Know Time

Sunita Narain, director general of Center of Science & Environment, environmental & political activist, editor of Down To Earth, author of Conflicts of Interest and Padma Shri award winner, talks about her journey into environmentalism, the Chipko Movement, environmentalism of the rich vs. poor, equity in energy needs, Delhi AQI, air pollution and sewage in India. Sunita: https://www.csein...

William Dalrymple, historian, author of bestselling books like The Anarchy, The White Mughals and The City of Djinns, founder of the Jaipur Literature Festival & co-host of the Empire podcast, talks about falling in love with history, the allure of Delhi, western bias in history, the East India Company, British colonialism, Koh-i-Noor, politics, morality, Marxism and cyclicality in history. Wi...

Suhel Seth talks about the magic of Calcutta, politics in India, Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, how to build a successful brand in India, how to run a successful election campaign, the inevitability of personality cults in Indian democracy, pros and cons of Brand Modi and the problems with public infrastructure in India. Suhel: https://x.com/Suhelseth?s=20 SUPPORT:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kn...

Kalpana Iyer talks about her childhood, untold stories of her time in the Hindi film industry, behind the scenes stories, how she broke stereotypes and the making of iconic songs like Jab Chhaye Mera Jadoo, Auva Auva Koi Yahan Nache Nache, Hari Om Hari and Ramba Ho. Kalpana: https://www.instagram.com/kalpanaiyer/?hl=en SUPPORT: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/knowtime Anchor: https://anchor.fm/kn...

Rajiv Srivatsa, founder of Antler India and Urban Ladder, talks about his journey, what is venture capital, how Antler works with entrepreneurs, what makes a successful founder and leader and the One Life theory. Rajiv: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajivsrivatsa SUPPORT: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/knowtime Anchor: https://anchor.fm/knowtime/support Youtube Membership: https://www.youtube.com/...

Sharda Ugra, cricket writer and sports journalist, talks about her journey into sports journalism, how to become a good cricket writer, the magic of cricket, evolution of digital media, the influence of politics and BJP on cricket and BCCI, corruption and cricket administration. Sharda: https://thewire.in/author/sharda-ugra SUPPORT: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/knowtime Anchor: https://anchor....

Karan Thapar, journalist known for his work with CNN, The Wire & India Today, talks about his journey in journalism, how media & politics have evolved, interviewing 101, his infamous interview with Narendra Modi, the BJP's boycott of journalists, Godi Media and ethics in journalism. Karan: https://thewire.in/author/karan-thapar SUPPORT: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/knowtime Anchor:...

Sriram Ramaswamy, professor at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, talks about his journey, what is condensed matter physics, active matter, wet active matter, dry active matter and Brownian motion. Sriram: https://physics.iisc.ac.in/~sriram/ SUPPORT: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/knowtime Anchor: https://anchor.fm/knowtime/support Youtube Membership: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ-937...

Nirupama Rao, former Foreign Secretary of India, talks about her journey, life of a diplomat, role of a Foreign Secretary, the Agra Summit, the Indian Foreign Services, India, Pakistan, Kashmir, Jawaharlal Nehru vs. Zhoi Enlai and the dispute between India & China. Nirupama: https://x.com/NMenonRao SUPPORT: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/knowtime Anchor: https://anchor.fm/knowtime/support Yo...

Ankur Warikoo talks about finding your passion, Ikigai, how to invest money, becoming a successful entrepreneur and leader, how to build a successful career, the business model of Groupon, Nearbuy, venture capital, acing job interviews, becoming a successful content creator and time management 101. Ankur: https://x.com/warikoo?lang=en SUPPORT: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/knowtime Anchor: http...

Sundar Sarukkai, philosopher, author and founder of Barefoot Philosophers, talks about why philosophy is important, what is philosophy, its role in society, the importance of thinking and reflection, lived experience vs. knowledge, who gets to own an experience, virtue epistemology, phenomenology, the limits of language, Wittgenstein, the hegemoney of Western traditions over Nyaya school and Mimam...

Ramachandra Guha, historian, columnist and author of India After Gandhi, Commonwealth of Cricket, Corner of a Foreign Field, talks about becoming a scholar and historian, tips for aspiring writers, importance of being bilingual, major themes in Indian history, Gandhianism vs. Marxism vs. Leninism, Great Man Theory vs. Marxist historical materialism, whether India will survive as a democracy, perma...

Urs Schreiber, theoretical physicist, mathematician, research scientist at NYU Abu Dhabi and founder of nLab, talks about Hegel's Science of Logic, Pure Being emerging from Pure Nothing, category 101: what is category theory, functors, morphisms, natural transformations, adjunctions, topos theory, the problems with perturbation theory in physics, higher topos theory in physics and how he found...

