PODCAST · society
The Values Workshop
by Surendar Singh
This is a series of conversations specifically aimed at talking about values and ethics which make us better human beings and how we can develop and retain them in our daily lives.
Episodes
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Ordinary is Extraordinary | What is most important in life?
A breezy, easy conversation on topics which are seriously worth contemplating on. Modern day stress, the ways we numb ourselves to sleep, fear of the future, our need to have good relationships, our expectations of validation, the unhealthy focus on achieving perfection on the job, learning to...
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Hard questions to ask about AI: Don't expect any easy answers
The Productivity Paradox: We start talking about learning to be productive in the times of Artificial Intelligence. With AI entering so many aspects of our lives, and the ease with which we can access it, this is a question taking up a lot of mind-space. The Perception Gap: Before we know it, the...
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Science and Creativity | Focussing on where these energy fields meet within us
Have you wondered how Alice felt when she went down that rabbithole? In this episode, you will know at least some of it. Light and heavy, madly creative and scientifically precise, emotional or rational, whatever tickles your fancy, this episode might be fulfilling, or then again, it might have…
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Finding home in travelling |A vagabond talks about how exploration outside changes one on the inside
Deepa speaks passionately, happily, excitedly, deeply and evocatively about all things under the sun. And she does this with a lot of old-world wisdom. I have heard this kind of world-view after a long time, and it is so heartening to see pockets of moving slowly, deliberately, engaging with the...
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Do you see the tree growing? | Discussing the advantage of slowing down.
The fast pace of life seems important, especially with technology being a part of our existence in many ways. Yet, there is some real substance to this digging into the reasons why and what we should slow down, allowing the moments to be lived fully and teach us what we are supposed to be…
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Checking the most feared three words known to us | A chat which takes us into the unknown
There are conversations which have a clear drift, and then there are those which keep on moving without an 'exact direction'. This is one such, which draws you into its mystery, its unsure parts, its incomplete answers. And why not? We have Mustafa Chharchhoda for a guest, and he speaks...
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Why happiness doesn't last | Seeking a way out of the temporary states of joy and peace
The question is simple enough: How do we get happiness to stay longer or even permanently? The answer opens to one point of query and then another till we keep going to the core of what our question is, along with other possible pain-points like: finding who the responsibility of our unhappiness...
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When Truth shows you the way | A yogini talks about her experiences of choosing her path
Youth means parties, shopping, the traditional version of the 'good life', as we see it today. And yet, here is a young girl, walking a different path altogether...early nights, early mornings, Yoga, working with truthfulness, talking about so many deeper things simply that it is uplifting. A...
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Grief and Grace | Looking at one of the fundamentals of human experience and dissecting its impact
Once more Hemant Gupta joins me in a deep introspection on one of humankind's most incisive challenges: Our relationship with Grief. And once more, he brings in a perspective which challenges our 'definitions' as also our easy acceptance of them as factual. He reminds us of some of the points he...
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When assumptions make sense | Talking about how we perceive reality and how it affects our life
The discussion starts on a fun term 'Insidely-Outsidely' and immediately, my guest, John Britton provokes another look at the binary version of how we see life. He explains why assumptions are necessary and how we need to hold them loosely. Inner reality and the external manifestation are also...
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Is sincerity outdated? | Going beneath the surface and discussing its personal and global relevance.
It is a conversation with Hemant Gupta again, and like always, we manage to skim beneath the many layers of meaning/s and are able to discuss the contemporary usage and understanding of sincerity, presence and the spaces they represent. We discuss many aspects, including the importance of both...
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Proudly feminine in a man's world | Respecting one's self-worth beyond defined identities
Throughout my career, I have been lucky to work with a few professionals who have been absolutely no-nonsense and straightforward. It has always been a pleasure to interact with them for their earthy outlook and their ability to help ease the pressures of the job on hand with clear thinking and...
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Building a meaningful life | Seeing the big picture while working on the small details of every day
Ummeimman is a revelation. A #teacher a #mother and a re-invention of her own self from a difficult time only a little while earlier. She sticks to basic ground level understanding, a reminder of how the deepest wisdom some times is in simple every day living. She keeps repeating #acceptance many...
