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.

On Episode 93 of #LearningStories, I chat with Varun Gwalani. He is an author and teacher. He is a 7 time published author whose books span a variety of genres and stories. He has been teaching English and Creative Writing for nearly a decade now. He mentors young authors. He is a mental health advocate who has a TEDx talk on OCD. Finally he runs interactive murder mystery games that have been popular across the country. In this conversation we chat about his creative process and his advice for budding young authors in India. You can find Varun on Goodreads, Amazon and Instagram.

Show Chapters

(00:02) - Podcast Introduction

(00:20) - Guest Background

(02:10) - "I was the one always reading a book"

(02:20) - "There was a sense of loneliness growing up"

(02:40) - "Writing became an outlet for my emotions"

(02:50) - When was the first time your writing was recognized?

(03:40) - How did you develop the habit of reading as a student?

(05:00) - What was your experience studying English Literature at university?

(05:15) - On choosing to study the arts

(05:45) - Why I found literature fascinating?

(06:20) - "I like understanding how the human mind works"

(07:10) - "We are one story in the book of humanity and we are all of it"

(07:15) - "We are all different but we are all also connected"

(09:00) - What was your experience publishing your first book in India?

(10:20) - Why writers need to be critical about their work?

(10:40) - "So much of writing is about rewriting your work"

(12:00) - How do you decide what story idea to convert into a novel?

(13:50) - The story behind my second novel

(16:00) - "You should write what is meaningful to you and what matters to you"

(17:00) - What is your relationship to the characters in your stories?

(18:40) - "If I am not emotionally invested in my character than my readers won't be"

(19:20) - "Writing needs to interest me"

(19:40) - How writers create stories as architects and gardeners?

(20:10) - My creative process as a writer

(21:00) - The skills of a writer

(21:10) - "I taught in a school for 2 years"

(21:30) - Writing a story for teenagers and young adults

(22:17) - Writing a story set during the pandemic

(23:45) - How do your personal biases and experiences come into your stories?

(26:00) - "Writers must listen non jugdementally and approach stories with sensitivity"

(26:40) - Writing a story set inside a cult

(28:00) - The role of sensitivity reader and beta readers

(28:30) - Writing about difficult and challenging topics

(29:40) - The role and responsibility of the reader

(30:22) - Are the author's opinions the same as the character's opinions?

(31:22) - How author's market their books today in India?

(32:32) - Responding to reader feedback as an author

(33:52) - The reality of being an author of English fiction in India

(34:00) - Why people are reading more?

(35:10) - The challenges of marketing and selling your book in India

(36:00) - Can artists find a balance between business and creativity?

(37:20) - The process of creating murder mystery games for general audiences

(40:00) - What was your experience teaching English and Creative Writing?

(42:40) - How does a writer read? Who are your favourite writers?

(46:40) - Closing Notes and Connecting with Varun

Show Links

Varun on Linktree - https://linktr.ee/varung

Varun on Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7307603.Varun_Gwalani

Varun on Amazon - https://www.amazon.in/stores/Varun-Gwalani/author/

Varun on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/authorvarungwalani/

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 92 of the #LearningStories podcast I chat with Purvi Vora. She has a P.hD. in Science Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. She has worked in the education sector for close to a two decades. She started her career teaching science and media literacy in an inner city school in Manhattan. She moved to India in 2007 and joined the Akanksha Foundation as a school leader for charter school in Mumbai. She later worked at the American School of Bombay as the Community and Social Responsibility coordinator supporting K-12 teachers at the school in implementing service projects. She also taught science in 7th grade at the school. With her business partner, Sangita Kapadia, Purvi setup Reniscience Education LLP a coutique education consulting firm and think tank born out of a desire to promote learning that is empowering, joyful and relevant to the 21st century learner. You can find Purvi on Linkedin and learn about their work and impact at reniscienceeducation.com.

Show Chapters

(00:05) - Podcast Introduction

(00:40) - Guest Background

(02:50) - Stories from your childhood

(03:00) - "I'm a Mumbai girl"

(03:10) - "I went to girls school in Prabhadevi"

(03:30) - "There were 60 students in each class"

(03:40) - "School was all about friends and not learning

(04:00) - Memories of my teachers

(05:10) - Getting into trouble at school

(06:10) - Learning and exposure at home

(06:30) - "I grew up in a very open minded home"

(06:45) - "I had lots of friends and lived in a large society

(08:00) - Love for reading and books

(08:50) - What kinds of free play do you remember engaging with as a student?

(11:00) - Experience in high school and college

(12:40) - What were the first books you loved reading as a young person?

(16:40) - Helping my son become a reader as a parent in Mumbai

(19:00) - Learning in high school

(19:30) - "I loved geography and did not like commerce

(20:00) - "I studied Science in Grade 11 and 12"

(20:10) - What subject did you study in university as an undergraduate student and why?

(21:10) - "I always wanted to teach and decided to go abroad for studies"

(21:30) - What subject did you study in university as a graduate student and why?

(22:00) - Why did you decide to pursue a P.hD. in Science Education?

(22:40) - "Biology is my favourite science and Evolution is my favourite topic"

(24:00) - The two best classes I ever took were...

(25:00) - Experience studying microbiology at Rutgers University for 3 years?

(26:00) - What was the topic of your microbiology master's thesis?(27:00) - What was your experience pursuing a P.hD. in Education for 5 years?

(32:00) - What was your experience teaching in classrooms in New York?

(34:00) - What were the findings of your P.hD. thesis?

(40:00) - Experience as a school leader at a charter school in Mumbai for 4 years

(45:00) - Learning from other teachers and school leaders

(46:00) - Tapping into the funds of knowledge in the community

(51:00) - The mistakes I made as a school leader

(51:50) - What was your experience working at a private school in Mumbai?

(1:01:00) - Why did you decide to start an education consulting firm?

(1:02:40) - Our first clients and projects as education entrepreneurs in India

(1:06:00) - What is City as Lab (project based learning program in India?)

(1:10:40) - Learning as a parent

(1:13:40) - Goals as an educator and entrepreneur for the coming ten years

(1:16:00) - Book Recommendations

(1:19:00) - Closing Notes

Show Links

Purvi on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/purvi-vora-76690a20/

Reniscience Education Website - https://reniscienceeducation.com/about/

City as Lab Website - https://cityaslabindia.org/what-is-cal/

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.