Radio Vimoh: Recent Episodes
Vijayendra Mohanty (mostly off
In which Vijayendra Mohanty gets excited about ideas that have to do with media, culture, and creativity and sometimes even tells stories.
This episode is about a theme that I found common to the works of Asimov, Christopher Nolan, and Jonathan Nolan. It has to do with the future affecting the past and also perhaps with dropping our reliance on the past to some degree.
This week's episode is about how many creative people in India hesitate to monetise their content by asking their followers and fans for money and why that tendency exists. It is also about how to overcome those mental blocks.
In this episode, I talk about how trolls can sometimes come disguised as fans and how they insidiously try to divert content creators from their goals.I also talk about how telling an atheist he will one day learn to believe is actually quite insulting.
This week I talk about how my favourite way of growing my Instagram account has been to periodically challenge the preconceptions of my followers. Of course, what goes without saying is that my idea of "growth" is not simply increasing my follower count or my post views.I also spend some time explaining why I am wary of the appearance of being intelligent and how that has to do with toxic strains of Indian culture.
The thing that has been on my mind for the last week has been being an Indian atheist and the complications that come with it because much of the impetus behind the modern atheism movement comes from Western atheism movement, a cultural movement which was primarily anti-Abrahamic religions. And Abrahamic religions are followed in India by persecuted minorities. This episode is mostly me talking out aloud about how to strike an internal balance.
We all have homes. But we all have different ways of seeing home. And a lot of times, these ways are culturally defined. Today's episode is about leaving home and staying home.
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We have grown accustomed to thinking of echo chambers as a bad thing. But in an atmosphere where free expression advocating equality, rule of law, and common sense are being penalised and discouraged through fear, they may be the only thing that allow us to remember who we are as a people and what is important for the continued survival of democracy. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
When the people applaud every easy antic undertaken by those in charge of doing the hard things, they put their stamp of approval on inept and irresponsible governance. And then begins the spiral of ease where those in power get comfortable and those without it aren't aware of the many dooms that approach them from behind. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
There are two wolves fighting inside you. Which one wins? It's an old story but one that I feel can define our present political discourse aptly. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
In India of 2021, there is a lesson to be had from the science fictional motifs of terraforming and bioforming. We encounter new cultural worlds all the time. The choice before us is between changing those worlds to suit the past we are acquainted with, or bringing about change in ourselves so we can embrace the possibilities that reside in these new worlds. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
Bhakti makes way for putting the leader above the people. It turns representatives into rulers. It is against the basic principle of democracy where people are primary and eternal. Leaders come and go and though you may love a particular leader, you must never be devoted to them.Love towards your nation does not blind you. It causes you to care about the nation. And caring means being able to spot problems and illnesses and to look for solutions. Or at least state that solutions are needed. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
Vimoh Talks is a podcast about Indian culture. Not just ancient Indian culture. Contemporary Indian culture and the culture that India might one day have. A culture which is being created by all of our actions and words right now. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
Does your colony have a separate gate or elevator for maids, drivers, and workmen? Do you like to watch science fiction and can't wait for the future where we all have robots working in our households?Today's episode is about work, class discrimination, and the problem with thinking of technological progress as social progress. It's also about the fact that kindness isn't something we engage in for other people's sakes. It does us good too. It keeps us human. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
I find it quite useful to evaluate the ups and downs of human history using the made-up future histories of science fiction. Star Trek has a future history that depicts the gradual demise of many enmities. It points in the general direction of one truth. That enemies are never eternal and that the idea of eternal enemies is a construct created and perpetuated by those who benefit from the prevalence of hatred in society.You can find and subscribe to the Vimoh Talks podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and other platforms. And you can support the production of it by either pledging an amount of your choice at my Patreon page or by becoming a paying member here. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
A good way to know your bias is to note who you have expectations from. Who are you talking to and who are you telling to change? In a domestic violence kind of situation, do you ask the abuser to change? Or do you ask the victim to change? In a political protest by citizens do you ask the government to change, or do you ask the citizens to adjust with the government's policies?In any conflict, do you stand with the weaker party and ask the stronger party questions? Or do you remain silent before the strong and hold expectations from the weak?Because the "adjustment" you keep asking for doesn't stem from your desire to strike balance. It stems from your desire to avoid doing anything. It's a love for the status quo masquerading as a desire to mediate.You don't want peace. You want quiet. They're two different things. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
I have been having conversations about the importance of hope and figured some of it was worth putting on the record. Isaac Asimov wrote Nightfall with different intentions, but one good thing about literature is that you can break free from context and put it to different uses. Also, this episode features The Incredible Hulk. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
Today's podcast episode is a brief rant about something I wanted to talk about a few months ago but the opportunity passed me by. It has to do with a particular manifestation of India's class problem. Also, this podcast can now be independently subscribed to on Apple Podcasts. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
Getting hurt is okay. You are human. You are religious. It is only natural that something someone said about your gods has caused you pain. But what is not okay? What are the limits of the redressal you seek? Because if there is no limit and you think that everyone must necessarily put themselves below your religious sentiments, then you end up hurting your own religion's future.Vimoh Talks is a podcast published on vimohsworld.com and it is about contemporary Indian culture (because enough people are already talking about ancient Indian culture). You can sign up to received articles, webcomics, and podcast episodes in your email every week. And you can support the publication by becoming a paying member. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
A little something I was reminded of after listening to some protesting farmers make a distinction between how we see far produce and supermarket consumer goods.Also, hey! This is the first episode of the Vimoh Talks podcast. Get full access to Vimoh's World at www.vimohsworld.com/subscribe
Human beings designed religions to forgive themselves. And the need for it arose from a fundamental dichotomy in human nature.
