My Youtube Foray - Chat Masala

 Trying out something new, thanks to persuasion from Sheetal Garg, a friend, and Prarthana, my daughter no. 1. A series of 10-15 minute videos on a variety of topics. Some guest episodes and some my own. Three have been published so far, and some guest episodes too, with Bhagyalakshmi Venkatesh, covering her views on Happiness and with Sheetal Garg, about music and friendship. Also one with Anjali Paruvu, about education in the Humanities. Mine are related to Hindi films, actors and domestic travel. More will follow. Shot and edited by Prarthana, with help from Pooja, daughter no. 2.

The links to existing episodes, in case you want to watch them.. a playlist.

https://youtu.be/1Ey5BlUQI7k - Episode 1- Hindi Films

https://youtu.be/x4drlX8nQh8  - Episode 2. Favourite heroes from Films

https://youtu.be/wNwMxUqIW9M  - the guest episode on Happiness

https://youtu.be/qQLyLUyzllw -Travel destinations in India

https://youtu.be/DhHVQvrFUS4  - Guest episode on Humanities and AI.

https://youtu.be/LoEq7-S2NpY   - Guest episode on Music and Friendship

On Friendship

 You can be friends with anyone you come across. Then how come we don't? There are friends we do have from every stage of life. This is an attempt to classify or figure out how I became friends with many of my friends, starting from my childhood.

Neighbours were friends- Talpallikars, a family who lived next door in Bellampalli, A.P., for example. We and all their kids became friends. Also those we played with in our club, being from the same company. Bridge, Badminton, music were other interests that brought us together. Friends from school (residential in my case), college- many of whom have remained thick pals-two of them are Golfers too. From my MBA, and from Ph.D. days abroad -USA. Many are in touch, thanks to social media and email.

Colleagues from office- I met Muthu while working with a Market Research firm, and we still play Golf. Colleagues in my teaching stints at IIM Lucknow, IIM K, IIM Indore, PESIT, IFIM (recently reconnected with a couple of them), VJIM and Kirloskar Institute. IMT Nagpur and Ghaziabad too, whom I keep meeting off and on. 

Student friends are a very special category, close to my heart. I have alum/ex-student friends from almost every institution I have been in. Feels great to share their life stories when we catch up, or online if that does not happen. I have been enriched by all their interactions, and it feels like I am a billionaire. Some of my wife's students too became my friends over the years.

My doctoral students have also become good friends due to our prolonged association, and we do meet professionally at conferences, etc. I have also met a few international academics who are friends online. Made a couple of author friends too, because I read their books and wrote reviews on my blog. Devapriya Roy and Usha Narayanan (both authors) come to mind. 

Of course, brother's friends and sister's friends also became my friends in many cases.