Learning from the River
Rushikesh Kulkarni 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.…
Personal Reflections & Memoirs
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
Playing in Hard Mode
Life in Hard Mode is difficult but so worth it.
On Sweating the Small Stuff
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 that I would indeed reach the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
a thenthuk hug
rushikeshgk2 The cold weather and a pretty long day led meant that my feet automatically veered towards the Tibetan place located right on the rooftop of a small building. Just like…