In Conversation with Ashwin

In Conversation with Ashwin
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Conversations with ordinary people around me doing extraordinary things. Through the episodes, I like to inspire and be inspired. But mostly, I like asking questions. 

  1. Sep 21

    Krishna, Courage & the Game of Life ft. Rohini Manohar

    In this episode, I sit down with Rohini Manohar to ask her some of the questions that have been on my mind. About Yoga, Krishna, trust, surrender, meditation and this thing we call, life. We talk about self-doubt, the importance of community (satsang), meditation as a practice of staying with discomfort, and why surrender doesn’t mean avoiding difficult choices. We also explore the tension between kindness and people-pleasing. And Rohini shares a simple place to begin a daily practice: ten conscious breaths before reaching for your phone every morning. Her knack for story-telling and child like joy is so contagious that even a few minutes with Roh (how she is fondly known) will set you up for an excellent day. Rohini Manohar is a Chennai-based yoga teacher, storyteller and founder of Chennai Yoga Studio. Through classes, retreats and workshops, she brings traditional yogic teachings into everyday life, combining philosophy with breathwork and mindful practice. Her storytelling makes space for reflection, connection and a more personal relationship with spiritual learning.   Timestamps - 00:56 From life in Australia to a new path in yoga02:47 What is yoga, beyond the physical practice?06:16 The Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras07:29 Karma yoga: doing your best without clinging to results09:36 Bhakti yoga: love, devotion and faith10:49 Who is Krishna? 11:59 Human potential and remembering the good14:15 Self-doubt, community and asking for support16:42 Surrender and meditation as the gym of the mind18:21 Trust, letting go and opening to possibility19:14 Understanding scripture, ritual and lived wisdom23:43 Why a daily practice matters24:55 Begin with ten breaths before your phone26:15 Life as a game—and remembering your role27:05 Meditation, presence and courage27:35 Kindness, authenticity and people-pleasing32:20 Surrender doesn’t remove the need for hard choices33:31 Closing thoughts Chennai Yoga Studio website - https://chennaiyogastudio.com/Rohini's Instagram - Instagram

    Krishna, Courage & the Game of Life ft. Rohini Manohar

  2. Jan 14

    Voice and choice ft. Jananie SV

    Jananie shares her journey from being the reluctant "family showpiece" singer to recording tracks that echo through theater speakers. Growing up in Chennai's vibrant music scene, she discovered her voice through college radio hunts and formal Carnatic training. Now balancing life as a copywriter at Ogilvy in Bangalore (India) with her passion for playback singing, Jananie opens up about recording for films, collaborating with artists like Sid Sriram on the hit track "Kannil Mazhai," and the magic of performing live. She leaves us with powerful advice: know what you don't want, find magic in the mundane, and always get your basics right. 2 songs - 1. Kannil Mazhai - https://youtu.be/t60uDwyxzWQ?si=fidJ-uLuxWlpeP7k2. Ennil Nee - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_-c2X31jus&list=RDV_-c2X31jus&start_radio=1 Some of her voiceovers - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VTaZzx_AQZHs3zvqYRApdLVHJR6QwCNI?usp=drive_link Timestamps:2.00 - Early childhood3.30 - How the passion for singing developed7.00 - Job at Ogilvy9.00 - Chennai's influence on  the singing11.15 - Songs that have made it to the theaters12.30 - Internship and love for Satyam14.00 - 3 singing career highlights20.00 - Voiceovers23.15 - Tips for aspiring singers26.00  - Favorite 5 singers

