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The Gyaan ProjectTGP (formerly known as Audiogyan) is a podcast and YouTube channel by Kedar Nimkar, archiving creative wisdom through conversations with Indian luminaries since 2016. Author: The Gyaan Project
The Gyaan Project (formerly Audiogyan) is a podcast exploring creative wisdom. Since 2016, it has chronicled ideas, philosophies, and stories of Indian luminariesbridging the past with the present to inspire the future. www.thegyaanproject.com Language: en Genres: Arts, Design, Philosophy, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Ep. 332: Why do Indian roads fail so quickly? with Prathap Rao
Episode 331
Tuesday, 22 September, 2026
This episode is part of a series called, Engineering The Everyday.In collaboration with Godrej Design LabSummaryWhy do potholes keep returning, and what would it take to build roads that last? Prathap Rao breaks down how roads are actually built, where they fail, and why maintenance is only part of the problem. We also discuss GridMats, recycled plastic, infrastructure innovation, slow adoption, and what India needs to rethink as it builds the next generation of roads.About the guestPrathap Rao is an entrepreneur, infrastructure innovator and founder of PotholeRaja. His work focuses on road safety, recycled materials, GridMats and sustainable infrastructure.Who should listen• Architects, urban designers and planners who want to understand what really makes roads fail and how infrastructure could be designed better.• Engineers and material researchers interested in recycled plastic, GridMats and new approaches to road construction.• Founders and entrepreneurs building physical products who want to understand why infrastructure innovation takes time and what it takes to get new ideas adopted.• Anyone curious about potholes, road quality and why fixing visible problems is often easier than changing the system behind them.Topics discussed in the episode* How did your journey from flying and corporate leadership to potholes, material science and GridMats happen?* When did you realise that potholes are not just a maintenance problem, but also a material and engineering problem?* What actually goes beneath a road, how are the different layers built, and why do potholes and sinkholes form?* Why do Indian roads fail so quickly despite having standards, regulations and large infrastructure budgets?* Why is innovation in infrastructure so slow, and where do contractors, approvals, risk and bureaucracy create the biggest barriers?* What are GridMats, how do they work, and how can recycled polypropylene change the way roads and hard surfaces are built?* Can GridMats move beyond private projects and become part of mainstream public infrastructure and government tenders?* How can recycled materials, GridMats and better road design help reduce carbon impact and improve sustainability in infrastructure?* What new materials and technologies do you think will shape infrastructure over the next five to ten years?* What should young entrepreneurs know before building in infrastructure, material science and physical products, especially when it comes to business models, adoption and scale?Reference links* Prathap Rao on LinkedIn* GridMats* PotholeRaja* Design of Bangalore with Naresh Narasimhan on The Gyaan Project* Indian Roads Congress on Wikipedia* Indian Roads Congress* Ministry of Road Transport and Highways* Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Wikipedia* Road engineering measures by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways* National Highways Authority of India* National Highways Authority of India on Wikipedia* NHAI on Instagram* NHAI on X* National Highways Infra Trust* Public Works Department in India on Wikipedia* Smart Cities Mission on Wikipedia* Smart Cities Mission* Smart Cities Mission and sustainable development goals by UN Habitat* Smart Cities Mission update by Press Information BureauPrathap makes a strong point that the problem is not just potholes, but how roads are designed, built and maintained. What do you think fails most often in India: engineering, execution or the system itself? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thegyaanproject.com
