The Right Person to Answer

Deepak Gopalakrishnan AKA Chuck
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Welcome to this show! I’m Deepak aka Chuck. In each episode, I ask one question to the person ideally suited to answering it. My guests are diverse - friends, journalists, creators, scientists, overthinkers, geeks. There are conversations on unique experiences, roles, decisions, technology, culture, humanity, science, & more. The discussions are funny, profound, warm, insightful... each leaving me understanding the world a little better. My past projects include Simblified, The Origin of Things, and The Third Slip. I'm delighted this show found you. New episodes on Tuesday.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    How do you go through college without social media? | with Pranav Sreenivasan

    As a millennial, I wonder what going to college today might be like thanks to how pervasive digital technology is. I was lucky (I guess) that my college life didn't have WhatsApp or Instagram. I often wonder about the pressure platforms like those bring - especially the ensuing politics (didn't follow back, leaving at read, etc). There also is the stereotype that GenZ spends too much time on their phones, have short attention spans and all that. As someone who has taught some of these kids in a uni, I can tell you there's some nuance to that observation.  Anyway - both of those things make me think - is it possible to survive college today without being on social media? Without being in the know of campus memes and the Reel-sharing culture of today? Isn't it a default expectation? I had the right person to chat about this with. Pranav Sreenivasan is a student at FLAME University who does not use Instagram. He also happens to be studying advertising and branding, was once a student in my digital marketing class, and if my memory serves me right, came top of it. What good irony. In this episode, Pranav and I talk about what it is actually like to go through university without social media. Does he miss out on campus culture? How does he make (and keep!) friends? What happens to FOMO? Can someone studying marketing afford not to know what is happening on Instagram? At a meta level, does it make you understand what kind of jobs you may not be well-suited for? We speak about WhatsApp etiquette, the politics of texting, digital detoxes, protein-conscious Gen Z, single-purpose devices, and more. What I liked most about this conversation is that Pranav is not  ideological about any of it. He does not think social media is evil. He openly admits there are things he misses. He just decided that, for him, the trade-off is worth it.  And there's several pieces of advice in there for us millennials struggling with digital addiction. With a GenZ. Yes. I know. Pranav on (the only social media he’s on) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pranavtewaris/

    How do you go through college without social media? | with Pranav Sreenivasan

  2. Oct 27

    What's it like touring Europe as an Indian metal musician? | with Rohit Chaturvedi of Kryptos

    Since 1998, Bengaluru-based Kryptos has been keeping the flag of heavy metal music flying… Not just in India but around the world. They’ve toured Europe multiple times since 2010, playing huge festivals like Wacken, and clubs in small towns.  I’ve always wondered what that was like - the logistics, the expectations from “an Indian band”, the audience reactions, whether a dream party turns into a “job”...   I had the right person to help answer all of this, with a nice dose of power chords thrown in, I spoke to the band’s lead guitarist, Rohit Chaturvedi. We speak about Kryptos’ early European tours, what it takes to actually make an international tour happen, why European club stages can be more demanding than Indian stages, and how the band learned by simply showing up and figuring things out. We get into German precision vs Spanish chaos, playing to five people or thousands with the same attitude, and why the spirit of metal is the same wherever you go. We speak about the changing Indian live scene, Bloodywood opening doors, the “heavy metal Silk Route”, and why the real drug of touring is meeting people from different worlds who somehow feel like your own (yes, we’re both old now). Plus - if you always thought they were violent - you will learn the #1 rule of the mosh pit from this episode. You will also learn that Rohit is an incredibly open-minded fan of music. Kryptos: Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Instagram Rohit Chaturvedi: Instagram Sugarline Sound Co (Studio): Instagram | Website

    What's it like touring Europe as an Indian metal musician? | with Rohit Chaturvedi of Kryptos

