
Some time ago, Nitesh Batra the founder of the Mindful Initiative reached out to me through a common friend asking if he could interview me for a podcast that he runs. Having been interviewed several times in the past for newspapers and television, I was expecting this also to be similar to the ones that I had participated in. A friend who is a well known communication expert had once told me that the quality of the interview is the end product of the chemistry that emerges in that moment of time between the interviewer and the interviewee. It includes but goes beyond the subject being discussed, the interviewer’s ability, the interviewee’s credentials and the physical ecosystem in which the interview happens. Much of this is not something that an online space can recreate and I was a bit skeptical on how this podcast-interview would emerge.
Reading about the Mindful Initiative, I decided that I would not prepare myself for this interview or have any cooked answers for the questions that may be asked for me. I wanted to break free, feel authentic, respond spontaneously and speak mindfully in the moment of time. And I must fully credit Nitesh for not only helping me go deep within myself with his gentle questions and satvic voice, but also reaffirming my belief that connections go beyond all boundaries, and oneness can be experienced in the online space too. This podcast is the end result. Please do listen and let me know what you think of these thoughts that emerged. Please feel free to comment and share some of your own experiences and co-create a body of knowledge that can help each of us learn from each other as we go about making this world a better place.