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Life's Messimistic | Why does #silence bring a lot of discomfort with itself?
When alone, or lonely, or with people, or in darkness, or at times, when something seems 'off' we are often left to deal with the silence that comes from either outside or inside. There are so many aspects of #depression, #anxiety, being #unsure #sadness #discomfort that come along visiting us…
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Taking the mask off success |A #screenwriter who sees glamour up-close reveals the true face of fame
We tend to crystallize #success. As if it is some kind of unmoving, unchanging, ultimate truth. As a first of sorts for me, I get a successful friend, Niren Bhatt, screenwriter of some of the biggest recent hits in #Bollywood including #balamovie and #stree2. He speaks so simply and elegantly…
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Reality Check on learning | A teen shares her journey of gathering knowledge outside academics
Roohi is a bright school going kid with a wise head on her shoulders. Endearingly honest about her love of knowledge, since she is a voracious reader, she specifies though, it is the perspective of others that one learns and that is what is her biggest takeaway from reading. It is an engaging...
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Incomplete thoughts, emotions, feelings | Why does this happen? Can it be stopped?
One thing leads to another and it keeps moving on - as if it has a life of its own. Yet, as human beings, all of us like to know the start, the middle and the end of things. Or so we claim. The pace of our modern lives leaves us little time to finish what we start and we keep building on this…
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Connected 24/7, but alone | In a world of interconnectivity, why are we feeling lonelier than ever?
It is a classic day for many of us: We start scrolling on our #cellphones and time passes us by...minutes turn into hours and we seem to be needlessly losing track of time and none the richer for it in experience, in attention or in wisdom. In fact, we feel wasted or clueless about our initial...
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Failing to be perfect | Why are we always seeking the ideal scenario when we are bound to fail
Hemant Gupta is fearlessly willing to go down any rabbit hole that many of us would fear. It is this quality of his which drove me to ask the important questions, 'What if we are less than perfect? How does one make peace with one's own imperfections?' What comes out is pure exploratory territory...
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Making peace with Impermanence | A sudden death and a deep look into a mind processing it
Mustafa is a remarkable person. When quite a few would shirk away from exposing their vulnerability in the face of a close relative's death, he actually proposed we speak about things he is experiencing internally and externally leading me to ask questions which touch a chord within me too…
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Who wants enlightenment? | A deeper look at skillful and unskillful ways of living the seeker's life
I embark on a journey which questions the destination. Not necessarily out of my provocative habit :) but so that I can probe into a mind-state which learns to differentiate reality from imagined versions of #happiness #peace #enlightenment or whatever you choose to call a place where there is no...
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What if we got it wrong and Life is not a journey, but a destination. | We find a new understanding.
'A series of destinations, not a journey' was my thought. Aren't we different people at different ages, and change our minds about how we view things in new spaces and times. This may seem like an idle thought till we started going down this rabbit-hole and realised there was much to explore and...
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Being curious in an over-informed world | Why and how curious is it okay to be - and about what?
#Knowledge is literally at our finger tips. Perhaps much more than what we would want. In that sense, how do human beings use curiosity as an element of growth in this brave new world? We talk about #neanderthals, good and bad kinds of curiosity, the need for this aspect of development in us, the...
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#emotional or #practical | A difficult topic made easy by a working #mother sharing her experiences
Preeti Gupta has been a practical person for all the time I have known her. This episode does not change my view of her at all, and yet, her evolution is a pleasant revelation. She talks about her emotions with so much passion and yet, warns us about being attached to them. She has allowed Life…
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The value of having values | What do they mean when it matters most? An unmissable conversation.
Roopa and Hemant join me in a conversation which evolves with every sentence spoken almost. 'Who am I?' one of life's most fundamental questions was never an easy discussion, but we seem to grow in and out of ourselves constantly in this Q and A, where the answers go deeper and the queries from…
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Patiently awaiting world peace | A pipe-dream? An impossibility? Or is there a real chance?