    Voice and choice ft. Jananie SV

  3. 11/27/2025

    The Friendship Episode ft. Rudra Vishweshwar

    On Season 2 episode 4 of In Conversation with Ashwin, I chat with Rudra about a topic very close to both our hearts, Friendship. Rudra is my first and best friend and we met 27 years ago in a queue to our school admissions line up, not knowing that we'd be tied to the hip for years to come.  There's so many things I admire about Rudra, but most of all his generosity and attentiveness to his friends. And his compulsive need to spread smiles everyday even if it means cracking the lamest dad joke three times in a row because he didn't get the timing right the first 2 times. Please enjoy this 45 min long conversation that I did not want, to end.  Childhood and Family Influence on Friendship: Rudra shared with Ashwin how his upbringing in a joint family in Chennai, especially his mother's kindness and selflessness, shaped his approach to friendship and hospitality, leading to a home that was always open to friends and fostering deep connections from an early age.Evolution and Meaning of Friendship: Rudra and Ashwin explored how the meaning of friendship has evolved for Rudra over time, from seeking validation as a 'top friend' to embracing unconditional support, measuring life through relationships, and recognizing the importance of honest communication and growth.Work, Boundaries, and Vulnerability in Friendship: Rudra explained to Ashwin that while friendship itself is not 'work,' it requires ongoing effort, including setting healthy boundaries and fostering vulnerability, which he learned through personal experiences and therapy, leading to more sustainable and supportive relationships.Checking In and Communicating Needs in Friendship: Rudra discussed with Ashwin the importance of checking in on friends, adapting frequency and mode of communication to individual needs, and openly sharing both good and difficult experiences to foster trust and mutual support within friendships.Book and Quote Recommendations: Rudra answered Ashwin's closing questions by recommending the Harry Potter series for its lessons on relationships and emotional growth, and shared his personal motto for a billboard: 'Spread a smile a day,' reflecting his ethos of making others feel special.Timestamps:2.50 - Rudra's house and how friendship became a way of life 7.00 - Understanding family 11.00 - What friendship means 17.00 - Is friendship work? 20 - Vulnerability 20.45 - Sleepovers and vulnerability 24.30 - Boundaries 33.10 - What does checking in on friendship look like? 41 - One book that Rudra would gift 44 - Quote

    The Friendship Episode ft. Rudra Vishweshwar

  4. 10/03/2024

    Water you thinking ft. Abishek Narayan

    On this episode, I have Abishek Narayan who is currently working as a researcher at Eawag, the Swiss Water Institute in Zurich. Abishek has PhD in Environmental Engineering from ETH Zurich and a Masters from Oxford in Water Science, Policy and Management. After checking privilege at the door and discussing his early upbringing in the modest city of Chennai, Abishek talks to us about his tryst with the Adyar river and the restoration efforts he was engaged in through the Clean Adyar Initiative and Resilient Cities project funded by the Rockerfeller Foundation. Taking his learnings from studying and working at Delft and Ethiopia, Abishek learnt that the solution to a social and political problem cannot be solved by engineering alone. He further learned water planning and the nuances surrounding it in policy and engineering at Oxford and ETH, Zurich. From the 20th minute, Abishek talks about what happens to the water when you flush it down your WC and how that water gets cleaned (or is supposed to) in treatment plants. He talks about how his team helped influence and incentivize a commercial microcosm of Bangalore to treat waste water and speaks about the fundamental problem when it comes to waste water management. He leaves us with some actionable advice to pay our dues when it comes to being responsible with water. And as is custom, we end with his favorite quote ("You can't do everything that the world needs but everything you can do, the world needs") and his favorite book (Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall ). In the first 10 mins of the episode, we also discuss the Indian education system and his introspective 5 day (first) bike trip along the Rhine river. I know Abhishek from my debating days in school cultural fests back in 2010 and we recently reconnected with he was visiting to attend and speak at the World Water Conference in Toronto earlier this year. We bonded over some vegan sliders after a walk and sit around Trinity Bellwoods park :)  This episode is anything but dry ;)Books mentioned - Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

    Water you thinking ft. Abishek Narayan

  5. 08/01/2024

    Second life (feat. Suhail Shersad)

    The episode is titled 'second life' because that is how lucky and grateful Suhail felt after he gained consciousness from having suffered a gruesome New York subway accident that left his left leg amputated. On the show, we discuss Suhail's early childhood, his obsession with reading and ball along with his love for public policy. A large part of the episode dives into his mental and physical response to the accident and how he is recovering from it, one day at a time. He discusses the support system and mindset that have been crucial to his recovery. Suhail is kind, light hearted, funny and extremely inspiring while responding to my questions. Listen for a dose and a half of inspiration and optimism. The episode ends with him mentioning a book he would gift, 'Lotus in a Sea of Fire'  and a quote that he would write on a wall for the world to see. Suhail now works in risk management at Citibank in New York after having graduated with an Economics and International Affairs degree from the Fletcher School prior to a 4 year stint with the World bank.

    Second life (feat. Suhail Shersad)

  6. 11/13/2022

    Creative endeavor and clinical execution ft. With Love Madras (Ashna Lulla and Vignesh Sivakumar)

