On Episode 90 of the #LearningStories podcast we chat with Prachi Gohil. Prachi is a technology consultant by profession and a humanist at heart. Born and brought up in Mumbai, she has lived in New York City, Seattle, Raleigh, Bengaluru and Pune. A self-taught writer, an avid reader and a budding patron of the arts, she believes creativity is deeply embedded in the human consciousness. She hosts silent readings at Fictionary Bandra and curates art crawls for creative communities in Mumbai. She’s been working on the manuscript for her debut non-fiction book, “To Wonderland”, a collection of essays, poems and short stories delving into the identity of a young woman navigating the modern world of interconnected digital and analog experiences. You can find her on Instagram, Linkedin and Substack.

Show Chapters

(00:05) - Podcast Introduction

(00:30) - Guest Background

(01:20) - On her debut non fiction book

(01:55) - Stories from your childhood

(02:00) - "Mumbai is my favourite city"

(02:45) - "I have a sister who is an architect"

(02:50) - "There was not too much social media back in the day"

(03:10) - "We had a lot of free time in the afternoons after school"

(04:50) - On my family environment

(05:40) - "I expressed my creativity through words"

(06:00) - On making space for creativity and free play

(07:50) - Growing up around readers and languages at home

(08:50) - "We always had books which were age appropriate at home"

(09:30) - "We were told stories in English, Marathi and Gujarati"

(10:20) - Books I loved from a young age

(18:00) - Studying Engineering and Marketing as a university student

(18:10) - "Teenage years are always a really rough time"

(18:30) - "I liked Mathematics and the Pure Sciences"

(19:20) - "Programming has an element of creativity"

(19:40) - My experience as an engineering student for 4+ years

(20:50) - "I got to learn programming and a lot of it was self taught

(21:00) - "Classroom education was not as exciting for me"

(21:30) - Exploring jobs and internships after my undergraduate degree

(22:25) - Starting a creative consultancy business after college

(23:00) - My first internship experience

(23:20) - "My non-paid internship turned into a full time advertising job opportunity"

(24:00) - Why I was curious about digital marketing?

(24:30) - My gap year and exploring freelance writing

(25:00) - Pursuing graduate studies at NYU in integrated marketing

(25:50) - Experience living and studying in New York City

(27:00) - Creativity in the arts and sciences

(29:30) - Balancing work and hobbies as a working professional

(31:50) - "On Sundays, I started a ritual of writing a blog"

(32:10) - "I maintained a blog called, 'Simply Prachi' for a long time"

(32:30) - Writing to understand my different identities, relationships and life experiences

(34:20) - Experience living and working in Seattle

(36:00) - Growing up in the age of social media

(37:00) - How Instagram and Twitter has changed over time?

(38:00) - How technology shaped my relationships?

(40:00) - "I have recorded these experiences over time in my blog and letters"

(42:50) - Moving back to India and living in different cities

(43:00) - Technology and the illusion of connection

(44:00) - Living in Bengaluru and Pune during the digital revolution in India

(45:20) - How technology can impact your dating life?

(48:30) - How technology helps you as a reader?

(51:00) - How technology helps you as a writer?

(57:00) - On nurturing book and art communities in Mumbai

(1:02:10) - Book Recommendation

(1:03:30) - Film Recommendation

(1:04:30) - Art Recommendation

(1:05:30) - Closing Notes

Show Links

Prachi's Website - https://www.prachigohil.com/

Show Description

#LearningStories is an audio and video show where we interview a diverse set of learners from the 21st century. Each guest profiled here has a unique story to share about how they acquired a set of valuable skills and knowledge in a creative and innovative manner.

On Episode 89 of the #LearningStories podcast we chat with Uday Khambadkone. He was born and raised in Mumbai. He discovered his passion for photography while pursuing an Engineering degree in the United States. An accidental encounter with a dark room course in Irving, Texas sparked a journey that has led to more than two decades in documenting cultures and social causes around the world. You can find him on Substack and Linkedin.

Show Chapters

(00:05) - Podcast Introduction

(00:30) - Guest Background

(02:25) - Stories from your childhood

(02:35) - "I had a younger brother"

(02:45) - "Both my parents used to go to work"

(03:10) - "We spent a lot of time in my grandmother's place"

(03:45) - What was your relationship with your brother?

(04:20) - The cabinet incident at home

(05:00) - What do you remember of your school days?

(05:40) - "I was not a very studious student"

(05:50) - "I did not enjoy history and geography"

(06:00) - "I liked math and science"

(06:17) - "I also enjoyed baking"

(07:00) - What kind of books do you like reading now?

(08:00) - My 8th grade math teacher

(08:40) - Breaking down radios at home with my brother

(10:00) - What were your memories of studying engineering as a student?

(10:20) - "I always like to try different things to solve problems"

(11:00) - The experience of writing and submitting an academic paper

(12:45) - Experience as a graduate student in the US

(14:00) - The transition from digital signal processing to telecommunication

(15:20) - What were your early years as an engineer in the US like for you?

(16:30) - The positive and negative aspects of moving to a new country

(17:30) - "I went with a very open mind"

(18:00) - "I did not experience too much discrimination"

(21:40) - The many narratives and stories of a place

(22:55) - What was your experience learning photography at a community college?

