Chai & Chips Podcast

By Prakash MallyaBusiness Technology Education Management

Chai & Chips Podcast episodes

October 01Ep 019 - Can Conversational AI Solve India’s Last-Mile Problem? | Prem Arora & Sriram Gopalaswamy
AI is often discussed as a way to make software smarter. But in India, one of the most interesting opportunities may be to make technology and essential services easier to understand, access and act on.
India is a country of enormous scale, multiple languages and highly fragmented systems. Whether it is adopting rooftop solar, accessing government schemes, buying financial products or navigating healthcare, the technology may exist—but the last mile can still be incredibly difficult.
In this episode of Chai & Chips, I speak with Prem Arora and Sriram Gopalaswamy, co-founders of GRX10, about whether conversational AI could become a new interface between people and the systems around them.
We explore:
Why does the last mile break even when the underlying technology already exists?
Can conversation make complex products and services easier to understand and act on?
Does speaking to AI in your own language change trust and adoption?
Can AI move people from simply getting information to actually getting things done?
Where can conversational AI help—and where can it simply make a broken system more efficient?
Could India's diversity, languages and fragmented markets actually create a unique opportunity for conversational AI?
And ultimately, what must be true for conversational AI to become a force multiplier for India?
A conversation about AI, trust, language, technology adoption—and what it takes to make technology work at India's last mile.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction, and how the founders came together
5:27 The last-mile problem: why good tech still fails to reach people
8:31 Why rooftop solar lags: the subsidy and policy maze
13:20 From complexity to conversation: the real solar journey
19:07 What conversational AI changes: language, memory & access
23:44 Building trust with conversational AI
29:20 From information to action: getting things done in India
35:46 Democratizing expertise at near-zero cost
39:28 Lightning Round
46:04 Convenience vs. fixing the system, and why India is the bigger opportunity
51:03 The force-multiplier vision: small models, GPUs & responsible use
56:49 India Vision: the next 10–15 years
Resources:
Find Sriram on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sgopalaswamy/
Find Prem on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aroraprem/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411
1 hr 2 min
September 11Ep 018 - Preparing Indian Schools for an AI World | Tristha Ramamurthy
AI is entering classrooms faster than most education systems can adapt.
But if AI can answer almost any question instantly, what should schools actually teach?
In this episode of Chai & Chips, I sit down with Dr. Tristha Ramamurthy, educator, institution builder and Founder of Ekya Schools, to explore a bigger question:
What must be true for Indian schools to prepare children for an AI world?
We discuss how AI could change the role of schools, teachers and assessment—and whether education needs to move from simply transmitting knowledge to developing the ability to think, create, solve problems and work with others.
We also explore some uniquely Indian questions: Can AI help close the education gap or widen it? How do you rethink a system with millions of students and teachers? And what happens when children become AI-native while the adults educating them are still adapting?
In this conversation:
Why AI may force us to rethink what school is for
Why access to answers is not the same as learning
How AI changes assessment and homework
Whether the teacher becomes more important in an AI world
The importance of teacher development
Personalised learning at scale
How Indian schools can use AI without widening inequality
What children should learn when knowledge becomes abundant
What the school of the future could look like
One of Tristha's most interesting observations:
“School is going to be about the more human stuff… how to be more human in this AI world.”
And one question that sits at the heart of the episode:
If AI can answer almost anything, what should a school still spend its time teaching?
Chapters
0:00 Introduction: what must be true for schools in the AI age
2:41 How schools' purpose is being reimagined
5:40 The future of school: being more human in an AI world
8:55 The AI-in-curriculum challenge, and the Young Founders experiment
13:25 "You teach how you were taught": why teacher mindsets must change
15:50 Answers vs. learning, and the "homework apocalypse"
20:24 Skills over knowledge: what we should actually teach kids
23:22 Where AI leaves teachers
31:47 Lightning Round
35:12 AI across India's three school tiers: access, equity & risks
42:08 Redesigning school from the ground up
46:57 India Vision: education for the next 10–15 years
Resources:
Find Tristha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristha/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411
52 min
July 31Ep 017 - Can India Become a Global Innovation Leader? | Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman
Can India become a global innovation powerhouse?
As AI reshapes geopolitics, economic competitiveness, and national security, one question matters more than ever:
