- The Patisserie of Unfinished GoodbyesThe café appears only once a decade, perched on a cliff where the ocean forgets its own name. Its sign, written in seafoam script, reads: La Douleur Exquise—Open Until Forgotten. Elara found it on the anniversary of her mother’s death, though she hadn’t meant to. She’d been chasing her dog, Mochi, through the fog when the …
- Learn, unlearn, repeat…I wrote about learning yesterday, and amazing things started to happen already! Early in the morning, I used AI to make an automated spreadsheet that tracks attendance easily – took me 3 minutes from start to finish, deployed immediately. As staff started to come in (virtually), threw the idea of forming a Coder Team with …
- Learn…and unlearn…2025 is turning out to be a marquee year in more ways than one. The insane pace of AI, our own plans of expansion and deployment of a variety of tools, new services, new people, opportunities for learning, the tools available to accelerate, no, turbocharge your leaning process…the list is endless. And January has not …
- Fall down seven…Fall down seven and get up eight, that my friend, is the way to be. For life throws more than just a punch or two and maybe one more than you can dodge, It may hit you square in the jaw, and before you know it, you are floored. Lying there, rubbing your chin, head …
- The fear of the unknown…Status-quo bias – The tendency for people to stay committed to current situations, for fear of changing to the unknown. Status quo bias is also caused by laziness, aversion to complexity, unnatural learning style demands, reading small print, etc. I have been reading this book – Nudge – by Richard H Thaler and Cass R Sunstein. The crux of the …
- How we waste our intelligence…Epishura. Now, chances are that you have not heard of this. Nor had I. Epishura inhabits Lake Baikal, the largest source of freshwater in the world. It contains 23% of the worlds’s freshwater, and is renowned for it’s pure H2O. But how does the lake remain so clean? The answer lies in a zooplankton species …
- Of celebrations and birthdays…Someone makes a wonderful dish. It is right up there with the best you’ve ever tasted, and you can’t have enough of it. “Give me the recipe!”, you say. “I want to make it at home, just this way…” In science, an experiment consists of a set of inputs, acted upon to result in a …
- Keshav’s tithi janmadina…ज्योतिषाम् अपि तज् ज्योतिस् तमसः परम् उच्यते । ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं ज्ञान-गम्यं हृदि सर्वस्य धिष्ठितम् ॥ १८ ॥ jyotiṣām api taj jyotis tamasaḥ param ucyate |jñānaṃ jñeyaṃ jñāna-gamyaṃ hṛdi sarvasya dhiṣṭhitam || 18 || Srimad Bhagavad Gita The Self is the source of all light. The Self is beyond the darkness of matter and is unmanifested. The Self is …
- Read read read a book…or four.Had an interesting conversation today, where the topic of reading came up. Specifically, the way to read. But is there a way to read? Can I read three or four books at a time? Do I have to finish a book that I have started? Here is something that I had written a few months …
- Oh sometimes…Sometimes I wonder if the world could be a better place, where people say what they mean and mean what they say… Sometimes I wonder if the world could be a better place, where work is worship and gods are loved… Sometimes I wonder if the world could be a better place, where people matter …
- Are you stressed?Stress is not inborn nor is it inherited it does not even exist in nature except in your own mind… Yes that same monkey mind as they say that conjures up dreams and situations constructing an imaginary future that exists only in your mind… We get stressed about what may happen we stay stressed because …
- The journey northwards…The earth is tilted on it’s axis, and this is what gives rise to the seasons. This is the reason why we do not receive an equal amount of sunlight through the year. The sun “transits” between hemispheres – around the 16th of July it moves towards the southern hemisphere, and around the 14th of …
- Satyavan and Savitri…सन्तो हि सत्येन नयन्ति सूर्यं ।सन्तो भूमिं तपसा धारयन्ति ॥सन्तो गतिर्भूतभव्यस्य राजन् ।सतां मध्येनावसीदन्ति सन्तः ॥ By the Truth the saints lead the sun; by askesis the saints uphold the earth; the past, present and future find their refuge in the saints. Noble persons in the midst of the saints have never any grief. [Savitri …
