, and notably their first always-on portal to the constant stream of internet information.The implications are far-reaching, but journalist and fellow podcaster Mahathi Rangarajan is scrutinous in observing the encouraging benefits of making more social connections, as well as the unfortunate drawbacks resulting from regulation, censorship, and life-threatening misinformation. Mahathi joins me on Disconnected this week as we discuss the evolution of t...
2021-12-011h 02
Maharani TalksPriyadharsini - Who are the voices behind our news?Who make up the Indian newsrooms? Do journalists cover diverse voices? Priyadharsini is the founder director of The Blue Club (TBC), a grassroots media organisation that amplifies stories of women from marginalised communities and the LGBTQIA. TBC is solely led by a team of members from such discriminated communities. An Oxfam India report in 2019 shows how badly skewed representation of varied communities is in our newsrooms. A case in point - the report states that of the 121 newsroom leadership positions across newspapers, TV news channels, news websites, and magazines under study, 106 are occupied by journalists f...
2021-11-2755 min
The Podcasting University - Podcasting Tips to Start a PodcastResearching Your Guests with Mahathi from Maharani TalksIn this episode of the podcasting university, the guest on the show is Mahathi Rangarajan from Maharani Talks and she talks to us about her journey with Podcasting, how she juggles multiple roles, and the amount of emphasis that she puts on researching her guests.What we discussed on the showHere are some of the things we discussed on the show today -How investing in the right equipments has helped herDemotivation and how to manage that phaseResearching your guests, its importance and the amount of time...
2021-11-1550 min
Maharani TalksDr. Anup Surendranath - Should we hang those who commit heinous crimes?I’ve been of the opinion that death penalty is justified for those convicted of heinous crimes. But in doing so, am I completely isolating the perpetrator and their actions to this one crime? Does the onus of the death penalty fall majorly on those marginalised in our society? My guest this episode is Dr. Anup Surendranath. He is the Executive Director of Project 39A and an Assistant Professor of Law at National Law University in Delhi. Project 39A’s Death Penalty India report is the first empirical research done on capital punishment, the way it is admin...
2021-10-301h 05
Maharani TalksKutti Revathi - The potent mix of body politics and regional poetryDr. Revathi, or Kutti Revathi as she is often known as, is my first guest on the podcast that I’m talking to for the second time. The last time I spoke to her was a decade ago, and the issues that mattered to her then matter even today. She is a prominent Tamil poet, writer and lyricist whose works have largely centered on body politics and oppression. Her second work, Mulaigal (Breasts), published in 2002, that spoke about female sexuality and the use of Tamil words like mulaigal and yoni (vagina) enraged certain sections of the society (rea...
2021-09-0846 min
Maharani TalksJyotsna Siddharth - The politics of caste, love and discriminationCan you remember the time when the topic of love and marriage was discussed around you, the issue of caste was never brought up? A quick Google search on this issue will throw up a spate of news about inter-caste marriages and the incessant battles couples often face. The latest Pew Research findings that came out in June 2021 confirmed exactly this - we are shackled by societal expectations when choosing our mate. ⠀ This important conversation around our obsession with caste in matters regarding love and marriage that Jyostna Siddharth’s work, Project Anti-Caste, Love finds promi...
2021-08-1151 min
Maharani TalksNeelam Jain - Bringing the trans community to corporate IndiaThere has been much talk about diversity and inclusion in the workplace, galvanised by the growing clout of social media.But how much of that translates for the transgender community? Recently, Karnataka became the first state government in India to reserve 1% of all government jobs for the transgender community. A significant move, considering that many transgender individuals, abandoned by their families and robbed of their dignity and livelihood, are forced to beg and/or become sexual workers to make ends meet. It is to ensure a better socio-economic standing for trans people that Neelam Jain s...