What must be true for India to create breakthrough technologies—not just consume them?
In this episode of Chai & Chips, I sit down with Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, CEO of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), to discuss how India can build a world-class innovation ecosystem.
We explore:
Why innovation is a long-term game built on institutions, talent and patient capital
The role of ANRF in accelerating India's research ecosystem
Why India must become the world's R&D partner
How industry, startups, universities and government can collaborate better
Why research should be measured by impact—not just publications
The importance of bold science and taking bigger research bets
Why private sector investment in R&D must increase
How GCCs can become engines for India's innovation economy
What founders, researchers and students can do to engage with ANRF
Dr. Shiv's vision for making India a global leader in AI and deep tech
If you're a founder, researcher, policymaker, investor, student, or simply curious about India's future in AI and deep tech, this conversation is for you.
🎙️ Guest: Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, CEO, Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)
📺 Subscribe to Chai & Chips for conversations on AI, Semiconductors and India's technology future.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction: can India create, not just consume, technology?
2:55 Where innovation really happens: turning humans into human capital
5:08 Why innovation drives competitiveness, sovereignty & the AI era
9:04 The talent-vs-frontier gap: efficiency over chasing the frontier
15:15 Speed vs. patient systems: AI for Science & collaboration
17:57 Private-sector R&D, GCCs & India as the world's R&D hub
26:31 Technology diffusion: not every Einstein becomes an Elon Musk
32:16 Building institutions for the long term (Bell Labs, DARPA)
34:46 Lightning Round
38:06 AI as an enabler & what must be true for India
42:27 Measuring impact & how to work with ANRF
50:41 India's vision for the next 10–15 years
Resources:
Find Dr Shiv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivkumar-kalyanaraman-1942451/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Dr Shiv on X: https://x.com/shivkuma_k
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411
57 min
June 28 Ep 016 - The Human Edge | Ramya Sampath Sharma
AI can generate answers.
But can it help us build judgment?
In this episode of Chai & Chips, I sit down with Ramya Sampath Sharma, CHRO of Saint-Gobain India, to explore how AI is reshaping work, careers, leadership, and learning.
We discuss a question that doesn't get enough attention:
As AI automates more entry-level and repetitive work, how will the next generation develop the depth, expertise, and judgment that traditionally came from doing that work?
We also explore:
• The skills that will become more valuable in an AI-first world
• Why depth and subject-matter expertise still matter
• The future of careers and leadership
• AI's impact on inequality and inclusive growth
• What organizations can do to build trust during periods of disruption
One idea stayed with me long after the conversation: AI may generate answers, but judgment is still earned.
I hope you enjoy the conversation.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction — AI and the Future of Work
02:44 Building High-Performance Teams and Talent Systems
08:58 Why Culture Matters More Than Individual Brilliance
17:51 How AI Is Changing the Nature of Work
23:44 The Skills That Will Matter Most in the AI Era
28:49 Can Young Professionals Still Build Judgment?
33:58 AI in the Enterprise: Adoption, Challenges and Opportunities
38:10 Rapid Fire
40:30 Will AI Increase Inequality in India?
47:14 Leadership, Trust and Human Judgment in the Age of AI
57:46 The Vision of India
Resources:
Find Ramya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramyasampathsharma/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Ramya on X: https://x.com/ramyassharma
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411
1 hr 1 min
June 02 Ep 015 - Can India Build Durable AI Deep-Tech Companies? | Narendra Bhandari
Everyone is talking about AI.
But a more important question is:
Where will durable value actually be created?
In this episode of Chai & Chips, I sit down with Narendra Bhandari, General Partner at Sea Fund, to discuss the future of AI, deep tech investing, and India's opportunity to build globally relevant technology companies.
We explore why some AI companies will create lasting advantage while others may struggle to differentiate, what investors look for in deep-tech startups, and what must be true for India to build durable AI businesses.
Some of the questions we tackle:
• Is AI creating a platform shift comparable to the internet or mobile?
• Where will defensible moats emerge in the AI ecosystem?
• How should founders think about deep-tech versus application-layer opportunities?
• What are the biggest challenges facing AI startups today?
• Does India have a structural advantage in the AI era?
• What separates enduring companies from short-lived hype cycles?
One idea that stayed with me from this conversation:
Technology waves create opportunities. Durable companies are built by those who create lasting differentiation.

