rushikeshgk2Learning from the River
The roar of a river became evident as our vehicle took a turn. It flowed to our left. Clear water, pulsating with the monsoon energy, it was full of life.…
Rickshaw Rides at Midnight
I am sure I have written about this before. Or at least dream of it too. The road is long and I am exhausted but I have to be alert.
Glimmer
A day full of drudgery can be fully transformed with that one single moment. Sometimes that moment comes early in the day, sometimes it never shows up. But when it…
Duality of Me
I was going through the posts that I wrote last year. One post a day. I didn't even miss a single day inspite of a crazy schedule. What did I…
My Interviews about UPSC & HR
Life has been crazy in the last decade. But I guess life is all about moving on and rebuilding over the ashes of your broken dreams. My friend Nahida is…
In Defence of Leisure
Leisure for the sake of itself is a luxury. Most modern day ideas of leisure focus on its potential to increase your productivity. This approach creates a simple self perpetuating…
The Impossible Imposter Syndrome
A few years ago when I first stayed at a luxury hotel, I was filled with dread. Even though the stay was paid for I felt like I didn’t belong…
Managing Life – One Project At a Time
Many life skills exist in the world. But to truly live well, you need to master just a few. Standard survival skills, financial management and project management. While the first…
Embracing the Beginner Mindset
In Zen Buddhism, there is a concept called Shoshin which literally translates to beginners mind. It is an approach to learning where you drop all your preconceptions and start afresh.…
Multipotentialites
Over the years I have met folks who never identify with one true vocation. They are good at writing, taking pictures and even storytelling. Some of them who are great…
AI and Writing
Rushikesh Kulkarni"You’re not just writing — you’re creating a mirror for the modern mind" Last week I read the AI Report published by Substack. Their findings were not surprising. Out of…
A post missed
A post was not published as per schedule. By the time I discovered it, it was too late. Was the time lost? Perhaps. Should I turn back time? If only…
Of Rituals & Routines
What unites athletes, prolific writers, and high performing executives? A well defined ritual based routine, with blocks of time devoted to working on their craft. This seems to be one of…
Building a Culture of Focus
Deep focus is essential for great productivity. Deliberate practice makes one better. But between meetings and catch-ups, ad-hoc tasks and random pings on the internal messenger system - where is…
The Rise of the Generalist Operator
Breaking the Norms A clear trend is emerging in the startup ecosystem. The rise of the generalist operator. Those individuals who gain experience across verticals and then specialise deeply in…
Vibing with Vibe Coding
One of the more prominent (and disputed) use cases of LLMs has been generating code. Computer scientist Andrej Karpathy of OpenAI (the folks behind ChatGPT) called it Vibe Coding. Simply…
Breaking out of a slump
It is easy to fall into a slump. You miss one workout, break a three-week streak but you don’t think much of it at the time. You justify it to…
The Ultimate Productivity System
Before my masters, I used to run Breakfree Journeys. As an entrpreneur I owned my schedule. I could set or decline meetings as per my priorities. But after graduating in…
Why Storytelling Still Endures
Why Stortytelling still matters
A Delhi Winter Afternoon at Purana Qila
It was time for me to visit Delhi once again. This time during the winters. It was cold but not so cold that I couldn't walk out in the day.…
Delhi Rains And Humayun’s Tomb Once Again
After my quick spring visit, Delhi beckoned me again. As the final showers of the season came pouring down, I landed in Delhi on a wet morning. While the visit…
Playing in Hard Mode
Life in Hard Mode is difficult but so worth it.
