KanhaCast - the Kanha Shanti Vanam podcast

C.P. Gurnani (popularly known as ‘CP’ ) recently retired as CEO and MD at Tech Mahindra. In a career spanning 40+ years, CP has held several leading positions with Hewlett Packard Ltd., Perot Systems (India) Ltd., and HCL Corporation Ltd. He is a lifelong entrepreneur who has committed his career to helping customers build their digital future through innovation and technology transformation. We caught up with him on his visit to Kanha Shanti Vanam.

Prashant Nair is a distinguished Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Kerala cadre, widely recognized for his innovative and citizen-centric approach to governance.Prasanth Nair was selected to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 2007, securing an All-India Rank 4 in the UPSC exam. Hailing from Thalassery in Kannur District, he grew up in Thiruvananthapuram and graduated first rank in law (BA LLB) from the University of Kerala.He has served in various administrative capacities across diverse sectors, including Tourism, Excise, Taxation, Roads, Water Supply, Shipping, Energy, Skill Development, and Tribal Welfare. He has also headed two major World Bank-funded projects, Jalanidhi (Rural Water Supply & Sanitation) and KSTP (Kerala State Transport Project). As District Magistrate of Kozhikode, he earned the moniker ‘Collector Bro’ for his citizen-friendly, participative approach to governance.Prasanth is the Founder & Chief Compassionate Officer of Compassionate India Foundation (CIF), a nationwide movement to embed compassion into governance, philanthropy, and systemic social transformation. CIF builds on the success of Compassionate Kozhikode, a model he pioneered, which introduced Operation Sulaimani, a dignity-driven hunger relief initiative that has been internationally recognized. Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) Berlin chose it as one of the 50 most inspirational projects worldwide, and it received the Social Media for Empowerment (SM4E) Award from the Digital Empowerment Foundation & Friedrich Naumann Foundation. Under CIF, he is now spearheading national-scale initiatives such as the Hunger-Free Cities Program, Compassionate Campus Initiative, and AI-Driven Social Impact Governance Models.Recognized as a pioneer in leveraging social media for governance in India, Prasanth is an expert in mass communication, public engagement, and participatory governance. He is also the founder of India’s first tribal heritage village project, ‘En Ooru’ in Wayanad, and was the founding CEO of Unnathi, a specialized agency providing livelihood and scholarships for Scheduled Caste and Tribal youth.A passionate filmmaker and media enthusiast, Prasanth has co-scripted Malayalam films, directed short films, documentaries, and musicals, and even acted in films. His short film ‘Daivakanam’ premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, and his documentary ‘Fragrance of the Gods’ is a powerful statement on bonded labor.A prolific writer, Prasanth is the author of bestsellers in Malayalam and English, including ‘Collector Bro: The Quixotic Thallals of a Civil Servant’ and ‘Lifebuoy’. His short story collection, ‘Broswamy Kathakal’, has also been a bestseller. His writings and insights on governance, development, and public engagement have been widely published.He has been an invited speaker at leading academic and development forums, including the United Nations University (Bonn), IIT, IIM, IRMA, and LBSNAA. His vision for embedding systemic compassion in governance continues to influence policy-making, social entrepreneurship, and grassroots development across India.

Watch 'The Days of Trees' here: http://thedaysoftrees.com/watchUse code: HFN50 for a 50% discountTomás Hardiman is a prominent film producer and the driving force behind Parzival Productions. His documentary The Days of Trees (2024), co-created with director Alan Gilsenan, explores his personal journey of confronting childhood trauma and won the best feature Documentary at the 2024 IFTAs. This was part 3 of a trilogy which included Meetings with Ivor (2017), and The Meeting (2018). This Interview was recorded just before Tomas departure from Kanha in February 2025. Tomás is also a heartfulness meditation practitioner. In this conversation we also talk about childhood trauma and abuse so VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

In this episode Rudy Singh is in conversation with sister Shobhna Jagdish. Shobhna Ji is a stalwart of Indian television having been a news presenter for over 3 decades. She is also a Heartfulness trainer and has been practicing Sahaj Marg since 1994.