  3. Oct 20

    What does parenting teach you about yourself? | with Tony Sebastian

    In the circles many of us walk in, choosing to be child-free is common. And while I certainly do not regret my decision, I can see the merit of choosing to have a kid. As my stance softens, I’ve often wondered what parenthood does to people, especially those I love. How do they make time for their own interests? What does being a parent take away, and what does it give? Especially when the reasons for choosing to stay progeny-less are many and vociferously propounded on. I had the right person to answer this. Tony Sebastian is one of my closest friends. We ran creative projects together for years, spent many drunken evenings over board games, and met on Orkut long ago. He also became a parent at a time when many of us were in peak child-free pride. Today, he is a father of two, a podcaster, a crossword fiend, and a thoughtful fellow. I’ve seen from the sidelines that parenting had changed Tony, but I never really got the chance to ask him how, till now. In this episode, Tony and I talk about what people who choose to stay child-free may get wrong about being a parent. The most interesting part, to me, was how parenting gives you permission to be silly. He tells us how parenting is less about teaching your children and more about being taught by them. And yes, we speak about dad jokes.  Tony Sebastian: Instagram | Substack Simblified: Spotify | Apple Podcasts Bits and Pieces: YouTube | Spotify Leftover Lasagna: https://linktr.ee/leftoverlasagne == Say hello to your host! Deepak Gopalakrishnan aka Chuck Email: chuck@chuckofalltrades.in Instagram: instagram.com/chuckofalltrades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckofalltrades/ Credits Logo & visuals: Mihir Lele Music: Composed by Berty Ashley, performed by Vikram Vivekanand & Vinay Ramakrishnan Production: Abbas Momin Editing: Ziger Shaikh

    What does parenting teach you about yourself? | with Tony Sebastian

  4. Oct 13

    Why open a physical bookstore in 2026? | with Vineetha Vijayakumar

    Everything today is instant and optimised. That has its own benefits, sure, but we lose something. We’re seeing the effects of that all around us. Interestingly, we’re also seeing the counter-effects around us: “slow” things like vinyl records, board games, making your own sourdough, silent reading clubs and more are in-demand and in-fashion.  Maybe all of this is a small pushback. Maybe it is nostalgia. Maybe it is what I’ve been calling the Slowing Down Economy. Or maybe people just want places where they can pay attention again. But hey, I’m just someone who propounds on all of this on Substack. To understand this properly, I spoke to someone with an actual stake in the ground - and what better stake than starting a physical bookstore in the most digital age? Vineetha Vijayakumar left a decades-old corporate career to start Turning Pages, a bookstore and café in Jakkur, North Bangalore. It is more than just a place to buy books. It is a neighbourhood space built around reading, curation, children, conversations, coffee, events, quiet corners, and the simple idea that people should be able to spend unhurried time around books. In this episode, Vineetha and I talk about why she opened a bookstore now, what a physical space can offer that an online store cannot, and why children may need bookstores more than we realise. We get into curation, community, silent reading, book cafés, Indian comics, independent publishers, and the surprise of customers asking whether they have to pay just to sit and read. I hope you find this conversation as thoughtful and hopeful, as I did.  Disclaimer: My strategy studio Rough Paper worked on Turning Pages’ branding and content. Turning Pages: Google Maps | Website | Instagram Vineetha Vijayakumar: Instagram == Say hello to your host! Deepak Gopalakrishnan aka Chuck Email: chuck@chuckofalltrades.in Instagram: instagram.com/chuckofalltrades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckofalltrades/ Credits Logo & visuals: Mihir Lele Music: Composed by Berty Ashley, performed by Vikram Vivekanand & Vinay Ramakrishnan Production: Abbas Momin Editing: Ziger Shaikh

    Why open a physical bookstore in 2026? | with Vineetha Vijayakumar

  5. Oct 6

    Do urbanites ‘slowing down’ represent a new kind of economy? | with Praveen Gopal Krishnan