2021-07-3043 min
Maharani TalksDeep Bajaj - The freedom for women to stand and peeIf you’re a person with a vagina, be it binary or non binary, using public toilets has always been an icky experience. So what do we do? We either go long hours not peeing, hover over the toilet or in the worst case scenario, try to wipe the toilet seat. When Deep Bajaj noticed how his wife and his mother struggled through these problems, even through pregnancy and arthritis, he decided to do something about it and came up with PeeBuddy - India’s first portable, disposable and environment friendly FUD (female urination device) that enables women...
2021-07-0854 min
Maharani TalksPart 2 - Nikesh Murali - Attention economy and the Indian podcast industryThis episode is the second part of my conversation with Nikesh Murali, writer and creator of the acclaimed podcast, Indian Noir. Before you listen to this episode, hope you’ve already checked out the prequel to this conversation where Nikesh and I talk about Indian Noir becoming a Spotify exclusive, podcasts and social media, the audio boom, mental health during the pandemic and his initial years of struggle as a writer. Check out Indian Noir at: https://www.indiannoir.com Check out Maharani Talks on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com...
2021-06-1253 min
Maharani TalksPart 1 - Nikesh Murali - The evolving audio boomI’m thrilled to share with you all that Maharani Talks has completed a year! And one of the first podcasters I reached out to is Nikesh Murali, who has been supportive from day one. So I'm really excited that I finally got to sit down with him and have a wonderful discussion about his incredible work as a writer, voice actor and as the creator behind Indian Noir, an acclaimed chart topping podcast that tells thrilling crime and horror stories. And has now become a Spotify exclusive! Indian Noir has been featured in publications such as Ha...
2021-06-0451 min
Maharani TalksApoorva Bakshi - The power of local stories to go globalI remember when I watched Delhi Crime, it was gut wrenching, and took me back to the time when news reports were trickling in about Jyoti Singh’s gruesome rape and death. The show gave me a chance to understand how the Delhi Police went about nabbing all those involved. The hard hitting docu-drama was awarded the International Emmy Award in November last year, becoming the first show from India to win an Emmy. But the show was initially declined by Netflix. It’s this need to champion independent voices that Apoorva Bakshi is most passionate about as he...
2021-05-291h 09
Maharani TalksArjun Bahl, Thanish Thomas - Thought-provoking street art can spark changeIn 2014, Arjun Bahl and Thanish Thomas along with three of their co-founders, Hanif Kureshi, Giulia Ambrogi and Akshat Nauriyal, went to Shahpur Jat in New Delhi with a few artists and decided to paint the walls with art that was both vibrant and relayed a story or a message. With that, St+art India Foundation was formed and soon snowballed into a national movement that would propel street art in the country. The not-for-profit organisation’s idea to get art out of the galleries and away from elitist control was welcomed by scores of people as their re...
2021-05-211h 05
Maharani TalksAmrita Samant - Capturing the world of familiesWhen Amrita Samant decided to pursue her passion and take up maternity and child photography back in 2013, little did she realise she would help open up a whole new industry in India, paving the way for many more such photographers. Over the years, Amrita has done over 1400 shoots spread across different countries, won multiple international awards and scaled up to leading an all-women’s team. Through her photography, she has run campaigns to highlight the importance of breastmilk donation for babies in intensive care unit. From a portrait photographer to having grown to a family do...
2021-05-121h 00
Maharani TalksVarun Sheth - Amplifying every small act of giving through crowdfundingWhen Varun Sheth was keen to go abroad after his graduation, he tried to raise funds for his education through crowdsourcing from his relatives and thereby, did his first ever crowdfunding campaign. And this was even years before he co-founded Ketto, along with his co-founders Zaheer Adenwala and Kunal Kapoor. As the first mover in the industry, the eight year old company has become a trusted name for making your donations count. And to actually knowing if it benefitted someone. Ketto (from ‘key to tomorrow’) has successfully raised over Rs. 1100 cr through two lakh fundraises and has a da...