- Artificial Intelligence, or alien intelligence?Nexus – by Yuval Noah Harari, is turning out to be a very engaging read. Like in all his books, Yuval takes his time to come to the main topic of the conversation, but does so in a systematic manner, and you begin to see the relevance of all what he has spoken about once …
- Of your way and mine…There are many paths to where you want to go, I’m on my way there too, so that you know… I walk the thorny bushes, you chose the flowery avenue Only cacti on my path, yours is filled with morning dew… I can’t stop, to catch my breath, for I may stray, Oh what a …
- Crazy at work?Just finished an interesting book by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. Actually two. One is related to the title of this blog. The other is called Rework. I loved the fact that a lot of what they think about and suggest – is what we have already implemented at my consulting firm. It’s refreshing …
- Of angles bound…Bhadrasana is also known as Baddha Konasana. The name comes from the Sanskrit words बद्ध, Baddha meaning “bound”, कोण, Koṇa meaning “angle”,[ and आसन, Āsana meaning “posture” or “seat”. The name Baddha Konasana is relatively recent, but the pose is medieval, as the meditation seat Bhadrasana (from भद्रा Bhadra, “throne”[6]) is described in the 15th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Bhadrasana denoting ‘auspiciousness’ is …
- On good company…As I was browsing through the archives, I chanced upon this post that I had made approximately a year back. Something happened today that made me think about this, and as I read through the Bhaja Gōvindam again, it brought a lot more clarity to me. On company – how many of us are able …
- So what lies ahead?So, what lies ahead? Before we get to that, a question for you. How many of you ‘know’ your grandfather? By know, I mean what he was all about. His daily life, his joys, the challenges he encountered, his friends, colleagues…let me put it this way. Most of us must have heard stories from him, …
- On acquiring through knowledge…How do you acquire true knowledge from a Guru? Through – Praṇipātena – Prostration – Not just falling at the feet of the Guru – that is a symbol of surrender. You have to surrender to your Guru – when you prostrate, your head and heart lie at their feet. This signifies devotion – a higher form of …
- The body – a guide for occupants…Did you know that photons of light have no color, sound waves have no sound, olfactory molecules have no odors, and food molecules have no taste? The greenness of the trees, the blueness of the sky, the smell of that freshly baked pastry and the taste of that homemade pie are all created inside your …
- Of names and good companies…Have had this question many times, from many people – about the name of my consultancy – 10 Leaves. Why 10? Why Leaves? William Shakespeare once said – a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet…But the good bard wouldn’t have relished being called Will.I.am I imagine. Now would calling a rose a cabbage …
- Of swords and steely resolves…Have you heard of Wootz steel? Chances are that you haven’t. Have you heard of the swords of Tipu Sultan? AHA. Well, they were made of the stuff. Wootz steel was a pioneering steel alloy developed in India in the mid-1st millennium BC and exported globally. It originated in Wootz steel originated in the mid-1st millennium BC in South …
- Oops, day 1 is done already…And just like that, one day already passed in the New Year. Chances are, we didn’t get much done, post all the revelry on the 31st. Yes, one day may not be much in the scheme of things, but it does count, if you want it to. So does an hour, even a minute, but …
- Tamaso ma…Around five hours to go. This time around, the community management has organized a year-end party, well, right outside my house. So whether I like it or not, today is going to be a long night. I hear Kylie Minogue (the DJ must be quite old I must admit) screaming her lungs out from the …