    Are we entering a Slowing Down Economy? That’s a phrase I’ve been using for a theory I’ve been mildly obsessed with: that after years of hustleporn, algorithmic addiction, doomscrolling, productivity-maxxing and always-on everything, many of us are looking for ways to slow down. Think board game nights, physical books, digital detoxes, slow travel, meditation, Cubbon Park reading sessions, vinyl collections, using fountain pens, and being OK with boredom. But is that actually an economy? Is it a movement? Is it just urban fatigue of the privileged colliding with common sense?  Luckily, I had the right person to poke holes in this theory and potentially, my ego. Praveen Gopal Krishnan or PGK - is the COO of business publication The Ken, where he is also a writer. He is one of my favourite people to think aloud with, except this time we’re doing it with a podcast mic rather than over craft beer. He has a lovely way of connecting consumer behaviour, technology, history, business models, incentives, and whatever strange thing society seems to be doing next.  PGK and I get into why slowing down may be less a new trend and more a recurring human counter-movement, why technology has made disconnection harder by tying itself to economic activity, and why the most interesting “slow” spaces may be the ones with no obvious agenda. We also talk about dumb phones, Vipassana, Cubbon Park, fake communities, AI summaries, Instagram deactivation, and why you only remember things you actually feel. His ability to de-bullshittify press releases and growth charts - while being an active participant in my theorised ‘economy’ - would make him the right person to have this chat with. My original notes on the Slowing Down Economy: https://thingsofinternet.substack.com/p/an-era-of-slowing-down-is-coming https://thingsofinternet.substack.com/p/5-characteristics-of-the-slowing PGK on: Twitter | LinkedIn | Articles on The Ken The Ken: https://the-ken.com A past interview I did with Praveen, where we spoke about journalism as a product: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQSDW3CYw34 == Say hello to your host! Deepak Gopalakrishnan aka Chuck Email: chuck@chuckofalltrades.in Instagram: instagram.com/chuckofalltrades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckofalltrades/ Credits Logo & visuals: Mihir Lele Music: Composed by Berty Ashley, performed by Vikram Vivekanand & Vinay Ramakrishnan Production: Abbas Momin Editing: Ziger Shaikh

    Do urbanites ‘slowing down’ represent a new kind of economy? | with Praveen Gopal Krishnan

  6. Sep 29

    How do you build a career from the sidelines of a passion? | with Amit Gurbaxani and Anurag Tagat

    Most of us who love a creative field imagine participating in it from the spotlight. Being the guitarist, World Cup-winning striker, or filmmaker. But there is another way to build a life around a passion: to stand slightly to the side of it. To observe it, understand it, write about it, explain it, critique it, archive it — and in doing so, become part of the ecosystem… without being the person on stage. To explore that, I spoke to Amit Gurbaxani and Anurag Tagat, two journalists who have spent years documenting India’s independent music scene. Amit has written extensively about the Indian music industry, especially the business around it — trends, platforms, money, charts, festivals, streaming, live events and the machinery behind the music. Anurag, senior editor at Rolling Stone India, has spent years covering artists, gigs, interviews, releases, festivals and the many micro-scenes that make Indian independent music what it is. In this episode, we talk about how they got started, how Indian music journalism has changed, and what it means to make a living around a passion without being the “person on stage” yourself. We get into blogs, gig reviews, Rolling Stone, Time Out, Jam Magazine, social media, music business journalism, artist interviews, the difference between being a music journalist and a music writer, and why sometimes passion projects still remain pure passion projects. We also talk about what anyone trying to create around a field they love can learn from their careers: show up, do the work, build community, expose yourself to more of the scene, and keep going long enough for luck to have somewhere to land. This one is for music fans, scene kids, writers, creators, and anyone wondering whether they can build something meaningful from the sidelines of what they love. Amit Gurbaxani: Instagram | LinkedIn | Indian Music Charts podcast Anurag Tagat: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn == Say hello to your host! Deepak Gopalakrishnan aka Chuck Email: chuck@chuckofalltrades.in Instagram: instagram.com/chuckofalltrades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckofalltrades/ Credits Logo & visuals: Mihir Lele Music: Composed by Berty Ashley, performed by Vikram Vivekanand & Vinay Ramakrishnan Production: Abbas Momin

