Laser Focussed
Rushikesh Kulkarni 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.
Rushikesh Kulkarni
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…
Moving Mountains
If only moving mountains was possible, I’d bring one down for you. So that you could build your cottage in the woods. And water your! plants in the garden. While…
Rains once again
The rains in the subcontinent are settling in. Even as flood wreak havoc in Assam, landslides in Uttarakhand and the usual chaos in Mumbai – rains have not lost their…
Swimming Against the Tide
The tide is coming in. But you need to get to the other side. The other side of the world? That’s where solace is? Who knows. There is only one…
Dark Spaces
Dark Spaces brought out fear once upon a time. Now they bring solitude. wonder what is it with silence and darkness that they seem to be magnetic.
Chaos in the Clouds
A chaos has ensued in the clouds that’s the way it goes in July is the sky bawling this month? or roaring like a Leo?
On the need to break and build
Building something is a simple concept. You start with an idea and then you add components to it. You continue to subtract and add as you shape the idea and…
Rains
When the rains come, they bring with them the freshness, the promise of tomorrow. But they also bring with them the horrors of yesterday. Rainy season still remains my favourite.…
Share autos
Sharing an auto is always an interesting experience. It is an exercise in patience, compromise and discomfort.
Up in the air
On my way back today, I started to watch Up In The Air on the train. I don’t know why but it seemed like a good choice in the moment.…
Skipping Puddles
It rains now and then like it did on that day in June, after a long hot summer.
Angsty Evening
Where is a desk when you need one. A bed is perhaps the last thing you need. But a bed is all you get. For many years I didn’t sleep…
Where is home?
In a city that didn’t belong to me, I found a home. But in the city that I was born, I have struggled.
Melancholia, my only friend
I waded through the mud at night and woke up on the shore. It’s over at last I thought. But there it was, waiting for me like a faithful loyal…
Nostalgia Central
I visited TISS almost after a year. 8 years ago many of us walked through the same leafy lanes and entered the hallowed portals which we called classrooms. For many…
Rainy Days
When rain came to the city I huddled under my umbrella there was no place to go so I kept on walking until the tide came in and took me…
Living it up in Koramangala – Hotel Reviews for the Business Traveller
Over 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…
Cold Evenings
Tne chill has returned. After a long time it feels like the Bangalore that I used to know. The Bangalore I left behind. The sun goes missing for hours and…
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…
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.…