Capt. Vineet Singh Ranawat is the manager of Kanha Shanti Vanam near Hyderabad, India, one of the largest meditation spaces in the world. In this interview from 2022 he shares his inspiring journey and reveals more about the wonder that is Kanha Shanti Vanam.

Shari Alyse is the host of the TV talkshow Good Morning Joy, a media personality, 2x TEDx Speaker, and #1 bestselling author who is on a mission to spread joy! With over two decades of experience in the entertainment and wellness industries, Shari is a leading voice in the wellness space.

Dr V Ramakantha retired from the Indian Forest Service and has since devoted his time to helping Heartfulness greening efforts. Rudy Singh is a film-maker/writer who helps with Heartfulness media projects.

Mark Milton is the founder of Education 4 Peace Foundation, founding partner of the Spirit of Humanity Forum. Mark Milton’s work has been devoted to social and cultural change. He has a passion to bring listening skills and empathy into youth education and sport.

Judith Nelson lives in Scotland, and has a background in physiotherapy, broadcasting, presentation, and property development. These days, she teaches Heartfulness in organizations and communities, and is Vice-President of two Heartfulness charities.

Robert Grant is a filmmaker, cinematographer, video producer and heartfulness trainer based in Denmark. He has a wealth of experience having been at different times a hippie, a monk, and a truck driver. Robert is the subject of a danish book called The Monk From The North which is also being made into a movie.

Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., director of research at the HeartMath Institute, is a professor at Florida Atlantic University. McCraty is a psychophysiologist whose interests include the physiology of emotion. One of his primary areas of focus is the mechanisms by which emotions influence cognitive processes, behavior, health and the global interconnectivity between people and Earth’s energetic systems.

Shivpreet Singh is a translator, musician and poet based in California, USA. After a successful career in science and investing, he has dedicated over 15 years develop an innovative way of bringing spiritual poetry to the world through music videos. Annually, over 50 million minutes of his music are streamed online.

Pir Zia Inayat Khan, PhD, is a scholar of religion and teacher of Sufism in the universalist Sufi lineage of his grandfather, Hazrat Inayat Khan. Pir Zia is president of the Inayatiyya and founder of Suluk Academy, a school of Sufi contemplative study and practice. He is author of Immortality: A Traveler’s Guide; Dream Flowers: The Collected Works of Noor Inayat Khan with a Critical Commentary by Pir Zia Inayat Khan; Mingled Waters: Sufism and the Mystical Unity of Religions; and Saracen Chivalry: Counsels on Valor, Generosity and the Mystical Quest. Pir Zia divides his time between Richmond, Virginia and Suresnes, France. To learn more about his life and work please inayatiyya.org

Shekhar Kapur is a legendary film maker who has made iconic films like Bandit Queen, the Elizabeth series, Mr. India and Masoom among others. He was recently at Kanha Shanti Vanam where Dr. Ananya S. Rao caught up with him.

Lothar Pirc is a renowned entrepreneur, lecturer, author and philanthropist. He is a long time practitioner of Transcendental Meditation and founded one of the biggest Ayurveda centres in the Western world in Bad Ems, Germany. He was closely associated with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and was recently at Kanha Shanti Vanam for the 10000 for World Peace event.

Vasco Gaspar is an international author, speaker and facilitator wo curates science-based methodologies to create safe spaces for people to manifest their true potential. He was recently in Kanha Shanti Vanam to conduct a Deep U retreat and we caught up with him after.

John Smith was the first heartfulness practitioner in Australia. Here he shares his extraordinary journey.

Paul Glossop is a moderator of Vedic Science courses at the Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa. A long time practitioner of Transcendental Meditation and deeply interested in Vaastu Shastra, Paul shares his thoughts on Veda, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Kanha Shanti Vanam and heartfulness.

Guy Shahar catches up with Liz Kingsnorth, the Director of the Heartful Communication program. In this episode Liz shares her personal spiritual journey as well as insights into the world of communication and human relationships.

Suraj and Kashish are heartfulness trainers who have been married since 2021. Here they talk to Emma Ivaturi about finding love, dating, arranged marriage and heartfulness practice. Link to excel sheet mentioned in this episode: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tZgCcDPnmn3AI_RoyXz-dQ7t5PymlPWcw_GStQ16_MQ/edit?usp=sharing