Living it up in Koramangala – Hotel Reviews for the Business Traveller
Rushikesh KulkarniOver the last one year I have visited Koramangala on a few impromptu trips. In these short bursts I have managed to live at some of the semi-budget properties around…
An Unexpected Delhi Encounter
My relationship with Delhi has always been fraught with uncertainty. As a young boy I dreamt of living in the city, roaming the bylanes and preparing with all my might…
Looking up
A greater purpose or a lofty mission is often enough to make you go above and beyond. What drives hard work is often that goal. Now that goal may vary.…
A hearth in a corner
In a corner of this cold desolate room There lies a hearth - warm and pleasant stoked with dreams and desires unfulfilled in the time that has flown by throughout…
Ocean Currents at the Railway Station
The heart is a good indicator of your mind. Is that why they call some matters, the matters of your heart? Mostly they are related to how one feels about…
Powering Will
There are a few brands that I like. I am not a big fan of branded stuff. But there are a few standardised SST brands (Sasta - Sundar - Tikau)…
Mysteries of Hotel Rooms
Ultimately a hotel room is not a home. It's a temporary arrangement, a modern avatar for the age old inn, a place to keep your bags and rest, until it…
Sakkath Namma Bengaluru
When the news of a loud explosion at Rameshwaram Cafe broke, all of us assumed that it must have been a cylinder blast. But as the story progressed and new…
Monk Mode Wanted
At the end of a long day, there is very little to say and talk about. Often times one is so overwhelmed with the passings of the day that one…
Escaping to Uttan
One evening in November I decided to take the train to Bhayander to visit Uttan. It had been on my list for a long time and I had found some…
Flying with the Moon
Mid air seems to be the only time where there is no escaping my thoughts. These are the moments when I miss the internet the most. From being an information…
In Vain Pursuit of the Ideal State
Writing is an ideal state activity or so I used to think. You need silence, a good medium and of course, uninterrupted mindshare to focus and craft your thoughts as…
Leaving work at dusk
It is magical To walk out When the sun is about to set The golden light On faces of tired souls A glimmer of hope for their fate It is…
Midair Musings Again
The mid-air time has returned once again. The last time I did this, it was a fortnight ago. The tray table has been upgraded on these seats and it feels…
Much ado about work
Work is essential. Rest is only meaningful if there is work. Only rest makes your muscles go weak. But overworking can lead to burnout. And burnout is real. I once…
Sundays in National Park
There are very few cities which are blessed with such a dense forest within its geographical boundaries. Mumbai is one such blessed city. Thankfully I grew up not far from…
So much to do
There is so much to do. There is so little time. There is a wealth of information to be gained. There are many courses to be done. There is a…
Iterative Living
If you are into version control then you know the number of drafts it takes before you achieve the V27_final_final.doc version of your document. The beauty of constantly iterating is…
Turning to Sant Kabir
Impatience is nothing to be proud of. But it is a weakness that I have come to openly acknowledge. Being patient is a virtue they say. You must wait. Good…
A Blank Page
I am not sure why but the white sheet in front of me seemed more welcoming to me today. It didn’t seem threatening or frightening. In fact it seemed more…
The Amazing Autowallahs of Bandra East
The rickshaw wallahs of Bandra East are an industrious lot, especially the ones who run between Bandra east and BKC. They may seem undisciplined and ruthless. But they are just…
Looking for Nayakan
Over a few train rides to work and back, I managed to finish watching Nayakan. The biopic is based on the life of Varadarajan Mudaliar or Vardha bhai as he…
Bandra West Tales
It is hard to fault Bandra West. Each time I visit this part of the city, I wonder why I feel intrigued by it a little bit more. Even though…
Morning Morning
The inevitable has happened. I missed my daily deadline. I knew that starting this challenge would have some challenges. It’s just that I didn’t anticipate to fail so fast. But…
Midair Musings
By the time this gets published, I would have landed at my destination. Typing on the flight is a strange experience. It makes me feel like Nassim Nicholas Taleb who…
In Search of Silent Solitude
Speech is silver, silence is golden they say. In other words, they mean keep your trap shut. It's such a condescending way of saying something polite, like please maintain silence.…
An Ode to Orion
Many years ago a bunch of us would accompany a group of astronomy enthusiasts as they made their way to an open field in Vangani, about an hour and half…
Social Control on the AC Local
A few days ago I discovered that if I timed my departure just right, I could catch the AC local to work. Now to say "catch" is of course, incorrect…
A Post Everyday – Day 1
A post everyday. It seems obsessive. But I think this is a good way to build discipline. Otherwise I will put off writing until I strike inspiration. Which is what I…
Escape Stories – Varanasi
This December, work beckoned me to Varanasi and I decided to stay back for a few days more. This city has always been intriguing to me, and more so since…
My Adventures With Learning – As An Adult
Adult learning is a tricky business. Since my my civil services preparation days I have been trying to figure out the best ways of learning for myself. Back then I…
Escape Stories – Ludhiana
