- Three’s company…A newsletter that does not waste time in coming to the point. Three recommendations per week – one book, one song, one article. No lengthly explanations, reasoning, reviews or gyaan. And no particular theme. This week: Book – A Short History of Nearly Everything – by Bill Bryson Music – Vilambit Impressions – Ustad Zakir …
- Hi Ted!I haven’t given a Ted Talk as yet, but then, Ted was never around. Public speaking is not easy. There are many who speak in public, there are some who speak to the public and a few to who the public speaks back. I have seen a lot of the first two, but a handful …
- Choices and consequences…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 …
- Of annadaataas and chakki aataas…Ok the title was just to complete the rhyme. Nothing about chakki aata here. However, a lot of talk about money today. India’s budget has been announced. Personally, the only thing the middle class used to look for (and still does) were tax cuts and better allowances. However, the biggest elephant in the room (besides …
- Of Nara and Narayana…Narayana and Nara are supposed to have taken form as Sri Krishna and Arjuna. They were almost like twins, working together living together, eating together, one being in two bodies. The association of Sri Krishna with Arjuna, so inseparable, is an illustration of the inseparable relation between God and man. यत्र योगेश्वर: कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धर: ।तत्र श्रीर्विजयो …
- Of teachers and Teachers – part 2गुरुरेव परा काष्ठा गुरुरेव परं धनं । यस्मात्तदुपदेष्टाऽसौ तस्माद्गुरुतरो गुरुरिति ॥ १८॥ gurureva parā kāṣṭhā gurureva paraṁ dhanaṁ | yasmāttadupadeṣṭā’sau tasmādgurutaro gururiti || 18|| Advaya Taraka Upanishad, Śukla-Yajuveda, Ślok 18 A Guru is the culmination, the zenith, a Guru is the greatest wealth you can possess. A Guru teaches you the ultimate truth, and that …
- Of teachers and Teachers…We may remember Teachers Day as the day when we decorated the blackboard (or green board, as was in our case), and wished our teachers and thanked them for teaching us well. We may not have understood the importance of teachers day then, as we do now. Today, we live in different parts of the …
- Outage outrage…Thank you Apple. So here is what supposedly happened – one file in a kernel update was corrupted, and Windows crashed worldwide. One file – thousands of computers affected, and as a result, disruptions across sectors – from airlines to banks and markets. From the USA to Australia. Reminds me of something in Hindi – …
- And then there were three…Started my second newsletter on LinkedIn. Called Three. A newsletter that does not waste time in coming to the point. Three recommendations per week – one book, one song, one article. No lengthly explanations, reasoning, reviews or gyaan. And no particular theme. This week: Book – The Anxious Generation – by Jonathan Haidt Song – …
- Small bites, always:)I had been wanting to write regularly from quite some time. It did happen in fits and starts, but didn’t go on to be consistent. We often wait to find the optimum conditions to start anything – be it a new exercise routine, or a new project, or a new way of living. Big or …
- A trip to the book store…A trip to the bookstore… A trail mostly forgotten By most of us who find ‘better’ things to get busy with… A trip to the bookstore… A joyful journey to an exciting destination of discovery… A trip to the bookstore… one that brings back fond memories of Mecca Stores and a once in a month …
- Watch your thoughts, they become words…where is this from?“Watch your thoughts, they become words;watch your words, they become actions;watch your actions, they become habits;watch your habits, they become character;watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” This quote is a favourite of many Instagrammers and finds its way to many WhatsApp message inboxes in a ‘good morning’ wrapping. It has been attributed to …
Watch your thoughts, they become words…where is this from? Read More »
- Of bad experiences and good ones…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 …
- Aparigraha…Time commitment – 10 minutes everyday This exercise is simple. All you need to do, is write something that no one else will see. Just you. But, you have to follow a short process, and a few house rules. Write at the same time everyday – Can be in the morning, or in the evening, or …