John Britton and Manoj Khatri join me in a conversation which becomes engaging from the first sentence itself. The topic is highly relevant for every right-minded human being and this chat actually makes us go down trains of thought which provoke us to think deeper. Who am I? Who are we as a...
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Learning versus Confidence | A journey into the exploration of a mind adapting to learning
In a world bewitched by confidence, what is it that makes learning important? I get Vishal Singh, a musician to contemplate on, and share his life experiences with me on the tricky slope of knowing oneself, responding to one's calling, keeping the learning hat on, and yet, making a living. A tall...
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Does spirituality numb our enjoyment of the material world? | A conversation which helps us pause
Yet another Random Contemplation with Hemant Gupta. A fascinating, insightful, warm, deep and meaningful exchange once more. An attempt to move down authentic paths talking about experiences which have us taking pauses far more than usual. And what worthy attempts they are. Do check out this...
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Vulnerability: Weakness or Strength? A peek into personal experiences reflecting upon the nuances
It is an important topic for me, as I guess it is for all of us. The world today lays far more emphasis on communication than ever before, and confidence in the way we reach out seems to impact the message. But being unsure, tentative, reflective are vital when one is searching in the depths of...
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Pressure of being yourself | Working within the confines of many pressures and finding who you are
What started as a conversation on #peerpressure evolves with every answer into a deeper kind of conversation without any effort on my part. Rhea Anand is a perceptive youngster, and handles the pressures of my question like a pro. She answers unabashedly, pausing at times to gather her thoughts…
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#optimism | How the world-view of a #writer is impacted by writing, story-telling and literature.
The chat goes into what is clearly uncharted territory for me - Optimism. Talking to the #youth is a wonderful opportunity to discover what keeps the world moving. Ayush Jain is a calm, cool customer when it comes to difficult questions. His answers are quietly contemplative and he uses words...
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Ethics in Corporate Life | Is it possible or impossible? How do you factor in greed and ambition?
An interesting and unexpected chat...at times meandering, but nothing seems to affect the depth of the topic or the questions or the answers at any point. Roshan Shetty is a man who has lived the corporate life among the many other lives of trying, failing, succeeding, helping others and feeling...
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No OFF switch | How a 24/7 online connected world impacts us in the now and how to deal with it.
Khanjan is a sorted lady. She is clear, confident, measured and easy with her answers to questions on what #technology is doing to communication and at the pace it is available in our lives. She is not negative but agrees some checks and balances are required, a change of perspective is needed to...
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Learning from the Mountains | A peek into the mind of a passionate and seasoned #trekker
It is a simple kind of conversation, not very deep, but very moving though. Urmish Suchday guides us into his mind full of love and admiration for the mountains with short, sweet answers. But this is till I provoke him to share some stories...then he takes on a completely different avatar, taking...
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Self Selfie Selfishness | A look at the state of minds most of us including the young are in, today
A dramatic title could have been a risk, and it was, but Pragya jumped right in and made it a delight of a conversation. We have had such insightful things spoken about in this chat, that you will be amazed at both, the wisdom of vulnerability being shared, and the guest's perspective of her...
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Following the Buddha's Path | Speaking about meditation, its challenges, benefits and relevance
#Dhamma is timeless. In this episode, I am grateful to speak to Herman Schreuder, a teacher of #samathameditation which involves chanting of #Buddho and reflecting on the qualities of the Buddha. A happy and pleasant conversation, ideal for whoever is interested in delving deeper into…
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Is the world ending? | With known systems crumbling around us, what's the future looking like?
A provocative topic, if ever there was one. Like always, my chat with Hemant Gupta takes a different route from what I presume. He speaks about holding opposing views and being able to study their worth by going deeper than taking superficial sides. We are also lucky to bring in 'individual…
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The purpose of life | A discourse which clarifies the inner workings of a happy mind.
P. Pu. Pankajbhai is a man on a noble mission. His single-minded effort lies in spreading his understanding and technique of finding happiness within, armed with the lessons of many great masters. He has been a scientist and his search for finding the meaning of life has led to the answers he...