- Another year ends…Tomorrow is the last day of the calendar year. Another year flies by, without us really knowing what happened. Anyways, some plans for meeting close friends like cough syrup and antibiotics, and starting the new year on a high note. By working on 1st January. Personally, I could never reconcile with the fact that the …
- A bad tasting chop-suey…So it’s sick season (once again), this time a bacterial infection that seems to have got to everybody at home, maid included. Not a great way to end the year:| Speaking of infections, the annoying trend of blood and gore in movies continues unabated, this time reaching Malayalam cinema, which is traditionally known to have …
- Panchatantra on dealing with enemies…“According to Manusmiriti, there are six policies of dealing with such an issue – Sandhi (peace treaty), Vigraha (war), Yaana (preparation for war), Asana (neutrality), Samsraya (forming alliances) and Dvaidhibhava (double-dealing or pretending to be friendly). So please discuss among yourselves and let us reach a consensus on how we are going to tackle this situation.” अपृष्टेनापि वक्तव्यं सचिवेनात्र किंचन ।पृष्टेन तु विशेषेण वाच्यं पथ्यं महीपतेः ॥ …
- Who defeated the mighty Arjuna?Arjuna was the most prominent warrior in the Mahabharata. The best archer in the world, with the avatar of Sri Vishnu as a guide, and the establishment of Dharma as the objective, on the biggest stage that humanity had ever seen. It is only natural that the tools available to him had to be exceptional. …
- Subhāşitas…A person should examine his own deeds this way everyday – are mine comparable to animals or to that of the noble? The only person you really have to answer to – is YOU. That is a good thing, and a bad thing. Because whatever you do, you can hide from the whole world, but …
- On disruptive startups…Every quarter, I sit through a few presentations of people who want to change the world. A very few of them, if any, end up doing so. Every founder is taught to start with a question – what is the problem and how can I solve it? Some start with the question – What can …
- Of courage and ideas…Read this somewhere… The thing that gives people courage is ideas. And it is not only courage that comes from ideas; it is determination; it is the power to act, the power to go on acting coherently. For though it is true that most ideas are the rationalizations of feelings, that does not mean that …
- The blog that started it allMore than four years back, this is the blog that started it all. 1738 days later – still going strong! As I move towards half a decade of remote work (Mar 2025), I will reflect on the years gone by, and boy have they gone by so fast! I hope to review how our decision …
- Of savory lemons and life serving lemons…A nice cozy Saturday in Dubai, except for my allergy that played up today as a consequence of me missing my daily allergy medicine. Wonder how long I have to continue with this – have to search a way out of this allergy thingy and fast. A scrumptious lunch at Babumoshai (in Bur Dubai) compensated …
- How to read an Indian calendar…Reading a Hindu calendar can be complex, especially for beginners. So here is a quick guide, just for you! Start with a Panchāngam – Drink Panchang is a good option. It has an app and a website – so take your pick. Let’s assume that you are using the app. Ensure that the location is …
- Gregory and his confusion…While we normally follow the Gregorian calendar in our daily lives, the Panchāngam holds a special significance. The Gregorian is quite arbitrary, with months having 30 or 31 days with no apparent logic, and the New Year coming in on 1st of January – a happy occasion bang in the middle of winter. By the …
- A song, a drop, a thought and a dream…I revisited this blogpost today. The weather in Dubai is great at the moment, light rains, drop in temperatures, and an overall good feeling. Not for some, but for me, its a collection of beautiful moments… Such days also make me think deep about life and where I am headed. Not that I am in …
- The guidance of Vishnu Sharma…कथामुखं The introduction In a city called Mahilaropya, very far away from here, lived a king named Amarashakti (the ever-powerful). He took very good care of his kingdom and his subjects, and was loved and revered by all. He was a master of all the sciences and the art of politics and negotiations, of ethics …
