Lifeworlds of Leadership
In this podcast, researcher Rich Thornton and entrepreneur Mainak Roy meet some of India’s most emotionally sensitive and subtly powerful leaders of education development. Using academic lenses and on-ground experience, we bust myths around ‘leadership’ and gain insights into what motivates, sustains, and inspires people to keep working towards social justice and social change.
In this podcast, researcher Rich Thornton and entrepreneur Mainak Roy meet some of India’s most emotionally sensitive and subtly powerful leaders of education development. Using academic lenses and on-ground experience, we bust myths around ‘leadership’ and gain insights into what motivates, sustains, and inspires people to keep working towards social justice and social change.
Episodes
Jun 28, 2024
Ep5: Behind the scenes with Rich and Roy
Jun 28, 2024
Jun 28, 2024
19 min
Hosts Rich and Roy are put in the hot seat as Roy’s partner Artika interviews them about why they are interested in leadership, and why they launched the podcast.
https://lifeworldsofleadership.podbean.com/
https://www.simpleeducationfoundation.org/
Rich’s PhD Thesis: Purposed-leadership: neoliberal subjectivity and India’s education social entrepreneurs
This podcast is produced and co-hosted by Rich Thornton, an anthropologist based at SOAS, University of London (https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/rich-thornton); and Mainak Roy, CEO and co-founder of Simple Education Foundation, an organisation that builds high-quality teacher development programs for state and local governments (https://www.simpleeducationfoundation.org/).
It is made in association with कलाTalks Foundation, an organisation that empowers underserved communities through artistic expression. - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/kalaatalks
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kalaatalks
Sound Production: Nisha Baniwal (कलाTalks Foundation)
Artwork: Rich Thornton and Artika Aggarwal
Jun 28, 2024
19 min
Jun 21, 2024
Jun 21, 2024
47 min
Hosts Rich and Mainak meet The Community Library Project founder and community organiser Mridula Koshy, and learn about the politics of reading and inclusion in India, anti-caste mobilisation, the potential of libraries, and how anger is a fuel to hope.
https://www.thecommunitylibraryproject.org/
linktr.ee/TCLP_Insta
This podcast is produced and co-hosted by Rich Thornton, an anthropologist based at SOAS, University of London (https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/rich-thornton); and Mainak Roy, CEO and co-founder of Simple Education Foundation, an organisation that builds high-quality teacher development programs for state and local governments (https://www.simpleeducationfoundation.org/).
It is made in association with कलाTalks Foundation, an organisation that empowers underserved communities through artistic expression. - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/kalaatalks
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kalaatalks
Sound Production: Nisha Baniwal (कलाTalks Foundation)
Artwork: Rich Thornton and Artika Aggarwal
Jun 21, 2024
47 min
Jun 14, 2024
Jun 14, 2024
40 min
Hosts Rich and Mainak meet Aagaaz Theatre Trust founder and artistic director Sanyukta, and learn how good leadership is about encouraging dissent, using the values of improv theatre, and allowing oneself to feel the magic and keep the hope.
https://www.aagaaztheatre.org/
linktr.ee/AagaazTheatre
This podcast is produced and co-hosted by Rich Thornton, an anthropologist based at SOAS, University of London (https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/rich-thornton); and Mainak Roy, CEO and co-founder of Simple Education Foundation, an organisation that builds high-quality teacher development programs for state and local governments (https://www.simpleeducationfoundation.org/).
It is made in association with कलाTalks Foundation, an organisation that empowers underserved communities through artistic expression. - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/kalaatalks
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kalaatalks
Jun 14, 2024
40 min
Jun 7, 2024
Jun 7, 2024
43 min
Hosts Rich and Mainak meet Riya Biswas, founder of mental health NGO Mantavya, who shares how her own struggles with mental health have inspired her to use self-reflection, active listening, and arts-based methods in her community-focused on-ground practice
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mantavya_foundation
Linked: In https://www.linkedin.com/company/mantavya-for-mental-health-foundation/
Credits:
This podcast is produced and co-hosted by Rich Thornton, an anthropologist based at SOAS, University of London (https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/rich-thornton); and Mainak Roy, CEO and co-founder of Simple Education Foundation, an organisation that builds high-quality teacher development programs for state and local governments (https://www.simpleeducationfoundation.org/).
It is made in association with कलाTalks Foundation, an organisation that empowers underserved communities through artistic expression. - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/kalaatalks
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kalaatalks
Sound Production: Nisha Baniwal (कलाTalks Foundation)
Artwork: Rich Thornton and Artika Aggarwal
Jun 7, 2024
43 min
May 5, 2024
May 5, 2024
45 min
Hosts Rich and Mainak meet India Youth Jam facilitator and certified clown, Sukhmani Kohli and learn how good leadership is all about intuitive listening, knowing when to have difficult conversations, and centralising play.
Find out more about Sukhmani ...
Facilitation and Clowning: https://www.purplemangoes.com/
India Youth Jam (Yes Jams): yesworld.org
Instagram: @nanabacana @jamsinindia @yesjworldjams
May 5, 2024
45 min

About the podcast
Rich Thornton is a social anthropologist based at SOAS in London. Mainak Roy is the CEO and co-founder of Simple Education Foundation. The two met in 2018 as Rich was conducting fieldwork in Delhi on education development in India. Since then, they've had many debates on politics, pedagogies, and different ways to imagine education as social change. This year, they decided to launch a podcast an interview leaders of education organisations that inspired them. Series 1 of the podcast, launched in May 2024, showcases four of Delhi's most inspiring alternative leaders of education, who all, also, happen to be women.
Sound Production: Nisha Baniwal (कलाTalks Foundation)
Artwork: Rich Thornton and Artika Aggarwal