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Understanding teenagers | Speaking of trust, freedom, fears, and issues when parenting teens
My OG guest and co-podcaster Sujatha joins me once more and this time we get into a conversation about #teenagers. It is a tricky chat, but we seem to align on many things including respect, giving space and understanding the various issues that come with being young. The importance of passing…
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For the love of dogs | A look into what makes pets and pet parents good companions for each other
This is clearly one of the most fascinating and different chats I have had, since the topic is something I had almost no knowledge of, at all. Luckily, Moiz is a passionate and a learned #dogtrainer. He educates us, takes difficult questions, shares stories of personal and professional…
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Why me? | Looking at several perspectives of one's own self, both positive and negative
There is no other view we have, of the world, than our own perspective. This time around, Manoj Khatri and I get into a deeper understanding of what this 'Me' represents. To our own selves and from the viewpoint of others. An interesting series of questions ensues and the answers are also a...
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90 hour week - Looking into the deeper aspects of our jobs, our outlook and its ramifications
#90hourweek #70hourweek is the topic of the moment - and many #corporateleaders have weighed in their side of the argument. Luckily, when Hemant and I come to speak about it, we refrain from taking easy positions or judgements. There is context, there is a combined outlook of what we are all…
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Money and its role in today's time | The present generation defines need and luxury...
What a fantastic generation it is...We talk the one factor which keeps the world going round in today's times and perhaps, has always had a strong say in society. Money is a complex discussion and it helps to have guests like Sanjeet and Jahnavi who are not shy of naming things, sharing stories…
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Celebrity Sanyasin Ruby Bhatia | An #authentic look - The face beyond the #glamour
This is in many ways a surprising and unusual podcast. Not the least because it features a celebrity we know from @channelvindia1 once upon a time. @rubybhatia123 has been one of the iconic names as a #veejay during her time at Channel V and also as an actress in a few well-known shows and...
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Understanding Meditation | Dissecting a much misused and freely used word to find its true meaning
Getting to interview a monk is turning out to be one of the most profound blessings of life for me personally. The clarity with which Bhante Mahapanyo explains meditation and the various factors affecting the mind, how one needs to factor in the understanding of Buddha's prescribed path and also...
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Loneliness - A question common to all ages in the modern era | How to accept it and move further
Our conversation is a warm and deep connect over a topic of much relevance - Loneliness. It touches our lives due to various reasons and its impact is far-reaching for sure...the beauty of this particular conversation is not only the many facets of this challenge we cover, but also a little…
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A peek into the heart of leadership | Discussing what goes behind in personal and professional life.
Karmendra Kohli, Co-founder and CEO of Secureyes, spoke to me about many things leadership, handling my comfortable and uncomfortable questions with equal ease and clarity. What worked for me, were his twin traits, of quick answers at times and the ability to pause before he shared his view on my...
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The necessity of pain and the option of suffering | Different perspectives of a similar journey. RC21
A happy chat, this. What do you get when you have four versions of an incomplete, yet fulfilling journey of self exploration? Depends on how you perceive it in the moment. Roopa, Mustafa, Manoj and I agree, disagree and then come together again in understanding that words can be poor carriers of...
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The many phases of ambition | From following dreams to being equanimous about the results RC20
This is a fascinating mix of a conversation with Nishant Choudhary. We talk about ambition and 'seeking and many things which affect the two aspects. There is so much meat in here, that you might want to watch it twice. The questions surprised me as much as they piqued him and it helped that he…
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Where can one find #refuge from one's troubles? What does our search mean? How do we find peace? RC 19
Who escapes troubles, uneasiness or suffering? Who or what can save us? Aren't we all looking for peace, calmness and a stable kind of happiness from our childhood itself? Solace is a universal need and in this episode we cover different aspects of the need, the various ways we try to obtain it…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Values Workshop have?
The Values Workshop currently has 389 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Values Workshop about?
This is a series of conversations specifically aimed at talking about values and ethics which make us better human beings and how we can develop and retain them in our daily lives.
How often does The Values Workshop release new episodes?
The Values Workshop publishes regularly with 389 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Values Workshop?
You can listen to The Values Workshop on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Values Workshop?
The Values Workshop is created and hosted by Surendar Singh.
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