- Would you like to prepare for death?Time commitment : 10-15 minutes, after every yogic practice The standing joke in yoga classes, is that everyone’s favourite pose is śavāsana. Most people think of this āsana to be easy, but nothing could be further from the truth. Yoga Guru Shri B.K.S. Iyengar has called it “the most difficult āsana to master.” And he did know more than a thing or …
- Don’t do anything!Time commitment – 10 minutes every alternate day From observing, to observation. From total involvement, to no involvement. The no-mind exercise has a simple procedure – DON’T DO ANYTHING FOR 10 MINUTES. You may think that this is the easiest exercise of the lot. It isn’t. On the contrary, it is the most difficult exercise for …
- Take a walk…Time commitment : One hour every week We spoke about connecting with nature in an earlier post. This exercise is an extension of the “walk in the park” aspect of that exercise. A few points to note: No devices – Not even a mobile (especially not a mobile). You may be tempted to take photographs on the …
- Embodiment…Yesterday, we had a look at how Sanatana schools of thought address the concept of collective effervescence. Today, let’s look at embodiment. Most religions usually prescribe some kind of movement that marks the activity as devotional. Such movements are proven to enhance feelings of communion, similarity and trust, which means it makes a group of …
- Collective effervescence…In his book – The Anxious Generation – Jonathan Haidt speaks about “drawing on wisdom from ancient traditions and modern psychology to tray to make sense of how phone-based life affects people spiritually by blocking or counteracting six spiritual practices: shared sacredness; embodiment; stillness, silence, and focus; self-transcendence; being slow to anger, quick to forgive; and …
- How valuable is your attention?Tristan Harris, a former ethicist at Google, created a PowerPoint presentation for his fellow Google employees in 2013. Titled – A call to minimize distractions and respect users’ attention, Harris noted that products made by just three companies – Google, Apple and Facebook – were shaping (and now controlling) how humanity spent it’s limited attention …
- Five 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, …
- On public speaking…“In fact, public speaking anxiety may be primal and quintessentially human, not limited to those of us born with a high-reactive nervous system. One theory, based on the writings of the sociobiologist E. O. Wilson, holds that when our ancestors lived on the savannah, being watched intently meant only one thing: a wild animal was …
- Not again!I visited the doc yesterday – the allergy was getting the better of me. He prescribed some nasal sprays and an allergy tab, and so I walked down to the pharmacy to get them. They made me wait more than an hour, and then informed me that the request had been declined. Declined – by …
- Sniff sniff…againOk. So it’s been a while since I had the allergy attack and unfortunately I’ve fallen sick (again) and it’s the same sniff sniff and cough cough. This should not become a regular affair:( Have to work something out to prevent it from happening again and again. Anyways, sick time meant down time but I …
- On leisure…What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full …
- On rediscovering one’s passions…Passions, hobbies, favorite passtimes, avocations, obsessions.. Known by many names – but the feeling is the same. We have known this feeling, many times in life, when engaging in pursuits that no one forced us to, but in which we lost ourselves, we lost the track of time. We found the flow that so well …
- 1563…1563. That’s the number of days since I first started writing this blog regularly. Not a day missed – I wrote through sickness and health, through the birth of Rohāmrta and his sickness and health as well. Through the busy days (most) and the not-so-busy days (very few). What I don’t have in literary genius, …
- Aren’t we all addicts?Aren’t we? IoS has a feature called “focus”. For those minutes and hours that we need to spend on one thing, without any distractions. This from the world’s leading manufacturer of all things distraction. I love it how technology companies create a problem, and then go about claiming to bring you solutions to the said …
- On Rasas…A couple of years back, I read an engaging book – The Tell-Tale Brain, by Dr. V.S. Ramachandran. An interesting look at what makes us human, from a neurologist’s perspective. Dr. Ramachandran takes a look at the neurological structure of our brain, not through complicated instruments, but by basic methods and experiments, and comes to …
