On Episode 94 of #LearningStories, I chat with Ajay Kamalakaran. He is an independent journalist and writer with a special interest in Russia and the Soviet Union. He has lived in Russia and the US and is now based in Mumbai. Ajay if the author of four books including: 'Globetrotting for Love and Other Stories from Sakhalin Island' (2017), 'A Week in the Life of Svitlana' (2019), 'Colombo: Port of Call' (2026). His articles regularly appear on Russia Beyond, Manorama Online, Scroll and other publications. You can find Ajay on Goodreads.

Show Chapters

(00:02) - Podcast Introduction

(00:20) - Guest Background

(02:50) - Stories from your Childhood

(03:40) - "I was born here in Bombay"

(03:50) - "When I was quite young we moved to the US"

(05:00) - My love for basketball and the New York Yankees

(08:20) - What did you study at university?

(09:40) - "I first wanted to be a lawyer"

(10:00) - "You could chose between Science, Arts and Commerce in India"

(10:50) - "I always enjoyed writing as a student"

(11:30) - "I was told writing is a hobby and not a profession

(11:40) - "I studied banking and finances for my masters"

(12:10) - "I did not want to live my father's dream"

(12:30) - "I wanted t interact with people from different parts of the world"

(13:00) - "I decided to take the plunge and do journalism full time"

(13:40) - How did you acquire the skills and knowledge to become a journalist/writer?

(15:20) - Why did you want to move away from big cities?

(15:30) - What motivated you to learn Russia and move to the Russian Far East?

(16:00) - "There was an oil boom in Sakhalin Island and lots of expat families moved there"

(16:50) - "I started working for an English language newspaper

(17:30) - "I was also freelancing for the wire services"

(17:50) - "I edited that English newspaper in Sakhalin Island for four years"

(18:40) - "In America, I was the Indian Kid. In India, I was the American Kid"

(19:40) - The cultural, social and political history of Sakhalin Island

(28:00) - What was your experience as a journalist and editor in Sakhalin Island for 4 years?

(32:00) - "There would be months where the only space I spoke English was at work"

(33:40) - Why did you chose to write fiction to talk about your experience in Sakhalin Island?

(35:00) - The experience of working on a translation of my book into Russian

(37:20) - What was your experience working on your second work of fiction?

(43:15) - The challenges of writing fiction

(44:15) - Why writing is always a work in progress?

(46:00) - "Colombo is a home away from home for me"

(47:20) - Why did you want to write a book about Colombo

(48:30) - "I started reading about famous people that lived and travelled to Colombo"

(50:40) - What is the timeline you explore in your book about Colombo?

(54:00) - Exploring the golden era of steamships and ocean travel in this book

(57:00) - The elements of Malayali culture in Colombo

(58:10) - The idea of slow travel(58:30) - "It is about being where you are completely"

(59:40) - "I believe I am a traveller and rarely a tourist anywhere

(1:00:15) - Book and Film Recommendations

(1:03:30) - Closing Notes

Show Links

Ajay's Author Website - https://www.ajaykamalakaran.com/

Book Recommendation 1 - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54906247-the-amur-river?ref=nav_sb_ss_5_13

Book Recommendation 2 - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52319117-upon-a-sleepless-isle?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_19

Film Recommendation - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071411/

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.