- The day of commencement of learning…सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यं वरदे कामरूपिणि ।विद्यारम्भं करिष्यामि सिद्धिर्भवतु मे सदा ॥ sarasvati namastubhyaṃ varade kāmarūpiṇi .vidyārambhaṃ kariṣyāmi siddhirbhavatu me sadā .. Namaskar, O Saraswati, grantor of blessings and embodiment of all wishes. Bless me as I commence my studies, and help me to be successful in the gain of knowledge. Today’s shloka is as relevant for …
- Do you think you can do it?The issue is not that you are not capable of doing it…the issue is that I know you are capable but you don’t. A phrase (or a close derivative) that I have found myself repeating often – to karate students who I taught, to employees, even to family. The starting point for most people is …
- Relevant to our times…Around a couple of years back, I read this intriguing book called ‘The Fourth Turning’ by Neil Howe and William Strauss. This was written in 1996, yet is very relevant not just today, but I guess throughout time. On time, the authors write about three concepts of time. “Over the millennia, man has developed three ways …
- Keeping a silent watch…Conflicts starting across the world… People against each other – choosing sides… I am right and he is wrong..this is mine and that is not his… My country, my house, my family…rest be damned… Let’s watch this unfold on social media… Bombs falling, people slaughtered… All from the comfort of our couch… And don’t forget …
- Its dreamtime!So, I was reading about iron ore mining in Australia, and I came across a passage that took me on a tangent. This part of the book addresses the history of mining in that part of the world and the blatant disregard that mining companies had for the lands held sacred by the original inhabitants, …
- The role of choices…What role does choice play in our lives? I read a book somewhere that spoke about parallel realities. Every time we are faced with a choice, we make one and our lives go forward from that point on. But there is a possibility that the other choice is also made, and reality splits there so …
- The might of the dosha…Tomorrow is a Sunday, and I usually begin my Sundays at Hariprasad, my favorite neighborhood (nearly) Kannadiga food joint here, I usually also think about the origins of the dish that I order. One is a clear favorite. The masala dosa. Legend has it that a Brahmin adiga (cook) was the creator of this popular …
- On the origins of phrases…A few months back, I read a bit about the origins of some common phrases. Was very interesting! They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery. If you had to do this …
- The complicated you, and the complicated me…We humans are complicated. I mean, things can be simple but we tend to make them complicated. We leave things unsaid, tasks undone and people incomplete. Our desires are not rational, our greed excessive and our satisfaction is elusive. We make things and situations harder than they actually are, and then search for solutions. We …
- A day of transitions…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 …
- Kids are the same…mostly:)Wakes up 7:30 shouting “Mr Sun!” (He has a nightlight that switches from moon to sun in the morning.) Mommy comes in and says good morning. Emerges sleepily to join Mommy and little brother in living room. Dresses self now, though imperfectly. Eventually whole family bundles into minivan and goes to Joanie’s for a hurried …
- On education and skills…There is this constant deliberation on education, and skills. The current system of education is quite new. For a large part of our existence, we have been working on skills, those that passed down for generations. Each generation added more to the mix thus resulting in an accumulation of skills over time. A 5th generation …
- On cinema samskaras…Today was a milestone day in the (if I can call it) history of the Ghai family. Rohāmrta Ghai, aka Keshav, aka our Kisna, finally completed one of his rites of passage – crossed a boundary that holds a lot of importance in a family that well, has (of all people) Subash Ghai as a …
- It’s time to be thankful…There is a lot going on right now – work, expansion, recruitments, new businesses, new ideas, son’s birthday party planning, reading…a list to keep me busy for at least 6 months from now. Over the past two weeks, I have also been speaking with a lot of fellow professionals, and potential candidates. It is so …
- The art of war and reading well…We had a team lunch today, and The Art of War came up in our discussions. One of my colleagues had tried to read through it, and found it quite dry and unpalatable – I don’t seem to understand the point of it – she said (or something like that). Actually yes. If you read …
