This episode of Radio Vimoh is about being past-centric and whether it is destroying our chances of being future-oriented.

Listen to the full episode here!

The stated purpose of a lot of writers who deal with mythology as subject matter these days is to make the younger generation aware of India’s rich culture and heritage by telling stories which have remained untold. But I can’t help feeling sometimes that not enough attention is being paid to the shape of future India. What will these young people grow up to become? What kind of adults will they turn out to be? What manner of India will they build? Is it going to be more of the same — an India powered by outrage and offence, crying out three times a day demanding to be treated like children by the authorities? Or can it be something different?

Nobody wants to admit that they had help getting where they are right now. In their heads, everyone is a hero who did it all by themselves. And this is why people hate it when their privilege is pointed out to them.

Privilege, be it racial, caste-based, nationality or religion based, is always a hard pill to swallow. People would rather lash out and question their accuser's motives than face facts. And the simple fact of the matter is that there do exist social frameworks that benefit us all. So pervasive is the influence of these frameworks sometimes, that we start considering them natural. But as long as there are people who exist outside these frameworks - either because they lack access or because they were deliberately kept out - we need to accept and appreciate the advantages that we have had in life.

Doing so makes you a better person.

Click here to listen to the episode

You can't be your own boss, at least a good one, if you are not your employee first. Giving orders sounds like something we would all like to do, but the thing about being your own boss is that you also need to take your own orders. You get to plan, yes. But you also have to be the one who executes. You get to make decisions, yes. But you also need to do the thing that you decided to do.

Discipline is key to being your own boss. The power to control your destiny comes with the responsibility of doing the thing you decided you were destined for.

Getting to where you want to go requires work. Actual, real, hard work. And that, unfortunately, is an inescapable part of being your own boss.

If you are a writer who believes it is not your job to market your work, this is for you. If you are an artist who thinks marketing is a dirty word and that capitalist forces are out to get you, this is for you. If you are someone who thinks the whole system is rigged against you, then consider this a whack on the side of your head. This is your age. This is your time. It is time you knew this.

Music is *Werq* by Kevin MacLeod.

I always create content with a plan. There is some thought given to target audiences, some idea of the duration of the piece. I even obsess over font sizes and paragraph lengths. I script things out and take great pains to create a smooth experience.

Though most of my work has some kind of character, I am often accused of being without a personality. All information and no passion. People who are close to me say this is not true, because I do wave my hands around excitedly when talking and smile and jump at fun ideas.

So I decided to do something drastic. I made a completely unscripted bit of audio. There is an idea in it and I kind of make a face when I listen to it. But it was also a little liberating. I enjoyed letting go.

If you listen to it, after you are done, hit the reply button and let me know how you liked it. Do you think I should not do this? Do you think I should do more of this? Do you think it’s fine the way it is or do you think it needs change? Do you think this is easier to listen to than my usual narrations or do you think my more steady voice is better?

Please let me know by replying to this email. I wasn’t even going to send this out until I decided I will benefit from feedback on it.

Almost forgot. Music is “Werq” by Kevin MacLeod.