Blog

My writings here are ecclectic, covering topics such as education, philosophy, poetry and technology. Use the categories to navigate! ఇంగ్లీషుతో పాటు తెలుగులో కూడా రాస్తుంటాను, అనువాదాలు చేస్తుంటాను.

పల్నాడు కథలు - సుజాత వేల్పూరి
books
telugu
సుజాత వేల్పూరి గారి ‘పల్నాడు కథలు’ (రెండవ ప్రచురణ, ఒక పబ్లికేషన్స్ ) పుస్తకం మొన్ననే చేతికి వచ్చింది. అసలేం రాశారో చూద్దాం అని ఈ పొద్దున చేతులోకి తీసుకున్న పుస్తకాన్ని…
Oct 9, 2025

పాదిరిగారి అబ్బాయి మరికొన్ని కథలు - ఒక స్పందన
books
telugu
పోయినసారి హైదరాబాదు నవోదయకి పోయినప్పుడు పేరు చెప్పి అడిగి కొనుక్కున్న నాలుగైదు పుస్తకాలలో ఇండస్ మార్టిన్ గారు రాసిన ‘పాదిరిగారి అబ్బాయి మరికొన్ని కథలు’ ఒకటి. మార్టిన్ గారి…
Oct 3, 2025

Thattakkal Fort Trek
trek
It has almost been four years since I went on a trek last. I have been struggling with physical fitness. Daily workout slots have been quietly eaten up by either work…
Sep 8, 2025

నియంతలు The Dictators - Pablo Neruda
poetry
translation
neruda
నియంతలు
పాబ్లో నెరుడా
Aug 1, 2025

జాజి తీగలో ఒదిగిన పక్షి గూడు/bird nest in the Jasmine
poetry
విరబూసిన జాజి తీగలో ఒదిగిన పక్షి గూడు
ఆమె కురుల అందానికి మెరుగులద్దే పచ్చ బిళ్ళ
Jun 5, 2025

కోయిల
poetry
farmhill
telugu
పక్షి రంగు నలుపా కాదా
May 20, 2025

Even more Mandalas, high school math and Python
python
mathematics
We start by creating a central flower. first the central flower made up of 4 sided figures. The relative size of the flower in the total radius of the mandala, and the…
Dec 29, 2024

More Mandalas, high school math and Python
python
mathematics
We will now look at how to draw traingles around the circle, so that we can create proper looking mandalas. Refer to the previous post for the backstory.
Dec 28, 2024

Mandalas, high school math and Python
python
mathematics
Even the most un-artistic of us would have drawn that six petal flower inside a circle in school. How do I know? I drew it!
Dec 27, 2024

Watching India Untouched in 2024
documentary
caste
The other day, I was part of a history of education class where all of us watched the documentary ‘India Untouched’ together.
venu GVGK
Nov 13, 2024

Turning 45
musings
Yes, that was today. Here are the gifts I got.
Venu GVGK
Nov 7, 2024

The Palace of Illusions – A few thoughts
books
I was on a day long train journey the other day and found this book on my kindle app. Just about 15 years after it was published, I managed to read it.
Aug 20, 2024

గడుగ్గాయి రుక్మిణి
classics
poetry
telugu
sanskrit
ఎవరెంత పరమేశ్వర భక్తి తత్వం చెప్పినా నాకు మాత్రం రుక్మిణీ కళ్యాణం గొప్ప ప్రేమ కథ. కొంచెం ఆలోచిస్తే పూర్తిగా ఆధునిక ప్రేమ కథ. రుక్మిణి మహా గడుగ్గాయి, అసలు సిసలు తెలుగు…
Aug 3, 2024

‘మనకెందుకు లే…’- రెండు కవితలు, రెండు సందర్భాలు
poetry
translation
మంచివాళ్ళ మౌనం వలన, అణచివేతలు, అత్యాచారాలు జరుగుతున్నప్పుడు మధ్యేమార్గం అవలంబించటం వలన జరిగే అనార్థాల గురించి ఎన్నిసార్లు, ఎన్నిచోట్ల చదివినా, ‘ఆ, మనకెందుకులే..’ అని…
Jul 15, 2024
 
Thirukkural – In Praise of her Beauty
poetry
translation
classics
tamil
1114. காணின் குவளை கவிழ்ந்து நிலன்நோக்கும்
மாணிழை கண்ணொவ்வேம் என்று.
Jun 4, 2024
 