    How do you build a career from the sidelines of a passion? | with Amit Gurbaxani and Anurag Tagat

  7. Sep 22

    How will the internet generation deal with death? | with Ria Chopra

    What happens when life’s only inevitability comes for a generation whose social circles - and ideas of life - were shaped by the internet? For a lot of us, the internet has changed not just how many people we know, but how many people we are aware of. Twitter friends, former colleagues, people we trade cat memes with, creators we followed (and unfollowed). Weak ties, perhaps, but still part of the social texture of our lives. So what happens when the Twitter generation of 2010 turns 80? If we know more people now, does it also mean we will know more people who pass away? And what happens to their profiles, chats, posts, photos, voice notes, subscriptions, playlists, and all the other digital fragments they leave behind? To discuss this, I needed someone open-minded enough to discuss a morbid topic, but also someone who thinks in the intersection of technology, humanity and culture.  That someone is Ria Chopra, author of Never Logged Out, and one of the sharpest observers of the interplay between the internet, Gen Z and culture in India. Ria and I spoke about digital memory, online mourning, the strange voyeurism of scrolling through a dead person’s profile, why platforms don’t let us forget, and how grief tech may become a lucrative market. We also got into Indian rituals around death, whether technology interferes with the process of moving on, who controls our data after we die, holograms of dead relatives, Instagram memorial posts, dating apps, Dickens as Substack, and whether our generation may end up normalising death simply because we see so much more of it. Ria Chopra: Website | Instagram | Twitter  Never Logged Out: https://www.amazon.in/Never-Logged-Out-Internet-Bestseller/dp/9361311255?s=bazaar The Rest of World article referenced: https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-deepfakes-grief-celebrations-india/ == Say hello to your host! Deepak Gopalakrishnan aka Chuck Email: chuck@chuckofalltrades.in Instagram: instagram.com/chuckofalltrades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckofalltrades/ Credits Logo & visuals: Mihir Lele Music: Composed by Berty Ashley, performed by Vikram Vivekanand & Vinay Ramakrishnan Production, editing and all that: Abbas Momin Sound Engineer: Ziger Sheikh

    How will the internet generation deal with death? | with Ria Chopra

  8. Sep 15

    What does sticking with a random creative project give you? | with Narendra Shenoy

    What happens when something you started for fun becomes part of who you are? In 2015, I started a podcast called Simblified with Narendra Shenoy — someone I admired, and just wanted an excuse to hang out with more. We had no grand plan. Our idea of audio engineering was to switch off the fan. But somehow, that little show ran for nine years, collected two more co-hosts, crossed 300 episodes, became part of a major podcast network, brought in wonderful guests, and built a small but loyal fan base.  For me, running Simblified led to other creative projects, opened doors, and eventually gave me the confidence to start a creative projects coaching program. I know what Simblified gave me. But I’ve always wondered what it gave the person who foolishly and generously said yes when I asked him all those years ago. In this episode, Naren and I talk about the strange, unpredictable long-term rewards of making something for fun. We speak about the joy of creating without obsessing over outcomes, how a side-project can quietly change your confidence and identity, why putting work into the world increases your “surface area of serendipity”, and why the best advice for anyone sitting on a creative itch may still be the simplest one: just do it, and have fun. This one is personal, warm, nostalgic, and very dear to me. It is also a love letter to the millions… er… hundreds of fans who gave Naren, me, Srikeit and Tony their ears for 9 years. Thank you, ultracrepidarians. Narendra Shenoy: Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Simblified: Spotify | Apple Podcasts Naren’s appearance on Amit Varma’s podcast, The Seen & The Unseen: https://seenunseen.in/episodes/2021/11/8/episode-250-narendra-shenoy-and-mr-narendra-shenoy/ == Say hello to your host! Deepak Gopalakrishnan aka Chuck Email: chuck@chuckofalltrades.in Instagram: instagram.com/chuckofalltrades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckofalltrades/ Credits Logo & visuals: Mihir Lele Music: Composed by Berty Ashley, performed by Vikram Vivekanand & Vinay Ramakrishnan Production: Abbas Momin Editor: Ziger Shaikh

