In this epsiode of Panoptic Conversations, we chat with Charu, an amazing urban designer who shapes cityscapes and navigates bureaucratic mazes with ease. Her stories about crafting spaces we live in are both mind-blowing and hilarious. Think shipping containers as tourist hubs—yes, you heard that right! 🏙️
We had a blast diving into Charu’s world of urban design. Here are some unmissable highlights (with timestamps so you can jump right in):
1. Urban Design 101: Charu breaks down what urban design really means—think city-scale architecture for parks and streets, not just pretty buildings! It’s how our spaces shape us. [Timestamp: 04:03]
2. Hampi’s Shipping Container Magic: Facing strict rules from the Archaeological Survey of India, Charu’s team got creative with shipping containers for tourist amenities at Hampi. Toilets, Wi-Fi, and cafes on wheels—genius! [Timestamp: 32:30]
3. Bureaucratic Adventures: Ever wondered why new roads get dug up instantly? Charu spills the beans on the chaotic coordination (or lack thereof) between departments. It’s a bureaucratic soap opera! [Timestamp: 41:52]
4. Temple Trick for Freedom: A heartwarming story about a local woman suggesting temples near metro stations—not for worship, but as a socially acceptable excuse for women to step out. Talk about design with a deeper purpose! [Timestamp: 16:46]
If you’re curious about why your metro station isn’t closer, why roads are a mess, or how cities can transform lives, this episode with Charu is packed with insights, laughs, and aha moments.
Tune in now to hear her incredible journey and the wild world of urban design 🎧
#Podcast #PanopticConversations #UrbanDesign #CityPlanning #BehindTheScenes
In this episode of Panoptic Conversations, we sit down with the ever-impressive Hardik Madhiwalla. A Chartered Accountant with experience at Big Four firms like EY and a stint with the Tamil Nadu government , Hardik is now gearing up for a major leap—pursuing his master's and PhD in finance in the US. 🏛️
We explore many fascinating career paths for a CA, delving into the challenges and opportunities that come with working at prestigious firms and within the government sector. Hardik shares his journey, from navigating corporate corridors to influencing policy-making at the state and central level! Expect insights on the intersection of finance, governance, and the academic pursuits that lie ahead for him.
Whether you're an aspiring CA, a policy enthusiast, or just curious about the diverse paths a finance career can take, this episode is packed with knowledge, experiences, and plenty of thought-provoking moments. 🎙️
Opportunities 📈
Resources 📖
Too long? Jump to your favourite part
In this episode of Panoptic Conversations, we hang out with our incredibly talented friend Pranit Kulkarni. Not only is he a counsel at the Bombay High Court ⚖️, but he also holds a master's degree in Law from University of Cambridge, bachelor's in Law from IIT Kharagpur and has an engineering background—talk about versatile! 🎓
We dive headfirst into the labyrinth of India's legal system, breaking down its structure and the unique challenges it throws at budding lawyers. Pranit spills the beans on his journey from the world of engines and cars to courtrooms and case files. Get ready for some insider tips, courtroom anecdotes, and a peek into the life of a modern-day lawyer. 🕵️♂️
Whether you're a law geek or just curious about the legal world, this episode is packed with insights, laughter, and a few surprises.🎙️
Read about Indian laws ⚖️
1. https://www.indiacode.nic.in/
2. https://sansad.in/phistory#mainContent
3. https://njdg.ecourts.gov.in/njdgnew/index.php
Books 📖
1. Court on Trial: A Data-Driven Account of the Supreme Court of India (https://amzn.in/d/0fxI7Ihx)
2. Roses in December- an autobiography (https://amzn.in/d/0ehRLElf)
3. Judges of the Supreme Court of India (https://amzn.in/d/01YoFyho)
4. Supreme Whispers (https://amzn.in/d/06wWXZd0)
Games 🎮
1. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Too long? Jump to your favourite part
(0:00) Pranit's Intro
(02:36) Peculiarities of Indian Judicial System
(6:44) Process of Law and Solving a Case
(13:40) The Many Different Courts of Justice
(18:59) Writ Jurisdiction of the High Court
(20:53) Benches of High Courts
(26:37) Colonial Hangover and Changing the System
(28:15) Common Law vs Civil Law
(34:11) Law and History
(35:56) What's a Privy Council?
(38:13) Visit to Cambridge and Historic Buildings
(42:00) Masters at Cambridge
(43:25) What Made You Choose Law?
(46:59) Prominent Institutes for Law
(47:54) What is Taught at Law School?