If you're a founder, investor, operator, or simply interested in the future of AI and deep tech, I think you'll enjoy this discussion.
0:56 – Introduction: Why AI deep tech in India matters
2:20 – Is this AI wave different? Why it's not just another hype cycle
6:13 – The AI stack: Infrastructure, models, and where startups should play
15:23 – Deep tech vs. software: How physics and chemistry change the investment timeline 24:10 – Where does value actually accrue — infrastructure, models, or applications?
41:15 – Speed round: VC pitch pet peeves and founder philosophy
47:15 – What must hold true for AI deep tech to succeed in India
54:05 – India's constraints: Capital, compute, and data — are they real?
58:04 – India's IT services industry: Disruption threat or massive AI opportunity?
1:07:38 – What makes a great deep tech founder
1:14:20 – Final Question: India's $100B+ sectors and the research culture gap
1:22:18 – Closing thoughts: "It's a great time to build"
You can find us on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
If you enjoy conversations like this, please subscribe, share, and let me know your biggest takeaway in the comments.
Resources:
Find Narendra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/narendrabhandari/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411
All episode transcripts are available on Substack and Medium.
1 hr 24 min
April 29Ep 014 - AI Meets India Stack: What It Means for the Future of Digital Public Infrastructure - Omprakash Subbarao
Can AI + India Stack become a global model for digital infrastructure?
India has built something few countries have: digital rails at population scale. But what happens when AI is layered on top of Aadhaar, UPI and public digital infrastructure?
In this episode of Chai & Chips, Om and I explore a bigger question:
Could India have a unique advantage in the AI era because of its digital public infrastructure?
We discuss:
Why India Stack may matter even more in the age of AI
How AI could transform public infrastructure at massive scale
The opportunities and risks ahead
What must be true for India to lead in this next wave
One idea from this conversation stayed with me: AI alone may not be the advantage. AI + infrastructure might be.

If that interests you, I think you’ll enjoy this episode.
Chapters:
01:00 - Introduction — What Must Be True for AI in DPI?
04:17 - Om’s Journey into India’s Digital Public Infrastructure
08:44 - Why India Stack Is Different from the Rest of the World
14:25 - The Core Building Blocks: Identity, Payments and Trust
26:52 - Opportunities at Population Scale: Health, Services and Inclusion
31:49 - Consent, Privacy and the Governance Challenge
42:10 – Ayushman Bharat – Risks, Opportunities & Impact
50:58 – Rapid Fire
54:07 – Why our R&D is weak; Case for India as a Use Case Factory
01:07:08 - Building AI Applications on Top of India Stack
01:10:33 - How to Build for Trust at Population Scale
01:21:53 – Final Question – Vision for India
You can find us on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Subscribe to Chai & Chips for conversations with founders, operators, investors and thinkers building the future of India.
Resources:
Find Om on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omprakash-subbarao-5372564/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411
All episode transcripts are available on Substack and Medium.
1 hr 27 min
April 07Ep 013 - Can AI Improve How Children Learn in India? - Vidya Jayaraman
Can AI Actually Improve How Children Learn in India?
AI is entering classrooms faster than ever — but does it actually help children learn, or does it just give them the answers?
In this episode, host Prakash Mallya sits down with Vidya Jayaraman — chemical engineer turned math educator, founder of Math Adventures (acquired by Byju's in 2018), and now founder of StudyMatix — to ask the question that really matters:
What must be true for AI to genuinely improve how children learn?

