Few people exemplify the word ‘polymath’ better than Krish Ashok to me. By day, he leads a major team at TCS which by itself sounds demanding. But what’s astonishing is that he manages to balance a rich set of hobbies and side projects outside of work, while also having a family. Ashok is considered a legend by several people - thanks to his many memes, Tumblrs and music projects during the golden age of Indian Twitter. He once even gave a TEDx talk about hobbies. 


The interesting thing about several of these projects is how they bring intersections together - heavy metal and Sanskrit; or rage comics and Tambrahm culture; or indeed his recent book which blends science and Indian cooking. Ashok has acted as an inspiration to me many times and it was a pleasure to speak to him. And towards the end, you’ll see why I consider him more Opeth than Iron Maiden.


What I spoke to Ashok about:

Consciously aiming for free time and how to work it into one's life


How hobbies and other interests can actually help the work one is doing
Consuming content for learning vs enjoymentBreadth & depth of various topics 

Why money should not be the primary consideration for a hobby
Metrics to live life by (including "create vs consume" ratio) and why these are different for everyone

Taking control over your life from tech companies!
LINKS

Everything Krish Ashok
Twitter : http://twitter.com/krishashok

His book, Masala Lab
Amazon : https://www.amazon.in/Masala-Lab-Science-Indian-Cooking/dp/0143451375Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/54968807-masala-lab

His website, which houses his many projects

website : https://krishashok.me/His musical projects (Linguini Stotram is a good place to start)

Soundcloud : https://soundcloud.com/krishashok
Probably his greatest cult project, Tambrahm RageTumblr : https://tambrahmrage.tumblr.com/

A TEDx talk he did in 2011, around hobbies
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZnI_A6GSYE


References made during the show:

Ashok and I wrote some parody songs together for Cricinfo long back. Here’s an example
Cricinfo : https://www.espncricinfo.com/print/story/510333

Ashok featured as a guest on Amit Varma’s The Seen & The Unseen podcast.
https://seenunseen.in/episodes/2020/12/20/episode-204-a-scientist-in-the-kitchen/

TED video of the guy who builds a toaster from scratch
TED : https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_thwaites_how_i_built_a_toaster_from_scratch?language=en

The learning pyramid Ashok references towards the end : https://www.educationcorner.com/the-learning-pyramid.html
Getting Meta links: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/40Vo30aQilVrxEOkoSmDjx?si=pCOPeJlcR0uN_g2ZZs8iLQ&dl_branch=1
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-meta/id1573882113

Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdGF0aWMuYWRvcmlsYWJzLmNvbS9mZWVkL2dldHRpbmctbWV0YS54bWw
IVM website: https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/show/getting-meta-y2rb-RtSzWNdzZ8i99R2Q

Follow your host on:
Twitter: twitter.com/chuck_gopalInstagram: instagram.com/chuckofalltradesEmail: chuck@chuckofalltrades.in

