In their words

I gave it all. … I enjoyed it thoroughly. I think you're fantastic at asking beautiful questions. You are very welcoming. You've got a very beautiful soul. And my prayer and my wish for you is that more and more people get to listen to this and enjoy it, because you have so much to give to the world. In a world where there are so many podcasts, I still feel like you have a place to contribute. I feel it. … I'll be lobbying for them to jump on here and talk to you, because I think you're a fantastic human being.

I'm actually really delighted by so many of your questions, because it really got me thinking and digging deep. And I love your warmth. I could do this for another few hours. It feels like I'm reconnecting with a friend. … Thank you also for asking such insightful questions that really touched the core of how I see myself, what I feel, how I think about some of the most important parts of my life's journey so far.

I enjoyed the conversation as well. I think you're amazing in terms of the kind of questions you had in mind. … I feel like a lot of podcasts don't do as well because they don't have very interesting hosts, and the hosts don't know how to listen and ask questions. I think you're doing a great job.

• Author, The Great Indian Situationship (HarperCollins, 2026)

Nandini One thing about Manoj is, he's always been an easy person to have a conversation with. … Even if I was meeting you as a business partner, there was always an equal footing. It was never a talking-down kind of attitude at all, and always very respectful. … There is a trust factor. Soubhik I'm meeting you for the first time and you made me feel comfortable. It was much easier to open up and talk about things. Generally I'm quite guarded. … You made it more of a conversation than you questioning us and us trying to give you an answer. So it was fun. Thank you for being so graceful, and for asking such relevant and pertinent questions.

I think the depth of questions that you asked are ones that I'm very rarely asked, and I have a lot to think about now too, leaving this conversation. So thank you for that.

• MD, Stanford School of Medicine (2026)
• 3 Signal Awards (2026)
• Fulbright Fellow
• Featured on CBS Mornings

I would like to thank you for covering such a wide range of topics. It was very comprehensive, the kind of questions that you asked. In fact, in between we went off script many a time; that shows that you actually got me thinking, and it wasn't templated. … I had to really rack my brain to answer those. Thank you for that.

Sign-off: “Thank you, Manoj. Loved every bit of it.”

• TEDx speaker, "Finding Your Expression" (2022)

No, man, this has been great. Listening to stories has been a great passion of mine since I was a kid, and I think your podcast does a fabulous job of that. So I wish you great luck in making sure that there are many more interesting people and interesting stories that come on your podcast, and I look forward to listening to all of them.

• Featured in Entrepreneur India and Firstpost

I didn't know what I was turning up into, honestly. I didn't know where this conversation was going to go, and I didn't know how you would drive this interview. … It's really nice to see you smile. And also how you listen through the conversation and have the follow-up questions is very cool, because that also made me go into a reflective state. I think that was the reason why we went down the rabbit hole that we went.

• PhD, Heidelberg University
• Judge, Bioanalysis Rising Star Award (2026)

Thank you for being such a great host. I had lots of fun today. It's always nice when I get a platform where I can speak my thoughts unfiltered. … So thank you for making my first podcast experience so nice and so comfortable. I had great fun.

I'm so happy I was part of this show and part of this conversation with you. It's just lovely. I felt it was a very honest conversation, and I can be me. I don't have to be shy. … This is my first podcast in the world, so I was very excited and happy. Thank you so much for inviting me.

This was such an interesting talk, or rather a long conversation, about so many different facets of what I do. So thank you so much for curating the questions. It started with the product side and then it blended in the art and the other aspects. I think it was a good balance. Thank you for making me talk about a lot of other things, which usually happens only in the circles where I meet friends. So this was such a fun thing.

• LinkedIn Top 200 Creators India (2022)

I think it's been fascinating to be able to just come in and have this sort of a conversation. … I don't get these sorts of opportunities to come and talk about these free-ranging topics, and go back and think about all the things that have happened in life. And I thank you for giving me this opportunity to share these ideas.

It was a very engaging conversation, and I think it's a super nice initiative, breaking down the thoughts of people who have been doing interesting things, thoughts that might inspire a lot of people too. I'm looking forward to more conversations that you're going to be having with a lot more people as well. … I'm already subscribed to your podcast.

• TEDx speaker, Narayan, "How to Thrive Without a Plan B" (2023)
• Featured in Forbes India

This conversation was really lovely and it was nice. I got to know a little more about myself, and I'm sure a lot of people who are a little intimidated by me will get to see a little more human side to me. … And I really love this platform that you've built. It's really great, and I'm so happy to have been on here.

• Author, Fire & Grace

Noopur This was one of the first opportunities given to us where both of us were called upon. … I think you have given us some confidence. … It was not scripted, I feel, so that was good. Thanks for giving us the platform for it. I hope RareErth goes to sky heights. Akash This has given us great confidence. Thank you for this opportunity. I hope RareErth isn't rare. It becomes very well known.

Closing remark in Sanskrit, which she translated: You did a wonderful job, and what you're doing with the podcast is amazing. So please continue to do the work in the future. … It was a very interesting conversation. I didn't actually expect it to be so broad, and you asked me quite a few challenging questions. So it definitely kept me on my toes.

• Featured in Mint Lounge

I think this is a really energizing, in some ways healing, conversation for me.

Earlier in the closing segment: “I actually never said that, so thank you for the question.” / “Thank you for getting this out of me.”

• Forbes 30 Under 30 (2021)
• TEDx speaker (2021)
• PBS Roadtrip Nation

Most of my thoughts are now questions I have for you. … I loved it. I think it's really nice. And I'm glad we just got to connect and talk, face to face. … Thank you so much for having me. Enjoyed it quite a bit.

I think it's incredible. I'm really honored to be here. … I think you're doing great things. It's always great to hear your voice on AirChat, and your mixtapes, obviously. But yeah, it was great chatting and a lot of fun.

• Co-author, Lords of the Cosmos
• Guest on Infinite Loops
• OSV Grant (2024)

Oh, I love it. It's really great. I enjoyed this. It's very different than the other conversations I've had. And yeah, really fun.

• Author, The Sovereign Child (2025)
• Featured on The Tim Ferriss Show with Naval Ravikant

Manoj, thank you. … I 100% treasure you. I love what you're doing. … It's so mutual. I love knowing you and I really appreciate it.

I'm an old-school kind of guy. The fact that you're in India and I'm here in America, and we're just chatting like this, and we're sharing an audience together and ideas. … Culturally, we come from histories that are so diverse. And yet here we are, sharing, chatting and creating together. It's beautiful.

• Author, 52 Tweets to a Great Marriage (2023)

Listen to podcasts like yours. Because really, honestly, when you listen to stories of people, that's what's inspiring. … Thank you for having me on the show. I think it's been a great journey, and not just the journey of this podcast, but the journey of being friends.

Me too, man. I didn't know you at all before this. But I feel like this is like two long-lost family members talking. … I feel like I really knew you.

• Featured in The Hindu

I'm glad that we did this. I'm finally comfortable sharing the whole story of Chalchitra Talks, and very excited about where we go from here. … Thanks so much, Manoj, it was great talking to you. This was super nice.

• Featured in The Tribune

The fact that we're still talking is because this conversation has been very, very good. It has been a lot of fun and delightful. So thanks a lot for making it happen.

• Author, Ring of FIRE
• Featured on Mint's podcast

Thank you for asking all of these questions. This was such an interesting conversation. … Next time, I will interview you and I will grill you.

• Featured in The Hindu