TheCoolKarnis - Beyond the Stereotype! Celebrate the Journeys of Passionate Trailblazers

Would you believe it if I tell you that Ambani, Musk or Bezos donated all their wealth to become a traveling and singing monk??This very first episode of #TheCoolKarnis is a similar story of one such inspiring story of a blessed character, believed to be a divine incarnation, who lived over 500 years ago! Born in a rich family, he was a prosperous diamond merchant who gave up all his wealth on one divine calling. As they say in our culture - start with the Lord's name... hence this episode sharing the story of a #trailblazer whose life changed completely and he is still recognised by his new name after he became a traveling mendicant! This is a unique Riches-to-Rags-to-Glory story!Hope you like this episode! I apologies to all in advance if I may have misrepresented or underrepresented any part of this historic story. The intent is not to provide historic details about this great personality, but to highlight that our Podcast intends to identify similar trailblazers today who have listened to their calling and have embarked on a new journey - successfully! Second Episode with a live person will be out soon. #inspirational #ForgingNewPaths

#RichesToRagsToGlory

Welcome Back to the next episode (#14) of TheCoolKarnis where we continue our conversation with Padmashri Shashi Shekhar Vempati. In this episode, Shashi continues his professional work and passion in parallel as #OffStumped takes off and starts getting noticed. Then he is invited to meet Chief Minister Modi in 2011, which changes the course of this journey as a Technocrat! Shashi shares anecdotes about his appointment as the Prasar Bharti CEO, his interactions with leaders and his learnings... which are lessons for all of us. One amusing recollection is him dozing off before meeting the PM! His Journey is reminiscent of how life has a way of training you for the future.Please find more details about his work at:https://www.ai4india.org/https://x.com/shashidigital?lang=en Prasar Bharti YouTube Archives: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGOtbWfLKZ0QNU_CfvVrJAgThank you for your support. We request you to please Like, Share, Comment and Subscribe to our page for more such inspiring stories. And yes, please do recommend any CoolKarnis that you are aware of. You can reach us via comments or email us at [email protected].

You can find and follow us on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.coolkarnisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_coolkarnis YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_CoolKarnis #narendramodi #mannkibaat #collectivespiritconcreteaction

#Offstumped

#prasarbharti #AI4India#infosys #iitmumbai #RajeshJain #ArunJaitley #HamidAnsari #VenkaihNaidu #PKMisra #NripendraMisra #sudheendrakulkarni

#PrakashJavdekar #NarayanaMurthy

#NandanNilekani

#TheCoolKarnis

Welcome to the next episode (#13) of #TheCoolKarnis featuring Padmashri Shashi Shekhar Vempati. Let us begin with congratulating Shashi on the recent honour of being conferred with the Padmashri Award by the Government of India.

Do note that this podcast was originally recorded and posted in 2025, before he received this award (2026).

I am reminded of 1994 Tom Hanks hit Forrest Gump... Shashi's journey also continues through various key events in India and the world. Shashi had a dream journey - IIT Mumbai, Job in Infosys in mid 90s, posting in US by early 2000s, and a passion on the side... and then he is invited to meet an Indian Chief Minister in 2011, which changes the course of this journey and makes him a Technocrat! Life then takes a full circle wherein his first job and his most recent job as the CEO of Prasar Bharti are both in the same building in New Delhi. And yes, the CM he met is none other than the honorable Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. His journey is unique and inspiring and shows how life is continually trains us for the next journey! Don't miss the several honourable mentions about his school and college alumni. The next episode will highlight how his Infosys journey readied him for his toughest role in the Public Sector.Please find more details about his work at:https://www.ai4india.org/https://x.com/shashidigital?lang=en Thankyou for your support. We request you to please Like, Share, Comment and Subscribe to our page for more such inspiring stories. And yes, please do recommend any CoolKarnis that you are aware of. You can reach us via comments or email us at [email protected].