<div>Few people exemplify the word ‘polymath’ better than Krish Ashok to me. By day, he leads a major team at TCS which by itself sounds demanding. But what’s astonishing is that he manages to balance a rich set of hobbies and side projects outside of work, while also having a family. Ashok is considered a legend by several people - thanks to his many memes, Tumblrs and music projects during the golden age of Indian Twitter. He once even gave a TEDx talk about hobbies. </div><p><br></p><div>The interesting thing about several of these projects is how they bring intersections together - heavy metal and Sanskrit; or rage comics and Tambrahm culture; or indeed his recent book which blends science and Indian cooking. Ashok has acted as an inspiration to me many times and it was a pleasure to speak to him. And towards the end, you’ll see why I consider him more Opeth than Iron Maiden.</div><p><br></p><div>What I spoke to Ashok about:</div><p><span>Consciously aiming for free time and how to work it into one's life</span><br></p><p><span>How hobbies and other interests can actually help the work one is doing</span><br></p><div>Consuming content for learning vs enjoyment</div><div>Breadth &amp; depth of various topics </div><p><span>Why money should not be the primary consideration for a hobby</span><br></p><div>Metrics to live life by (including "create vs consume" ratio) and why these are different for everyone</div><p><span>Taking control over your life from tech companies!</span><br></p><div>LINKS</div><p><span>Everything Krish Ashok</span><br></p><div>Twitter : <a href="http://twitter.com/krishashok" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="http://twitter.com/krishashok">http://twitter.com/krishashok</span></a></div><p><span>His book, Masala Lab</span><br></p><div>Amazon : <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Masala-Lab-Science-Indian-Cooking/dp/0143451375" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://www.amazon.in/Masala-Lab-Science-Indian-Cooking/dp/0143451375">https://www.amazon.in/Masala-Lab-Science-Indian-Cooking/dp/0143451375</span></a></div><div>Goodreads : <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/54968807-masala-lab" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/54968807-masala-lab">https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/54968807-masala-lab</span></a></div><p><span>His website, which houses his many projects</span></p><p><span>website : </span><a href="https://krishashok.me/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://krishashok.me/">https://krishashok.me/</span></a></p><div>His musical projects (Linguini Stotram is a good place to start)</div><p><span>Soundcloud : </span><a href="https://soundcloud.com/krishashok" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://soundcloud.com/krishashok">https://soundcloud.com/krishashok</span></a><br></p><div>Probably his greatest cult project, Tambrahm Rage</div><div>Tumblr : <a href="https://tambrahmrage.tumblr.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://tambrahmrage.tumblr.com/">https://tambrahmrage.tumblr.com/</span></a></div><p><span>A TEDx talk he did in 2011, around hobbies</span><br></p><div>YouTube : <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZnI_A6GSYE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZnI_A6GSYE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZnI_A6GSYE</span></a></div><p><br></p><div>References made during the show:</div><p><span>Ashok and I wrote some parody songs together for Cricinfo long back. Here’s an example</span><br></p><div>Cricinfo : <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/print/story/510333" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/print/story/510333">https://www.espncricinfo.com/print/story/510333</span></a></div><p><span>Ashok featured as a guest on Amit Varma’s The Seen &amp; The Unseen podcast.</span><br></p><div><a href="https://seenunseen.in/episodes/2020/12/20/episode-204-a-scientist-in-the-kitchen/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://seenunseen.in/episodes/2020/12/20/episode-204-a-scientist-in-the-kitchen/">https://seenunseen.in/episodes/2020/12/20/episode-204-a-scientist-in-the-kitchen/</span></a></div><p><span>TED video of the guy who builds a toaster from scratch</span><br></p><div>TED : <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_thwaites_how_i_built_a_toaster_from_scratch?language=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_thwaites_how_i_built_a_toaster_from_scratch?language=en">https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_thwaites_how_i_built_a_toaster_from_scratch?language=en</span></a></div><p><span>The learning pyramid Ashok references towards the end : </span><a href="https://www.educationcorner.com/the-learning-pyramid.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://www.educationcorner.com/the-learning-pyramid.html">https://www.educationcorner.com/the-learning-pyramid.html</span></a><br></p><div>Getting Meta links: </div><p><span>Spotify: </span><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/40Vo30aQilVrxEOkoSmDjx?si=pCOPeJlcR0uN_g2ZZs8iLQ&amp;dl_branch=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://open.spotify.com/show/40Vo30aQilVrxEOkoSmDjx?si=pCOPeJlcR0uN_g2ZZs8iLQ&amp;dl_branch=1">https://open.spotify.com/show/40Vo30aQilVrxEOkoSmDjx?si=pCOPeJlcR0uN_g2ZZs8iLQ&amp;dl_branch=1</span></a><br></p><div>Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-meta/id1573882113" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-meta/id1573882113">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-meta/id1573882113</span></a></div><p><span>Google Podcasts: </span><a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdGF0aWMuYWRvcmlsYWJzLmNvbS9mZWVkL2dldHRpbmctbWV0YS54bWw" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdGF0aWMuYWRvcmlsYWJzLmNvbS9mZWVkL2dldHRpbmctbWV0YS54bWw">https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdGF0aWMuYWRvcmlsYWJzLmNvbS9mZWVkL2dldHRpbmctbWV0YS54bWw</span></a><br></p><div>IVM website: <a href="https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/show/getting-meta-y2rb-RtSzWNdzZ8i99R2Q" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/show/getting-meta-y2rb-RtSzWNdzZ8i99R2Q">https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/show/getting-meta-y2rb-RtSzWNdzZ8i99R2Q</span></a></div><p><span>Follow your host on:</span><br></p><div>Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/chuck_gopal" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="http://twitter.com/chuck_gopal">twitter.com/chuck_gopal</span></a></div><div>Instagram: <a href="http://instagram.com/chuckofalltrades" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span data-auto-link="true" data-href="http://instagram.com/chuckofalltrades">instagram.com/chuckofalltrades</span></a></div><div>Email: chuck@chuckofalltrades.in</div>

Getting Meta is a show where Deepak Gopalakrishnan (or Chuck, as the world calls him) speaks to some very smart people to unravel their habits, thought processes, tools and mental models - which can then be applied by anyone, from any field. Chuck speaks to authors, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and just people who lead that elusive "sorted" life. The show focuses less on their achievements or field, and more on them as a person and their ways of thinking - hence, getting meta with them. Because of the nature of the show, these are questions some of the interviewees have never been asked before - ranging from the personal to the professional. Each episode aims to inspire, entertain and leave you with things to ask yourself, frameworks to apply and good content to check out. 

There will be an initial season of 10 interviews, and this is Chuck's third podcast, following Simblified (comedy + topical) and The Origin of Things (trivia + storytelling). As a freelancer who's constantly looking for ways to hack his own productivity and get more out of life, this is Chuck's new passion project - especially since it gives him the chance to speak to people he admires and dig deeper into how they think.

<p>Getting Meta is a show where Deepak Gopalakrishnan (or Chuck, as the world calls him) speaks to some very smart people to unravel their habits, thought processes, tools and mental models - which can then be applied by anyone, from any field. Chuck speaks to authors, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and just people who lead that elusive "sorted" life. The show focuses less on their achievements or field, and more on them as a person and their ways of thinking - hence, getting meta with them. Because of the nature of the show, these are questions some of the interviewees have never been asked before - ranging from the personal to the professional. Each episode aims to inspire, entertain and leave you with things to ask yourself, frameworks to apply and good content to check out. </p><p>There will be an initial season of 10 interviews, and this is Chuck's third podcast, following Simblified (comedy + topical) and The Origin of Things (trivia + storytelling). As a freelancer who's constantly looking for ways to hack his own productivity and get more out of life, this is Chuck's new passion project - especially since it gives him the chance to speak to people he admires and dig deeper into how they think.</p>

Getting Meta is a show where Deepak Gopalakrishnan (or Chuck, as the world calls him) speaks to some very smart people

Getting Meta

Few people exemplify the word ‘polymath’ better than Krish Ashok to me.