(49:22) Engineer vs Lawyer
(54:19) Patent Law India vs the World
(57:29) Different Types of IP Law
(01:00:16) Notable Cases from Personal Experience
(01:03:13) Common Trademark Infringement Cases
(01:06:49) Caveat Emptor or Responsibility of Consumer
(01:08:29) Career in Law
(01:12:35) Importance of Tags and Internships in Early Career Law
(01:15:42) How to Decide if Law is for You?
(01:17:43) Financial Realities of a Career in Law
(01:25:24) Old Wine in New Bottle - Reform in Indian Law
(01:29:15) Constitution is the Foundation, New Laws are the Apartments
(01:34:27) Basic Structure of the Constitution
(01:37:12) Law College Fun
(01:39:39) Impact of Technology on Practice of Law
(01:43:20) Reading List of Avid Law Enthusiasts
(01:49:23) AI in Law
(01:57:05) Amul Domain Name Scam: Challenges in Enforcing Technology Law
(02:03:09) Responsibility of the Court and Impact of Decisions
(02:06:33) What is a Day in the Life of a Lawyer?
(02:09:54) Emotions of a lawyer
(02:10:51) Lawyers: Morals vs Duty
(02:16:33) Lawyers and Fun?
(02:18:41) Closing Remarks and Advice for Young Lawyers
For this Panoptic Conversation, our special guest is Disha Paul, a dear friend from school. Having completed her BA and MS in psychology she's a trained psychologist 👩⚕️. Through our meandering conversation, we explore the mental health profession, its challenges and relevance in the modern context. Disha also shares how she got fascinated with psychology, her experience as a young professional and also busts a bunch of myths and stereotypes along the way.
👂 Join in on our fun and informative chat, from mental health to city life in various metros (with Disha espousing her undying love for Kolkata 😆).
ToC:
(0:00) Introductions
(3:14) Who are mental health professionals
(6:30) School times; A budding interest
(13:45) College times; What did I learn... 🤔
(18:00) Would I recommend psychologist as a career...
(22:00) Inter-sectional psychology. Therapy with a cause.
(27:15) Money talks 🤑
(34:30) Getting started as a professional
(40:00) State of mental health; an on-ground perspective
(51:00) Should you go for therapy?
(55:30) Bade bade sheher mein, badi badi baatein 😂
(1:02:00) Tech in psychology
(1:09:10) Bade bade sheher once again 🤣
(1:07:30) Hazards and misconceptions
(1:27:00) Saying bye 👋
Music:
Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode of Panoptic Conversations, we meet Anu Sharma, part product manager, part Influencer, full traveler 😎. Our free flowing and lively conversation traces her journey (pun!) turning her passion from a once a year trip into a full time gig.
ToC:
(0:00) Introductions
(6:30) Catching the travel bug
(11:30) Taking the leap - moving to Manali 🥶
(19:30) Finding a following on Instagram
(24:00) Are you a digital nomad?
(30:20) Travel vlogging as a full time job
(35:00) Influencer Diaries: Content strategy 📸
(46:00) Influencer Diaries: Rapid fire round
(55:20) Pro lessons in dissecting a travel itinerary
(1:04:00) Safety concerns as a solo female traveler
(1:15:00) Kolkata stories
(1:18:00) Managing as a vegetarian traveler
(1:26:20) Ending thoughts
Checkout her handles and share widely.:
* https://www.instagram.com/thevirgocompass
* https://www.youtube.com/c/TheVirgoCompass
Anu recently crossed 20k followers on her Instagram page! Congratulations! 🎊.
Music:
Wholesome by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesome
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Welcome to the second season of Panoptic Conversations with Tapan and Ishan. Woohoo, feels good to be back! In this season we will have unscripted discussions with our peers and friends who inspire us and we will try to get a sneak peek into their lives.
As our first guest we have Aashay Mehta, our dear friend from BITS Pilani. Aashay is that guy in your college with excellent academic record and yet ever so humble. With a perfect score of 340 in GRE, we discuss Aashay's thoughts on GRE preparations, university selections and most importantly, is Masters abroad worth it? We also deep dive into some interesting topics like the higher education system and end it with some sports banter. We had lots of fun during the conversation, hope you enjoy it too. Cheers!
ToC:
(0:00) - Introduction
(1:30) - GRE prep
(19:50) - Choosing university for MS
(34:00) - Measuring up academics and industry
(42:00) - Aashay and sports
(48:00) - Travel experiences (partly ruined by COVID!)