- Pa Pa to Dad…Today, as Rohāmrta was saying papa papa papa, I recalled the day he started to say da-da-da-da. At that time, I thought he would be conversational with me by now, but apparently kids take a bit more time to start speaking in regular coherence, so well, typical first-time-dad issues. Nevertheless, I did go back and …
- A season of firsts…Watching a kid growing up has its (lion’s) share of firsts. Today, I asked Keshav to bring my phone from the living room – also a first, just to see if he would. He is usually not allowed to touch phones, so would he, wouldn’t he? Where is it? I asked him. Keshav turned to …
- When you have limited time…Time that runs away! Ricardo Gondim I counted my years and found that I will have less time to live from now on than I have lived until now. I feel like that boy who was given a bowl of fruits. The first ones, he sucked carelessly, but realizing that there are few left, he gnaws the kernel. …
- Sarvajña and his wit…Every now and then I look back at my posts and find a few good ones that I can re-read. Sarvajña is one of them. His tripadis are witty, and profound at the same time. They are in Kannada, and while there are a few translations here and there, I can’t seem to find an …
- The one…the only…And today is the day when a birthday celebrates it’s Rajinikanth:) The release of a movie of Rajnikanth is a festival in itself…from the announcement, to the first look, the decked up theatres, the fan frenzy, and now of course the craze on social media as well. It’s apparent that people buy into the mania, …
- Fomo and skepticism…Was having a catch-up with the compliance team and we chanced upon a topic that needed a deep dive. I pointed them in the right direction and asked the team to explore, deliberate and then reach a conclusion. Self-study and research, coupled with peer discussions to cement the concept. Exciting! Reminds me of something that …
- Ssshhhh……“What’s so magical about solitude? In many fields, Ericsson told me, it’s only when you’re alone that you can engage in Deliberate Practice, which he has identified as the key to exceptional achievement. When you practice deliberately, you identify the tasks or knowledge that are just out of your reach, strive to upgrade your performance, …
- Of books and aachooos!So the book fair ended – and I now have around 200 books waiting to find their new home (or shelf) as I deem fit. All looking pretty, nicely wrapped individually and all. Boy, was it a great two weeks or what:) In other news, it is Rohāmrtā’s turn (again) to have fever and the …
- Of potters and plain truths…स्वार्थम् उत्सृज्य यो दम्भी सत्यं ब्रूते सुमन्द-धीः ।स स्वार्थाद् भ्रश्यते नूनं युधिष्ठिर इवापरः ॥ ३८ ॥ svārtham utsṛjya yo dambhī satyaṃ brūte sumanda-dhīḥ |sa svārthād bhraśyate nūnaṃ yudhiṣṭhira ivāparaḥ || 38 || The fool who forgoes his greed and selfishness and instead attempts to speak the truth, does not get what he wants, much like Yudhishtira the …
- Fire nahi…wildfire!So Pushpa 2 comes along and starts to break all records, as expected. Somehow, cinema from the South has a pulse on the audience, something that Bollywood has long lost. Most major blockbusters in the past 4-5 years have a southern stamp on them. It’s almost as if directors from the Hindi film industry just …
- A beginners guide to reading…1) Read 10 pages to start the day. 2) A good way is to wake up, drink a glass of water, write down 3 things that you are grateful for, and read 10 pages of a book. 3) 10 pages is small enough that it’s not intimidating. Most people can finish reading 10 pages within …
- Is knowledge an illusion?Knowledge is an illusion. No, this isn’t some catchline – it really is an illusion. We all think of ourselves as rational beings, able to view situations and make informed judgements, but studies have shown that we always thought in groups. From the time we hunted, till the time we went to the Moon, and …
- AI and tomatoes…The debate on AI refuses to die down. Was discussing the latest developments in the sector with a client earlier when he remarked that schools were concerned that students were increasingly turning to ChatGPT to ‘write’ their essays. I took a contrarian view on the subject. Why do students have to write essays? I said. …
