We speak with Roopa Pai, the acclaimed children’s author. Having written more than 15 books ranging from a fantasy series, the Taranauts, to the Crossword Award-winning book, The Gita For Children, she has proven to be a trailblazer in children’s writing.

In this conversation, we speak about her love and dedication to children’s writing, how she stumbled upon the deep knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and Vedas, how she makes the ancient scriptures engaging for kids, the meaning of swadhyaya and why she hopes her work can inspire children and adults to not only understand the core message of the Gita but also that their only duty is to love themselves.

At the soul, as always, we go on this journey of questions to truly ask only question - what is Roopa Pai’s Philosophy of Now?

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Samuel Freedman, a former Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times writer for the On Religion column, speaks to us about the modern news landscape and  navigating through the clutter of fake news.

The professor of Media Ethics at the Columbia University School of Journalism tells us about the role of news and transparent reporting during the current political turmoil and post-Election climate. He guides us in being conscious consumers of the media and tells us the true historical value of looking at both sides of a story to understand the reality we live in. 

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We speak with one of India's most popular and talented singers today, Sid Sriram. Sriram, born in Chennai but raised in the U.S., fell in love with both worlds of music at a young age. Learning Carnatic music from a lineage of classical artists while being exposed to R&B and soul music in America, the singer graduated from the Berklee School of Music.

Grabbing the attention of Oscar and Grammy winner, A.R. Rahman, Sriram instantly made his mark in the Tamil and Telugu film music industry with hits numbers like Adiye, Samajavaragamana, and Ennodu Nee Irundhaal,  multiple awards and and a vast fanbase.

The singer-musician tells us why he calls himself a true hybridist, the spiritual side of music-making, his own album, the relationship between intuition and intention and why A.R. Rahman told him to fast.

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We speak with Nandita Das, the acclaimed filmmaker and actor and former Cannes Film Festival jury member. Celebrated for her path breaking roles and directorial ventures in films, Das has allowed her films to be a voice to speak out about issues that matter. 

Whether it be the National Film Award-winning film Firaaq or the critically-acclaimed film Manto about the life of the outspoken short story writer, Saadat Hasan Manto, Das consistently shows how historical social flaws reflect our living reality today. Beyond her feature films, Das has led social justice campaigns too. 

We speak to her about her journey into the Indian film industry, the seamless union of filmmaking and activism, and how self-reflection drives her to create more meaningful content. 

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In this episode, we speak with Dr. Christian Braneon, a  scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies and a visiting professor in the Environmental Science Department at Barnard College. His work outside of academia is focused on stakeholder engagement, satellite imagery and climate projections. 

He speaks to us about the urban heat island effect impacting our cities across the globe. He explains the steps we can take to make sure we ensure a better future for ourselves and the generations to come, as we face a major climate change crisis. 

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Our guest today, Dr. Pamela Wisniewski, is the Task Force Chair at the University of Central Florida’s Socio-Technical Interaction Lab and a professor at the university’s Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Department.

Much of her research focuses on the threats and impact of social media on youth and adolescents. From mental health struggles on youngsters from bullying online to the need for online safety for parents and children to the threats of privacy, she has been a part of more than a 100 publications related to the field.

In our insightful conversation, she explains the major pitfalls of the social media landscape, if there are any rays of hope for us living in a social dilemma that threatens our privacy, and how we can become more aware and cautious consumers of digital media for the future.

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A former monk for 15 years in India and New York City, Pandit Dasa gives talks and teaches classes on yoga, mindfulness, meditation, resilience and stress management. From being a child of the American Dream to facing the reality of the ups and downs life very early to then becoming a monk and now a speaker, teacher, and author, Dasa speaks with us on his spiritual journey, the beauty of mindfulness meditation and what devotion means to him.

We also speak about Dasa's new book, "Closing The Apps: How To Be Mindful At Work and At Home!"  It available on Amazon and his website - panditdasa.com. 

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Our guest this episode is Dr. Christopher Emdin, Director of Science Education at the Teachers College in Columbia University. A researcher in urban education and  the founder of the HipHopEd movement, Emdin has built programs to help educators create a positive impact in classrooms for students to learn subjects in creative ways like rap and hip hop.

A public speaker on topics like race, culture, inequality and youth empowerment, Dr. Emdin speaks to us about his journey, hip hop, what is lacking in our modern education system, and what is required for real change. 

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One of the most reputed consciousness theorists and neuroscientists in the world, Dr. Allan Combs talks about his journey. Having written over 200 books, articles, and chapters on consciousness and the complexity of the mind, Dr. Combs tells us about his spiritual journey, mysteries surrounding the root of human awareness, and why he believes learning to explore our conscious nature can make us more compassionate people. 

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