First Principles
First Principles is a weekly interview podcast comprising authentic, candid, and insightful conversations between some of India’s most accomplished founders and business leaders, and Rohin Dharmakumar, The Ken’s CEO & co-founder. From personal philosophies, mental models and decision making frameworks, to reading habits, parenting styles or personal interests, each episode will delve into what makes each of these leaders unique.
10
Part 2: Kalpana Morparia on the culture of dissent, the 90-day NYSE race, and why ambition requires self-redundancy
<p>Hello, listeners, and welcome back to part 2 of the 51st episode of First Principles.</p><p>Ms. Kalpana Morparia reached out to us via email after the bro-ification episode. It was the most pleasant surprise and we immediately knew we had to get her on the podcast.</p><p>Here's someone who joined ICICI in 1975 as a lawyer, had absolutely no background in finance, and was then asked to run Treasury. She was terrified but her colleagues told her: "You do not say no to Mr. Kamath and live to have a great career in ICICI."</p><p>So...
Part 1: Kalpana Morparia on the culture of dissent, the 90-day NYSE race, and why ambition requires self-redundancy
<p>Hello, listeners, and welcome back to part 1 of the 51st episode of First Principles.</p><p>Ms. Kalpana Morparia reached out to us via email after the bro-ification episode. It was the most pleasant surprise and we immediately knew we had to get her on the podcast.</p><p>Here's someone who joined ICICI in 1975 as a lawyer, had absolutely no background in finance, and was then asked to run Treasury. She was terrified but her colleagues told her: "You do not say no to Mr. Kamath and live to have a great career in ICICI."</p><p>So...
Part 2: Darwinbox’s Rohit Chennamaneni on leading without a CEO, the ‘show don’t tell’ product mindset, and why resilience beats intelligence
<p><br>In the 2nd part of the 50th episode of First Principles, Rohit Chennamaneni, co-founder of Darwinbox, joins the show to talk about what changes after the early chaos of a startup fades.</p><p>He explains how Darwinbox has operated without a CEO for years, how the 3 founders divide ownership of decisions instead of debating everything together, and why this structure helped them move faster as the company grew.</p><p>Rohit also gets specific about product building. He talks about designing HR software that does not need training sessions or long explanations, why adoption matters more than...
Part 1: Darwinbox’s Rohit Chennamaneni on leading without a CEO, the ‘show don’t tell’ product mindset, and why resilience beats intelligence
<p><br>In part 1 of the 50th episode of First Principles, Rohit Chennamaneni, co-founder of Darwinbox, joins the show to talk about what changes after the early chaos of a startup fades.</p><p><br>He explains how Darwinbox has operated without a CEO for years, how the 3 founders divide ownership of decisions instead of debating everything together, and why this structure helped them move faster as the company grew.</p><p>Rohit also gets specific about product building. He talks about designing HR software that does not need training sessions or long explanations, why adoption matters more than feature...
First Principles, second look: The 2025 wrap
<p>What a year it's been.</p><p>After a long hiatus and when we thought we'd closed the curtains for good, First Principles came back in April 2025 for Season 3. And what made this comeback so special? Simple: Rohin was genuinely excited to be back in the interviewing chair.</p><p>That excitement is infectious. It showed up in every conversation and every question. This year, he sat down with eight incredible CEOs and founders who opened up about their journeys, their philosophies, their wins, and their struggles. These were deep, candid conversations about what it really takes to build...
Part 2: Ixigo's Aloke Bajpai on using empathy, customer experience, and resilience to both survive and thrive
<p>Hello and welcome back to First Principles. This is the part 2 of the 49th episode since we started, or the 8th episode of season 3.</p><p>In this episode, I sit down with Aloke Bajpai, Group CEO of Ixigo, one of India's fastest-growing and most downloaded travel platforms. While most Indian OTAs followed the Western template of flights-first followed by hotels, Aloke and his co-founder Rajnish took a radically different path. The one that would take nearly 14 years before Ixigo became a full-blown OTA.</p><p>Aloke takes us through Ixigo's unconventional journey, starting as a meta-search engine in 2007...
Part 1: Ixigo's Aloke Bajpai on using empathy, customer experience, and resilience to both survive and thrive
<p>Hello and welcome back to First Principles. This is the part 1 of the 49th episode since we started, or the 8th episode of season 3.</p><p>In this episode, I sit down with Aloke Bajpai, Group CEO of Ixigo, one of India's fastest-growing and most downloaded travel platforms. While most Indian OTAs followed the Western template of flights-first followed by hotels, Aloke and his co-founder Rajnish took a radically different path. The one that would take nearly 14 years before Ixigo became a full-blown OTA.</p><p>Aloke takes us through Ixigo's unconventional journey, starting as a meta-search engine in 2007...
Part 2: Indiagold's Deepak Abbot on turning a nation's 'dead asset' into credit scores and working capital
<p><br>Hello, listeners, and welcome back to First Principles, Episode 48, or the 7th episode of season 3. This is part 2 of the conversation.</p><p><br>The host, Rohin Dharmakumar, first crossed paths with Deepak Abbot back in April 2015, even before The Ken had been founded. Rohin was chasing down an insightful breakdown of the tech ecosystem's huge user numbers during the Free Basics debate, and Deepak, a veteran operator and former product head at Paytm, was the go-to source for his data-filled, analytical posts.</p><p><br>That same data-driven curiosity is what led Deepak to walk away from...
Part 1: Indiagold's Deepak Abbot on turning a nation's 'dead asset' into credit scores and working capital
<p><br>Hello, listeners, and welcome back to First Principles, Episode 48, or the 7th episode of season 3. This is part 1 of the conversation.</p><p><br>The host, Rohin Dharmakumar, first crossed paths with Deepak Abbot back in April 2015, even before The Ken had been founded. Rohin was chasing down an insightful breakdown of the tech ecosystem's huge user numbers during the Free Basics debate, and Deepak, a veteran operator and former product head at Paytm, was the go-to source for his data-filled, analytical posts.</p><p><br>That same data-driven curiosity is what led Deepak to walk away from...
Part 2: Trilegal's Rahul Matthan on the firm, the partnership, and the principles
<p>Hello and welcome back to First Principles. This is the 47th episode since we started, or the 6th episode of season 3.</p><p>In this episode, I sit down with Rahul Matthan, a co-founder of Trilegal, one of India’s largest and most successful full-service law firms. While Rahul starts by questioning if a lawyer can be an entrepreneur, the conversation unfolds into a masterclass on the patient, principled art of building a lasting institution.</p><p>Rahul provides a rare, inside look into the unique challenges of building a professional services firm—a business where the people are the...