- Who is the real me?Who am I you may well askI really wish I knewIf I am not myself at all Then maybe I am youTo discover who I really amIs really quite a task Maybe I am someone elseWho wears a funny maskI strive so hard to know myselfTo discover the “real me” My thoughts and feelings all …
- And a day well spent…Keshav had a great janma tithi…or so I would like to believe… The day started with breakfast (I was too sleepy), then a light cleanse (NO! I don’t like), puja at home (pairee pauna paapaa) , then a visit to the temple (no photos and videos papa, only in restaurant in the evening), and then …
- Rohamrut’s Janma Tithi…it’s written in the stars…दीप्यते दीपयति वा स्वं परं चेति that which is light and enlightens others is known as Deepa… Tomorrow is Keshav’s 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 …
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- Samatva, or equanimity…उदेति सविता ताम्रस्ताम्र एवास्तमेतिच। सम्पतौ च विपत्तौ च महतामेकरूपता॥ udeti savitā tāmras tāmra evāstameti ca | saṃpattau ca vipattau ca mahatāmekarūpatā || Kavya Prakash 7.245 The Sun is red at the time of rising, and red at the time of setting too. Likewise, great men remain alike in both good times and bad times. In …
- Oh, these birthday celebrations!The weekend descended and so did the quest for the ideal venue for the (not so) little one’s birthday party. Gone are the days when kids were satisfied with the “Baar Baar yeh din aye” kind of celebrations with party hats and cakes and adults having most of the samosas and the fun. No sir …
- On the feeling of jealousy…Jealousy is a common human trait. We would have to admit that we have been jealous or envious of someone at some stage of our lives. It may be as silly as a car, to bigger things such as someone having your dream job, or a much better pay package, a bigger house, a better …
- A good day oneA good first day. Began with yoga, then a nice breakfast, reading, walks with family in the community, digging dinosaur fossils, child not sleeping, visited a friend’s house, child threw tantrums on the way back, and now onto the first blog of 2026. Managed to read a lot as well. Started this new book – …
- Just a few more hours…Around eight hours to go. This time around, the community management has thankfully not organized a year-end party, well, right outside my house. So I can decide if this will be a long night, or not. How was 2025? Well, fast, for one. Business-wise, we did great, more than doubled our team, lots of new …
- And what is your daily pick?Keshav has his daily pick. One toy, one piece of stuff – can be anything from a spoon to his car. This thing then becomes his obsession of the day, so much so that he carries it with him everywhere, his food table, his school, he even sleeps with it in his hand. And he …
- On how we dream…बन्धुउद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् ।आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मन: ॥ ५ ॥ बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जित: ।अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् ॥ ६ ॥ uddhared ātmanātmānaṁnātmānam avasādayetātmaiva hy ātmano bandhurātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ bandhur ātmātmanas tasyayenātmaivātmanā jitaḥanātmanas tu śatrutvevartetātmaiva śatru-vat One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the …
- Keshav and his new Dinos…We visited the recently renovated Dino Park and Glow Garden yesterday. The traffic was horrendous, but the visit was worth it. They have now added more ‘active’ Dinos that the kids absolutely love – they shout and scream and finally get around to touch the monsters, realizing that well, they are not the real deal. …
- The ideal self…Humanist psychologist Carl Rogers believed that self-concept is made up of three distinct parts: ideal self, self-image, and self-esteem. His theory explains what it means when these parts are congruent or incongruent with reality, which impacts your self-concept. Rogers described the self-concept as being composed of three parts: Ideal self: The ideal self is the person you want …
- On connection…So I went to the Hindu temple today at Jebel Ali, to perform a puja for my new car. After long actually – not the car…the visit. It was a pleasant atmosphere, some Vedic chanting on one side, a couple of families perfuming puja on the other. A few people sitting in the middle and …
- Wish you a Merry Christmas!Christmas, in the words of Sri Krishnananda. I have taken a few bits of his lecture – parts that are relevant to you and me. Have a read:) The way spiritual is one of the ways in which man can live in the world, is what the common populace may be thinking. The way spiritual …
- A bit about a byte or two…The human body is a feat of nature that we don’t think much about. We all know what DNA is, but did you know that DNA can survive for thousands and thousands of years? In effect, it will outlive us for generations and generations to come, in a world where your own name may not …