- On the restless mind…The mind has a tendency to be restless – to constantly keep thinking of hundreds of things at once. Even when you sit still, the mind is never still. It keeps making up stories, analyzing imaginary scenarios, depending into daydreaming….The whole process of yoga is aimed at calming this restless mind. Asanas serve no greater purpose …
- On rites of passage…A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of status in society. Various cultures around the world, especially the older ones, have detailed rights of passage for both boys and girls. Among Native Americans, for …
- Epi what?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 …
- The love of tradition…अणुभ्यश्च महद्भ्यश्च शास्त्रेभ्यः कुशलो नरः।सर्वतः सारमादद्यात् पुष्पेभ्य इव षट्पदः।। – Skilled people learn from every source, be it big or small, much like honey bees, who collect nectar from all types of flowers. Writing about the Panchatantra opened a whole new world to me, one what stayed with me for over half a year, and 165 posts. I …
- Studies and careers…I am an engineer…yet never worked a day in engineering… How many here are like me? What do you think of it? The adage goes that in India(especially the South), you are either a doctor, or an engineer. A lot of us have gone through the engineering degree, but went on to MBAs, and further …
- On those who serve…Just as the sun, despite being lustrous, cannot shine without its rays, similarly, a king, even though he may be full of majesty, cannot be appreciated without capable servants. राजा तुष्टो हि भृत्यानाम् अर्थ-मात्रं प्रयच्छति ।ते तु संमान-मात्रेण प्राणैर् अप्य् उपकुर्वते ॥ ९१ ॥ rājā tuṣṭo hi bhṛtyānām artha-mātraṃ prayacchati |te tu saṃmāna-mātreṇa prāṇair apy upakurvate || …
- Happy International Day of Yoga…I got a lot of requests to write more on the 8-fold path of yoga – that some refer to as Ashtanga Yoga or Raja Yoga. I know that it gets a bit confusing at times – after all , there are so many terminologies and variations – ashtanga, raja, bhakti, karma, kriya, gyana – …
- Of gains and losses…To have gained and lost, is worse than not to have gained at all… Human life is all about striving towards something. Some work towards accumulating wealth, others strive hard to improve their quality of life. The journey towards our goals is hard, but the hope of getting there makes it worth the while. And …
- What happened to our neighborhoods?As mentioned yesterday, am reading “The Anxious Generation” that is quite startling in terms of the subject matter – children are being rewired (actually have already been) and have transitioned from “play-based” childhood to “phone-based” childhood. A transition that will have lasting repercussions on the human race in general. I will write separately on the …
- The anxious generation…Today was Nirjala Ekādashi – a vrata without food and water. Started at sunrise, and will end tomorrow a bit post sunrise. 24 hours without food and water. Not as difficult as you think:) Also started a new book, that revolves around this central premise: “My central claim in this book is that these two …
- Just breathe!How do I start yoga? Quite a common question yes? Most people are used to enrolling in the neighbourhood yoga class, where the instructor quickly takes you through preparatory stretching, gets into simple postures and wraps it up with a 5 or 10 minute meditation routine. While this may work in a gymnasium or a …
- AAo twist karein…Vakra means twisted, and hence Vakrasana is called the twisted pose. The Vakrasana yoga posture helps to tone the nerves around the spinal cord, strengthen our abdomen and stimulate the internal organs. This yoga asana helps reduce belly fat and lose weight – a major factor in helping diabetics control their blood sugar and lead an active …
- Zen…Zen stories. They bring back fond memories. Of times I spent with my master – sometimes in larger groups, other times just with the uchideshis – live-in students. Kancho – my master – used to conduct meditation discourses, and in between the philosophy, we used to wait eagerly for the Zen stories to make their …
- Let’s Kanban it!The Emirates is closed for four days. A long weekend, that is actually a full week of holidays. And so I decided to use this time to relook at our internal work processes, lay the groundwork for the next level of services that we intend to offer, and in general, perform a spring-cleaning of sorts. …