2021-04-1834 min
Maharani TalksDr. Varuna Srinivasan - Time to dismantle gender constructs and caste heirarchyIt’s not easy to reveal to the world that you’re a sexual minority. Now imagine you’re an Indian. The stakes are that much higher. Dr. Varuna Srinivasan’s decision to come out as a bisexual woman shows that she is not afraid to take a stand & voice her opinion. Her inability to find safe spaces to open up made her become a gender justice advocate and also build an online community to do just that - to be a safe space for others to address their sexual health concerns. She was named 'Woman of Courage...
2021-04-0951 min
Maharani TalksSpecial Ep - Anitha M Lakshmi - Redefining work culture during CovidIt’s been a year since work from home became a norm across all companies. A recent survey by Microsoft revealed that 40% of global workers are considering leaving their employers this year based on how leaders managed this new challenge. The pandemic has completely overhauled our idea of work culture. In this special episode, I discuss with Anitha M Lakshmi, a Human Resources advisor, what are employees looking for as the pandemic shows no abatement. What is the work culture going to look like? Will women get back their jobs? And more. As founder and dir...
2021-03-2522 min
Maharani TalksArman Sood - Brewing a niche coffee spaceCoffee culture is a big part of our lives. But most of us know it as either instant, espresso or filter coffee. Step in: cold brew - the art of steeping ground coffee beans in cold temperature, bringing out a more intense flavour. And this is where Arman Sood and his two co-founders, Ashwajeet Singh and Ajai Thandi, decided to step in with their company, Sleepy Owl Coffee, one of the first movers in the cold brew coffee market. What started in a two bedroom apartment in Delhi, Sleepy Owl has now managed to carve a...
2021-03-1851 min
Maharani TalksNatasha Sharma - The joy of writing for childrenAs a parent, you’re always in search of heartfelt books that you can uncover for your children. For me, that search has also been to balance the storytelling not just by international authors, but equally by Indian authors. It’s this curiosity that has led me to have this wonderful conversation with one of the noted authors of children’s literature in India. In a decade long career, Natasha Sharma has written and published 21 books for children. After quitting a corporate job, her decision to become an author has seen many books of hers like Icky, Yucky...
2021-02-2853 min
Maharani TalksFrancesc Miralles - It's normal for your Ikigai to change with timeBy now, most of you would’ve heard, if not read already, this lovely book called Ikigai by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia. What was initially thought to be a book that might interest a certain section of people caught the attention of the world. Ikigai has gone on to sell millions of copies, stood #1 in non fiction categories and translated into many other languages, including Indian languages. But much before Ikigai the book happened, the award winning author Francesc has always lived in the pursuit of his Ikigai - following his heart’s desire. From s...
2021-02-1247 min
Maharani TalksWomen should flaunt their career breakDid you know that about 50% of all Indian women take a break within three years of starting work. And 80% of them cannot find a way back to work.That’s an alarming drain of women talent in the workforce right? It’s exactly this issue that I have a chat with Neha Bagaria, who started JobsForHer with the sole aim of getting women, especially mothers, to realise their potential. According to the United Nations Global Compact India study, raising women’s participation in the labour force to the same level as men can boost India’s GDP by 27...
2021-02-0829 min
Maharani TalksSpecial Ep - Dr. Pavithra Venkatagopalan - All about COVID vaccinesIt’s been about two weeks since India rolled out its Covid vaccination drive against the ongoing pandemic. While the current priority is to provide these vaccines to health professionals and other front line workers, many regular folk are either awaiting to take the shot or would like to delay it. And the questions over the administering of Covaxin vaccine (by Bharath Biotech) to the general public before completing it’s Phase III clinical trial has added to this confusion and anxiety. The other vaccine available is Covishield (by Serum Institute of India), which has completed all the t...
2021-02-0128 min
Maharani TalksUpasana Makati - A magazine for the blindWhen we want to catch up on news, there are countless sources at our disposal. But what about those who’re visually impaired? India is home to over 20% of the world’s blind population, yet other than the radio, there are no newspapers or magazines that can inform them about current affairs. It’s this troubling thought that made Upasana Makati launch White Print, India’s first lifestyle magazine in Braille, in May 2013. White Print became such a novel innovation that companies such as Coco Cola, Raymond, Tata Group, Mahindra ₹ Mahindra and others learnt how to advertise...