(23:45) - "I took photography classes in that community college for 6+ years"

(24:50) - "In the US, lots of working professionals do courses at community colleges"

(25:30) - Who were your first photography teachers?

(27:20) - How did you work with your community college to create photography courses?

(28:00) - The difference between learning to be an engineer and a photographer

(29:00) - "I never looked at photography as a professional endeavor"

(30:00) - Why photography was not a viable career option?

(31:00) - "I was using my job to fund my love for photography"

(32:00) - How did social media change photography?

(32:40) - "Instagram is quite limiting as a platform"

(33:10) - Why do photographers need to study the work of other photographers?

(34:10) - Advice for newer generation of photographers

(37:35) - How to find your voice as a photographer?

(37:55) - Stories behind the Photography Project in Ecuador

(42:10) - Stories behind the Photography Project in Mexico

(43:10) - Stories behind the Photography Project in Bosnia

(45:00) - How your lived experience influences your photography?

(46:30) - How we remember the stories of our life?

(47:10) - How we present our lives on social media?

(48:00) - Researching the people in my photos

(50:20) - Stories behind capturing photos of a mother

(53:35) - The value of family photographs

(1:00:15) - Why print photographs and the dangers of digital photos?

(1:01:20) - How loved ones capture your photos?

(1:04:20) - The photographers legacy collective

(1:07:00) - Learning from street photographers you admire

(1:11:00) - Closing Notes

Show Links

Uday's Website - https://udaykhambadkone.com/

'Chalo Chalo Click' Substack Newsletter - https://chaloclickclick.substack.com/about

Uday on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/udaykhambadkone/

Show Description

#LearningStories is an audio and video show where we interview a diverse set of learners from the 21st century. Each guest profiled here has a unique story to share about how they acquired a set of valuable skills and knowledge in a creative and innovative manner.

On Episode 88 of the #LearningStories podcast we chat with Shruti Sah. She is an entrepreneur, documentary film maker, branding professional, community builder and baker. She completed an undergraduate degree in English Literature at Delhi University, followed by a graduate degree in Mass Communication at Christ University. She then spent eight years in the corporate world as a branding, PR and communication professional. During this time she also started building and working on projects that brought people together around food, books and public spaces. Theses projects include the Third Base Bakery, Bookmark Dating App and Pint of View Club. Apart from these projects she co-founded, Cubbon Reads and steered the silent reading movement across the globe with 120+ chapters in 70+ cities. She also works independently as a documentary film maker. In this episode we spoke about her professional journey and stories from her childhood and college years that shaped her thinking over time. You can find her on Instagram and Linkedin.

Show Chapters

(00:05) - Podcast Introduction

(00:30) - Guest Background

(01:10) - Stories from your childhood

(01:15) - "I was quite a rebel kid"

(02:00) - "Me and my sister learned Bharatnatyam from a young age"

(04:00) - How did you develop a passion for baking from a young age?

(06:10) - What made you chose English Literature as a college major?

(09:10) - What was your experience studying Mass Communication at Christ University?

(11:10) - Taking a career break to explore other projects and interests

(12:00) - How did you learn documentary film making from scratch as an adult?

(13:00) - How did you grandfather influence and shape your thinking?

(16:00) - My first childhood business project of selling toffees

(18:20) - How did your parents influence and shape your thinking?

(20:20) - My childhood friends and nurturing those bonds

(21:20) - "Allahabad was a very small town and everyone knew everyone then"

(22:00) - Memories of Early Life in Allahabad

(27:10) - What was your experience studying English Literature at Delhi University?

(28:10) - "Allahabad and Delhi are very different cities"

(29:10) - On college friendships

(31:10) - "English Literature does not offer you a clear career path"

(32:10) - What extra curricular activities were you involved in at Delhi University?

(34:10) - What books do you remember reading and studying at university?

(38:10) - What was your experience in the corporate world for eight years?

(39:10) - "I knew I get bored and could not do the same thing for long"

(40:10) - "I worked at Edelman in Gurgaon for three years

(41:10) - What was your experience working in a Public Relations roles for 3 years?

(43:10) - What was your experience working as a Brand Strategist at LBB?

(47:00) - What was your experience working as brand manager for 3 years?

(48:00) - "I had a lot of work life balance and explored other projects during this time"

(50:00) - What is the story behind Cubbon Reads?

(54:50) - Why did people from other cities want to recreate Cubbon Reads?

(55:50) - The power of silent reading communities

(58:20) - "Bringing people together brings me so much joy"

(58:40) - The story behind my home bakery project

(59:15) - The story behind the Bookmark Dating App

(59:35) - "I love talking to people and meeting new people

(1:02:40) - Documentary Film Recommendations

(1:09:30) - Book Recommendation

(1:11:30) - Closing Notes

Show Links

Shruti on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shrutisah/

Shruti on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shrutisah/

Third Base Bakery - https://www.instagram.com/thirdbase.bakery/

Cubbon Reads - https://www.instagram.com/cubbonreads/

Pint of View - https://www.instagram.com/pintofview.club/

Bookmark App - https://www.instagram.com/bookmarkappco/

Show Description

#LearningStories is an audio and video show where we interview a diverse set of learners from the 21st century.