Thirukkural – Separation
poetry
translation
tamil
classics
1102.
May 27, 2024

Nachiyar Thirumozhi – కర్పూరం నారుమో…
poetry
translation
tamil
classics
ఈ వారాంతంలో ఒక వైష్ణవ వివాహ మహోత్సవానికి వెళ్లటమూ, అక్కడ శ్రీమాన్ దుష్యంత్ శ్రీధర్ ప్రవచనం వినటమూ సంభవించింది. గోదా కళ్యాణం, ఉషా కళ్యాణం గురించి జనరంజకంగా ప్రసంగించారు.
May 20, 2024

Two books
books
poetry
This weekend, I bought one book on Thiruvalluvar’s Kural and another one on Ghalib’s poetry, among many others.
May 7, 2024

Christmas!
life-as-it-happens
philosophy
Chinnappa Anna, our neighbour at farm hill, is a progressive farmer. He has also been of immense help to us since the beginning days. I remember the very early days when we…
Dec 24, 2023
 
నాన్నగారి శతకానికి ముందుమాట
literature
ఈ గ్రంథకర్త నాగేశ్వర రాజు గారు నాకు కవిగా కన్నా, నాన్నగారుగానే ఎక్కువ తెలుసు. ప్రతి కొడుకూ చిన్నప్పుడు తండ్రిని సకల గుణాభిరాముడైన కథా నాయకుడిగా చూస్తారని, తమ కౌమార యవ్వన…
Dec 10, 2023

తపోభంగము – కుమార సంభవము
poetry
classics
telugu
sanskrit
కరుణశ్రీ రచనల్లో కొంచెం ఎక్కువ ప్రసిద్ధమైన పుష్ప విలాపము, కుంతీ కుమారితో పాటు ధనుర్భంగము, తపోభంగము నాకు బాగా నచ్చినవి. ముఖ్యంగా తపోభంగంలో ‘మంచు గుబ్బలి గుహలలో మారుమ్రోగె…
Oct 20, 2023

A play for children about Dr. Ambedkar
history
farmhill
education
What a wonderful book to introduce Ambedkar to children!
Having learnt about Gandhi till October 2nd, we wished to start learning about Dr. Ambedkar. This is among the…
Oct 18, 2023

Ganesha
life-as-it-happens
farmhill
For Ganesha, we could name and count sixty different types of flowers at farm hill, and found a hundred when we went gathering!!
Sep 18, 2023
 
Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life by Anna Funder – Review
books
philosophy
What a book…an excerpt is below.
Aug 2, 2023

Children, reading and nature
farmhill
philosophy
“How do I make my children develop interest in reading?”, is a question I am asked very frequently.
Jun 21, 2023

Middle school math – teaching notes – 1
farmhill
school-math
education
I have never been great at math. Even as I was preparing for my engineering entrance exams, Math was my weakest subject – in my board exams, I scored the least in Math.
Dec 22, 2022

మేఘదూతం – ఒక శ్లోకం
classics
poetry
sanskrit
గత వారం పదిరోజులుగా అక్కడా ఇక్కడా తిరుగుతూనే ఉన్నాను. చేతిలో పుస్తకాలు ఉన్నా, కూర్చుని చదివే తీరికా, ఓపికా లేకపోయాయి. అయితే, నేను ఎప్పటినుంచో సంస్కృత కావ్యాల గురించి…
Sep 9, 2022

Spring evening
poetry
farmhill
sonta-kavitvam
Spring evening
Jun 27, 2022

On Sambar
musings
Home is where hot idly sambar is.
May 18, 2022

The White Gulmohar
life-as-it-happens
farmhill
On the morning walk today, we went slightly off the usual path. We took a couple of new turns, walked through a couple of fences. Went up a small hill and down the other…
Apr 17, 2022

As I turn forty three…
musings
poetry
sonta-kavitvam
As I turn Forty Three
———————————-
Nov 7, 2021

Tamil Poem
tamil
poetry

Last week I learnt this Tamil poem by Subrahmanya Bharati, in the poetry class where students brought a poem from their mother tongue, explained their meaning and we tried…
Oct 19, 2021

పాలలో నలకలూ, James Herriot
books
musings
telugu
ఈ మధ్య దగ్గర్లో ఉన్న పాలకేంద్రంలో పాలు తీసుకుంటున్నాం. ఈవేళ పాలు కాగబెడుతుంటే ఒక నలక కనిపించింది, నలకలు మామూలే, తీసి పడేసి ముందుకు వెళ్ళిపోవడమే.
Oct 14, 2021