We talk about platforms so often these days that it appears protocols don't exist. But they do, and they power large chunks of the internet. Email, blogging, and podcasting are perhaps the last vestiges of the open web publishing. So I try to make a case against the much-talked-about YouTube for podcasts.
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.
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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.
Never miss an update. Get full access here: https://vimoh.substack.com
A lot of cultural infrastructure that goes into the making of human civilisation is fictional in nature. For example, there is literally no difference between talking animal characters in children’s stories, aliens in adult science fiction, and the gods of mythology. They all come from the same source — human imagination in service of the human survival instinct. They all came into being because we need to understand.
Today’s audio is about that. That and Duck Tales of course.
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Trying to test the new podcasting feature of Substack. So sending you all an episode of my podcast Radio Vimoh [http://www.radiovimoh.com].
It’s called The Imaginary Bridge and is a short story set in mythical Lanka of the Ramayana universe. In it, two guards discuss truth and rumours. Listen, and if you like it, hit the reply button and let me know how you liked it.
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Two guards atop a fortress in lanka discuss the events of the day and trade rumours. A story set in Ramayana-era Lanka, but also, oddly enough, in the here and now.
Music: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Sound Effects: Freesound.org
This is a story about the importance of making mistakes and how trying to avoid making mistakes is a sure way to drive joy out of your life.
Music: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
I have a problem with depictions of Hanuman where he is little more than an angry, brooding, musclebound hero. He has always meant something more to me -- someone brave enough to doubt himself. Valmiki Ramayan makes several mentions of Hanuman's fears.
So I wrote a story about self belief and put Hanuman in it. This story is a personal favourite. Also, this is the first episode I have made with sound effects in it. I hope I didn't go overboard. Let me know! Also, this is the first episode to have patrons listed in the credits at the end. Do listen till the end.
Music: White Lotus Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sound Effects: https://freesound.org/
When you think about it, omnipotence is a somewhat silly idea. We assign it to our gods unthinkingly, never stopping to wonder what we are burdening them with. So I wrote a story to put myself in a god's shoes.
Some say the Buddha said " I am but a finger pointing to the moon. Don’t look at me; look at the moon." Others say the Buddha didn't say so, thus missing the point completely. And the point is missed all around us all the time. So I wrote a story about the music that Krishna is said to have played to do my part in making sure people don't miss the point.
Music: Kevin MacLeod
What can Duck Tales tell us about the human condition? What are we really doing when we tell stories about talking animals? What's up with Star Trek aliens? We are a storytelling animal and it is important that we do not forget that.
In addition to telling us that gods created us and how the gods created us, creation myths also tell us WHAT the gods created us FOR. Creation myths they tell us what we are allowed to do and what we are not allowed to do. I believe that the gods come from a place that lies somewhere between two human impulses -- the impulse to cooperate and the impulse to destroy. What happens when an empathetic creature commits murder? The answer is guilt. Guilt happens. And what do we need when we feel guilt? We need forgiveness. So when humans were struck by the guilt I just mentioned, they found no one who could forgive them. And because they needed forgiveness desperately -- because without forgiveness they would go mad -- humans had to invent gods. Gods who would justify their existence by telling them that there was nothing wrong with them. The gods of today -- democracy, capitalism etc. -- are gods we have not forgotten yet.
What if I told you Cows do not give us milk? What if I told you Trees do not give us oxygen. What if I told you that we have lied to ourselves from the beginning of civilisation? The history of religion is the history of language. Religion and the law both seek to define what it means to be human and tell us how to behave. Both are human-centric. Both prioritise human beings. Both tell us the story of human exceptionalism. In the eyes of both worldviews, the human being holds a special place. Religion says human beings were created and are loved by a god who looks suspiciously similar to human beings. The law is more direct -- it says that human beings need to be good to each other because such behaviour is what holds societies together.
In which I go on an elaborate rant about the Indian education system and how the middle-class relates with it.