    What does sticking with a random creative project give you? | with Narendra Shenoy

  9. Sep 8

    How do you decide what to let go of, in an age of infinite choice? | with Utsav Mamoria

    One of the great ironies of modern life is that, in a time of abundance, we feel increasingly lost. There is so much to watch, read, learn, visit, try - that the problem shifts to... how to choose what to give our time and attention to. And often, that can lead to frustration, FOMO, envy. So perhaps the first step is not asking what to add to life, but what to exclude from it. Luckily, I had the right person to answer this. Utsav Mamoria is someone who has thought seriously about the art of letting go - and acted on it. He has given up OTT, largely stepped away from social media, practices slow travel, says no to distracting opportunities, and has practiced choosing depth over breadth. In this episode, Utsav and I talk about why abundance can be destabilising, how he gave up OTT and Instagram, why social media can create the illusion of connection, and why going deep into one thing can be more rewarding than sampling everything. We also get into slow travel, Substack, cats and dogs on Reels, Kabir, the problem with treating everything as a means to an end, and why ignorance — chosen well — may not be such a bad thing. Utsav runs two programs with me (The 6% Club and Unstuck), and I've come to encounter many of these thoughts during our time together. Indeed, many are foundational beliefs of our programs. Utsav Mamoria: Substack (no point giving you his social links) Postcards from Nowhere: Spotify | Apple Podcasts Our programs: The 6% Club | Unstuck == Say hello to your host! Deepak Gopalakrishnan aka Chuck Email: chuck@chuckofalltrades.in Instagram: instagram.com/chuckofalltrades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckofalltrades/ Credits Logo & visuals: Mihir Lele Music: Composed by Berty Ashley, performed by Vikram Vivekanand & Vinay Ramakrishnan Production: Abbas Momin

    How do you decide what to let go of, in an age of infinite choice? | with Utsav Mamoria

  10. Sep 1

    What was handling communications for a vaccine alliance during COVID like? | with Meghana Sharafudeen

    How do you communicate during a global crisis when everyone wants certainty, but the facts keep changing? The pandemic was a weird time for everyone. For individuals like you and me, for companies, for governments. I’ve wondered specifically what it was like for people at the forefront of solving the crisis - they are caught in the maelstrom of public expectations, government pressure, donor priorities, raging misinformation, changing facts, and of course, their own personal worries during an uncertain time. Luckily, I had the right person to answer. Meghana Sharafudeen handles communication for Gavi - the global vaccine alliance - which she joined in September 2019, just months before the world was upended. Her past stints at global bodies like the WTO and WHO set her up nicely for what would be a transformative and testing experience. During COVID, she would lead communications for COVAX - an ambitious initiative to ensure equitable vaccine access.  In this conversation, Meghana spoke about the (impossible) balance between reassurance and accuracy, why crisis communication begins with understanding what people are worried about. We get into the emotional toll of being the “messenger”, and not having the time to celebrate large milestones. We speak about why values may be the most important thing in a crisis, and of course - what the whole experience taught her. Learn about Gavi and their work here: https://www.gavi.org/ Meghana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghana-sharafudeen/ == Say hello to your host! Deepak Gopalakrishnan aka Chuck Email: chuck@chuckofalltrades.in Instagram: instagram.com/chuckofalltrades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckofalltrades/ Credits Logo & visuals: Mihir Lele Music: Composed by Berty Ashley, performed by Vikram Vivekanand & Vinay Ramakrishnan Production: Abbas Momin

