Episodes

  • India's Sovereign Path: the Rupee, the Future, the need to "Change" the geo-political game

    India's Sovereign Path: the Rupee, the Future, the need to "Change" the geo-political game
    May 26 2026
    In this short video I analyze where India is heading and how it has to reflect about its relationship between powerful nations.Here is a brief text of the essay:It is time for India to reflect on its position in the world order as the rupee slides further thanks to the USA’s adventures around the world.The USA’s war in Iran and its forceful tariff diplomacy has not bode well for the world. The current tensions have led to foreign capital’s flight from India’s stock markets. Combine this with the rise of AI technology, job losses are going to hurt India’s IT industry and many more. It is never good for an old civilization to be kicked around, but it is good for it to be reminded that it has to make its own fortune. Unlike China, India has to come together sooner than later. At the moment it loves its cricket, its consumer business valuations, its uncontrollable carbohydrate addiction, and ever so occasionally, the inconspicuous army that protects its borders from several rogue nations. But India’s dependence on foreign markets have led the rupee to slide. Come to think of it, the very idea of its independence was to overcome imperial powers, but it is caught between powers such as China and the USA. The fix for all the fall of the rupee is not in economic austerity, but a massive, gradual overhaul of its systems that will make it stronger in the long run. It's not easy to change India’s institutions because it is a complex legal bureaucracy whose only bells and whistles are a bag or rules, and unaccountable practices. Yet the idea of India works brilliantly because of its diversity. But, can it notch one up in the geo-political chaos of this decade? Let's look at some real cases that should wake people up. India does not control commodities that run the world - oil, phosphorus, rare earths, and helium. To top it up India does not have any sort of grip on the hardware ecosystem. Entire industry verticals such as agriculture, automobile and energy sectors are dependent on either the USA, Russia or China. Its dependence on imported hardware systems that support robotics and AI compute has tied it to Corporations of US, Chinese, Japanese and European origins.So, where must the change begin?It has to centralize aspects that will define its future and make accountability the core of everything. It must remove all the weeds that don't want the system to function. It must begin with its education system, which builds talent for a bureaucratic and managerial legacy. It must centralize the education system and remove the capitalistic nature of education, let the pedagogy encourage thinkers, builders and risk takers. It must remove any religious or identity led affiliation. By doling out degrees we have impractical youth who don't know how a system works and don't have the initiative to think how systems function. India must blend critical thinking of history with research and combine the best of modern science to build businesses. Until schools and colleges are owned by pro-western religious institutions and selective Jati led ecosystems, it is going to be harder for the idea of India to further itself. It is going to have an even harder time with neo-capitalists who propose a western style system that furthers a consumption economy. This tendency can destroy India’s environment and natural resources only to usher in ecological imbalances.India must find a way as it has strong foundations of a scientific society to foster mega transitions that are inclusive of all life. The country has already made plans to transition into green energy by 2075 and has increased investments in deep tech significantly. But as a nation it must plan industrial transitions along with its biggest strength- “people” - as a resource. Its scientific foundations must find ideas to rid the nation from its dependence on importing oil, fertilizers, electronics and rare earths from these powerful nations. There must be enormous effort to build practical new industrial ecosystems that create new fuels, batteries along with cutting edge manufacturing systems. The contradiction is that we have to be dependent on various nations in the short term who have resources. India must continue to make political overtures to resource rich nations such as Vietnam, Australia and Brazil. It must continue its relationship with Russia and China in the near short term for chemical fertilizers. India’s agriculture industry must move towards using nano fertilizers in order to put an end to volume based farming which uses chemicals. There are some investments going into green ammonia and green hydrogen, which perhaps will be the future of Indian agriculture and energy. India must also put an end to importing anything that can be manufactured locally. Over time its scientists, civil society and government must find a way to work together more often than not otherwiseSupport the showThanks for Listening! Follow Us on...
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    6 mins
  • Retail's still in search of technologies relevant for consumer experience: A view from Pavan of RDEP

    Retail's still in search of technologies relevant for consumer experience: A view from Pavan of RDEP
    May 5 2026

    In this episode of theUpStreamLife I talk to Pavan Panchamukhi, the founder of RDEP.io which focuses on improving customer experiences with intelligent checkouts. Is this relevant? Let us find out more.

    00:00 - Introduction
    02:08 - Why serve retail?
    04:46 - Focus is on experience and engagement.
    08:40 - Physical Retail is evolving always.
    13:30 - Personalising for customers dynamically.
    19:08 - New age recommendation engines.
    23:51 - Value perception of new tech in India and why South Asia.
    29:00 - Passing through Corporate audits.
    32:00 - The race to be relevant and markets that are relevant.

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    41 mins
  • Understanding US Healthcare & why its on the cusp of change: a view from CitiusTech's Sudhir Kesavan

    Understanding US Healthcare & why its on the cusp of change: a view from CitiusTech's Sudhir Kesavan
    Apr 30 2026

    In this interview with Sudhir Kesavan, the COO and Executive Director of CitiusTech, theUpStreamLife delves deep into the healthcare ecosystem of the U.S.A to understand why healthcare unlike other industries has so much data, and yet is slow to embrace new technologies. At the heart of it is regulation and insurance, lets find out more about what is changing.