2021-01-1149 min
Maharani TalksRam Devineni - The power of comics to drive a social messageMeet Ram Devineni, the creator of India’s first female superhero - Priya’s Shakti. When Ram published the first comic book in 2014 at the Mumbai Comic Con, he didn’t expect his protagonist - a gangrape survivor, who overcomes her fear and stigma, to become such a viral hit, not just in India but globally as well. The poignant image of Priya riding bravely on her tiger and friend, Saahas ended up denoting a symbolic crusader against gender violence. Since then, Priya’s Shakti has been honoured by UN Women as a ‘Gender Equality Champion’, a...
2020-12-2337 min
Maharani TalksShazia Iqbal - Established directors should also make short filmsShazia Iqbal was one of the lead production designers of Emmy nominated and India’s first original Netflix series, Sacred Games and Emmy nominated mini-series Lust Stories. Sacred Games is also the only Indian series to feature in The New York Times list of ‘The 30 Best International TV Shows of the Decade.’⠀ Her powerful short movie, "Bebaak' that discusses religious and patriarchal preoccupation over women's bodies, won many awards including Best Debut Director, International and Audience Choice award at the 35th Sao Paulo International Shorts Film festival and Filmfare Best Short Film. Bebaak was produced by Anura...
2020-12-111h 11
Maharani TalksShaili Chopra - Bringing women's conversations to the forefrontShaili Chopra was a prime time anchor and a well known business journalist who had interviewed eminent people such as Warren Buffet, Indra Nooyi, Christine Lagarde among many others. She had also covered the horrific 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. Shaili quit at the peak of her career and decided to launch a women-only platform when she witnessed conversations concerning women are considered niche. And hence was born, SheThePeople.TV, considered to be India's largest media platform for women's voices. Shaili Chopra was awarded the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Business Journalism and named one of India's 50 most i...
2020-12-0549 min
Maharani TalksPart 2: Jag Sharma - The future of social mediaThis episode is the second part of my conversation with digital marketing expert Jag Sharma, where we sit down and talk about all things social media. If you have come here directly, I'd suggest that you check out the first part as this episode is a continuation of the earlier one. To recount from the first part, some of the topics we talk about are measuring social media success, rise of bot accounts, the role of social media in the US Presidential election this year and Facebook's Oversight Board. So let's continue where we left off. Highlights:
2020-11-2056 min
Maharani TalksPart 1: Jag Sharma - Social media forces us to become packsWe no longer log off social media like in the early days. It's available literally at our fingertips. And that's exactly how the social media companies would want it. But to what end? How is it changing us in ways we don't notice? Where is it headed? In this two part series, these are some of the points I discuss with Jag Sharma. Jag Sharma has over a decade of experience driving social media campaigns in industries such as FMCG, luxury goods, automobile and finance among others and for companies like Nissan, HSBC and Mondelez. His passion...
2020-11-1353 min
Maharani TalksDr. Shruti Kapoor - Fighting for change in mindset over India's rape cultureOne in three women are sexually harassed over the course of their lifetime. That's an alarming statistic but yet, violence against women no longer brings out a reaction in us unless it's a rarest of rare case like the brutal rape and death of Jyoti Singh in 2012. This led Dr. Shruti to set up Sayfty in 2013, an organisation that educates and equips women to fight against violence through workshops and offering support to survivors. For her work, Dr. Shruti has been named as One of the Most Influential People in Global Policy 2019 by Apolitical and one of...
2020-11-0643 min
Maharani TalksRohini Devasher - Looking at science through an artist's lens"I hope when people see my art, they are able to get some sense of our connection to the world - seeing the planet and skies anew. To just look up and change their perspectives. That would be wonderful." - Rohini Devasher, artist. When I came across Rohini's work, I was intrigued how she used her art form to explore our natural world - how science, fiction and speculation can transform our construct of this planet. Having trained as a painter and printmaker, Rohini enjoys working in a variety of media such as video, prints and wall...