Punjab has always been fascinating to me. My father had told me stories of his time travelling through Rural Punjab in the 80s and his accounts of that period were…
An Extraordinary Slice of History
There are spaces in the city which lead a quiet existence. There is no pomp or show. These spaces derive their strength from the purpose for which they exist. One…
The Need for Green Spaces
No Magic Trick This A few days ago the Sea Link disappeared. It was gone with a dozen other buildings on the skyline. It was like P.C Sorcar and David…
Daily Commute & its Impact on Productivity
Hustle Everyday, Everyday Hustle Your commute to the office has an impact on your productivity at work. This seemingly obvious factor has often been overlooked. Most productivity literature including the…
In Search of Kadak Chai
When I was preparing for the UPSC exam, I would spend a considerable amount of time at the David Sassoon Library at Kala Ghoda. At about 4 PM, a couple…
The Magic of Collective Effervescence
Power of Belonging A few weeks ago, I was waiting for my evening train at the station. Everyone around me was hooked onto their mobile screens. Nothing unusual, except that…
Sunny Days – My Time at Samsung (SRI-B)
It was a chilly morning on the 3rd Sunday of November 2017 in Mumbai. About twenty of us were huddled up in our classroom at TISS for a Pre-Placement Talk…
Becoming A Better Listener – Lessons from Coaching
I have always considered myself to be good at making conversations. Knowing something about many things has been an added advantage. But this was not sufficient at the workplace. Workplace…
What Mumbai Really Needs
2023 is an important year for the city of Mumbai. The elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation - the prime local governing body are slated to be held this year.…
Coffee – The Everyday Elixir
A cup of Coffee can be many things other than being just a cup of coffee. The sociologist Anthony Giddens in his classic textbook on Sociology, introduces us to the…
Cleaning up Toxic Workplaces
Screen capture is a potent tool. Last week, a screengrab recording of an MS teams call went viral. A senior leader of a bank was seen berating his team for…
Celebrating Diversity Everyday
There is one Marathi song which has become a rage across the internet. Sung by Shreya Ghoshal and composed by the geniuses - Ajay and Atul, Baharla Ha Madhumas has…
Mental Health is Key
Mental health is underrated. You don’t realise its importance until it deteriorates. Mental wellbeing, like overall health, is not just the absence of illness. It is how well you handle…
5 Years of Being in HR
It is a cold rainy evening in Bangalore as I sit down to write this. It has been five years since I moved to this beautiful city. The move came…
Citizens in Action – Elections & Beyond
A Frenzy Hard to Miss Elections are always an exciting time. They are a living proof of success of the great experiment in Democracy. Nobody believed that India would succeed…
Looking Out for The Invisible Workforce
Today was a day off for me on account of Labour Day. A holiday to mark the toil and struggle of the labour class. But what constitutes the labour class?…
On Going Local – Ditching Quick Delivery
When growing up in Mumbai, like every other child, I was the chief delivery boy of all household items. Grocery items, coriander, milk, eggs, bread, drinks, craft paper - you…
In the Pink of Health – On Trying to Stay Healthy
Last week, just after I wrote my piece on pre-mediating evil, I fell sick. Thanks to some stale/spoilt mackerel (bangda) that landed in my frying pan. I was craving for…
On Avoiding Nasty Surprises – The Stoic Way
The recent bank crashes highlight the vulnerability of today's economic system. In spite of all the access to big data analytics, decisions made are are not full proof. This may…
The Write Way
Happiness can be found when you put your thoughts down on a crisp white sheet of paper. Etching your thoughts and ideas as they flow from your mind (and sometimes…
Crushing Creative Blocks at Work
Being creative at work is not only for musicians, writers, poets and painters. It is an important skill set to stay ahead of the curve at the workplace. Creativity is…
On Workplace Friendships
Friendships at the workplace can be tricky. Some argue that it is best to maintain a healthy distance with colleagues. They cite the same logic to avoid workplace relationships, as…
Finding the Right Talent in Maximum City
Recently a friend shared a link to the latest episode of The Ken’s Podcast - Cost to Company. The key theme was the flight of talent from Mumbai to other…
The Building Blocks of Great Culture
Everyone has a viewpoint on Culture. Culture Vultures are everywhere. But I don’t blame them. Culture is a universal concept. Experienced by all and defined by all in their own…
Escaping the Hyper-Productivity Trap
Striking off all items from your to-do list is a source of joy. The accompanying 'high' is powered by a sense of accomplishment which is addictive. However, like all addictions…
Escape Stories – Kannur
Bangalore’s location makes it easy to plan impromptu trips to exotic places. So this Dasara week, we decided to troop over to Kannur. A small but a town with much…
Under the Moonlight
A new buzzword Rishad Premji's tweet has brought into focus a new word in the corporate lingo - Moonlighting. The act of working two or more jobs. Remember, in Season…
Bombay, Oh Bombay
The city of Bombay, now Mumbai, has always fascinated artists, writers, filmmakers and now Instagram reel makers. The sights and smells play an important part in their creations. The social…
Towards A More Sustainable Job Market
The recent spate of layoffs in tech-start ups has created an uneasy atmosphere all around. The precariousness of private jobs is now more evident than before. These sudden layoffs were…