- Are you worthy?अमन्त्रमक्षरं नास्ति नास्ति मूलमनौषधम् ।अयोग्यः पुरुषो नास्ति योजकस्तत्र दुर्लभः ॥ amantramakṣaraṃ nāsti nāsti mūlamanauṣadham ।ayogyaḥ puruṣo nāsti yojakastatra durlabhaḥ ॥ Samayocitapadyamālikā There is not a syllable which is not a mantra; there is not a root that is not a medicine. There is no person who is not able, but rare is the person who knows how to apply …
- Five essential commandments…1. Question every requirement. Each should come with the name of the person who made it. You should never accept that a requirement came from a department, such as from “the legal department” or “the safety department.” You need to know the name of the real person who made that requirement. Then you should question it, …
- We and the bats…Dr. Rick Hanson, neuropsychologist and author of “Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence”, writes that we humans share ancestors with “bats, begonias and bacteria that go back at least 3.5 billion years.” Hanson describes these ancestors as living in a world of carrots and sticks. Carrots are rewards (food, sex, shelter), and sticks …
- The slow life…well at least todaySo I mostly caught a virus of some kind. Which means, cancelled meetings and calls, a bit of work pile and the headache and fever to top it up. Is it just me, or are we witnessing a never-ending cycle of infections? I don’t remember falling sick so often…its like there is always something wrong …
- Watching a seedling grow…Watching a seedling grow, Is an exercise in patience, determination and grit… It may seem natural, but no It takes a lot of work and effort to just help nature along it’s course… A strong wind a bit of extra rain can cause the heart to skip a beat as one watches the seedling reach …
- What’s your social score?I have been following the Foodpharmer for quite a while now. In fact, ever since he started his campaign against Bournvita in 2023. He does sound a bit sensationalist at times, but he does take up very important topics. Stuff that we don’t think about but affect our health in ways we understand, but do …
- Fellow traveler, oh fellow traveler…So two things happened today. One – our license in GIFT City, India came through. Finally! Second – I bought something materialistic – those close to me know what it is. The first news was received with more relief than excitement, the second seemed like a culmination of something, but not really “I looked forward …
- Learn, unlearn, repeat…again!I had written this a little under a year back. The end of January – and we are already into the last fortnight of December. Time flies, and flies faster as you grow older. Wait – that is actually true – research shows that time does indeed fly past faster as we grow in years. …
- Fall down seven, and get up eight…Every time I fall a bit sick (which isn’t a lot thankfully), I recall this poem that I wrote a few years ago. Maybe a bit too much for a simple cold, but it does make a good read for me and helps me re-focus on what matters. Here it is: Fall down seven and …
- The midnight library of 1929, where I ate cold mezze and sabotaged my throat…Well, I had an interesting weekend, at least most of it. The party started on Friday evening itself, where I found myself inadvertently conforming to my unspoken and unwritten rule of falling a bit sick in the final month of the year. I have been (reluctantly and with vehement protest) keeping up this tradition from …
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- On 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. A few months back I read the book – Nudge – by Richard H Thaler and Cass R Sunstein. The crux …
- The one…the only…happy 75!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, …
- Read a book, or two, 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 …
- And sometimes…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 …
- On Stress….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 …
- Is this 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 …
- On 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 …
- Are you crazy at work?I read 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 …
- Are you in 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 …
- A bit about your grandfather…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, but these would have been the highlights of his life. What about the …
- The acquisition of true 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 …
- Happy 54th…,my karmbhoomi!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 …
- A guide for who occupies your body…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 company…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 steel and triumphs…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 …
