Prem Rao : Stories from a Story Teller

Motivating others to give off their best at work is a prime responsibility as a team leader, manager or executive. But just how do you do this? Here are 7 Factors you would do well to consider in your effort to motivate others- and keep them motivated!  This podcast is based on material from my blog, People At Work & Play, which was hugely popular, during my time as a management consultan...

Made up of 10 essays, this book captures the essence of the writings of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhimrao "Babasaheb" Ambedkar, a great son of India. Dr Ambedkar (1891-1956) is the Father of the Indian Constitution and was an eminent jurist, economist, and socio-political reformer. I think this book is very educative and presents points of view which many may not have come across.  Hosted on Acast. See...

Does your memory play tricks on you? Do you remember in graphic detail something that happened decades ago, but forget something that happened just a few minutes ago? If you do, you are like me! Indeed like most of us- who wrestle with the challenges of short- term and long-term memory, especially as we get older.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"When Devi Comes Home" is the evocative byline of the book which describes in considerable detail how Navaratri- one of the most important of festivals in Hinduism- is celebrated all over India. While there are some things in common in these celebrations all over the country, the book highlights some things that are unique to the celebrations in a particular region. From Kashmir in the North...

The Mumbai Bomb Blast Case, The 26/11 terror strike on Mumbai; the Sheena Bora Murder Case; you will remember these sensational headline grabbing cases. These and more are what Mr Rakesh Maria IPS was tasked to investigate in the course of his distinguished career of over three decades in the Indian Police Service (IPS).  His book gives us the story from his perspective. You understand just h...

The life lessons of Mr Yajna Narayana Kammaje a leading entrepreneur and industrialist, based in Bengaluru, India, are shared in this educative book, edited by Mr B Anantha Bhat and his team. Mr Kammaje's story is indeed worthy of being shared especially amongst the youth of India. He grew up in humble circumstances being from an economically disadvantaged family. By sheer dint of his merit, hard...

I am delighted to share that I am staring a new series called "Conversations" on my podcast show. In this, I plan to chat with interesting people on a variety of interesting topics, over time. My first guest is Wg Cdr Joseph Thomas, VM, Indian Air Force (retd) who like me is an alumnus of The Lawrence School, Lovedale, in the Nilgiri Hills of South India. My guest talks about Major General Sir Hen...

The concluding part of a short story written for the Christmas season called, "A Day In The Mall". An engineer by profession but a dreamer by choice, Shalini loves to hang out in Bangalore's biggest mall. She liked going there with her friends but was as happy even if she was there all by herself. There were people there and they drew her there like a magnet. She loved watching others and wonderin...

This is Part 3 of a short story for the Christmas season called, "A Day In The Mall". An engineer by profession but a dreamer by choice, Shalini loves to hang out in Bangalore's biggest mall. She liked going there with her friends but was as happy even if she was there all by herself. There were people there and they drew her there like a magnet. She loved watching others and wondering who they we...

This is the second part of a short story for the Christmas season called, "A Day In The Mall".  An engineer by profession but a dreamer by choice, Shalini loves to hang out in Bangalore's biggest mall. She liked going there with her friends but was as happy even if she was there all by herself. There were people there and they drew her there like a magnet. She loved watching others and wonder...

This is the first part of a short story for the Christmas season called, "A Day In The Mall".  An engineer by profession but a dreamer by choice, Shalini loves to hang out in Bangalore's biggest mall. She liked going there with her friends but was as happy even if she was there all by herself. There were people there and they drew her there like a magnet. She loved watching others and wonderi...

Who are the authors you admire? I shall speak of a few of the ones that I admire in a series of podcasts. The first is Ian Fleming (1908-1964), the creator of James Bond, Special Agent 007 of MI6. It is fascinating how authors put -consciously or otherwise - some  part of themselves into their characters. Fleming is no exception. Bond got his love for adventure, fast cars, and fast women from...