    My guests on the show are Ashna Lulla, writer of the book 'With Love Madras', and Vignesh Sivakumar, the photographer, and visual storyteller. One of them is my wife and I was a proud beaming husband after recording the episode :) She absolutely crushed it with this book and so did Vignesh.  With Love, Madras is a book that takes you on a stunning visual journey through homes across the city that embody the Madras way of life. Their Instagram bio reads - 'Explore Madras, One Home at a time.' The episode talks about the book - how the idea came into existence; the multiple ups and downs in the journey; their favorite part of the journey; lessons learned, and pitfalls to avoid while publishing a book. They also, on being forced, tell us which home is their favorite and share some golden nuggets for first-time authors ;)Ashna is an architect by the badge and designer by the heart. You can see a blend of both in her writing. She also is now a contributing writer to the design magazine, Architectural Digest, India. Here are some of her exquisite posts for the magazine. Prior to this, she worked at architecture and design studios, Collective Project, Mancini Design and Khosla Associates among others.  Vignesh is also an architect and happens to be a genius behind the lens. Humble and clinical with his pictures, Vignesh has an old soul and brings a unique perspective through his camera and the way he views the world.. He has his own website (Chasing Pixels) where you can see his work - Architecture Photographer | Chasing Pixels | Chennai You can contact Vignesh and Ashna on With Love Madras' Instagram (and go follow for some visually breathtaking content) -https://www.instagram.com/withlovemadrasMost importantly, you can order the book (anywhere in India) on With Love Madras (www.withlovemadras.com).  Timestamps are below if you want to skip to any specific question. I had a blast recording this. Please enjoy. :)  Timestamps:  00.01 - Intro - Music + Intro (Ashwin)2.10 - Tell me about your early childhood and how that has influenced you and the person you have become 2.15 - Vignesh 6.15 - Origin of the idea6.18 - Ashna 9.00 - What do you mean by giving Chennai a seat on the table9.04 - Vignesh 9.50 - How long did it take you to write the entire book?9.53 - Ashna 13.00 - Vignesh  15.15 - Hardest part of the book?15.30 - Vignesh 16.04 - Ashna 19.21- Vignesh   20.50 - Favourite part of the book journey20.02 - Ashna 23.30- Vignesh  24.27 - Process of interviewing and shooting a home27.40 - Vignesh  27.30 - Ashna 30.47 - Vignesh  31.37 - Favorite home31.44 - Ashna 35.50 - Vignesh  36.00 - Advice to someone who for a first-time book writer36.17 - Ashna 37.17  - Vignesh  ___________________________________Show notes: Madras  Architectural Digest   Elle Décor  People mentioned: Renuka Vasan (Editor); Indira Reddy (Ashna's friend)

    Creative endeavor and clinical execution ft. With Love Madras (Ashna Lulla and Vignesh Sivakumar)

  7. 12/24/2019

    Episode 16- Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Blue Flag Project (feat. Nimmi Roche)

    Nimmi Roche is the founder of Blue Flag Project - an all-purpose sustainable men's shoewear that I cannot wait to buy. Each pair of Blue Flags is made of ~8 upcycled plastic water bottles.On the episode, we discuss Nimmi's early childhood and how that has influenced her choices. We chat about her MBA at Harvard (and why Harvard MBA students shy away from revealing the name of their institution). We discuss Nimmi's corporate experience, her plunge into entrepreneurship and lots of detail about Blue Flag Project - the 4Ps, the 3Cs and everything marketing related. We end the show with some authentic and mildly philosophical advice from Nimmi about hard work and results.  Nimmi worked at Goldman Sachs as an Associate in Hedge Fund Consulting. She graduated with an MBA from Harvard post which she worked in Amex and Adpatly before she finally decided to go all-in with Blue Flag Project- a product that replaces fast fashion and forces customers to change the environment- one step at a time.Show notes-Blue Flag shoes explained in 2 minutes-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzvd3_Qhpz0&t=8sBlue Flag website-https://blueflagproject.com/Nimmi's LinkedIn-https://www.linkedin.com/in/nimmi-roche-035b7513/Washington Post Article-https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/climate-solutions/israeli-startup-ubq-turning-trash-into-plastic-products/

  8. 03/21/2019

    Episode 15- Recording of The Reading Workshop - Why read, audiobooks, reading hacks, habit forming and much more

    YouTube Link to audiovisual - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMe_oUUfIkg&t=1544s FYI- I would say it's better to watch and listen via the Youtube link. However, if you are on the move, this recording should do a good job as well! The visual helps drive the point home but the audio, independently, does not do a bad job either. Best to listen in with headphones :) About the episode- A recording of The Reading Workshop I hosted with author, Krishna Trilok on 3rd Feb, 2019. We had a good turnout and a very good discussion.The workshop was for people who care about reading but are struggling to incorporate it in their daily routine.At the workshop, we discussed why we read, busted some myths about reading, committed to build it as a habit and shared actionable advice to make reading convenient. We discussed audio books, how we should pick our next books, answered common questions and spoke about varying genres.My previous podcast with author, Krishna Trilok- Episode 9

    Episode 15- Recording of The Reading Workshop - Why read, audiobooks, reading hacks, habit forming and much more
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Conversations with ordinary people around me doing extraordinary things. Through the episodes, I like to inspire and be inspired. But mostly, I like asking questions. 

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