- Random musings of a weary holidayer…And it’s a wrap! Four days flew by, and in between visiting animals and shopping perfumes, and eating food, we pretty much lost track of time. Oh yes, and a generous amount of time was (well) spent at the Big Bad Wolf sale, which was the highlight of the holiday. We went to Umm Al …
- A book or two or one hundred and fifty…So I visited the Big Bad Wolf book fair for the second time today. Bought a couple of trolley-loads worth of books, and called it a day. Will go back to second hand book shop treasure hunting in a couple of weeks – I have to seriously start cataloguing my books now, and that takes …
- The laws of Kaṇāda…संयोगाभावे गुरुत्वात् पतनम् ॥५।१।७॥ Saṃyogābhāve gurutvāt patanam (5.1.7)In the absence of action, the object falls by gravity. कार्य्यविरोधि कर्म ॥१।१।१४॥ Kāryyavirodhi karma (1.1.14).Action is opposed by reaction. These are extracts from the Vaiśeṣika Sūtra and are attributed to Kaṇāda. Sound familiar? Also, have you ever heard of कणाद (Kaṇāda)? He was an ancient Indian Rishi and philosopher who founded …
- Big, bad wolf next to my house…Books, books books! I missed the Annual Sharjah Book Fair last month, and was pretty miffed about it. Couldn’t find time to travel all the way:( But then, as luck would have it, the Big Bad Wolf sale came up, and divine justice, it’s set up just two minutes from my house! No way I …
- All it took was nineteen years…In continuation of my national day tributes..here is a personal dream that I got an opportunity to realize here in the UAE – my own house. All it took was nineteen years… Nineteen years back in May, I landed in Dubai. First time out of Bangalore, first time out of my comfort zone. First time …
- We came to take…but you ended up giving us more than we could ever want…I had an interesting conversation with an Emirati client a couple of years back. A free zone had asked him to wait 6 months before making an application for a cutting-edge fintech. “What the world takes five years to do, we in Dubai do it in six months”, he said. “Asking me to wait six …
We came to take…but you ended up giving us more than we could ever want… Read More »
- What’s black and yellow and white all over…It’s Black Friday. Or Yellow Friday, or White Wednesday, or whatever color is offered in this part of the world by a particular retailer. It’s getting so weird, it’s not even funny anymore. And its in-your-face lies that is peddled in the name of discounts. The prices are shown discounted, but from a price that …
- Of sports days and sports lives…Today was Keshav’s first sports day. Went better than expected, with the pressure of competition removed, the kids were able to enjoy a few obstacle courses and tasks on the field, with hyper-excited parents egging them on, camera phones in hand, clicking memories that would stay forever. And yes, the children were quite disciplined, sticking …
- Of melodies eternal…A few days back, I was listening to Lata Mangeshkar’s playlist on Apple Music – they come up with different names – eternal Lata, Lata essentials etc, but they are all small compilations drawn from the ocean of music that was Lataji. I recall what I wrote when she died – To think of it, she …
- Bolt, buckle and dust the kid…Ok. What’s common between bolt, buckle, clip, consult, left, dust, screen and Rohāmrta? They are all contronyms. That is, they can, depending on context, have opposite or contradictory meanings. For instance, bolt can mean to secure, or to flee, dust can mean adding fine particles, or removing them…and so on. Which is why many words …
- Of pain and points…What are your pain points? Let’s touch base and leverage synergies on this topic… Sounds familiar? While I did have such ‘pain points’ before, they seem to have magnified in the post-COVID era of prolonged voice calls. Maybe I’m just noticing them more, since I don’t have a good cup of coffee to compensate:) Why …
- History witnessed…Visited the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Abu Dhabi today. A culmination of a dream that we had seen in August 2015, when the announcement was first made. Nine years later, stepped foot inside the magnificent larger-than-life structure that will stand testimony to the friendship between UAE and India for decades to come! A little over …