- Of ideas and courage…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 …
- A song, a thought and a dream…I revisited this blogpost today. The weather in Dubai is great at the moment, drop in temperatures, cool breeze, 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 …
- A few bites of AI…A few AI-related predictions for the near future, that I chanced upon while browsing… The return of the invite-only web. To escape the bot-flooded “dead internet,” the best platforms become gated and reputation-scored. The open web becomes a wasteland; the gated web becomes the party. Google, Apple, and OpenAI accidentally build the new internet. Instead …
- And so it began…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 …
- When does papa become dad?Today, as Rohāmrta was saying papa papa papa, I recalled the day he started to say da-da-da-da. He is quite conversational with me by now, and has started speaking in regular coherence, so well, typical first-time-dad pride. Anyways, I did go back and enjoy this piece that I wrote, and here it is below. Speech …
- On growing up, slowwwwly…Among the books I am currently reading, is Bill Bryson’s ” The life and times of the Thunderbolt Kid”. A memoir of sorts, about him growing up in America in the 50s. His pages are filled with exaggerated humor, in true Bryson style, and I find myself smiling, occasionally breaking into loud peals of laughter, …
- The season of firsts, and aachhoos…So its the flu season (again) and the kid is down (again), and so we are in the midst of parental duties – good ol sponging (again) and Tamiflu (again) and precision thermometer measurements every 5 minutes (of course, again). Being a parent has its share of repetitive tasks (that can hopefully be automated through …
- When time is short…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. …
- Of 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 …
- Ssshhhhhh…it works:)“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, …
- A short 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 …
- The knowledge 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 here and AI there and AI everywhere…It’s exciting, and worrying, this AI. As I continue to build our internal AI strategy, I swing between ‘wow so much to learn and implement’ and ‘damn we don’t stand a chance’. Just like the internet fundamentally changed the way we lived and worked, AI is poised to change the course of humanity – a …
- Kaṇāda’s laws…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 …
- What’s black and while and yellow all over…It will be Black Friday soon. 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 …
- To breathe, or not to breathe…We had a fitness session at office today. One of my colleagues showed us a few good stretching exercises, and then I shared a few of my own. One commonality that I noticed was the incorrect way of breathing – almost everyone does it wrong. When inhaling, the stomach should expand, not contract. It is …
- Day 10 of the 30*30Started the day with Yoga, ended with a walk. That I will exercise everyday, was not all talk. Rhymes aside, some of you asked me for more exercises that can be done at home. So here is my favourite – literally takes 10 sq.ft and 10 minutes. A lot of tens there. Tāḍāsana Difficulty level …
- Day 9 of the 30*30So Gen-Z vs me today:) Aditi put up a good total, and I just had to beat it. Not in the spirit of competing with her, or anyone else for that matter, just that there was a benchmark that I wanted to test myself against. Tomorrow is another day:) It’s nice, this 30*30. People are …
- Day 8 of the 30*30So here I walked in to office today and guess what? There was a little something, actually big something waiting for me. A gift for my birthday they said. A coat, a lovely coat, a lovely corduroy coat, a lovely corduroy coat whose color is so close to the 10 Leaves color…. Thank you thank …
- Day 7 of the 30*30One week into the challenge, and I am averaging 78 minutes per day. Not bad, but still not as structured as I want it to be. You know, we always have an ideal self – the person we want to be. And then there is the actual self – the person we are. In some …
- Day 6 of the 30*30Commenced not one, but two exciting projects today. One has been on my mind for very long, and I am excited that I have finally found my way of tackling the subject. A subject that contains every answer, and every question as well. The Bhagavad Gita:) The second is Shakespeare ka baap (the father of …
- Day 5 of the 30*30Today was a birthday with a difference. For one, my team made a podcast to convey their wishes. It was unique, heart-touching, and frankly, among the best wishes I have ever received. This was a work day, so well, there was work, then a team lunch and then back home for a catch up with …