Tatayya and Fitness
musings
When I was young, my father used to say, “Study well, otherwise you will end up working in the fields”, pointing to some of my cousins who were doing it.
Oct 11, 2021
 
LOVE AFTER LOVEby Derek Walcott
poetry
translation
telugu
ప్రేమ తరువాయి ప్రేమ
Aug 9, 2021
 
I Don’t Want to Be a Spice Store – translation
poetry
translation
telugu
I Don’t Want to Be a Spice Store
By Christian Wiman
Jul 6, 2021

Fear not…
musings
Through whichever path we arrive at it – religion, academic philosophy, all the other sciences, or our lived experience, compassion for each other, and other things arising…
Jun 3, 2021
 
Amrita Pritam – a couple of poems
poetry
translation
hindi
कुफ़्र/ blasphemy
Jun 2, 2021

Supermoon…
classics
poetry
telugu
ఈవేళ చంద్రుణ్ణి చూస్తే ఆంధ్ర కవితా పితామహుని వర్ణనకి తగ్గట్టుగా ఉన్నాడనిపిస్తుంది. 😊
May 26, 2021

Lars from Mars and a strange cat
poetry
farmhill
In the course of doing poetry with a couple of middle school students, ended up writing the following. Do let me know what your youngsters think. 😊
May 14, 2021
 
Subba in 2021
musings
It has been 4 years since Subba passed away. I first met him in 2006, when we went to Timbactu to study their education model as part of a course in Social Entrepreneurship.
May 5, 2021
 
JK on Dialogue
philosophy

JK demonstrating the process of dialogue with oneself, through a dialogue about love, attachment and freedom.
Feb 24, 2021

Go on and love…
poetry
telugu
sonta-kavitvam
Go on and love
Love what is;
It be a palash
Or a thorny bush,
Love what is.
Go on and love,
because it is.
Feb 14, 2021

Watching Wild Wild Country
movie-review
philosophy
musings
1. First thing I noted was how similar the body language and diction of some of the modern gurus, especially Ravi shankar is to that of Rajneesh.
Feb 13, 2021

Expectations and Relationships
musings
philosophy
It is not that one cannot have expectations in a relationship. It is that if one is so attached to the expectations, to the extent that the relationship is dependent on the…
Feb 3, 2021

కృష్ణా, నీ ప్రేమలో…
poetry
sonta-kavitvam
కృష్ణా,
Jan 24, 2021
 
Tiruppavai – A Fragment
poetry
translation
tamil
classics
చిరుగజ్జెలవలె విరిసే ఎరనెర్రని తామరల
తెరగున వికసించే ఆ కెంజాయ కందోయి
Jan 5, 2021

Pleasure/ఆస్వాదన
poetry
sonta-kavitvam
telugu

Pleasure
Dec 7, 2020

ఇద్దరమ్మాయిల కథ
musings
farmhill
ఒకమ్మాయి వచ్చింది, మమ్మల్ని చూడటానికి ఇవ్వాళ. కాలు నొప్పితో నేనున్న మంచం ముందు, కుర్చీలో వాళ్ళ నాన్న వొళ్ళో దర్జాగా కూర్చుంది.
Nov 1, 2020

The unbearable sadness of a late morning in winter
poetry
sonta-kavitvam
I can hear the birds sing,
Even as it is late in the morning
The trees still be shrouded in mist
And the sun would be shining through
Even as my windows are still shut
Oct 27, 2020
 
Science and Sociology
musings
I am learning sociology along with our girl who is in 12th grade. We have an enthusiastic sociology major setting us up with videos and readings, we come prepared with notes…
Oct 25, 2020

భవబంధాలు// Entanglements
poetry
sonta-kavitvam
telugu
ఇన్నాళ్లుగా ప్రేమగా అల్లుకున్న ఈ గూడు,
నాకు ఆహారమైపోయిన పురుగుల కంకాళాలతో
గాలికెగిరి వచ్చిన గడ్డిపోగులతో, దుమ్మూ ధూళితో
అలంకరించబడిన, అందమైన నా గూడు,
ఇంత పరిచితమైన ఈ గూడు,
ఎల…
May 26, 2020

The Road
poetry
sonta-kavitvam
జీవితమే ఒక పయనం, కాదేదీ కవితకనర్హం! ☺️
May 20, 2020