In this episode:
Why Vidya left a successful engineering career to teach math from her dining table in Bangalore
The core problem with Indian education: we equate marks with success and rote learning with knowledge
Why "process over answer" is the thread running through everything she has built
How technology can empower teachers — without replacing them
The real risks of AI in classrooms (hint: it's not just about the wrong answers)
What "equal access to high-quality education" means vs. just "access"
Her vision for India's learning outcomes in the next 10–15 years
One quote to remember: "Every child, regardless of where they were born, what language they speak, or how much their family owns, is capable of genuine, joyful, meaningful learning. Our job is simply to build a world that makes it possible." — Vidya Jayaraman
Chapters:
00:00: Introduction — What Must Be True for AI to Improve Learning?
01:58: Meet Vidya Jayaraman — From Chemical Engineer to Math Educator
05:31: The Journey: Math Adventures, Byju's, and StudyMatix
09:55: India's Education Crisis — The Stretched Teacher Problem
17:50: Why Ed-Tech Has Failed to Deliver on Its Promise
23:23: The Real Opportunity for AI in Education
30:04: What Good AI-Powered Learning Actually Looks Like
35:30: Rapid Fire
40:48: Bridging Learning Gaps — AI With Pedagogy at Its Core
54:33: Safety, Screen Time & What AI Should Never Replace
56:10: Final Question - India's Vision for Learning Outcomes in 10–15 Years
You can find us on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Subscribe, share, and leave us a review — it helps us grow this community and keep the conversations coming.
Resources:
Find Vidya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidya-jayaraman-69466247/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411
All episode transcripts are available on Substack and Medium.
1 hr 2 min
March 06 Ep 012 - How Secure Are Your Habits? Defeating AI Scams - Anil Valluri
What must be true for AI to materially improve India’s cybersecurity outcomes?

In this episode of Chai & Chips, I speak with Anil Valluri, a technology leader who has spent over four decades at the forefront of India’s technology and infrastructure evolution.
As AI rapidly enters enterprise environments, cybersecurity leaders face new opportunities — and new risks. In this conversation, we explore what must actually change for AI to deliver meaningful improvements in cybersecurity outcomes.
In this episode, we discuss:

• The hidden risks of unsanctioned GenAI usage inside enterprises
• Why AI success in cybersecurity will depend more on usage than models
• The evolving role of cybersecurity leadership in the AI era
• India’s opportunity in chips, infrastructure, and talent
• Career lessons from 40+ years of leadership in technology
Chai & Chips is a long-form conversation series with leaders shaping technology, business, and policy in India and globally.
Chapters:
02:22: Context – Why AI and Cybersecurity Matter Now
03:05: Anil Valluri’s 40+ Year Journey in Technology
10:12: How India’s Technology Landscape Has Evolved
17:05: Threat Model and How AI changes that
27:05: The Hidden Risks of Unsanctioned GenAI in Enterprises
34:20: Rapid Fire
41:00: State of India Readiness on AI + Cyber Defence
54:10: What should not be automated in Cybersecurity
55:40: Leadership Lessons from Four Decades in Technology
1:08:53: Final question
If you enjoyed the conversation, please subscribe to the channel for future episodes.
Resources:

Find Anil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anil-valluri-5046b8/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411
All episode transcripts are available on Substack and Medium.
1 hr 16 min
February 09Ep 011 - AI Vs Your Money: The Future of Investing in India - Sanjiv Singhal
Welcome to the Season 2 premiere of Chai & Chips!
Season 1 focused on Chips, the infrastructure powering the AI wave.
Season 2 moves up the stack.
We’re going beyond the hype to answer a harder question:
What must hold true for AI to actually matter in India?
We’ll explore this across industry segments, starting with Investing and Wealth Management.
Our premiere episode features Sanjiv Singhal, Founder & COO of Scripbox. With 30+ years in financial services, Sanjiv brings a grounded view on how AI could reshape the way Indian households save, invest, and manage risk.
In this episode, we discuss:
The Savings Gap: Why India’s household savings rate has dropped and what it means for the economy.
The 3 Layers of Advice: How to distinguish between investment management, advisory, and personal finance.
Bionic Advice: Why the future isn't 100% automation, but a blend of AI scale and human empathy.
The Indian Context: Why global financial models often fail to account for India’s "family-first" mindset and unique trust dynamics.
Expert Systems vs. Pure AI: Navigating the risks of AI hallucinations in long-term financial planning.
If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe and leave a review. Let us know in the comments: Do you trust AI to manage your long-term life goals?
Resources:
Find Sanjiv on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjivsinghal/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411
All episode transcripts are available on Substack and Medium.
Chapters:
00:00 – Season 2 Introduction
01:24 – Introduction to Sanjiv Singhal and Scripbox
04:22 – The Twin Challenges: Savings vs. Credit
09:54 – The Three Layers of Financial Advice
12:44 – LLMs and Democratizing Financial Knowledge
15:43 – Why "Expert Systems" Trump Pure AI
23:00 – The Unique Traits of the Indian Investor
30:00 – What is "Bionic Advice"?
41:20 – Speed Round: Investing Habits & Gold
60:28 – Financial Advice for the Next Generation
1 hr 9 min
December 11, 2025Ep 010 - Will AI Replace Lawyers? Navigating Indian Tech Law and Data Privacy - Karishma Sundara
Is legal compliance a stumbling block or a long-term investment for Indian startups?
In this episode of Chai & Chips, I sat down with Karishma Sundara, founder of Kintsugi Law. With a decade’s experience advising on TMT (Technology, Media, and Telecommunications) at India’s top-tier law firms, Karishma breaks down the rapidly evolving legal landscape in India.

We discuss the philosophy behind "Kintsugi Law", and how compliance can offer a sustainable, "golden" foundation. From the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP) to the complexities of AI labelling and consent managers, this conversation is a must-watch for founders and tech enthusiasts trying to keep up with the law.

In this episode, we cover:
The meaning of Kintsugi and why compliance is an investment.
The impact of India’s new online gaming and data protection laws.
Global comparisons: How India’s AI regulations stack up against the EU and China.
What "Consent Managers" are and how they will change consumer privacy.
Advice for startups: Building a compliant framework from day one.
The future of legal practice in the age of generative AI tools and legal tech.
Chapters:
02:27 - Introduction: Karishma Sundara & The Philosophy of 'Kintsugi Law'
03:27 - TMT Landscape: Online Gaming, Data Protection, AI Labeling, and Global Comparisons
10:33 - AI & Content Creators: Do You Need to Label Your Output?
12:42 - India’s Approach to Tech Regulation: Balancing Innovation and Control
14:33 - The DPDP Act: Understanding Consent and Security Safeguards
23:36 - Legal Advice for Startups: Compliance as an Investment, Not a Cost
25:11 - Unintended Consequences: Consent Managers and Notice Fatigue
28:28 - Rapid Fire: Consulting Styles, Movies, and Passions outside Law
35:03 - The Future of Law: AI's Impact on Pending Cases & Young Lawyers
41:31 – The Final Question – Vision of India

Disclaimer: The content of this episode is purely informational. Nothing contained in this episode should be construed, or considered as, or relied upon as legal advice.

Resources:
Find Karishma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karishma-sundara/
Find Prakash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prakash-mallya/
Find Prakash on X: https://x.com/PrakashMallya
Find Prakash on Substack: https://www.prakashmallya.com/s/chai-and-chips-podcast
Find Prakash on Medium: https://medium.com/@pmallya2411
All episode transcripts are available on Substack and Medium.
46 min

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