Links:
1. Word Power Made Easy - Norman Lewis
2. How Music Got Free - Stephen Witt
Live Update: Aashay just received admits from top US universities. Congratulations!
It has been a long journey and an exciting one to record and release 10 episodes of Panoptic Conversations. In this episode , the last one of the first season, Tapan and Ishan discuss the purpose of starting this podcast i.e their audio journal. They dive deep into analytics of their podcast and go through various metrics displayed on the distribution platform dashboard. They also discuss about the problem of discovery of podcasts and good content on the web in general. Stay tuned to get a glimpse of the second season, it's going to be fun.
Tapan and Ishan stumble upon statistical paradoxes in this recording of Panoptic Conversations. They are fascinated by the social network phenomenon that your friends have more friends than you and how, of all things, they'll use this to optimize their LinkedIn connections. They also talk about Simpon's paradox, Zipf's Law, Six degrees of separation and the hilarious Kevin Bacon number. Tune in to this episode and be introduced to an eclectic set of paradoxes and trivia.
Links:
In this recording of Panoptic Conversations, Tapan and Ishan share their fascination for AI voice technology and it's possibilities. From virtual influencers to podcast editing tools using AI voice and from cloning Amitabh Bachan's voice to startups coming up with innovating ways to protect voices, they discuss everything in between. Tune into this episode to hear this informative conversation on this fascinating new technology.
Links
Elon Musk. The name needs no introduction. In this recording of Panoptic Conversations, Tapan and Ishan discuss about the companies led by this social media hype machine. They focus on Tesla and how it has ushered us into an era of "Electronic Cars" from traditional "Mechanical Cars". However, is this fairy tale success story a coverup PR operation? Is there any trouble in paradise? Tapan and Ishan go through the latest criticisms faced by Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk. They also delve into Green Tech and progress made in India with some examples from around the world.
Links
How do you know what's true? Is there a single truth? In this recording of Panoptic Conversations, Tapan and Ishan discuss the critically acclaimed movie, "Rashomon", directed by Akira Kurosawa in 1950. They talk about the confusing yet engaging story which gave birth to a number of "firsts" in the film industry. With an open ended plot, the only conclusion that can be drawn from the movie is about the fallibilities of human nature. They observe Rashomon's influence in modern cinema and compare it with various Hollywood as well as Bollywood releases. This also leads to a possible solution to finding truth as they cite sci-fi series, "Black Mirror"'s episodes.
Links
In the early 2000s UK hospitals gamed the very policy made to govern them, how did that happen? What could have caused the COVID figures misreporting in many Indian states? Do we really know if bio-fuels are carbon neutral? Tapan and Ishan discuss these questions in the context of the Hannah Fry's article "What data can't do". They don't find a lot of answers, but still uncover interesting insights about the shortcomings of data.
Links:
In this phone call, Tapan and Ishan talk about the games they've played last year. They share some of their favourite indie games that they cherish and highly recommend to everybody.
Games
Others
In this recording of Panoptic Conversations, Tapan and Ishan talk about their experience playing sandbox games like Minecraft and Roblox. Their conversations leads them to the idea of digital theme parks, which is incepted by Matthew Ball's excellent blog post on that topic. They discuss the nature of digital theme park platforms, from it's historical context in physical theme parks to its modern relevance for media businesses built around intellectual property, as a space where people can create anything and every experience is unique.
Articles and blog post links:
Stay tuned for more spontaneous conversations every week!
In this episode of Panoptic Conversations, Tapan and Ishan share their fascination of internet culture, cryptocurrencies and people who have on rare occasions brought these two together. They talk about Zoë Roth who auctioned her photograph using NFTs, popularly recognized as the "Disaster Girl" meme template, for about $500,000 and about Alex Tew who sold every single pixel of a webpage for $1 million in 2006. This led them to an interesting conversation around the internet fame, ideas around virtual assets, NFTs with their problems, and the famous Winklevoss twins.
Primary Links:
Secondary Links:
Stay tuned for more spontaneous episodes every week!
In this episode of Panoptic Conversations, Tapan and Ishan discuss how Instagram and Discord got their first 1000 customers as covered in the "First 1000" newsletter by Ali Abouelatta. They also relate this with the "1000 True Fans" article by Kevin Kelly.
Primary Links:
Secondary Links:
Stay tuned for more spontaneous episodes every week!
During one of the phone calls, Tapan and Ishan decide to record their conversations and thoughts behind their wide-ranging discussions. "Panoptic Conversations" is born.