Subba
musings
Anyone who has ever thought of doing something different, useful or personally fulfilling, knows how difficult it is to step out of the dominant thought patterns of self…
May 5, 2020

Indian Night Jar
life-as-it-happens
farmhill
In the last 7 weeks of being at Farm Hill, we have walked the roads, and then walked the paths through the fields. This week, we have been striking out on our own, trying to…
May 3, 2020

Useless Husbands are those…
poetry
classics
telugu
పనికిరాని వట్టి భర్తలంతె!!
Apr 25, 2020
 
The First Geniuses/ఆదిమ మేధావులు
poetry
translation
telugu

by Billy Collins
Apr 23, 2020
 
రెండు గాథలు
poetry
classics
telugu
మావానికితర వనితల
సావాసము కలుగునట్లు సవరింపవె, యో
దేవా! యెపుడు నొకయంగన
నే వలచిన మంచిచెడ్డలెరుగరు పురుషుల్
Apr 21, 2020

Alphabet for young children…
musings
farmhill
education
A cousin of ours asked this question today, for her 1 year and 7 month old child. The child seems to have learnt numbers 1 to 10 on her own!
Apr 10, 2020

May the paths of your life…
poetry
farmhill
sonta-kavitvam
May the paths of your life,
Be planted,
With seeds of goodness
Apr 9, 2020

Appu’s world/అప్పు ప్రపంచం
books
sonta-kavitvam
One more book translated…
Apr 2, 2020

Afterthoughts on the lovers // Lisel Muellerఆ ప్రేమికుల చుట్టూ తిరుగుతున్న తలపులు
poetry
translation
telugu
వాళ్ళని నేనెప్పుడూ వసంతంలోనే ఊహించుకుంటాను
తెరిచిన పుస్తకం చుట్టూ విడీవిడివడని పెదవుల
గులాబీల ప్రమాదాలతో , మధ్యాహ్నపు వలలో
సరితూకంగా నిలిచిన సీతాకోకచిలుకలలా:
పూర్తిగా అతని…




Mar 30, 2020

Ayyappanum Koshiyum
movie-review
AK – Ayyappanum Koshiyum, is about a chance encounter between a police officer (Ayyappan) and an influential, rich, ex-serviceman brat (Koshy) and the aftermath where they…
Mar 15, 2020
 
Images and Images
musings
philosophy
I spent half a life building a self, modelling it after the glimpses of images and reflections caught through a variety of lenses and mirrors.
Mar 14, 2020

కానుగ పూలు
musings
sonta-kavitvam
కొన్ని పూలు, చూస్తే చాలు…కంటికి ఇంపుగా, సొంపుగా ఉంటాయి. ఒక చూపు చూసి, వెళ్లిపోవచ్చు.
Mar 12, 2020

You know but have you seen…
musings
philosophy
sonta-kavitvam
Once in a while you realise
you have never really seen
with your own eyes,
things you have known all your life!
Mar 1, 2020

IN PASSING // Lisel Mueller
poetry
translation
వడబోసిన తేనెలా
ఈ అపరాహ్ణపు వెలుతురు
ఎంత వడివడిగా రాత్రిలోకి ప్రవహిస్తుందో
Mar 1, 2020
 
Hum Dekhenge – Telugu translation
poetry
telugu
hindi
translation
మేము చూస్తాంగా మేము చూస్తాంగా
మేము చూస్తాంగా
తప్పకుండా మేమూ చూస్తాంగా
మేము చూస్తాంగా
తప్పకుండా మేమూ చూస్తాంగా
చూస్తాంగా మేము చూస్తాంగా
Jan 25, 2020

Window
poetry
philosophy
sonta-kavitvam
What you see as a window to the other soul;
Is often a mirror reflecting your own.
Jan 20, 2020

And then, a sanctuary…
musings
poetry
philosophy
And then,
Jan 20, 2020

When you already ‘know’, do you really ‘see’?
musings
education

I was waking in the garden when I noticed the bees and the flowers. I called one of the children over, to show her.
Dec 17, 2019

తపోభంగము – కరుణశ్రీ – with audio
classics
poetry
telugu
అనగనగా ఆ రోజుల్లో, నా చిన్నప్పుడు, కరుణశ్రీ పద్యాల పుస్తకం ఒకటి – మా అమ్మ తన చిన్నప్పటి నుంచి దాచుకున్నది – ఇంట్లో ఉండేది, నా భాగ్యవశాన. అప్పటికి ఆయన పుస్తకాలు ప్రచురణలో లేవు.
Nov 14, 2019

