Speaking

With his varied interests, inquisitive nature, successes and failures in various ventures, near-death experiences and a treasure trove of hair-raising stories, Mauktik has regaled a wide variety of audiences, including entrepreneurs, college students, bikers, backpackers, art lovers, creative writers and film makers.

Discussing the history and the current state of Indian democracy with budding diplomats and international affairs students at the Young Diplomats Society, Australia, for their podcast series 'Democracy in Decline' (audio only).

Delivering a lecture on 'AI's Initial Impact on Artists, Journalists, and Democratic Institutions' at the Bangalore International Centre. The post-presentation Q&A was moderated by Tanuj Bhojwani, a noted author and board member of the Digital Public Goods Alliance.

As a part of US-based National Public Radio's 'Rough Translations' program hosted by Gregory Warner, Lauren Frayer and Sushmita Pathak, addressing race and caste issues with Suraj Yengde, fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, and others.

Panelist for a discussion hosted by anchor Amruta Durve for BBC News Marathi on the 2020 presidential election in the US and its relevance to India-US relations (in Marathi).

0 to 50 countries before hitting 35! As a part of 'Backpacking 101,' recounting some exciting, scary, and humorous experiences from his three major adventures: Two that led to books and one that led to a movie.

Interview exploring the key differences between the education systems, entrepreneurship, constitutional structures and understanding of constitutional morality in India and the US (in Marathi by renowned journalist Niranjan Takle)

As a part of the 'Dialogics' series hosted by Suraj Yengde at the Harvard Kennedy School of Govt., discussing the oppressive Hindu caste system in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests in the US, along with acclaimed actor/director Nandita Das, for the 'Interrogating Caste Privileges' episode.

At the Motorcycle Travellers Meet (MTM) in Bangalore, talking about his crazy, solo, 5000-mile motorcycle trip through the back roads of Peru, Chile and Argentina.

At the inaugural session of Lime Diaries, a travel storytelling event sponsored by Byond Travel at the Arbor Brewing Company, Bangalore.

At the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), India (Video begins at the ~3:10 mark).

Of late, neuroscience has emerged as one of the most intriguing fields of research. In addition to developing new tools to understand the inner workings of the brain, neuroscience has also started posing some tough legal, social and ethical issues related to science. New techniques aimed at “reading” human thoughts to understand what actions they are planning, and directly controlling thoughts and actions, are bringing up philosophical issues about free will, relationships and our belief systems. The lecture also touches upon the philosophy of law and role of public policy in shaping the future of neuroscience.

At the 50th edition of Vedh, a career guidance lecture series organized by the Institute for Psychological Health, India, to help students navigate the ever expanding maze of career choices. (in Marathi by acclaimed psychiatrist Dr. Anand Nadkarni)

On Ofofo Studio's podcast, discussing everything from engineering to neuroscience, startups, backpacking, the ecosystems of the US and India, policy frameworks, creative writing, and film making. It includes some insights on the similarities and differences between startups and filmmaking.

Audio interview on All India Radio about Mauktik's journey from engineering to neuroscience, backpacking, creative writing and film making (in Marathi by journalist/author Amruta Karkare)

Here is a sample of other topics Mauktik has discussed at invited lectures at various forums:

"Stories of Indian Diaspora - Films & Documentaries" - Indiaspora 10th Anniversary Global Forum (2022)

"Law, Society & Neuroscience" - National Law School of India University, Bangalore, India (2021), Azim Premji University, Bangalore, India (2020)

"The Art of Storytelling" - IIT Gandhinagar, India (2019), Atos, Mumbai, India (2019), VNIT, Nagpur, India (2019), Arista Networks, Pune, India (2019)

"Media Censorship & India's Economic Growth" - India Ideas Conference, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA (2018)

"Riding on a Sunbeam" - New York University, New York, USA (2018)

"My Story" - TiE Pune, India (2018)

"Neuroscience, Ethics & Morality" - IIT Gandhinagar, India (2019), The Goa Project, Goa, India (2015)

"Film-making as Entrepreneurship" - TiECon Central India, Nagpur, India (2014)

"Autobiography? Writing 'A Ghost of Che'" - 39th Louisville Conference on Literature & Culture, Louisville, USA (2011)