Maharani Talks

How 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 curated the first ever international narrative and image based exhibit on historical criminal investigations from the Indian Subcontinent.

She has been awarded the 'Honorary mention' at the Prix Ars Electronica 2013 awards, an international award for excellence in Cyber Arts & online Media, the L'oreal Paris Femina Women Achievers' Award 2013 and the Innovator of the Year – India Today Women's Summit, 2014. In 2015, Anusha was listed as the top 21 photographers to follow on Instagram. She is also the founder of The Memory Company, a design firm that works on projects related to history and popular culture. Join in as we talk about how Indian Memory Project is continuing to shape how we experience history and how she views the role of her numerous other works.

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

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

Highlights:

• When did your fascination with history begin? [02:15] • How has Indian Memory Project changed in these 10 years? [09:27] • When did you realise how big Memory Project had become? [13:11] . How has life changed since? [14:26] . Which era did you find most interesting? [18:26] . About her portrait series, Transfixed [25:08] . On her other project, Letters of Love [[34:55] . Role of Indian Memory Project in the future [36:33]

While 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 having the right mindset for dealing with founder's syndrome and the importance of delegation. You can check out the podcast on Instagram at www.instagram.com/maharanitalks

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

Highlights:

• Why did you feel the need to create a new skincare brand? [01:30] • Did you feel daunted by the competitive beauty market? [04:07] • How much research went into it? [06:44] . Importance of design [10:56] . Dealing with lonely days as an entrepreneur [14:36] . Documenting her process [16:56] . Initial marketing of the product [20:51] . Dealing with rejection [23:23] . Founder-centric vs. Influencer strategy route [26:07] . Inspiration in entrepreneurship [29:26]

"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 time and what she thinks will be the trends in eating out that the pandemic has effected. You can reach her at @mathangi.kumar on Instagram. You can check us out https://www.instagram.com/maharanitalks/

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

Show Notes:

• Early days of That Madras Place [02:04] • Problems faced by women restaurateur [04:30] • How has the past three months been like? [8:00] • What is the whole community going through? [09:50] • Percentage of independent restaurants closing down [14:25] • Gearing up for unlock phase one [18:39] . Food and dining trends in the coming months [20:42] . Third party delivery apps [26:13] . Last restaurant visited [30:55]

"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. Reach out to us at @maharanitalks on Instagram or on Twitter @mahathisays.

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

Highlights:

• What made him a mental coach? [01:50] • Becoming part of Mindvalley [05:12] • What have you learnt during this lockdown? [06:40] . Navigating our emotions during the corona pandemic [09:40] . Managing relationships in physically constrained space [15:09] . Important conversations with ourselves [18:38] . Starting point to a meaningful conversation with others . Leveraging social media for better mental health [27:27] . Dealing with pandemic w.r.t long term goals [32:20]

"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 starting a social enterprise [07:25] . Current situation of women that IG has helped during COVID crisis [11:37] . Lack of financial literacy among many women across economic strata [14.20] . Importance of saving [18:28] . Plans moving forward [20:00] . Big Sister Program [21:50] . Dealing with her mental health [25:20]

Here'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