On Walking
poetry
sonta-kavitvam
musings
With head slightly down
One step after another
And another after that one
A few more even steps
and a few more still
And soon,
There is no path, no feet
Me no more
And then…

Nov 8, 2019
 
Myth of Sisyphus
books
philosophy
Thanks for all the wishes, guys and gals!
Oct 8, 2019
 
This Suffering/ఈ వేదన
poetry
musings
sonta-kavitvam
telugu
This suffering, is finite!
The end is well in sight.
The life one still has left to live
Is shorter than the one so far lived
(And may be easier as well, one hopes!)
The…
Mar 4, 2019
 
Farm Hill Learning – Requesting Support
life-as-it-happens
farmhill
Dear All,
Jan 15, 2019
 
True Love
poetry
telugu
translation
వేదనచే చీలిచీలి
విరహాశ్రుల తడిసి తడిసి
పదనగునెదలో నిజమగు
ప్రణయము మొలకెత్తును
Dec 8, 2018
 
Kahlil Gibran – Marriage – a translation
poetry
telugu
translation
Marriage || Kahlil Gibran in ‘The Prophet’
Dec 8, 2018
 
Myth of Sisyphus – Essential Extracts
books
philosophy
There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of…
Nov 7, 2018
 
Children, these children!
life-as-it-happens
I was on a trip with a bunch of kids. About a couple of hours into the journey, kids were getting bored so we start asking riddles and telling jokes.
One of my fellow adults…

Oct 26, 2018

Summary – Education and the significance of life – J Krishnamurti
books
education
philosophy
This book is about education, its significance to life and how education can help one find the significance of life. In this series of lectures, Krishnamurti explores and…
Sep 30, 2018
 
C/o Kancharapalem
movie-review
I rarely write about movies. Actually, Chitra and I watch movies rarely. The last one we watched together in a theatre was kahani in 2012. Yes, that rarely. And kahani came…
Sep 9, 2018

‘Autistic’ or ‘person with autism’?
autism
philosophy
What kind of language do we use to talk about people who are usually referred to as ‘special needs’ or ‘differently-abled’? There is a huge debate, usually framed in terms…
Aug 23, 2018

Transcending language – The Appeal of a Book
life-as-it-happens
books
telugu
Of late, I have been raving about the writings of sri vadrevu ch veerabhadrudu.
Aug 14, 2018
 
Unexamined assumptions / తరచి చూడని తలపులు
poetry
philosophy
sonta-kavitvam
The heart anyway
Does what it sets its heart upon
But see how foolish the mind is
Postpones everything,
Thinking we have time enough!
Jul 5, 2018
 
నువ్వూ, నేనూ, ఆటిజం/You, me and Autism
poetry
telugu
autism
sonta-kavitvam
I wrote this in Telugu first and now translated into English.
Apr 23, 2018
 
రచయితలూ రకాలూ…
musings
రచయితలు, వారి రాతలు, రెండు రకాలు. అసలైతే చాలా రకాలు, కానీ ప్రస్తుతం రెండిటి గురించి మాట్టాడదామనుకుంటున్నా.
Feb 10, 2018

Wise planning in education
education
farmhill
The most clear sighted explanation for the variety of approaches to education we see all around. From the preface of the book “education in search of a philosophy” by…
Jan 25, 2018
 
నేనెందుకు హోం వర్కు చెయ్యలేదంటే…
poetry
telugu
translation
కెన్ నెస్బిట్ అమెరికన్ పిల్లల కవి. ఆయన పిల్లల కోసం హాస్య కవిత్వం రాస్తాడు. పిల్లల ఊహల్లాగే ఈయన కవితలు కూడా నమ్మశక్యం కాని సంఘటనలు, అద్భుతమైన సన్నివేశాలతో మొదలయ్యి, చివరికి ఈ…
Jan 22, 2018
 
మొన్ననే ఒక పెళ్లిలో కలిశాం
poetry
telugu
sonta-kavitvam
“బాగున్నావా?” అని పలకరిస్తాన్నేను.
“ఆ, బాగున్నా. నువ్వూ?”, అంటావు.
జవాబు అవసరంలేని ఖాళీ ప్రశ్న అడుగుతూ.
Jan 21, 2018
 
