THIRTEEN - a podcast for Being & Creating

We’re bound by societal tenets. If we question these tenets and start looking at putting all our acts in the boxes of real or myth – most of them will fall in the box of real. These tenets certainly matter, and they occur real. But are they ‘real’? Consider the tenet to be the rule of the game. And so, we’re playing a game. But what happens when ten different games are played on one field. It woul...

This pandemic has been going on, perhaps much longer than imagined. It’s a difficult time, but at the same time, this pandemic has made us prudent. We’ve not just become practical, experimental, calculative but also spiritual, contemplative, thoughtful… at least I hope this is true. It is the uncertain times that teach us many unexpected things, and yet we don’t find uncertain situations comfortab...

In this episode, we make an attempt to link the book of Fritjof Capra "The Tao of Physics" with the philosophy of (and Anand Gandhi's 2012 film) Ship of Theseus.  The purpose of this linkage is to discover the nature of our existence, not from a biological or philosophical standpoint, but rather an experiential one. Our true innate nature constantly strives to become boundless - but mostly un...

We, as a human race, are quite curious and are constantly in search of knowing reality. The reality, however, shuffles between subjective reality and objective reality. On the other hand, as we grow and evolve we realize that the entire stride is for something else. We want to find the distinction between reality and absolute truth. The latter is, however, in the innateness of our experience and y...

In the context of the ongoing pandemic, we may have witnessed a scenario wherein anticipation of a lockdown some people have queued up to stock their alcohol by risking their lives. While many may condemn this act, the ones standing in that long, endless queue it was a real need of the hour, they aren't able to see the absurdity of that scenario. In situations like this, compulsive nature of our b...

We come across several tools and methods that promise to bring efficiency and efficacy to life. More often, the context is the management of time, resources, money, or something that is valuable to us. The premise being that by bringing efficiency we increase our productivity and that would somehow bring happiness. This podcast questions this assumption and investigates a bit deeper to raise an in...

Failure and Integrity have an unsaid connection that ties the two together. But to comprehend the same, one need to look at failure from a different vantage point than the way we're otherwise taught to see as (at least in most cases). This podcast episode attempts to see the same and try and find what it means (and doesn't mean) to fail.  _ A quick fact check. The incident referred about Mr A...

"Morning Slowness" is an oxymoron! Mornings are usually associated with rush, busyness, noise. So what is this slowness of the morning? Why is it necessary? How can one achieve this slow state if being? And much more in today's podcast. _ If you like this episode, share this with your friends. For more such podcasts, please subscribe us on your favourite podcast platform or by visiting www.creatin...

Freeing-up Space is all we intend to do and perhaps, that is why we maintain a to-do list. That freeing-up of space (or time) gives us freedom - a freedom to do whatever we want to, to find our expression, to explore or to learn. A to-do list, therefore, is much more than bringing mere efficiency. However, the same to-do list comes with a certain limitation. This podcast episode is about finding t...

As we're completing 300 posts on our blog and a half-year since the release of our podcast channel, we take this opportunity to reconnect back with the intent of THIRTEEN. THIRTEEN is about being and creating, and one way to experience the same for us is the morning ritual of writing as a way to empty ourselves. That empty space provides not only a great start for the day but also gives clarity to...

We always love to tell stories. When I say “we”, I mean the entire human race. We make our entire life from stories. We make it so real that we believe that the stories are real life. But they are stories – therefore, fictional or a figment of our imagination. If that is so, then what is real? Well, it’s nothing! In this episode we shatter the glass that the new age terminologies such as - "Live i...

Deep within us lies a reptilian brain that triggers the fight or flight mechanism. It's primitive, and the very existence of which has allowed us to survive and find and mend our ways through the evolutionary ladder. But more often than imagined it's triggered, even when the threat is not real but only imaginary. This reptilian brain which helps us survive is also an impediment to our own growth a...

In this episode, Prasanna and Shantesh discuss the difference between writing and cathartic writing. They converse to find out if all writings are a form of catharsis or not. And, through the conversation try to figure out what is catharsis, why is it (if at all) necessary and how can catharsis be achieved.  They both have been writing each morning for the past couple of years as a process to...