On Sweating the Small Stuff
A susegaad cat at Borivali Station Last Tuesday morning, I booked a ticket to BKC on the Chalo App for a 10:31 AM bus. But on the way I realised…
The Genius of Severance
There are very few shows which accurately portray the absurdity of the modern corporate life. In the recent past, I have only liked The Office for its satirical portrayal of…
Turning 35
The sun beat down upon my face as I trudged up the gentle slope of a dirt track. It was 3:30 pm and I was a lone trekker on this…
On Cooking and Caregiving
Cooking is an essential life skill. It is vital to know how to put a meal together. But cooking means different things to everyone. When done occasionally, it can be…
Cycling Through Borivali National Park
This weekend I needed a place to structure the many thoughts in my head. So I decided to head over to one of my favourite places in the city. The…
Celebrating Goa – Festa De Goa
While growing up, people found it fascinating to know that my mum’s family was from Goa. I had been exposed to the beautiful cuisine and the Konkani language since birth.…
Sticking to my guns
Around 8 years ago when I joined TISS for my masters, I had no formal work experience after college. But I had been running Breakfree Journeys. Since 2009, I had…
On the Path to Dhamma – My Experience with Vipassana
A peacock called out to his mate as soon as I stepped out of my cab. Looking for it was useless because it seemed to be hidden in the foliage…
Noble Silence is Over
The noble silence is over. The gong has stopped ringing. It's all very strange. Maybe stranger than before. I will write more when I have eased in to this daily…
Pushpak
A train journey after a long time. Though it's a short journey and I'm looking forward to it. The cabbie who dropped me here guessed that I was taking this…
Right Aligned
Today at T2, they changed the exit. You had to exit through the ramp meant for cars. An old lady who was pushing her luggage trolley couldn't figure out the…
Madness on a plate
Life is not easy. It is known to throw a googly at you now and then. But what matters is whether you duck or go on the front foot and…
a sad day
When the news flashed on the TV, I didn't believe it at first. I had to check it for myself. It was true. She had been disqualified. A wave of…
Hanging onto Iife
When the autos disappear, all of us rush to the bus stop. 310 comes hurrying down but it is full. I have an app for another bus. It comes in…
Crumpled Notes
I learnt a valuable lesson today. The share auto wallah expressed his disapproval at the crumpled state of the notes I handed him over. It puzzled me at first, but…
On publishing a post everyday
Last year at the beginning of February, I completed 6 months in the city. On a whim that day I decided to publish a post everyday on this website. The…
Going out on a limb
It's easy to give up on moonshots. That's why they are called monshots. Too unpredictable and too hard to achieve. But that's precisely you must pursue them. Go behind them…
A milestone
what do you do? When you reach Week number Fifty two. Week 1 was good Week 26 was bad Then I lost count I foucssed on the food But that…
Frangipani
Frangipani blossoms in the evening When the world has slowed down And its scent wafts through Lightly, ever so lightly like your fragrance did When you sat next to me…
Warmth
Living it up everyday can be exhausting braving the cold winds and the cold shoulders but life goes on. you adapt. You live. but what makes life worth living Is…
A window into lives of others
The lives of others is an interesting area of exploration. Some call it prying, some voyeurism but inadvertently you end up knowing about other people's lives. No matter how much…
Small deeds
Today the Bombay High Court issued an order to BMC to build a toilet facility outside of Bandra Railway Station outside of Bandra East. It was a result of a…
a confused soul
a soul that wanders through the streets stopping by here and there looking at this and that fliting between people never settling down is a confused soul
There is no cure
There is no cure to the sense of despondency that takes over on certain days. On such days you just push through. But how long can one push? There is…
Leaves on the road
when it rains, the leaves of trees fall down on the road. when it rains, those leaves are plastered to the tarmac. they don't wash away as they usually do.…
River Poisar
Torrential rains came crashing down My house flooded with the waters Of river Poisar which ran languidly all throughout my childhood But nature's fury is not for the meek Those…
Deserted
words have deserted me today. But here's Bukowski.
A stroll in the rains
what do you do when you set out of the house and it begins to rain. There's no turning back And you got to keep walking so you walk in…
Sleep
Why does the lost hours of sleep mean so much only at 530 am when the alarm rings loud and clear. Why is it that the lost time is only…
When it rains
Everytime it rains it brings back memories of the floods. Everytime it rains it reminds you of your place in the social hierarchy. Everytime it rains you realise how vulnerable…
Overdoing things
You know what happens to chole when you pressure cook it for more than 5 whistles? They become mushy. A slurry of chickpeas.
Getting Drenched
Is a year enough to evaluate your choices? I doubt that. It's okay to watch the rain from your window but it's more important to get drenched in it. To…
Escape
When the day is ruined. Only the sea can cure it. So take the train out. And head to the coast. if it's far, you must still go. Because that's…
Parched
I know how the earth feels, when it is parched in the summer. The rains have finally come and disappeared. And the earth is parched again. Mud is caked. The…
A bench
A bench is such a great piece of furniture. Not so comfortable that you can sit on it for long. But still a nice spot to rest. Or to sit…
Laser Focussed
There are many distractions. Everything seems fun. Everything seems possible. But the eye of the fish has to be the only target. So many eyes to shoot.
lost
there is no map there is no compass the stars are hidden behind a veil of grey clouds where do we go from here I don't know. Directionless but raring…
Dialectical Muse
The city behaves as you do. She responds to your tone. She reacts to your actions. She is not your muse. She is independent, brazen and fierce. I miss her…