- A subhāşita…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 …
- Just six…Is human life the result of many coincidences and random chance? Or is it instead the fine-tuning of the laws that govern it which have led to our existence? And if this is the case, what is the origin of this fine-tuning? These very questions were addressed by Sir Martin J. Rees, Astronomer Royal and Royal …
- A favorite of mine…Not many songs touch a chord the way this one does. Melody, classical touches and beautiful picturisation, an ode to my favorite Krishna, what else could I ask for? Muripaala Mukunda – from Bahubali – The Conclusion. Here are the lyrics for those who don’t understand the beautiful language of Telugu! Muripaala Mukundaa…Oh lovely mukunda …
- 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 …
- Main, Narendra Damodardas Modi…Ok, a lot of you knew this post was coming, isn’t it? Well, I don’t have to take you through the journey of the man – most of you already know it, or at least some parts of it. Today, I want to speak about learning. Constant learning. Modiji is an exceptional politician because of …
- Silappadhigaramதேரா மன்னா செப்புவது உடையேன்எள்ளறு சிறப்பின் இமையவர் வியப்பப்புள்ளுறு புன்கண் தீர்த்தோன் அன்றியும் வாயிற் கடைமணி நடுநா நடுங்கஆவின் கடைமணி உகுநீர் நெஞ்சுசுடத் தான்தன்அரும்பெறல் புதல்வனை ஆழியின் மடித்தோன்பெரும்பெயர்ப் புகார்என் பதியே அவ்வூர்ஏசாச் சிறப்பின் இசைவிளங்கு பெருங்குடிமாசாத்து வாணிகன் மகனை ஆகிவாழ்தல் வேண்டி ஊழ்வினை துரப்பச் சூழ்கழல் மன்னா நின்னகர்ப் புகுந்தீங்குஎன்கால் சிலம்பு பகர்தல் வேண்டி நின்பால்கொலைக்களப் பட்ட கோவலன் மனைவி thaera manna seppuvadhu udaiyaenellaru sirappin imaiyavar viyappappulluru punkan theerththon anriyumvaayir kadaimani naduna nadungaaavin …
- True intentions…Here is the previous part… As they moved towards deeper waters, RaktaMukha got frightened, held the crocodile tightly, and said “KarālaMukha, please swim slowly. These waves and splashing water on me, and I am afraid that I will drown!” KarālaMukha heard him and thought to himself “I have reached the deep sea now. RaktaMukha is …
- The pigeon and the hunter…The story of the pigeon and the hunter This is one of the more heart-breaking stories of the Panchatantra, but one that is so beautiful that it flows into your soul and warms it up with love and hope. I have kept it in shloka form, so that it can read like a poem, and …
- Just read more!I hear this in nearly every appraisal that I conduct – I want to improve my communication skills and writing skills. And I have the same answer every single time – Read more! I heard the same comment today, and well, I had the same answer. But here is a more elaborate explanation:) “In my …
- The one who defeated 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. …
- a few lines…Was starting a blog on another topic, when I came across some lines that I felt nice about. Here they are… At the age of 25, 27, or 30 and up, you’ll realize you’re not just chasing your own dreams anymore. You strive to give your loved ones the best this life could offer. You’ll …
- Of Panchayats and elections…And so election season finally comes to an end…for now. Unless the “one nation one election” proposal is implemented, this election process will continue throughout the year, year-on-year, perpetually. One set of assembly elections gets over, panchayat elections take over. Then another set of assembly, and so on and so forth, until the Lok Sabha …
- A thought that crosses my mind…Far from the madding crowd… from the atmosphere of pretentious interaction of cold handshakes and superficial exchanges… from places that are too boring to frequent and people who cannot hold a conversation of intelligence… from companies that do too much to appear cool while employees struggle to make ends meet at home… from events that …
- Don’t you think we should grow our own food?Do you think that we should grow our own food, whenever we can? Well, not all of it. But at least enough so that we can stay in touch with it, and pass it on to the next generation. For thousands of years, we ate what we grew. And then the Industrial Revolution changed us …
- Of tiring days and sweet battles…I was out the whole day today – set out early and just reached back. My better quarter (or is it half?) held fort and fought the battle that we fight everyday – An unseen battle that a lot of people fight on a daily basis. A battle that is sweet, yet challenging, and drains …