2020-10-3145 min
Maharani TalksChitresh Sinha - Initiating conversations around social causesWe see hunger all around us yet we're immune to it. This is where a cause like The Plated Project has stepped in by raising our interest with its beautiful plates and an interesting tagline, 'Buy a plate. Fill a plate.' For Chitresh Sinha, its founder and director of Chlorophyll Innovation Lab, the aim is also to start conversations around charity. The Plated Project which has so far sponsored 4.8 lakh meals and collaborated with numerous artists and NGOs such as CRY, Creative Dignity and Goonj, has also received support from many celebrity chefs, influencers and big...
2020-10-2241 min
Maharani TalksGunjan Menon - Telling conservation stories through the eyes of local communitiesGunjan Menon was so passionate about telling the story of the diminishing numbers of the red panda that she trekked 12,000 feet in Nepal. The short documentary film, The Firefox Guardian, soon caught the attention of the world and went on to win numerous awards and nominations across several countries, including a student BAFTA nomination. She also donned many hats for a conservation series, "On the Brink', that aired on Animal Planet and Discovery Channel. Let's listen to Gunjan Menon as she talks about the impact storytelling can have on wildlife conservation. You can reach Gunjan M...
2020-10-1343 min
Maharani TalksNiranjan Mukundan - It's about time people recognise para athletes moreFor someone born with spina bifida, a condition where the spine is not completely developed, and hence was paralysed from the waist down, Niranjan Mukundan is now training to compete in the Tokyo Paralympics as a para swimmer. At the 2015 International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports World Junior Games, he won a medal for all 10 events he competed in and became the Junior World Champion. Niranjan also received the National Award for Best Para Sportsperson that same year and Karnataka's Eklavya Award for Outstanding Performance in Sports in 2016. Listen to his journey that exemplifies his mental fortitude and...
2020-10-0445 min
Maharani TalksP.C. Ramakrishna - Indian theatre is in the hands of younger peopleIf you haven't seen P.C.Ramakrishna on stage, the chances are you would've heard his voice. An eminent theatre and voice artist in India, he completes 51 years in theatre and is a member of the oldest theatre group in the country, The Madras Players. The group itself celebrates 65 years in theatre this year and during this lifespan has given a huge boost to India's English theatre scene and encouraged many Indian playwrights in the process, like Vijay Tendulkar and Girish Karnad. Ramakrishna is also among the first few English newsreaders in the country and...
2020-09-2648 min
Maharani TalksParth Upadhyaya - Mountaineering is not considered as a sport in IndiaParth Upadhyaya fulfilled his nine year long dream of successfully scaling Mt. Everest summit (8848m) on May 23, 2019. As a professional mountaineer, who has climbed many high peaks including Stok Kangri (over 6000m), he often deals with the gargantuan task of raising funds for mountaineering that is sometimes not considered nor supported as a sport but the wins are celebrated. Parth is currently preparing for his expedition to climb Mt. Annapurna (8091m) on March 24, 2021. His goal is to climb all 14 mountains that are over 8000m. Check out the podcast to listen to his interesting stories during his climb...
2020-09-191h 12
Maharani TalksMukul Goyal - Always push your boundaries"My best design is still to come. A successful design needn't always be your best design." - Mukul Goyal. The versatile designer has created many acclaimed designs in home decor, furniture, art, jewellery, installations and sculpture. Though he is often known for his lean men series of home decor, Goyal enjoys experimenting whether through different materials or mediums. For instance, his installation 'Flying Locomotives' adorns the new Mumbai international airport. Goyal is a Fellow of Royal Society of Arts, London and an alumnus of Domus Academy, Milan, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
2020-09-041h 05
Maharani TalksMaalavika Manoj - Supporting indie music is more sustainable for record labelsMaalavika Manoj, or Mali, as her stage name goes, is one of the prominent indie musicians in the country. Her new single, Absolute, released this August from her debut album, Caution to the Wind, has crossed 60,000 views on YouTube, and tweeted about by A.R.Rahman. She was one among the three Indian artistes chosen this year by Spotify for their Emerging Artists Program, Radar. Some of her songs often carry pertinent social messages as she likes to use her music as a medium for that. And during this pandemic, people have taken more notice of indie...