- The origin of grammar…There is an interesting story as to how Panini, the originator of Sanskrit grammar, received knowledge from Shiva. He was supposed to be the dullest of the students in a group that was studying from a Guru in Taxila, Taksha Shila. The other boys were very intelligent. Panini was the most stupid, the least intelligent, …
- Of children and education…Thandhai Makarkaatrum Nandri AvaiyaththuMundhi Iruppach Cheyal (67) The best thing parents can do for their children is to prepare them stand foremost in the assembly of the learned. पितृदेवातिथीपिता विद्याप्रदानेन पण्डिताग्रेसरं सुतम् ।यदि कुर्यात्सुतस्यैतत् महत् साह्यमुदीर्यते ॥ (६७) पिता करे उपकार यह, जिससे निज संतान ।पंडित-सभा-समाज में, पावे अग्रस्थान ॥ (६७) ತಂದೆಯಾದವನು ತನ್ನ ಮಗನಿಗೆ ಮಾಡುವ …
- One more month and a few…Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get… Forrest Gump “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable…” Dwight Eisenhower Pretty much sums up two schools of thought when it comes to planning your life ahead. The first believes that life is …
- A question or two…Is there a God? Are there many Gods? Who writes our destinies? Are they even written? Or does life play out in it’s own way and then we die, never to be seen or heard of again? Do we come back? Even if we do, how would we know? What lies beyond the Universe? Science …
- A good movie and a dozing toddler…So it was an eventful Sunday…or not, depending on how you look at it. There was some work to be completed at home, and so we had workers in early. Good news is that a marquee piece of art has now found its pride of place, while another just missed by a few millimeters. More …
- Of fights and sparring sessions…The fight. If you haven’t seen it don’t. If you don’t know what I am talking about, even better. I would instead recommend the Taylor Serrano bout that preceded the Tyson-Paul sparring session – it was a great display of skill and resilience, something that I had expected from the main card event. Nevertheless, a …
- Design by first principles…eBay is a shark in the ocean We are a crocodile in the Yangtze River. If we fight in the ocean, we will lose. But if we fight in the river, we will win. Jack Ma There are two processes of designing in engineering. The first is based on iterations to an already existing template …
- The village is global…The world is a village, and explorers we all are… Visited Global Village after a long time. In fifteen years, I’ve visited the place twice, yes, twice in fifteen. Actually, I never took a fancy to the place, but this year, I decided to show Rohāmrta around. Turns out, I was looking for the wrong …
- Discover yourself…I discovered something new today. About one of my teammates. She used to run a cookery channel on You Tube – an own initiative undertaken during Covid – nothing fancy, but some good and practical dishes that anyone could try. And then work came along, and this took up the back burner. Today, she got …
- On consistent writing…Many people have asked me about my writing, others have suggested that I make a book. Well, for one, I don’t think I have reached there yet, nor do I aspire to. It it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, I don’t really get affected. I guess the goal is to write for oneself, as …
- A super class of superhero…Yesterday I wrote about superheroes, both aspiring and reel. I forgot to mention a third category- the real. Yes they do exist. Not the silly Linkedin/Insta reels that speak about ‘not all superheroes wear capes’ and comprise emotion-evoking and boredom-provoking multiple-times copied attempts at garnering a few more likes. I’m speaking of the ones that …
- On the pressure of being a superhero…I read this interesting article by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox in the Harvard Business Review. Titled “In praise of extreme moderation”, it speaks of the trend of workaholism being a badge of honor, and extremism is becoming the norm not only in our professional lives but increasingly in our personal lives as well. People take up sports and …
- On joy…When was the last time you felt this way? If you had the choice, wouldn’t you be this way every day of your life? Isn’t that what life is…a celebration? Then what stops us from being our natural self? Whatever be the circumstances… Think about it… and YOGA…