అంతర్గతం
poetry
telugu
sonta-kavitvam
నా ఆనంద సామ్రాజ్యానికి
వాకిలివి నువ్వన్న భావనలో
నాకూ ఆనందానికీ మధ్య
నువ్వొక్కత్తివే అడ్డన్న భావం
ఎంతలేదన్నా అంతర్గతం.
Dec 14, 2017

ఓ కూనలమ్మా…
poetry
telugu
sonta-kavitvam
పూబోడి ఇంటిబాట
పున్నాగ పూలతోట
విరగబడి పూసెనట
ఓ కూనలమ్మా!
Dec 4, 2017
 
అతడు – ఆమె
poetry
telugu
sonta-kavitvam
‘నీ జుట్టంటే నాకెంతిష్టమో తెలుసా’
చెవిలో గుసగుసలాడుతూ
సుతారంగా చేతివేళ్ళతో
కురుల కొసల్ని సవరించి
తాకీ తాకనట్లు
అతని మెడ వెనుక
ముద్దాడిందామె.
Nov 30, 2017
 
Sri Sri – no సింహావలోకనం
telugu
musings
Turning back to review the past
Is not a habit with me
Once half a minute passes
It could be in the last century
Nov 24, 2017

ఖమ్మం, కృష్ణశాస్త్రీ, కవిత్వం వగైరా కబుర్లు
musings
poetry
telugu
sonta-kavitvam
పోయిన గురువారం కవిసంగమం ఫేసుబుక్ గ్రూపులో అఫ్సర్ గారి అద్భుతమైన ‘ఎంట్రీ’ చదివి ఉత్తేజిత స్థితినుంచి కిందకి రాకముందే, వారు ఈ కామెంట్ పెట్టారు:
Nov 22, 2017

On turning 38…
musings
telugu
Thank you all for the birthday wishes!!
Nov 7, 2017
 
On Teaching
musings
education
Teaching is not about repeating what you learnt the way you were taught. It is about passing along your understanding/experience in a way that makes sense to others.
Sep 5, 2017
 
Sometimes I wish to be…
poetry
sonta-kavitvam
Sometimes I wish to be free of you,
You see, just like the tree
Swinging and swaying in the wind,
Wishes to float free of it’s roots.
Aug 17, 2017
 
Midlife thoughts, mid-week
musings
“Failing at something you really want to do should be worth more than succeeding at anything else.”
Apr 11, 2017

Last chance to save your Orkut pictures – September 2016
life-as-it-happens
Or How I ignored all warnings, then needed some pictures last night and grabbed them just in time! And may be you should do the same, now!
Sep 26, 2016
 
IIMBaba: Time is NOT Money
musings
On a calm Sunday morning, Baba said, to no one in particular:
Jul 24, 2016
 
The single biggest reason you are unhappy…
musings
…is the easy availability of comparisons. Here is how it goes.
Jul 18, 2016
 
How logic can help keep friendships
musings
​Here are a couple of ideas that have helped me stay logically correct and keep my friendships longer.
Jul 14, 2016

On ‘being yourself’
musings
We are all constantly advised to “be yourself”. While we all want to ‘be ourselves’, we obviously don’t like it when Salman Khan continues to be himself. Here is my solution…
Jun 24, 2016

Paul Graham’s Disagreement Hierarchy
musings
This is especially for people who like to interact with others, on Facebook and elsewhere. Awareness and understanding of this hierarchy (and obviously, the willingness to…
Jun 17, 2016

Adventuring in Nilgiris – Birdspotting
life-as-it-happens
I was an “Adventure Intern” at NALS, Coonoor – so were the wife, kid and the dog. That meant we got to spend time living and walking around in a tea estate and the jungle…
Jun 15, 2016

On achieving success and happiness
musings
I was very surprised the other day to get an invitation to speak at the graduation day ceremony at Acharya Institutes of Management, but accepted out of curiosity. Must say…
Apr 7, 2016
 
Who killed Karna?
musings
Just completed a project – young team, tight timelines, new technical tools etc. and sat down to think about how it went, what went right/wrong and so on. In such an…
Aug 11, 2013
 
Are you happy?
musings
Are you happy?
Nov 23, 2011
 
Meaning of Life
musings
IIMBaba was reading a book review online and came across a quote at the beginning of this review: Tweets Alain de Botton, philosopher, author, and now online aphorist: “The…
Nov 2, 2011
 