- Tired, and then some…Phew, it’s been a very busy two weeks! I’ve been working from 7ish to 9ish, morning to evening. Calls, business plans, internal reviews, plans, strategies…the list is endless. But all good – a lot of exciting work and more to come! Of course, I do get tired. Only for a bit though – I recall …
- Who is the real me?न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दुःखं न मन्त्रो न तीर्थं न वेदा न यज्ञाः । अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ।। About a couple of years back, I had written about the Nirvana Śhatakam. Recently, I stumbled upon another poem, which isn’t anywhere in the same category or depth, but still carries a good message. Here it is… Who am I you may well askI really wish I knewIf I am not myself …
- Education…or money?Money, or education…if you had just one choice to make, what would you choose? Ok, there is a caveat here. A lot of you may think to choose education, saying that it would eventually lead to money. Let’s up the stakes. Let’s say that education would not lead to money, nor would money lead to …
- Gyan MudraTime commitment : 5 minutes everyday Today, we will practice our second mudra – the jñāna Mudra. I have made a lot of references to this mudra in my earlier articles, and a lot of you requested for a more detailed look into the mudra. While mudras are of many types, I will restrict this discussion to …
- Tracking accomplishments..This exercise will help you reflect upon your daily tasks, and take the first steps to move from being busy, to being productive. A few points to note: Consistency – It will take a bit of effort to get into the habit of doing this exercise – so set reminders if required. Visualisation – You will also …
- Yoga and true yog…We are introducing a Wellness Allowance as part of our new compensation package in Dubai. Employees are encouraged to devote some time to their wellness, and this includes any activity that they undertake on a sustained basis. Can be working out in a gym, or a sport, or martial arts, or yoga. When I mentioned …
- On compensation…Designing a salary package is tricky. From an employee perspective, there is a requirement to maximise compensation, and from an employer perspective, one has to toe the fine line between making an employee happy, and yet keeping costs competitive. But then again, what is compensation? Is it only money? Yes, you may say. I work …
- The bot culture…A cursory glance at Twitter trends throws light on the condition of social media today. Over 90% of those trends are bot-driven, an in-your-face attempt at steering public conversation, or at least appearing to – in a direction that they want to take it towards. And we as hungry observers scroll our time away, every …
- A little too open AI…Hydrogen, given enough time, turns into people… Edward Robert Harrison, 1995 You know it is concerning when someone like Scarlett Johansson has her voice (allegedly) used without her consent, and she can’t seem to do much about it. While we all rejoice and salivate at the prospects of AI making our lives better, there are …
- Of the billion struggles…A few months back, I read Elon Musk’s biography, and what an interesting read it was! Now, am not a sucker for bios, and surely not for self-help books, but some do stand out, especially the ones penned by Walter Isaacson. The work he did on Steve Jobs’s biography was exceptional, and in time. This …
- Of growth and nearly everything…We are obsessed with constant growth. Be it in business, where every quarter has to be bigger than the preceding one, or in school, where kids have to score constantly higher marks, lest the drop be seen as a ‘point of concern’ and the start of a pattern. Physically too, some parents obsess with the …
- Expressing yourself…A few months back, of my team members told me that she wants to write. Aha! She was interested in taking up content writing, and wanted to undertake a course. I suggested that she first practice to write, just write without any pre-determined topic or structure. It’s called free writing, in which one does not …
- Think before you wish it!Manthara reached home by evening. “My dear, my dear”, he called out as he walked through the door. Seeing her in the kitchen, he went to her and said “My dear, today I had the good fortune of seeing a Yaksha. He has promised to give me whatever I ask for. And so I rushed …