You can find and follow us on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the.coolkarnisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_coolkarnis YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_CoolKarnis #narendramodi #mannkibaat #collectivespiritconcreteaction#Offstumped#prasarbharti #AI4India#infosys #iitmumbai #forrestgump #tomhanks #swamivivekananda #vivekchaudhary #uttamkumarreddy #tilakvarma #sudheendrakulkarni#chetanbhagat #Engineeringindia#tajmahal

This month’s conversation with Dr. Raghavendra Rachuri (Episodes 11 & 12) tracks a professional transition so radical it sounds like fiction. We often discuss pivoting within corporate ecosystems, but what happens when a highly specialized US-based software engineer walks away from a lucrative technology track to enter a traditional Sanskrit Gurukula system from scratch—studying alongside six-year-olds? This two-part interview has garnered the maximum views on our channel, and for good reason. It is an absolute masterclass on dismantling professional ego, engineering deep focus, and reclaiming total sovereignty over your mind.

This month on #TheCoolKarnis, we sit down with a corporate technology veteran who executed a complete life reset. Dr. Rachuri breaks down the mechanics of structured memory, the psychological friction of unlearning, and how ancient cognitive frameworks can revolutionize modern executive processing.

This month’s conversation with Dr. Raghavendra Rachuri (Episodes 11 & 12) tracks a professional transition so radical it sounds like fiction. We often discuss pivoting within corporate ecosystems, but what happens when a highly specialized US-based software engineer walks away from a lucrative technology track to enter a traditional Sanskrit Gurukula system from scratch—studying alongside six-year-olds? This two-part interview has garnered the maximum views on our channel, and for good reason. It is an absolute masterclass on dismantling professional ego, engineering deep focus, and reclaiming total sovereignty over your mind.

Welcome to Episode 10 of #TheCoolkarnis Ft. #HarFanMaula Ashwin Kumar Bindu.Super excited as it's the first this year. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! We continue with Ashwin's journey touching upon his interests in Cricket, Philanthropy, Social work, Temple, Politics and more. As promised we start with a glimpse into their wonderful home, largely reflecting their ideas and designs. Here at The_CoolKarnis, we meet trailblazers who are successfully pursuing their passion either as their new career or in parallel to an existing career.Let's learn about their Cool deeds or Karnis... what we call as The CoolKarnis! Follow us on: Facebook: The.CoolKarnisInstagram: The_CoolKarnis Youtube: The_CoolKarnis (Podcast will be hosted here) #madhwacharya #gururaghavendraswamy #Svkb#puttigemutt #JacintaAllan#chanakawelegedara#OsmaniaUniversity #PayItForward#NeekiKar#TheCoolKarnis #trailblazers#BreakingBoundaries#DefyStereotypes#ForgeNewPaths#SanjivCreates

Welcome to episode 09 of #TheCoolKarnis featuring an HarFanMaula - Ashwin Kumar Bindu. Ashwin is an Engineer with a Masters in Information Systems, but a chance start as a Banking Contact Centre Agent introduced a new track / path for Ashwin that continues today touching new avenues. Here at The_CoolKarnis, we meet trailblazers who are successfully pursuing their passion either as their new career or in parallel to an existing career.Let's learn about their Cool deeds or Karnis... what we call as The CoolKarnis! Follow us on: Facebook: The.CoolKarnisInstagram: The_CoolKarnis Youtube: The_CoolKarnis (Podcast will be hosted here) #OsmaniaUniversity #PayItForward

#NeekiKar

#TheCoolKarnis #trailblazers

#BreakingBoundaries

#DefyStereotypes

#ForgeNewPaths

#SanjivCreates

What happens when you apply the principles of strategic advisory and strict governance to your own personal life?

Meet my college friend, Prasanna Patankar. For years, he was the IT turnaround specialist—parachuted in to rescue corporate projects that were deep in the red. But when 18-hour workdays and a severe health scare pushed his own family to the brink, he and his wife Asawari realized their current lifestyle was unsustainable.