Babaspeak: On Work
musings
I have been working hard in the last two weeks – at least I feel that way, may be as I have come back to consulting after a year of happily teaching English classes. So, the…
Jul 19, 2011
 
Hangover
musings
A bewitching sea beckons
Jun 15, 2011
 
The oak tree and the blades of grass
musings
Once there was an oak tree. It grew big and strong, as oak trees generally do. It did not know any other way of growing. When wind blew, it moved happily but as it grew…
Jun 1, 2011
 
Not eating eggs
musings
I was once sharing rooms with a friend who did not eat eggs.
May 28, 2011
 
Sublime Sentiments/ Postmodernist Prattle/ Nonsense Notes
musings
poetry
(choose a title after you are done reading or feel free to substitute with one of your own)
May 27, 2011
 
En-counters of the Super-market kind
musings
life-as-it-happens
A visit to a library, any library, typically makes me very happy. The notion of standing surrounded by so many books on so many topics by so many authors is in itself very…
Mar 22, 2011
 
Dean: On The Road
books
Just about finished reading On The Road. I dig Dean Moriatry and his quest for IT. I dig his digging the kind of things he digs. I dig Sal digging the same things, a little…
Mar 20, 2011
 
The Michael Bailey Dildo Scandal
books
musings
EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING, if you haven’t figured it out already! 🙂
Mar 17, 2011

Foto Phun: More on Dosa Masters
life-as-it-happens
Some of you nice guys, who have been reading this blog for sometime, might remember the Dosa Craftsmanship yours truly once showed off. For others, here it is.
Mar 12, 2011

A walk in the hills
life-as-it-happens
musings
We were in Timbaktu a couple of weeks back. This time, we went there on the new bike. 165 kilometers. Three of us. The road was very good, it’s a 4 lane highway now and the…
Feb 26, 2011
 
Babaspeak: Happiness, Freedom and Peace
musings
One fine morning, Senior Bhakta, checking his mail while in IIMBaba’s presence, received this ‘Thought for the Day’ in his email inbox.
Jan 20, 2011
 
UID: the downside
musings
For sometime now, I have been thinking of the UID scheme and wondering why the negative side of the system has not been getting any attention, while there seems to be a lot…
Jan 18, 2011
 
Babaspeak: Equanimity
musings
Senior Bhakta came to IIMBaba in a state of ecstasy and said ”My boss told me today after an HR team meeting that he admires me for my willingness to talk straight”
Dec 29, 2010
 
Dead Beat, Donaghy, Prelutsky and poetry
books
musings
I have just finished reading Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs and The Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries by Marilyn Johnson. It’s an interesting book, written with obvious…
Dec 26, 2010

Foto Phun: Contemporary Cave Paintings
life-as-it-happens

Dec 15, 2010
 
What the…&@#$?!
life-as-it-happens
I am not generally given to ranting in public about nonsense on TV shows and in newspapers. I prefer to avoid them, which is why I don’t have a TV at home and these days…
Oct 20, 2010

Foto Phun: Dosa craftsmanship
life-as-it-happens
Now you will agree that the reputation of yours truly as a Dosamaster is fully justified. Thank you!
Oct 13, 2010
 
Babaspeak: Renunciation
musings
Senior Bhakta, having got tired of the cryptic preaching of IIMBaba, decided to explore the world for more worthy gurus and went to an ‘orientation session’ conducted by…
Oct 12, 2010

Foto Phun: At Landmark sale
life-as-it-happens
Oct 11, 2010

Infibeam Pi: A regular reader’s review
books
I had been thinking of buying an e-book reader ever since Amazon announced Kindle. So, when Infibeam announced Pi around a year (or more) back, I noticed it immediately.…
Oct 10, 2010
 
The Pleasures of a Lexophile
books
As such, I love words. And these days I have been teaching Verbal Ability classes for CAT (I know, I know, what to do? One has to eat, no?) and GRE. So, I spend enough and…
Sep 30, 2010

Life altering views on LinkedIn
musings
Due to extreme joblessness, I have been trying to spruce up my profile on LinkedIn (though I haven’t yet been able to talk myself into writing a ‘summary’ of me). Naturally…
Sep 23, 2010
 
Babaspeak: It’s a game of chess
musings
IIMBaba’s discourse that day was about ‘karmanyevaadhikaaraste….’ from Bhagavadgita, where Lord Srikrishna said things to the effect that you have an obligation to perform…
Sep 21, 2010
 