Shishir Sharma, actor popularly known for Bollywood movies like Raazi, Talvar, Chhichhore, Uri & Dangal, talks about the magic of acting, the benefits of acting in theatre, the genius of Satyadev Dubey, Naseeruddin Shah, Irrfan Khan and behind the scenes on Raazi & Talvar. Shishir: https://www.instagram.com/officiallyshishir/ SUPPORT: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/knowtime Anchor: https...

Salman Qureshi, Rushdi Rafeek and Marie Vercruyysen from the Courtyard Playhouse talk about the evolution of improv and stand-up comedy in Dubai UAE, improv techniques, Keith Johnstone, growth of theatre and arts and the economics of becoming a comedian in the region. Salman: https://www.instagram.com/salmanzq/?hl=en Rushdi: https://www.instagram.com/rushdirafeek/?hl=en Marie: https://www.instagra...

Javier Mendez, founder of American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) and coach of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev and Daniel Cormier, talks about MMA, the problems with the UFC, Dana White, jiu jitsu, Dagestani wrestling, Conor McGregor, Khabib, Jon Jones, Islam Makhachev, Khamzat Chimaev and the mindset of a MMA champion. Javier: https://www.instagram.com/akajav/?hl=en SUPPORT: Patreon: https://www.p...

Shernaz Patel, actor known for theatre and Bollywood movies like Black, Guzaarish, Talaash, Rockstar, talks about the magic of theatre, her journey, how to read a script, building stage presence, the importance of theatre in Mumbai and how she prepped for her roles in Bollywood movies. Shernaz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shernaz-patel-888ba5214/?originalSubdomain=in SUPPORT:Patreon: https://www.p...

Sandip Trivedi, theoretical physicist and professor at the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, talks about the basics of quantum mechanics, gauge theory, quantum gravity, anti-de Sitter space, AdS/CFT Correspondence, Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity, string theory, the KKLT mechanism and the state of scientific research in India! Sandip: https://theory.tifr.res.in/~sandip/ SUPPORT: Patreon: https://...

Kurush Deboo, actor popularly known for Dr. Rustom Pavri in Munna Bhai MBBS, talks about the magic of acting, theatre acting vs. acting in commercial films, evolution of acting styles, what makes movies like Sholay and Munnabhai MBBS iconic and behind the scenes stories of Sanjay Dutt and Raj Kumar Hirani. Kurush: https://www.instagram.com/kurushdeboo/?hl=en SUPPORT: Patreon: https://www.patreon.c...

Vidita Vaidya, neuroscientist and professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, talks about her love for the life sciences, biology & neuroscience, nature vs. nurture, her grandfather's stories of the Indian Independence movement, how the human brain develops, how early life stress affects brain development, how anti-depressants like Prozac work, the history of serotonin, what h...

Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, Bollywood actor known for roles in Article 15, Shahid, Raees, Zero, Tubelight, Raanjhanaa, Scoop, Tanu Weds Manu and Tandav talks about finding the truth through movies, an acting masterclass for beginners, portraying high status vs. low status, conveying the invisible with acting, breaking the stereotypes for the 'hero ka dost' roles, whether actors should get politic...

Atul Khatri, top stand-up comedian in India, talks about writing jokes, the structure of a joke, the purpose of standup comedy, delivery, constructing a comedy special and the economics of a comedy show. Atul: https://www.instagram.com/one_by_two/?hl=en SUPPORT: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/knowtimeAnchor: https://anchor.fm/knowtime/support Youtube Membership: https://www.youtube.com/channel/U...

Chef Ajay Chopra, award-winning chef, founder of Zion Hospitality and the first MasterChef India judge, talks about the relationship between love and cooking, what makes a great chef, MasterChef India, along with a how to open your own restaurant 101 masterclass: type of restaurants, motivations, ambience & decor, sourcing ingredients, what 5-star restaurants get wrong, health & safety and...

DJ Bliss, Emirati DJ and cast member of Netflix series Dubai Bling, talks about how he fell in love with music and DJing, how to create new music, DJing for beginners, whether Dubai Bling was scripted and how it represented the cast members and the city of Dubai. DJ Bliss: https://www.instagram.com/djbliss/?hl=en SUPPORT: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/knowtime Anchor: https://anchor.fm/knowtime...

Abhishek Majumdar, playwright, author of Djinns of Eidgah, Rizwaan and Pah-La and professor of theatre at NYU Abu Dhabi, talks about how we fell in love with theatre, the basics of playwriting, how to write a scene, role of language and audience and whether theatre should get political. Abhishek: https://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/academics/divisions/arts-and-humanities/faculty/abhishek-majumdar.html SUPPOR...