- Of resolutions and keeping them…We have all been there isn’t it? The big resolve to do something, to start anew. An exercise regime, a diet, a new productivity mantra, a new way of working… This usually follows a bell-shaped curve. Start from zero, an accelerated approach towards a peak, when you are exactly where you want to be…and then …
- The nature of the mind…सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत |श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्ध: स एव स: || sattvānurūpā sarvasya śhraddhā bhavati bhārataśhraddhā-mayo ‘yaṁ puruṣho yo yach-chhraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ Bhagavad Gīta – 17.3 The faith of all humans conforms to the nature of their mind. All people possess faith, and whatever the nature of their faith, that is truly …
- Creation is not just the domain of the Gods…Working on some exciting marketing plans for the company. So much opportunity to learn! The tools available nowadays are quite exhausting – an abundance of choice that can sometimes be more bad than good. One has to sift through the options and come up with something that not only gives you the most flexibility and …
- Samatva…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 …
- On being jealous…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 …
- Nineteen years in the making…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 in a foreign land, with a set dream that I was to focus on realizing. I had given myself three years to make a certain amount …
- Of Akshaya and Tritiyas…Akshayais a Sanskrit word meaning ‘unending’ or ‘indestructible’. On this day, the Pandavas received the Akshaya Patra (upon worshipping Surya deva), a vessel that never ran out of food. The day is associated with material wealth and prosperity when people buy gold and start business ventures, but that is perhaps a reflection of what we …
- Lets speak a little Ingleeesh…Now that Wren and Martin is history, and Grammarly is in, we have slowly but surely, lost our touch with English Grammar. When you depend on software for everything, you stop thinking and just click the autocorrect isn’t it? Well, there is no Grammarly for spoken English (yet), so here are some tips and some …
- Us vs them…Constant reinforcing of values is essential for growth, since such growth is not made in one day, but in small steps over a period of time. Like that proverbial monkey riddle, we walk ahead three steps and come back two – well that’s ok, as long as it isn’t the other way round. And so …
- Octopus and a bubble…Anyone who has been through a toddler knows the importance of bubbles in their lives. They demand it at will, and the popping of these temporary spheres of soap becomes the primary focus of the moment, or moments, until it’s ‘bye bye’ bubbles. Rohāmrta is no exception. It is for him that I found a …
- The net is down:(So something is wrong with my mobile internet. In normal circumstances, it would have been fine, but the issue is that it serves as my primary source of data at present – and so, when I am unable to access it seamlessly, I am very inconvenienced. My work pretty much depends on it. A few …
- The good old days…Don’t we see nostalgic posts of this kind every other day? On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and oddly enough, even on LinkedIn. The kind which romanticizes the past and demonizes the present, and shudders at the thought of the future. I have done it too, and I don’t consider it wrong at all. After all, things …
- Why don’t you just try?As I logged into LinkedIn a couple of days back, it gave me an option to create newsletters (and run them on a regular basis). The ever-curious me decided to have a go. And so I headed to Canva, made a banner, thought of a name (a bit of this…and a bit of that…) and …
- Of worms and learning…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 …
- Where did all our innocence go?Where did all our innocence go? When did it disappear, only to be replaced by so-called knowledge? As I see Keshav grow in front of my eyes, I can only but fear the day when he loses his innocence…actually, this would be a process, and not a sudden change, but I can see it happening …
- Quotable quotes from over a thousand years…सुहृदि निरन्तर-रचिते गुणवति भृत्येऽनुवर्तिनि कलत्रे ।स्वामिनि शक्ति-समेते निवेद्य दुःखं सुखी भवति ॥ ३७२ ॥ suhṛdi nirantara-racite guṇavati bhṛtye’nuvartini kalatre |svāmini śakti-samete nivedya duḥkhaṃ sukhī bhavati || 372 || One’s grief becomes much lighter if we confide in a stable-minded friend, a servant of good character, a devoted spouse or a powerful master. क्व कस्य कर्म संवीक्ष्य करोत्य् …