    What was handling communications for a vaccine alliance during COVID like? | with Meghana Sharafudeen

  11. Aug 25

    Are technologies stress tests for what makes us human? | with Berty Ashley

    Do technologies actually change us… or do they just reveal us? Amplifying the best and worst of us? After reading more WIRED than is recommended for a normal adult, I think of questions like these. I came to the conclusion that technologies are ultimately stress tests for what makes us human. Validation-seeking, conformity and outrage existed long before social media. Generative AI may not kill creativity, but it may force us to ask what creativity, skill, taste, context and weirdness are actually worth. Fun theory, but did it have merit? I needed someone who thinks with an open mind and has several frames - historical, biological, cultural - to look at it from. And I had the right person for  the job. Berty Ashley is a scientist, musician, quizmaster, pun-maker, trivia sponge, content creator, content consumer, and one of my best friends. He is also one of those rare people who can approach a question through all those aforesaid lenses with a generous side serving of Pink Floyd trivia. In this episode, Berty and I talk about what we’re seeing now underpins something predating social media and AI, why evolution moves too slowly for every tech panic, why human weirdness may be our greatest creative advantage, and why context matters as much as the output itself. We connect ChatGPT, Archimedes, whale fashion trends, Frank Sinatra inventing the concept album, typos, burger photos, Orkut, and why the strange little things that make us human may be exactly what help us survive every new wave of technology. Don’t panic. My original post that kicked this off: https://thingsofinternet.substack.com/p/technologies-are-stress-tests-for Berty Ashley on Instagram | LinkedIn | my other podcast | ResearchGate Berty’s quiz books on Amazon Berty’s TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVI31cP8pe8 == Say hello to your host! Deepak Gopalakrishnan aka Chuck Email: chuck@chuckofalltrades.in Instagram: instagram.com/chuckofalltrades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckofalltrades/ Credits Logo & visuals: Mihir Lele Music: Composed by Berty Ashley, performed by Vikram Vivekanand & Vinay Ramakrishnan Production: Abbas Momin Editing: Ziger Shaikh

    Are technologies stress tests for what makes us human? | with Berty Ashley

  12. Aug 23

    The Right Person To Answer is…

    Welcome!  A discussion on one question with the person best suited to answer it.  That’s what this show is all about.  This is a new podcast by me, Deepak aka Chuck.  Over the years, I’ve collected a nice bunch of curiosities. Luckily along the way, I’ve also met several very smart people. Some of them with a niche interest, some of them have a specific job role, or some of them have a unique intersection of things.  All of this makes each the ideal person to answer… one specific question. I speak to authors, friends, scientists, content creators, content consumers, journalists… And so many more. What’s common to all of them? They are all The Right Person To Answer… Something. Episodes, every Tuesday, on this feed. == Say hello to your host! Deepak Gopalakrishnan aka Chuck Email: chuck@chuckofalltrades.in Instagram: instagram.com/chuckofalltrades LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckofalltrades/ Credits Logo & visuals: Mihir Lele Music: Composed by Berty Ashley, performed by Vikram Vivekanand & Vinay Ramakrishnan Production: Abbas Momin Editing: Ziger Shaikh

  • 12 Episodes

About

Welcome to this show! I’m Deepak aka Chuck. In each episode, I ask one question to the person ideally suited to answering it. My guests are diverse - friends, journalists, creators, scientists, overthinkers, geeks. There are conversations on unique experiences, roles, decisions, technology, culture, humanity, science, & more. The discussions are funny, profound, warm, insightful... each leaving me understanding the world a little better. My past projects include Simblified, The Origin of Things, and The Third Slip. I'm delighted this show found you. New episodes on Tuesday.

Information

  • Creator
    Deepak Gopalakrishnan AKA Chuck
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Deepak Gopalakrishnan AKA Chuck
  • Show Website
    The Right Person to Answer

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