2020-08-2945 min
Maharani TalksPiyush Ghosh - Change how we consume newsA discussion between Piyush Ghosh with his friends and co-founders, Tuhin Sen and Tannison Matthhews, in a park in Bhopal has led to India's first positive stories only newspaper in print. The Optimist Citizen has since grown to over 250 members and more than 1000 subscribers in about 25 cities, with digital reach in other countries as well. While Piyush's focus right now is not for it to become the next big newspaper but for The Optimist Citizen to be an agent of change - to push mainstream media houses and readers to give equal importance to good and positive news.
2020-08-2446 minMaharani TalksSwetha Subbiah - Getting women to take up sportsSwetha Subbiah was among the first few certified women trainers in Bangalore and now in over a decade long career, she has made a name for herself in the fitness world by becoming among the few Nike-certified instructors. She also now trains professional athletes such as Rohan Bopanna and players of Karnataka's football association. As she continues to take forward her fitness consultancy firm, Sweat by Swetha, she has also been passionate about getting more and more women to take up sports through Sisters in Sweat, an organisation she co-founded along with Tanvie Hans, a professional football player.
2020-08-1540 minMaharani TalksAyaz Basrai - Architects and designers need to focus on public spacesAyaz Basrai is one half of the duo behind The Busride Design Studio, an architectural and design studio. The other half being his brother, Zameer Basrai. Spaces such as The Bombay Canteen, Bhane, Smoke House Deli, Toit Brewery, Social, Café Zoe, The Taj Mahal Tea House and Le15 Café are a few of their designs. Ayaz doesn't like to slot their work under tags and thus limit their design capabilities. ⠀ ⠀ Through their Busride Design Lab set up in Goa, he hopes to also focus his work on solutions that can bring about better utilisation of public spaces for hu...
2020-08-0459 min
Maharani TalksShradha Sharma - I want to bring back kindness in business"I want to bring back love and heart in business - that you can have emotions and can cry, and still run a heartful, purposeful and successful business. I don't want to build a billion dollar business. I want to build a business that makes an impact." -Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO, YourStory. It's no secret that Shradha has weathered many obstacles to get to the place she is at now. Hailing from Bihar, often considered a lesser developed state, and being a woman entrepreneur - there were many barriers stacked up against her. But she persevered...
2020-07-2853 minMaharani TalksRhea Mazumdar Singhal - Companies need to focus on their environmental impactWhen Rhea Mazumdar Singhal set up Ecoware, India's first sustainable packaging solutions company, she was gearing up for a big task. She brought Ecoware as a market disruptor offering natural products for both individuals and companies to help reduce their eco footprint. Eleven years on, she wants more industries to turn to sustainability options. She was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar by the Indian government for pioneering the sustainable food packaging industry. As we're still trying to figure how our lives and economies are going to take shape in a post-COVID world, Rhea believes the only way forward for...
2020-07-2153 minMaharani TalksSharath Kamal Achanta - Exemplifying true grit and patienceSharath Kamal Achanta won the Oman Open in March this year despite playing under anxiety and his family concerns as the coronavirus pandemic was starting to spread. This win at 37 shows his longevity in Table Tennis is no mean feat. He was already 20 years old when he played at the national level, considered usually to be a late start. But he has since gone on to become the first Indian table tennis player ever to become nine times Senior National Champion and won medals at Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, and represented India at three Olympic Games. He is...
2020-07-1454 minMaharani TalksAshwin Thiyagarajan - Give importance to talent, not the fashion labelAshwin Thiyagarajan is a really chilled out and fun guy to talk to. Earlier this year, he made headlines when his ensemble was seen on the Oscars red carpet. The flirty sherwani with feminine pleats was sported by Oscar-nominated Indian-American director Sami Khan. Over the years when I’ve come across Ashwin’s designs, I found them simple but elegant, understated yet fun. So I decided to catch up with him and find out what gets him in the right headspace when he sits down to create. You can check out the Maharani Talks on Instagram at www...