- An iPad around the corner…May 7th it is. When the new set of iPads release. Count me in:) Still excited about what comes out of the Apple stable. Will it be the same next year? Lets see. A lot depends on the much-touted AI features that are rumored to be rolled out with iOS18 – and the implementation of …
- Of snakes and gold coins…“My king, what is there to think about? He should be killed! It is said… हीनः शत्रुर् निहन्तव्यो यावन् न बलवान् भवेत् ।प्राप्त-स्व-पौरुष-बलः पश्चाद् भवति दुर्जयः ॥ १३० ॥ hīnaḥ śatrur nihantavyo yāvan na balavān bhavet |prāpta-sva-pauruṣa-balaḥ paścād bhavati durjayaḥ || 130 || An enemy that is weak should be killed immediately, he should not be given …
- Of quacks and cock-a-doodle-doo!The ‘doctor’ is at it again. If you don’t know what I am talking about, do read a previous post of mine that I have pasted below. Anyway, so the ‘doctor’ – something that he painstakingly ensures that one is made aware of, was recently on LinkedIn feeling humbled and thankful and gracious for being …
- Sosai Oss!Today is the 30th death anniversary of Sosai Masutatsu Ōyama, the grandmaster of Kyokushin Karate. Yog is a way of life, that combines asanas (postures) and pranayama ( breathing), mudras (gestures) and bandhas (body locks)… Breathing is an essential part of Kyokushin, but unexplored due to the constant focus on Kumite. While Kumite is the blood …
- Just a reminder…Nothing much to say, just see the video:) For those of us who are with our families and able to see them every single day…isn’t it a huge blessing in itself? Many of our ‘problems’ seem so small in comparison to what these people experience – living away from their children, all to make a …
- The power of focus…यतो यतो निश्चलति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् ।ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् ॥ २६ ॥ yato yato niścalatimanaś cañcalam asthiramtatas tato niyamyaitadātmany eva vaśaṁ nayet From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the Self. बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जित: ।अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् …
- It’s interview time!So the next round of expansion has begun – an integral part of this are the interviews that we conduct with potentials. And it’s always good to catch up with candidates to know more about what they have been doing, and what they want to do. Some interviews go well, others well, don’t quite add …
- Some random rambling – I guess the 50 is near…Today, my kid made a paper bag. Well actually, I did. I don’t know how schools expect a 3-year old to make a paper bag, when adults like me struggle at the task…well whatever it turned out to me, I guess it ticked the boxes for now. It’s odd, the kind of things that a …
- Of eggs and scamsters…You may have come across this kind – as they say in Hindi – अंदर से कुछ और, बाहर से कुछ और। In English – appearances are often deceptive, two-faced people who are something on the inside and convey something else on the outside. Hypocrites and dishonest. I did so today. It wasn’t a person …
- Our living world…The kid is home from nearly a week, and online classes, while being creative and satisfying (NOT), still cannot provide Keshav with the hyper-excitement that he craves for during his waking hours. And there are only so many trips that we can make to the neighborhood park everyday. So, he has been watching animals, and …
- And then we were seven…Seven years back we started with one, now we are many. I don’t quite recall the process of selecting the name and creating the logo in vivid detail, but here is a tidbit – we were originally called DAS LEAVES – Das being German for ‘the’. I also had to domain for it, and a …
- Dubai rocks!Of course, you all know by now that Dubai received the highest rainfall in 75 years, and images and videos of flooded roads and houses and cars abandoned on the roads have done multiple rounds on social media. Yes, happened. But that is nature. Not in your control. And no, this was not cloud seeding, …
- And what did you see?“As brains get larger and more complex, what goes on inside the brain gets further removed from what is happening in the environment. To see what we mean, consider face recognition. People are tremendously skilled at recognizing faces. This is a really hard information-processing problem. At a coarse level, we all pretty much look the …