#26 - Be Very Serious About Your Job, But Don't Take Yourself Seriously ft. Ashis Dutta on Software, Storytelling & Interdisciplinary Cocktails

In the mid-90s, Ashis Dutta had a secure job, an apartment and a car in Kolkata. He walked away from all of it, moved to Bangalore knowing not one person, and started a software company in an industry he was still learning. He called it Pagalpan — the kind of madness you need to achieve anything.That business became his passport to nearly 40 countries. Somewhere between boardrooms and airports, he started writing down the moments most travellers walk straight past — a London cab driver, a young safari guide in the Gir forest, monks in a Himalayan ashram — until they became his book, Gandhi and the London Cabby and the Stories Along the Road.In this episode, Ashis and Amin talk about:00:00 Who is Ashis Dutta? 01:59 Late-night calls with the US West Coast 02:52 The catastrophe right after school 05:43 The first week in Bangalore — and the Rotary Club 07:44 60% leaving, 40% being pulled 08:44 An outsider twice — breaking into software 10:33 Burning the boats 11:14 Security then vs. now — and hosting Kumar Sanu & Alka Yagnik 13:42 A software company set up in one day 15:50 Why leave the safety net? Pagalpan 17:40 What he was really chasing 18:38 Software as a passport to 40 countries 19:45 Gandhi and the London cabby 21:33 Hasan and the lions of Gir 26:45 Why he stops to talk to strangers 29:04 Rumi, Konya and the Sema 31:38 The story that fell from the sky 34:35 The Bengali trick for directions in France 35:59 Where fact ends and fiction begins 37:07 When the people in the stories read them 38:09 The voter-awareness song the Election Commission adopted 43:12 A storyteller at heart 46:06 The conductor and the flutist — leading knowledge teams 50:57 The hotel "golden point" experiment 54:18 Interdisciplinary cocktails — from software to Rumi 57:00 We are all linguistic minorities 1:00:45 Who is Ashis without the hats? 1:01:51 One takeaway 1:03:04 Where to find Ashis 1:03:36 Bangalore in the 90s 1:04:12 A sequel is coming 1:05:28 Closing reflectionQuotes & standout momentsQuotes• Ashis: "Be very serious about your job, but don't take yourself seriously." (1:02:05)• Ashis: "Without Pagalpan you can't achieve anything in life." (16:30)• Amin: "The best stories are usually standing right next to you. If you're willing to stop and ask." (1:05:28)Standout moments1. The French directions trick (34:35) — he speaks fluent Bengali first, then broken English, and suddenly people help. He still uses it.2. Hasan and the lions of Gir (21:33) — lions are carved into symbols across civilizations, yet the animal was almost wiped out; a young guide taught him to accept what nature gives you.3. A company in one day (13:42) — paperwork approved over a cup of coffee, no bribe. "When can I start?" "From now."4. The hotel "golden point" experiment (50:57) — 80% of hotel staff said reception is the first point of contact; 80% of travelers said the airport driver.New episodes of Everyday Conversations drop every Sunday and Wednesday. Subscribe so you never miss one.----------------------------------------Contact Details for GuestAshis Dutta — Software Entrepreneur, Travel Writer & AuthorEmail: ashisdutta@gmail.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ashisdutta Facebook: facebook.com/ashisdutta Instagram: @travelwithashis Book — Gandhi and the London Cabby and the Stories Along the Road - AVAILABLE ON AMAZON----------------------------------------Contact Details for HostAmin Mombani - Host Email: Mombanipodcast@gmail.com Website: https://aminmombani.podview.comYouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIoXPESGBAlhpbeWg_E7Hrw Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/everyday-conversations-with-amin-mombani/id6782858287 CastBox: https://castbox.fm/channel/id7284639?country=us LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amin-mombani-29979721/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592072735008#EverydayConversations #AminMombani #AshisDutta #GandhiAndTheLondonCabby #Travel