- Of cakes and words and three kids thrown in:)So there was a surprise waiting for me at office today. Suddenly, around noon, everyone started to act a bit odd – seemingly coordinating something on the hush…and before I knew it, I was on a Google Meet with our staff in India, Abu Dhabi and of course, the ones physically present in Dubai. They …
- Men, mirrors and marquee days…Do you see your true self when you look in the mirror? How far have you come in your journey…and are you on a path that you wish to be on? An infinitesimally small spot in the vast spectrum of time, is when you exist. Can you make a difference? Does it even matter if …
- Of friends and enemies…It is said… शत्रुणा न हि सन्दध्यात् सुश्लिष्टेनापि सन्धिना ।सुतप्तम् अपि पानीयं शमयत्य् एव पावकम् ॥ २३ ॥ śatruṇā na hi sandadhyāt suśliṣṭenāpi sandhinā |sutaptam api pānīyaṃ śamayaty eva pāvakam || 23 || One should not make friends with an enemy, even if he seeks a truce. Because, no matter how much heat is given to water, …
- A slightly different strategyManiac Monday was expected, but reality was a bit better. I was able to breeze through work, with not too many distractions. Did spend a lot of time on the desk and the phone though. And so Day 3 of the fitness challenge called for a slightly different strategy. Shifted to three workouts of around …
- Yama Dwitiya, and sore muscles…पूषन्नेकर्षे यम सूर्य प्राजापत्य व्यूह रश्मीन्समूह ।तेजः यत्ते रूपं कल्याणतमं तत्ते पश्यामि योऽसावसौ पुरुषः सोऽहमस्मि ॥ १६ ॥ pūṣannekarṣe yama sūrya prājāpatya vyūha raśmīnsamūha |tejaḥ yatte rūpaṃ kalyāṇatamaṃ tatte paśyāmi yo’sāvasau puruṣaḥ so’hamasmi || 16 || 16. O Sun, sole traveller of the Heavens, controller of all, Surya, son of Prajapati remove thy rays and gather up thy …
- Day 1 off to a good startBack in the Kyokushin days, we used to have a 45-day training camp before any tournament. Every athlete has a seasonal training schedule – while they do train off-season as well, it is when competition is a few months away, that peak training happens, day after day, over extended periods of time. The Kyokushin camp …
- The best version of you…A few days of festivities are entering a short pause – tomorrow being Govardhana Puja, followed by Bhai Dooj on Sunday, and then someone’s Gregorian birthday a few days later. Days will speed past though. We will be staring at the end of 2024 soon, and the promise of another year that hopefully brings less …
- Tamaso Maa Jyotirgamaya…ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय।तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय।मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय ॥ ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शान्तिः ॥ बृहदारण्यकोपनिषद् 1.3.28। asato mā sadgamaya, tamaso mā jyotirgamaya, mṛtyormāmṛtaṃ gamaya Lead us from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. This Deepawali, may you be led from the darkness of suffering, to the light of truth and peace. …
- Sona chaandi and thora mann…So, bought your gold and silver today? If you did, well done! If you didn’t, it’s not too late. Add a bit of richness to your thoughts, your speech, and your actions. Tomorrow is Choti Diwali, and then Badi Diwali and Laxmi puja. Two more days to get this done. Are you up to it?:) …
- Artha, or moksha?Did you know that tomorrow is celebrated as the National Ayurveda Day? Mostly not. We have come to associate this day with buying gold or silver or something valuable, because well, Dhan means wealth na? धन्वन्तरि – Dhanavantari dhanu = “science of [extracting] arrows” (surgery) dhanu + anta = dhanvanta = “the end (complete knowledge) of …
- The day repeats every year…दीप्यते दीपयति वा स्वं परं चेति that which is light and enlightens others is known as Deepa… Tomorrow is my janma tithi, that time of the year when the celestial ingredients are the same as when you were born, your own personal set of inputs that led to the miracle that is you. We all are born …
- The importance of culture…Ed Schein, now retired from the MIT School of Management, taught that a group’s culture can be studied in three ways: by looking at its “artifacts,” such as physical space and behaviors; by surveying the beliefs and values espoused by group members; or by digging deeper into the underlying assumptions behind those values. This works …
