She Stood Her Ground
At different stages of life, different parts of my great grandmother have come into my awareness.It was all →
All the Coins Go Back in the Box
When the final whistle blows, what remains isn’t the scoreboard.
It’s the story. And sometimes, the friendship. →
Robert Paul Wolff: A Personal Tribute to a Life of Teaching and Thought
I didn’t get to know of Robert Paul Wolff’s passing until recently. And yet, his work has been →
Decline Creep: The Slow Slide You Never See Coming
It starts with settling—choosing comfort over challenge, convenience over growth. The fire that once pushed you forward dims, not because you chose to give up, but because you stopped choosing to push. →
The Price of Form: Why Design and Care Matter
Walking through Brisbane, I saw something simple but powerful. Storefronts, still under construction, covered in bright art. Not →
Unlearning for Success in an AI-Driven World: Why Past Wins Can Hold You Back
..our car had been halted by an avalanche. Workers were labouring to clear the road, knowing full well that another could strike at any moment. That’s the nature of avalanches—sudden, disruptive, and unforgiving. →
Standing Still at Meenakshi Amman Temple: A Place Beyond Time
the feeling of standing in a place that has stood for centuries. A place that has seen time pass but has remained unwavering. A place that, even in its silence, speaks. →
Traveler vs. Tourist: How to Truly Experience a Place
Kevin Kelly is one of those people you take seriously. Not because he asks you to. But because he has lived a life that makes you want to listen. He co-founded Wired. He has written deeply about the future. And, more importantly for us today, he has spent over 50 years traveling the world. That’s half →
The Elephant in the Room – Not as Invisible as You Think
What would it be like to hire an elephant in the room? I mean, how would the job description look? What would be its responsibilities? How would you review its performance? What would the elephant say? Where would they go to cry? And what else could they do? →
AI in Academia: The Grind, The Gain, and the Great Recalibration
A few months ago, I was teaching a bright MBA class when a student raised his hand in the middle of a lecture. He said he had misgivings about my arguments. And then, right there in class, he told me he had been using an AI tool to critique my points. I learned a thing →
AI Natives Are Here: Are You Keeping Up?
It’s a question that used to be common. “What’s your native place?” It was a way of asking where you were from, where your roots lay. The word native carried warmth. It evoked childhood memories, a sense of belonging, and the unmistakable comfort of home. The word native, I have since learned, comes from the →
How Deep is Deep?
Depth is having its moment. With a nod to DeepSeek, it’s shaking things up. Portfolios have suffered deep losses, and the technology world — after pouring billions from their deep pockets into AI — is staring at deep consternation. Even Nvidia, the darling of the AI boom, is in the deep red. And it’s not →
The Fourth Place: Building Bridges, Breaking Walls
Far back in time, I was part of a theatre group called The Fourth Wall. It was led →
Pongal, Sugarcane, and the Art of Holding On
The Tamizh month of Thai comes with promises of new beginnings. My grandmother always used to say, “Thai pirandhal Vazhi pirakkum”—when Thai arrives, new paths emerge. Pongal is not just a festival. It’s a connection to home and to a different time. A time when life was carefree, when simple acts nourished the soul, and →
Heroes Without Headlines
There’s a certain kind of magic in talking to ordinary people. Not the kind who wear capes, but the kind who wear aprons, helmets, or binoculars slung casually around their necks. They don’t ask for attention. Yet, they grab it—not by making noise but by making sense. My hairdresser, for instance, lives with a quiet →