Maharani Talks

"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.

Listen to the podcast as he talks about pushing his boundaries and why he calls himself an accidental designer.

You can check out the Maharani Talks on Instagram at www.instagram.com/maharanitalks

MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Show Notes:

• Childhood dream of being an inventor [01:18] • Accidental designer [05:06] • Facing resistance during early days [26:34] • Lean men series [28:38] • Going past a successful design [36:10] • What's your design process? [38:40] • From designing products to sculptures [43:10] • Design trends [50:41] • Art in public spaces [59:12]

Maalavika 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 artistes with the slowdown of movie releases. Listen to the podcast as she talks about the tight knit indie community and why she gravitates towards melancholic melodies. You can check out her music under Mali and Mali Manoj Music on Spotify and YouTube respectively.

You can check out the Maharani Talks on Instagram at www.instagram.com/maharanitalks

MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Show Notes:

• Earliest memory of music [04:16] • Early days with Bass in Bridge [10:42] • Managing early criticism [13:42] . Gravitating towards melancholic approach [15:20] . Using her music as a medium [17:07] . Dealing with self-doubt and comparison [18:46] . Her important milestone [22:56] . Making of her song, Absolute [25:12] . What she struggles most as an indie artiste? [28:12] . Are recording houses more receptive? [31:00] . Future plans [38:36] . Rapid fire [43:03]

A 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.

For their work in promoting positive news, Ghosh has received accolades such as the Manthan Award for journalism, Queen's Young Leader Runner-Up, Ashoka Youth Venturer and listed under Forbes Asia 30 Under 30. You can check out The Optimist Citizen at www.theoptimistcitizen.com

You can check out the Maharani Talks on Instagram at Maharani Talks

MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Show Notes:

• Being shaped by parents who are social entrepreneurs [01:21] • What prompted him to start The Optimist Citizen [03:05] • Early goals for the newspaper [6:40] . Difficulty in building a team [8:12] . Developing a pan India network [11:52] . His hardest lesson as an entrepreneur [14:09] . Most painful rejection/feedback [17:37] . Spinning positive stories on topical issues [19:33] . Editorial process [22:15] . Putting out credible news with news becoming freely available [33:14] . Building a community between the readers and the subjects [40:23] . Hopes for The Optimist Citizen [43:16]

Swetha 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.

Check out Sisters in Sweat on Instagram at @sistersinsweat.in.

You can check out the Maharani Talks on Instagram at www.instagram.com/maharanitalks

MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Show Notes:

• Importance of sports while growing up [02:31] • Quitting a corporate career to take up fitness [05:34] • Setting up a health club [07:44] . How difficult it was to become a Nike-certified trainer? [11:58] . Bias towards women trainers [14:06] . Need for tracking infradian rhythm for women athletes [20:32] . Sisters in sweat [22:05] . What is stopping women from playing sports? [28:00] . The evolving fitness industry [31:41]

Ayaz 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 humanity. From the design of homes post COVID and does aesthetics really play an important role?, to the intersection of architecture and artificial intelligence in designing, tune into the podcast to hear how he thinks the design field will evolve. ⠀

You can check out the Maharani Talks on Instagram at www.instagram.com/maharanitalks

MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Highlights:

• Initial days at The Busride [06:55] • What does he look for in a project? [14:06] • Encasing both history and future outlook of the city in a design [23:31] . Convergence of architecture and AI [27:29] . Role of aesthetics during a design process [37:06] . Design of spaces post-COVID [44:47] . What has the pandemic taught the design community? [53:13]

"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 and YourStory is a testament to that. It is now one of the most prominent digital media companies supporting entrepreneurs and more importantly, building a community for them. Listen on as Shradha shares her most valuable lessons in this episode.

You can check out the Maharani Talks on Instagram at www.instagram.com/maharanitalks

MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Show Notes:

• Her father's role while growing up [01:38] • Shradha's most profound childhood memory [07:00] • Getting through her mother's death [10:10] . What being kind in the biz world has taught her? [13:28] . Importance of bootstrapping [18:28] . What would she have done differently? [20:06] . Her core strength as a leader [27:22] . What has COVID taught in running her business? [28:02] . Reassessing YourStory priorities [32:24] . Another passion she would've pursued? [36:50] . What's the biggest impact you want to leave in this world? [38:15] . Work-life balance [44:19] . What Shradha would like to share with other women entrepreneurs? [50:15]

When 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 companies is to genuinely focus their effect on the environment.

You can check out the Maharani Talks on Instagram at www.instagram.com/maharanitalks

MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Show Notes:

• Taking up pharmacology [02:25] • Starting Ecoware [04:06] • Navigating Delhi with minimal understanding of Hindi [09:06] . Facing pushback in a plastic-saturated market [14:06] . Getting Indian Railways on board [17:52] . Expanding four-fold [22:35] . Your biggest struggle [25:03] . Techniques to centre yourself on bad days [28:50] . Wife-husband partnership [31:44] . Winning Nari Shakti Puraskar award [35:04] . Solutions for Delhi air pollution due to crop burning [38:02] . Sustainability revolution and importance of ESG investing [42:58]

Sharath 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 also the first table tennis player to be awarded the Padma Shri and through his career given huge visibility to the sport. Despite starting with no recognition as a junior player and an injury that almost put a stop to his playing days at the age of 32, Sharath's career has exemplified the importance of grit and patience for an athlete. Listen to his fascinating journey despite the heartbreaks, hitting rock bottom and bouncing back.

You can check out the Maharani Talks on Instagram at www.instagram.com/maharanitalks

MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Show Notes:

• Dealing with pandemic during the Oman Title win [01:54] • Picking up the sport at the age of two [07:18] • Hitting a low point in his career [16:00] . Dealing with rejection and a bad patch in playing [22:33] . Coming back from an injury that derails his playing days [25:37] . What has kept him going in his long career? [35:25] . The need to win big tournaments to bring visibility to the sport [39:46] . Managing fitness during lockdown [42:51] . Supporting the Table Tennis fraternity during this crisis [46:37]

Ashwin 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.instagram.com/maharanitalks

MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Highlights:

• From engineering to fashion designer [01:25] • His first designer walk [07:30] • Getting noticed in the fashion world [10:44] . Creative coincidences vs. plagiarism[12:45] . Coming out with new collection every season [15:50] . Talking about his Oscar red carpet moment [17:22] . What is stopping South Indian designers to be considered on par with North Indian designers? [20:17] . Living in Chennai as a gay man [23:00] . Seven spontaneous questions [27:30]

Nikhil 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 are facing and the lessons we're learning from this pandemic. So do listen in. You can reach him @tanejamainhoon and check out Yuvaa @weareyuvaa on Instagram.

You can check out the Maharani Talks on Instagram at www.instagram.com/maharanitalks

MUSIC: Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Show Notes:

• His childhood days [03:015] • Writing letters on global policy to newspapers [06:11] • Being bullied as a child [10:35] . Was the anxiety attack a wakeup call? [17:04] . Posting about his anxiety on social media [24:21] . Taking men's mental health discussion forward [27:03] . How does he manage stress? [33:30] . How GEN Z are managing the lockdown? [37:10] . Being more empathetic on social media [41:22]