An informative and educative book about the Goddesses who figure prominently in Hinduism, the religion of some 1.6 billion people all over the world. In this scholarly collection of essays, different Goddesses and places and events associated with them are described by different authors. The beauty about this book is that each essay can be read separately and there is no compulsion to read the boo...

This timeless classic - "Black Beauty" the autobiography of a horse- will appeal to all lovers of animals. Amazing that it was written over 140 years ago and yet holds interest. It is the story of a horse in Victorian England. Of how the horse copes with the ups and downs that present themselves in his life, as he passes from one owner to another. The story brings out the cruelty in men as also th...

This is the fourth and last part of a short story I wrote some years ago called, "Malini Vs. Melanie". I have presented this once again in this new medium over four episodes- giving the old story a new lease of life!  The story is set in Bengaluru, India where I live. It is about a young lady struggling to balance the conflicting demands of her conservative family on one hand, and her love af...

This is the third episode in a series podcasting a short story called, "Malini Vs Melanie" which started with Season 2 Episode 12. I had written this short story a few years ago. Through this medium, it gets a new lease of life!  It is a story of a young lady torn between two identities. She has to deal with a conservative family on one hand and her own love affair on the other.  The sto...

This is the second part of a short story called, "Malini Vs. Melanie"  I am podcasting this short story that I wrote some years ago in several episodes. The story is set in Bengaluru, India where I live. It's about a girl called Malini or hey wait a minutes, isn't she Melanie??? So, here we go with ........Part 2 of Malini vs Melanie Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information...

For the 12 th episode of Season 2, curious to try new things as I am, here's an experiment. I am podcasting a short story I wrote some years ago in several episodes. The short story is set in Bengaluru, India where I live. It's about a girl called Malini or hey wait a minutes, isn't she Melanie???So, here we go with ........Part 1 of Malini vs Melanie Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

" Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey With Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford" is written by Clinton J Hill who served the US Secret Service from 1958 to 1975.  In this fast-paced book he covers his experiences at the White House and elsewhere. He had the privilege of serving 5 US Presidents during that time. Many of us remember Clint Hill for his attempt to protect the Kennedys t...

A fast paced interesting book in which the two authors, who know the Mossad and the world of espionage so well, share their stories of Israel's Secret Service. They cover some of Mossad's great successes over the decades, some carried out against overwhelming odds. Many of the incidents described in this book are being revealed for the first time to the wider world. Interestingly, the authors also...

This is an extract from Book 1 of "Glimpses of a Glorious Past: An Informal History of The Lawrence School, Lovedale" which I had the privilege to edit. The first volume covers the first 50 years of the School, from 1858 to 1908. In this extract, we recall what made the British choose the picturesque Nilgiri Hills in South India as the location for the third Lawrence Asylum, which was established...

Here's a book that can nudge you towards a more healthy lifestyle. "50 Desi Super Drinks" by Lovneet Batra, the well- known nutritionist has a simple yet effective design. For each of the 50 drinks covered, the author explains what that drink contains and how they can help us. This is followed by the recipe for this drink. Turmeric Milk, Jal Jeera, and Masala Chai are fairly commonly used and well...

This is the story of The Lawrence School, Lovedale (std. 1858) in the form of an informal history, which I had the privilege of editing. It is available as an ebook and now is a show on the YouTube and Facebook channels of the Old Lawrencians Association (OLA).  More recently, a blog has been set up for "Glimpses..." to complement the books which are in three volumes: Book 1 which covers the...

When we think of a hotel, most of us think of the exterior, often glitzy, and the Front Desk which is quite glamourous. Not many think of the Housekeeping, which has such a crucial role to play in enabling guest satisfaction. This book, by Shruti Johri, which is almost autobiographical presents the experiences of a housekeeping executive in a leading luxury hotel. So far there hasn’t been much wri...

"Restless" is the story of a restless individual, who is constantly seeking the true meaning of life in its entirety. Interestingly, this is not the story of a philosopher but of one who spent most of his adult life as a policeman. I mean policemen in a general sense. The author, Dr V R Sampath IPS held positions of high responsibility during the 25 years he served in the prestigious Indian Police...