- Of pujas and 16000 wives…You can conduct a puja, any puja, with an elaborate set of sāmagri (items), or just one flower. What matters is the feeling within. Likewise, Deepawali can be celebrated with an array of dazzling lights, or just one diya, that lights the Jnana Jyothi (the inner wisdom)…the many diyas in your mind are lit by this one …
- Deepavali is upon us…Right. The biggest festival of them all is upon us. Deepavali (as I like to call it) signifies much more than what most of us believe it to be. And surely more than “Festival of Lights”. It is also the festival of sounds by the way, which have fallen silent due to silly rules that …
- The seven Rishis…तदेष श्लोको भवति ।अर्वाग्बिलश्चमस ऊर्ध्वबुध्नः, तस्मिन्यशो निहितं विश्वरूपम् ।तस्यासत ऋषयः सप्त तीरे, वागष्टमी ब्रह्मणा संविदान ॥इति ।‘अर्वाग्बिलश्चमस ऊर्ध्वबुध्नः’ इतीदं तच्छिरः, एष ह्यर्वाग्बिलश्चमस ऊर्ध्वबुध्नः; ‘तस्मिन्यशो निहितं विश्वरूपम्’ इति प्राण वै यशो विश्वरूपम्, प्राणानेतदाह; ‘तस्यासत ऋषयः सप्त तीरे’ इति प्राणा वा ऋषयः, प्राणानेतदाह; ‘वागष्टमी ब्रह्मणा संविदाना’ इति वागष्टमी ब्रह्मणा संवित्ते ॥ ३ ॥ tadeṣa śloko bhavati |arvāgbilaścamasa …
- Let’s debate?A day of debates. Actually, a season of debates. From politics, to relationships, to services. It is tough to debate. It is easy to fight yes. Look no further than the Lok Sabha. But intelligent debate? Now, that is a different cup of tea. A debate requires both sides to bring to the table, facts, …
- Choose ME instead…It’s ME time shortly. For everyone in office. Here is a circular that I sent out a couple of years back. Health is wealth – everyone knows that, but how many of us heed this advice? Some of us are “too busy” to exercise. Others start with vigor, and somewhere down the line, work and …
- And so we gathered…And so we gathered, a few colleagues and friends, their spouses and their children – to celebrate the end of the summer, the coming of Diwali, and just to get together and have a good time. And we did. The good part of such gatherings is that it isn’t the quantity of time spent with …
- A few shlock’s from the Gayatri Ramayanam…१३. स –स निर्जित्य पुरीं श्रेष्ठां लङ्का तां कामरूपिणीम् |विक्रमेण महातेजा हनूमान् कपिसत्तमः || ५-४-१ Having conquered by his valour the guarding deity of Lankapuri, who was capable of taking any form she desired, Hanuman, son of Vayu and very powerful (scaled the ramparts of Lanka) १४. ध –धन्या देवाः सगन्धर्वाः सिद्धाश्च परमर्षयः |मम पश्यन्ति ये नाथं …
- All wells that end wells…It went well. A good gathering, employees, spouses, children…all packed into a small room with large memories at the end of it. A few won, but everyone left with something. Some kids accompanied their parents to collect their trophies, and it was beautiful, watching them pose along. Manoj bought a few gifts from India, and …
- The way of the worm…घुणाक्षर न्याय (Gunākshara Nyāya) – The maxim of the letters made by the wood worm, Ghuna. This worm bores holes in wood and in books which sometimes assume the shape of a letter; hence it is used to denote the occurrence of something quite accidental, or a chance occurrence. Chakrapani in Deerghamjeeviteeyam Adhyaya refers this Nyaya while explaining the Samyagyukta Bheshaja …
- Can you kill time?Bhogā na bhuktā vayameva bhuktāḥ – The more we get, the more we want, isn’t it? At the start of my career over twenty years ago, I had thought of a target – a certain amount of money that I would aim to earn , that would fulfil my needs and help me lead a life of …
- Of certificates and certificates…I didn’t realize we had so many, until I started to write out their certificates of appreciation:) The 10 Leaves annual celebrations happen this week, with a gala dinner scheduled on Wednesday. Well, not as gala as they come, but gala enough:) We then take off for a short staycation on Friday. Part of the …
- Day 10…An elderly couple lived in great poverty, on the brink of a huge forest. They used to walk through the forest everyday, to gather firewood for their daily needs. One day, Shiva and Parvati were also walking through the same forest, when Parvati happened to see the couple. She was filled with compassion for them, …