They didn’t just quit. They engineered a highly structured, calculated exit from the corporate rat race. By applying rigorous discipline to their finances, they cleared a massive home loan by age 41 and built Evolve Fit Circle, a thriving health and wellness community.

In Episode 08 of #TheCoolKarnis, Prasanna and I sit down to discuss this incredible joint leap. We cover everything from the importance of functional movement to finding absolute clarity when your personal life demands a turnaround.

Watch the full episode below to see how prioritizing health and executing a structured transition can rewrite your family’s legacy.

https://youtu.be/vn8XreTlrGo

#TheCoolKarnis #CareerPivot #StrategicAdvisory #HealthAndWellness #Leadership #CorporateExit

Welcome Back to the next episode of #TheCoolKarnis featuring #PankajAthawale @Pankaj.KhiladiNo1 - a multi faceted personality who avoided the stereotype and grabbed opportunities with both hands. This is the second and concluding part of the discussion with Pankaj - my collegemate and is an Instrumentation Engineer by profession. In this episode we learn about the other passions and career tracks Pankaj has pursued as a University Faculty Member, Author, Skill Trainer, Social Enterpreneur, Health Food Suppliers, Archer and most importantly a model citizen who wishes to give back to the community!Learn more about his initiatives at https://www.aaharonomics.com/ Disclaimer: We tried hard to stick to our agenda and stick to English as the language but when two Mumbaikars college mates get together it is very difficult to stay on track. There is a lot of banter, but we hope you will enjoy the banter as well and hopefully be reminded of your own college days! Some bragging rights here... Our AlmaMater, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology or #RGIT is also the college where the current superstar #VickyKaushal graduated from. So we are his seniors :) Thankyou for your support. We request you to please Like, Share and Subscribe to our page for more such inspiring stories. And yes, please do recommend any CoolKarnis that you are aware of. You can reach us via comments or email us at [email protected]. You can also find and follow us on:Insta: The_CoolKarnis Youtube: The_CoolKarnis Fb: The.CoolKarnis @cricketchronicleswithchandresh #pankajathawale #DrDeepaliAthawale#ChandreshNarayanan#cricketchronicleswithchandresh #aaharonomics#sachintendulkar #ShahrukhKhan#brettlee #vickykaushal #sportsbroadcasting #inspiring #WiredForSports#socialentrepreneurs #nishanebaaj #WinningBlueprint #TheCoolKarnis #sanjivcreates

Welcome Back to the next episode of #TheCoolKarnis featuring a multi faceted personality who avoided the stereotype and grabbed opportunities with both hands - Pankaj Athawale. Pankaj was my collegemate and is an Instrumentation Engineer by profession. Coming from a joint family he was clear he wanted to stay with his family and grow the business his father started. But life kept presenting varied opportunities and our sharp sportsman didn't miss any good delivery! Our conversation went long and hence we will split this into 2 parts, will share Part 2 of this next week.Disclaimer: We tried hard to stick to our agenda and stick to English as the language but when two Mumbaikars college mates get together it is very difficult to stay on track. There is a lot of banter, but we hope you will enjoy the banter as well and hopefully be reminded of your own college days! Some bragging rights here... Our AlmaMater, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology or #RGIT is also the college where the current superstar #VickyKaushal graduated from. So we are his seniors :) Thankyou for your support. We request you to please Like, Share and Subscribe to our page for more such inspiring stories.  And yes, please do recommend any CoolKarnis that you are aware of. You can reach us via comments or email us at [email protected]. You can also find and follow us on:Insta: The_CoolKarnis Youtube: The_CoolKarnis Fb: The.CoolKarnis #PankajAthawale#sachintendulkar #ShahrukhKhan#sportsbroadcasting #inspiring #socialentrepreneur #WiredforSports#TheCoolKarnis #sanjivcreates