2020-07-0732 min
Maharani TalksNikhil Taneja - The need for a positive movement of masculinityNikhil Taneja's list of achievements is many - he has been with Hindustan Times, MTV India, Yash Raj Films and is now the co-founder of Yuvaa, a purpose driven youth media, and serves as a member of Global Advisory Board of Goalkeepers of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. But what struck me the most was his warm demeanour and his genuine interest in everyone's story. He wanted to know about my opinion as much as I wanted to know his. We discuss about many important issues this episode - the focus on men's mental health, the problems GEN Z...
2020-06-3050 minMaharani TalksAnusha Yadav - Retelling history through personal storiesHow often have we asked our parents or grandparents their version of an important time back in history whether it was a war, or a partition or even about a different era? But telling our history through the eyes of the people who lived it has made Indian Memory Project a valuable source for future generations and is now studied in academic circles. And to think of it, Anusha Yadav started it as an experiment in 2010. The photographer, book designer, curator and archivist was invited by The New Yorker to showcase Indian Memory Project on Instagram in 2015. Anusha also...
2020-06-2241 minMaharani TalksNikita Deshpande - The importance of sharing your entrepreneurial knowledge as you growWhile Ilana Organics has made a name in a span of two years in the organic skincare market, what piqued my interest the most was its co-founder, Nikita Deshpande documenting her process as an entrepreneur and offering guidance on what it takes to build a skincare brand through her channel Nika Inc (@_nikainc) on social media. For budding entrepreneurs, clarity and knowledge during those early days are not easily found. Nikita hopes to connect with other entrepreneurs through what she has learnt and support them in the process. Tune in to the podcast as she drops interesting information about...
2020-06-1636 minMaharani TalksChef Mathangi Kumar - The uncertain times of dining out"This pandemic has been a wakeup call in many ways for us. We should concentrate on farm-to-table concepts, organic produce, smaller menus and hot food over cold food." - Chef and restaurateur Mathangi Kumar. If you loved the food at Chennai's That Madras Place, The Summerhouse Eatery, Patina or the salad bar, Per Se, then you already know the person behind it. Mathangi Kumar dons many hats as the chef and partner of these restaurants. As independent restaurant owners face financial upheaval and the uncertainty of dining out for the months ahead, Mathangi talks about coping during this stressful...
2020-06-0939 min
Maharani TalksSiddharth Anantharam - Navigating emotions, conversations and goals during the pandemic"Awareness of our emotions is the number one strategy and most of us skip that step to directly deal with it or manage it." Siddharth Anantharam is someone who would rather be interested in what you've to say than to appear interesting. Meaningful conversations are his purpose in life. He's the Business Head at Evercoach, Mindvalley's school of coaches, the founder of Life Circles, a company that helps people connect over conversations using games and experiences, and also a TEDx speaker. Reach him @sid_anantharam on Instagram and find out more about his company by visiting www.ourlifecircles.com...
2020-06-0242 min
Maharani TalksChampioning financial feminism with social entrepreneur Anannya Parekh"We don't institutionalise the teaching of finance. I can barely think of people who have learnt personal finance in school." - Anannya Parekh, founder and CEO of Inner Goddess, a social startup that is working on building women’s financial literacy. You can learn more about her company on Instagram @innergoddess.in and @bigsisterprogram and reach her @anyahkutty. You can check us out on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maharanitalks/ and on Twitter @mahathisays. MUSIC:Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic Highlights: • How're you holding up? [01:40] • Dropping out of college [04:45] • Difficulty in start...
2020-05-2631 minMaharani TalksAn IntroductionHere's a quick look into Maharani Talks, a podcast featuring fun conversations with fun people to help you rise. MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic
2020-05-2200 min