- 48 cycles around the sun…And so tomorrow, sometime in the morning, I would complete 48 cycles around the sun, as per the Gregorian calendar. Birthdays are all about wishes. And you get a lot of them. Ever since the explosion of email, one even gets wishes from the bank, the neighborhood e-grocer and your bike servicing company. Everyone is …
- Day 3 of the 30*30Moderate exercise today as well. The body needed today to recover and prepare for the heavy exercises tomorrow. The sweet pain lingers, and reminds me of the karate days…those days of crazy training, and no money for the specialized diet that such training demanded. Now, there is the affordability, but the youthful energy is found …
- Day 2 of the 30*30Today was rest day. You must be wondering – but I just started yesterday! Well, technically, I started on Sunday, so that’s two days already – 1.5 hours per day. Today, clocked in a minute under 60. But mostly light to moderate exercise. Which in my head is as good as a rest day:) One …
- Day 1 of the 30*30…So how does one start Day 1 again? The 30*30 formally commenced today – 30 minutes of exercise into 30 days. Dubai’s pathbreaking initiative to drive residents to fitness. I must say, it is a fantastic thought, and has been very successful. Our firm too participates, and so workout gear is taken out and dusted, …
- Of names and good companies…Had a meeting today where I discussed a structure with a potential client. We got talking and they asked me about the name of my consultancy – 10 Leaves. Why 10? Why Leaves? They also came to know the name of my son, and liked the fact that it is a unique name, with a …
- Of staycations and portmanteaus…What do bromance, shopaholic, brunch and romcom have in common? They are all portmanteaus! At the risk of sounding like a certain Tharoor, portmanteaus are obtained by combining two words to make a new one that describes the combination. You may have heard quite a few portmanteaus, but the latest I heard is staycation. No, …
- Of children and their 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 …
- Two more months 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 …
- Questions Questions Questions…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 …
- Of branches and cheaps, sorry Chiefs…A lot of times, I come across snippets of Kyokushin fights from the numerous tournaments that get conducted every year. Ever since the Grandmaster’s death, the organisation has been splitting again and again, creating splintered groups and offshoots with everyone and his uncle wanting to become a Branch Chief. So you have multiple factions and …
- Thinking 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 mandatory tick box…Global Village opens again, and another visit is in order. The place is decent, but the food is overpriced, and so are the artifacts – also it’s an open secret that the prices drop considerably closer to the end of the season, and funnily enough, yours truly never finds time to go back then. So …
- Be yourself…During the course of my interviews with many candidates, I come to learn of their passions outside work. They want to pursue these vocations, but don’t usually get the opportunity to do so. And by the time they settle, they don’t have the courage to upset their applecarts and cushioned lives and try to embark …
- On consistency in 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 …
- Of enemies and friends…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, …
- Of brothers and noble sisters…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 …
- What lies next?A few days of festivities are entering a short pause – tomorrow being Govardhana Puja, followed by Bhai Dooj on Thursday, and then someone’s Gregorian birthday a few days later. Days will speed past though. We will be staring at the end of 2025 soon, and the promise of another year that hopefully brings less …
- From darkness…to light…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. …
- Wish you a very happy Deepawali!आप सब को दीपावली की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ! जय श्री लक्ष्मी माता! If you choose to celebrate in full abandon, happy Diwali to you! If you choose to have a muted celebration, happy Diwali to you too! And if you choose not to celebrate this year, well, happy Diwali to you too! A celebration comes from …
- Happy National Ayurveda Day…Did you know that today 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 …
- And so the universe came together…Today 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 into this world with endless possibilities and infinite potential…a blank slate. That is your moment…and that moment …
- So, 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 …
- An ode to 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 …