We, as children, are taught many good habits. Along the way, we also pick a few bad ones. But, what are these habits? Is it a pursuit or a compulsiveness - a sort of an obsession that we get trapped into?  Find more about habits and their nature; and also the distinction between a habit and a lifestyle in this 20 minutes podcast! _ If you like this episode, share this with your friends. For m...

What is Organisation? Is it that place where we go to work - the company, the institute, the facility or is it the act of organising something - a skillset of management - could be of resources, time, workforce or even ourself. In this conversation between Prasanna and Shantesh, they try to raise questions, put forth their observations and intend to leave a thought with you. If you're someone who...

Mandala is an episode that showcases the ephemerality of the sand art ritual the Buddhist Monks practice, and through that draws parallels to the cycle of life. Just to observe, on the face of it the Mandala making is a fascinating ritual but it has such deep, profound connection with life and the phases of life.  "Mandala" meaning centre in Sanskrit, represents the Buddha in the centre of th...

In this episode, Shantesh talks to Erin Niimi Longhurst. Erin is an accomplished British-Japanese writer and the author of the books 'Japonisme' and 'Omoiyari'. Half Japanese on her mother's side, Erin brings a rooted understanding of the Japanese culture and nuances in the way of living inherited in the Japanese people. Her books have been translated over 20 languages and she has been featured on...

Prasanna encounters an insect during his morning walk. In his stride, without noticing that little creature, he's about to trample over it but manages to save it just in time. He looks at the beautiful creature and is glad to have saved it. So, Prasanna takes out his phone to take a photograph of this colourful insect. Just then, a chameleon comes out of nowhere, grabs the insect and disappears in...

What is Faith? An emotion, a thought, a method or a ritual? In this podcast, we look at faith from the point of view of a rationalist and enquire if it still works, and if it does, why? Also, in this podcast, we investigate how even the so-called rational or logical minds hold faith without believing in it! _ References The Power of Faith Acceptance: How Time & Energy goes into a pandemic... _...

Minimalism is about living with less, this includes consuming minimal resources, minimal content, minimal finances, minimising of sensory effects, minimising of clutter and by doing this the intent is to bring focus on the thing we intend to do, reduce distraction and stress and the jitteriness, and have more freedom and productive time for self. Many blogs, articles, YouTube videos, books promise...

From our childhood, we see that most games we play are zero-sum games. That is, in order to win it is a requirement that the other person/ other party loses the game. So to win a game both in sports and in life we start focusing on capabilities which help us win the game. Slowly we also start playing games to make sure that the other person is lost every time he or she plays with you. This approac...

Ikigai is a Japanese term meaning "a reason for being". Ikigai has a fluid and an evolutive nature, and is not a destination but rather a journey in discovering self. In this podcast, we look at what ikigai means, the nature of it and how one can find it. We also look at what is the relation between a long and fulfilling life and discover the distinction between our purpose and our motive.  W...

Did you know the word 'priority' was never plural? It's a word from the 1400s, and it always was singular. It meant the very first or the prior thing. In the book " Essentialism " , Greg McKeown describes that it is only in the 1900s we pluralised the term and started talking about priorities. Illogically, we reasoned that by changing the word we could bend reality.  One such other word, that...

We human beings devised a very unique way to live. Stories! We tell them all the time. None other species on this planet are involved, like we are, into creating a narrative that drives their life. We humans, call this story purpose.  In the podcast, we also discuss analogies from films, instances, interviews of personalities, their personal sharings and Viktor Frankl's book "Man's Search for...

"What an unlucky year!", "This is the worst year that I ever imagined!", "OMG, it really happened…? That’s what was missing in 2020!" This year surely has been a challenging one, but can 2020 be labelled as unlucky or a bad year? As the new year is approaching, the labelling for this year is at a rampant high – be it in the form of memes or as beliefs. For many, 2020 has proven to be unlucky, or h...