    00:00 - Introduction
    01:09 - What is Citiustech
    02:53 - Pharma and Care, how can they work together to ensure better service
    03:55 - The complexity of the healthcare stack
    10:00 - Decision making in the payer and provider industry
    18:08 - Actionability of AI.
    26:05 - Deploying AI in an era of hype.
    33:15 - US healthcare solving for social determinants of health.
    39:43 - Making a policy profitable with technology, wearing the CFO hat.
    46:14 - Life sciences as a business.

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    55 mins
  • Discover the right fund for your company with Mohur: Priyanka's journey of building an ecosystem

    Discover the right fund for your company with Mohur: Priyanka's journey of building an ecosystem
    Apr 7 2026

    In this episode we talk with Priyanka Shah, the founder of Mohur.com, a platform that gives you a structure to source the right funds that are tailored for your company. Priyanka understands startup ecosystems along with the successes and the woes of running a company like no other. This is why Mohur was born, startups run out of funds although there are funds are available. Think about it - its a combination of debt funds, grants, VCs, PEs, and angels - find the right match with Mohur.

    00:15 - What is Mohur?
    03:50 - Why Mohur represents founder's first?
    06:35 - Does the platform work for VCs?
    08:32 - Mohur's moat
    12:19 - Enterprise versus the subscription model.
    16:00 - Making data insightful.
    20:20 - Aligning a team with the vision.
    26:32 - Getting the network to help a founder.
    27:17 - What does Mohur mean?

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    32 mins
  • The GCC edge - why India is still the preferred technology centre? A view from Xpheno

    The GCC edge - why India is still the preferred technology centre? A view from Xpheno
    Mar 27 2026

    In this episode we talk to Xpheno's founder Kamal Karanth, who talks about Global Capability Centres and how the world of technology is gearing up for Artificial Intelligence. He talks about India and why it is poised for growth.

    00:00 - Introduction to Kamal.
    01:35 - What is Xpheno?
    03:12 - Engineers, AI and India.
    09:28 - How does Xpheno help GCCs?
    18:32 - Advantage of India's leadership.
    22:32 - The fear of AI, what is the reset.
    28:53 - India will export talent.
    33:35 - Making vocational courses available.
    39:00 - Opportunities in managing talent.
    44:35 - Podcasts that inspire Kamal.

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    47 mins
  • Diamonds are forever, even more so when a millennia old tradition is revived by Meenu Subbiah

    Diamonds are forever, even more so when a millennia old tradition is revived by Meenu Subbiah
    Mar 17 2026

    In this episode, which is a long form, we talk with Meenu Subbiah and her daughter Adithi about the business diamonds, authenticity and continuity. If you want to understand how it takes to build a business that lasts for thirty years then find out how things work.

    00:00 - A quick introduction to Meenu Subbiah Diamonds.
    00:43 - Getting inspired by her mother.
    03:00 - The love for history with jewellery.
    08:26 - Starting off very young in the U.S.A
    13:00 - Understanding jewellery - close setting jewellery.
    20:56 - The exclusive line of jewellery of Meenu Subbiah.
    23:48 - Customer journey - the purpose of buying.
    30:39 - Why jewellery itself is a culture?
    38:23 - History of the evolution.
    44:52 - Art to inspire the kids.
    58:00 - Explaining quality to customers.

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Author, CSO of Ascendion, and futurist Paul Roehrig talks about organizations transitioning with #AI

    Author, CSO of Ascendion, and futurist Paul Roehrig talks about organizations transitioning with #AI
    Mar 3 2026

    In this episode we talk to Author Paul Roehrig about how the world is going to be embracing AI at scale.

    00:00 - Introduction
    02:08 - The role of Ascendion's engineers.
    06:44 - Evaluating AI at work.
    07:51 - What are CEOs preparing for in this era?
    12:56 - Platform engineering and data monetization.
    16:29 - Markets that are leading with AI.
    20:00 - Creating trusted outcomes.
    28:10 - Knowing the emotional resonance of using AI.
    31:48 - Energy and AI, why is it an important conversation to have.
    35:00 - Ability to innovate and partner with each other.
    36:09 - Thesis of Paul's books.

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    43 mins
  • Consumption! Brands, e-Commerce, Mom&Pop stores in India - a view from Devangshu Dutta

    Consumption! Brands, e-Commerce, Mom&Pop stores in India - a view from Devangshu Dutta
    Feb 14 2026

    In this episode of theUpStreamlife we bring India's foremost retail experts Mr Devangshu Dutta, the founder of Third Eyesight, who gives you insights into brand building and consumption in India. This is made for founders who want to be building for the long run in India.

    00:00 - Introduction to context setting.
    01:55 - What is Third Eyesight
    03:30 - Organized retailing or modern trade - what is it?
    07:15 - Brands and quick commerce, have they broken mom and pop stores.
    15:30 - Young brands going offline is all about scale.
    18:08 - Large FMCG companies will not innovate in new products.
    19:16 - Acquisitions of Indian brands will grow.
    24:45 - Infinite growth on a finite planet is impossible.
    25:04 - Frugal wardrobes and sustainability.
    29:37 - Building a brand, starting up with Friends, Family and Fools.
    37:20 - Traceability of ingredients and materials to tell a story.
    39:42 - The journey of plastic in India needs to be addressed.
    41:11 - Brands and market place tussles, the technology conversation.
    42:40 - Market places have the consumer relationship.
    45:12 - The cost of acquiring customers is high for brands now, monopoly!
    48:38 - Working with startups

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    54 mins