Travel. Stories. Poetry.
Looking at the title, I found this book interesting enough to quickly pull it off my friend’s bookshelf. I was tagging along for what was almost a “take your kid to work” day. He was busy taking seemingly endless meetings, while I found a cozy corner in his office and started reading. Amidst green tea,... Continue Reading →
The Alchemist is probably one of those books you’re supposed to read when you first start reading. It’s one of those books everyone seems to know, everyone recommends, and somehow, I managed to keep postponing. I knew it was a bestseller but never actually read it….until recently. I was on a train when a woman... Continue Reading →
Have you ever loved a book series so much that, when you reached the last book, you deliberately didn’t finish it? Not because you didn’t want to know how it ended. But because you loved the author, the characters, and the world so much that you didn’t want the story to end. That was me... Continue Reading →
ఇది ఒక ఇంటి కథ. ఆ ఇంట్లో ఒక నాన్న ఉంటాడు. అచ్చంగా ఆ నాన్నలాగే తయారైన ఒక పెద్ద కూతురు ఉంటుంది. ఆ కూతురు రెండు నెలల తర్వాత రాక రాక ఇంటికి వచ్చింది. ఇంట్లో అందరూ సంతోషంగా ఉన్నారు. నాన్నతో కూర్చొని మాట్లాడుతోంది. తను ఇన్ని రోజులు తిరిగిన దేశాల గురించి, చూసినవాటి గురించి, జరిగిన ముచ్చట్ల గురించి చెబుతోంది. అమ్మ అడిగింది, “ఏం తింటావు?” “పోహా!” అని చెప్పింది. తనకి అదంటే ఎంతో... Continue Reading →
I think everyone should have a copy of The Art of War. It doesn’t really matter who you are or what you do. If you’re in leadership, decision-making, diplomacy, bureaucracy, military strategy or honestly, just navigating situations where people, power, and choices collide, there is something in this book for you. What I found fascinating... Continue Reading →
Saturday evening,I wondered what color to paint my nails.I asked for your pick.You were out,taking bourbon shots with your friends. You replied,my favorite color. I searched every cabinet,moved bottles aside,looking for that perfect shade. One by one,I painted them flawless.Deep blue. Blue as the wildest oceans,as the darkest skies,as the deepest thoughts. I waited for... Continue Reading →
Some books answer questions. Others leave you asking better ones. The Dig by Sowmiya Ashok belongs firmly in the latter category. At its heart, the book asks deceptively simple questions: Who are we? Where did Indians come from? And how much of what we confidently believe is actually supported by evidence? Simple questions. Yet the... Continue Reading →
Sometimes we overcomplicate change. This little book reminded me that life becomes much lighter when we stop saying, “Everything is falling apart,” and instead say, “The cheese moved.” 🧀 That’s the beauty of a good metaphor. It simplifies something that feels overwhelming. Just like “eat the frog” 🐸 makes us tackle the hardest task first,... Continue Reading →
Well, let’s start with what these last couple of weeks have been. It is a wonder when you have advanced so busily in your career, and it is almost a coincidence when both your alma maters (IIT Madras and University of Pennsylvania) plan gatherings in the span of one week! So I thought, just like... Continue Reading →
Returning to IIT Madras after eight years was nostalgic. Returning to discuss public policy, governance, technology, and nation-building with fellow alumni serving across the country was something else entirely. The event, jointly organized by the Centre for Technology and Policy (CTaP) and the IIT Madras Alumni Association, brought together an unusual cohort of serving and... Continue Reading →