Babaspeak: Understanding self
musings
After a particularly lengthy discourse by IIMbaba, Senior Bhakta got hold of the Junior Baba (who was the Senior Bhakta before he jumped ship in to baba-hood) while coming…
Sep 2, 2010
 
Of bottle gourds and political stability
musings
I am one of the breed derogatorily referred to as ‘bleeding hearts’. Among other things, we believe that organised retail drives small business out of the market and…
Aug 30, 2010

Helmets, Onion Samosa and MTR Sweets
life-as-it-happens
We wanted to buy a helmet for the kid. A week went by in making sure that no helmet shop in and around my place has one. Then we spied a kid with a helmet. While I was…
Aug 4, 2010
 
Babaspeak: Rebels
musings
Bhakta, returning from another painful session of an organizational development effort, asked IIMBaba – “Baba, why don’t these people who call themselves ‘rebels’ simply…
Aug 4, 2010
 
Does it matter?
musings
Single column news on the first page of The Hindu today:
Aug 3, 2010
 
Sex – more than one mystery
books
There was a time when I read books almost without consideration for the subjects. I would pick up any book and generally read. Then started the phase when I had favorites…
Jul 27, 2010
 
Babaspeak: Gambling
musings
Senior Bhakta and one of his juniors in the firm went out for a chai. A group of unkempt looking people were sitting on the kerb and were playing a rustic version of ludo…
Jun 30, 2010
 
The Same Old Story
books
musings
Of late, I have been thinking about this book called ‘The Same Old Story’ by Ivan Goncharov. I had read that book really long back. Like, sometime when I was in high school…
Jun 23, 2010
 
A Summer Shower
musings
The other day we went to visit an uncle in Dwaraka. He lives in a well maintained housing society- open lawn inside, silent generators, ground floor dedicated to parking and…
Jun 9, 2010
 
Babaspeak: Paradigm shifts and kickboxing
musings
Senior Bhakta was asked by a new joinee in the ranks of IIMBaba disciples: “Dude, how can I become a good management professional like you?”. Sr. Bhakta promised to look out…
Jun 7, 2010
 
Pennies, Buses and Perspectives
life-as-it-happens
In three years of my stay in Delhi, I traveled by buses some 6 times. There, I told you the fact; now I will leave you to get judgmental about it.
May 28, 2010
 
Babaspeak: Lofty quotes on taglines
musings
IIMBaba spotted a lofty quote on Bhakta’s tagline – some ‘freedom, thought, mind, persistence, action, virtue, awake and alive, knowledge and wisdom’ types – and pinged to…
Apr 29, 2010
 
The Quest for an opener
life-as-it-happens
I love multipurpose tools. They are like, so multi purpose. And so handy. And, you know, some times, so discreet.
Apr 26, 2010
 
Chowringhee shortlisted for The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2010
books
My copy of Sankar’s Chowringhee was bought in Calcutta airport a couple of years ago. I picked it up not because I knew anything about it but because I was looking for a…
Apr 25, 2010
 
Friend and Manager
musings
IIMBaba noticed a GTalk tagline and read it aloud: “Give your best friend a look and they know exactly what you are thinking…”
Apr 23, 2010
 
Book Review – Krishnavatara
books
Like most Indians, I can also claim to have grown up listening to stories of Rama and Krishna – Lord Rama, the upholder of human virtue, the unflinching hero who stood for…
Apr 22, 2010
 
Babaspeak: Intelligence and Knowledge
musings
As the Bhakta, once more, prepared himself to tackle a hitherto-unheard-of problem in a hitherto-unknown-industry, IIMBaba (Registered Trademark) sought to caution him.
Apr 20, 2010
 
The Tale of a Tribute and two readings
books
When I read in the morning newspaper about Management Guru CK Prahlad passing away, I thought I would scour the internet in the hope of finding sufficiently amusing…
Apr 18, 2010
 
Book Review – Ian Rankin
books
The first time I came across Ian Rankin was while reading an account of the interaction between him and Prakash Karat titled “crime fiction is about social inequality” in…
Apr 15, 2010
 
Babaspeak: Freedom
musings
And then said IIMBaba (Registered trademark): “Bhakta, there is nothing called freedom. You live your life in a set of nested cages. As soon as you break free from one, you…
Apr 14, 2010
 
Here we go!
musings
This is my first blog post… (did you know there is a yet-to-be-named disease, the main symptom of which is stating-the-obvious?? There is.)
Apr 14, 2010
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