Hyderabad doesn’t try too hard. Old and new exist without fuss. Charminar and Cyber Towers. Bazaars and glass buildings.
People are warm, witty, and fluent in many worlds. A chai can spark an hour-long debate—about the past, the present, the US, or Tirupati.
The food? Yes, the biryani is legendary. But also kebabs, the softest osmania biscuits, and some delightfully spicy vegetarian preparations.
The city stays clean. Surprises with green spaces. KBR Park for morning walks. Durgam Cheruvu for sunsets.
There is history in its bones and tech in its DNA.
Hyderabad is where opposites don’t just coexist—they complete each other. It doesn’t force harmony. It just moves, breathes, and thrives. A quiet example for the rest. Not just as a city to live in, but as a way to live.
Friends and family have watched the eclipse and sent pictures. All of them have squares atop their noses and face the sky. For the world that is so much into perpetually peering down into phones, this is quite a change.
Ever since I saw Alaska airlines’ interest in eclipses, I have been intrigued enough to consider travelling to catch an eclipse. The next big eclipse that I am excited about is happening on August 2027, over the Pyramids. That is perhaps something to be present for. That’s some time away.
When I think of how it all started, my awe of eclipses did not happen in a classroom. By the time I got to understand what it really was, it got a hazier tint. And no geography teacher could have done what Tintin did!
It was in Prisoners of the Sun, that Tintin gets to Peru. When on track to be executed, he commands the Sun to disappear much to the bewilderment of the locals. Of course, the knowledge of the eclipse coming in was masterfully used.
Much later, I learnt that this technique was not something that is something that Tintin came up with!
With each additional story that I came to soak up, there came more interest in eclipses. The whole drill of wearing some fancy glass and peering into the Sun as it disappears and reappears was, and continues to be magical.
As kids, we were not allowed to watch eclipses! There were all kinds of reasons. And so, we ended up watching eclipses, half in protest!
“Hergé borrowed various elements from Gaston Leroux’s book Wife of the Sun, for the crucial eclipse scene, in the same way that La Fontaine borrowed from Aesop. He was equally inspired by the text from the book Christopher Columbus by C. Giardini, published by Dragaud, Paris, in 1970, in which the author describes how the Spanish succeeded in forcing the natives to submit completely thanks to a lunar eclipse which had been announced in a calendar.
It is also interesting to point out a mistake regarding the eclipse. In the book the eclipse moves from right to left, whereas in reality it should travel from left to right because Peru is in the southern hemisphere. This mistake was pointed out to Hergé by a child who wrote a long letter expressing his dissatisfaction.”
You could be the smartest of people in a room. All it takes is a child or a childlike curiosity to eclipse you.
Secret destinations are not so secret if you are not solely focused on the destination you came after. Martin Buber stitched travel to my heart with this immortal line.
“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware”.
Martin Buber
We all go on our journeys. There is a said destination that a contented traveller gets to. But a real traveller goes far beyond. Because the destination is not the end point. Several story(ies) start after you arrive!
There are elements like what else you discover in a journey. Like the lay of the land and markers in its evolution. Like this glorious temple of a 1000 years. It’s historical undulations. Some scripted in stone and other new tales that are spun to suit today’s skies. The internet tells you about this land’s past glory, the minerals beneath it and the flow of the water across the hills and much else. You can drink all of it in like a voyeur with no skin in the game or like a lover who is immersed in her love.
The rich air tells you a few stories, only if you are ready to stop and take in a breath without necessarily being coveted by the dull lure of THE destination you came after. Sometimes, I infer my lessons by looking at the people and their ways. Their quick stride, the simple ways, easy smiles, the quite common afternoon snooze under the neem tree and the collective bath by the lakeside.
At night when I peruse my random notes to realise, secret destinations are not so secret if the focus is on curiosity and possibility beyond what is apparent.
Today, I make my notes sitting in the shade that the Sun and a 1000 year old wall come together to offer.
There are two others men there. Animated in conversation.
One tells another a story from history about the king and his valour. He speaks as though he has seen it first hand. Passionate. Lyrical. And filled with energy. I am hooked. The story meanders.
And suddenly, he looks into his watch and remembers that they have to be somewhere else by this time. The other agrees. Their destination interferes with a story that was building up well. Both of them get up, dust themselves up and move.
Leaving me with their incomplete story. I let the king stay within me whilst shuffling my feet and wondering what new secret destination awaits the king. And me.
On December 31st, 2018 an interesting article appeared in the New York Times. It was titled “Wielding Rocks and Knives, Arizonans Attack Self-Driving Cars“. It wasn’t a lazy review of some crazy future book. The fourth industrial revolution is here and our tools seem to be testing us. And some of us are running out of patience. The world is reacting to change. Like in Arizona, people were pelting stones at driverless cars! Including one man who jumped in front of one driverless car and waved a gun at it saying, ‘he despises it’!
Energy Revolutions
Every revolution is about a shift in energy. From physical to mechanical. From mechanical to digital.
The first industrial revolution (sometime between 1760 – 1840 or so) had the power of ‘steam’ as its thrust area. Steam. Steel. Machine tools. Industrial looms. And the like.
The second industrial revolution a.k.a “The technological revolution”, is about scale. Electricity. Petroleum. Iron & Steel. Railroads. Turbines. Engines. Etc. And the like. Perhaps a mention of Fredrick Taylor and his management principles is due. The second industrial revolution happened between 1870-1914.
The third industrial revolution is the giant shift from mechanical to digital. Commencing sometime from the late 50s when computers began to make their first appearance. An important marker on the ground was the movement of music from vinyl records to CDs in the 80s!
Some argue that the fourth is primarily a continuation of the the 3rd. Obviously, it’s not that simple. Wearable devices. Implants. Networked devices. Data. Robotics. Internet of things. All point to a fusing of the physical, biological and digital.
Reacting to change
Example after example from history points to non linear change leading to a forceful response . Every significant change that disrupted an existing status quo provoked people of that time. Be that a wave of dismissal, royal proclamation or violent protests!
Is it different this time?
If change is natural, so must our reactions to it. Isn’t it? Only this time, the scale of change isnt quite the same. Changes that are reaching us are more intense, simultaneous, interconnected like never before. Klaus Schwab, who wrote “The Fourth Industrial Revolution” speaks of the difference in terms of Scale, Scope and complexity. The fusion of physical, digital and biological worlds will break boundaries of a number of disciplines. From economics to research. From biology to technology.
Artificial Intelligence is changing professions. Lawyers. Doctors. Construction engineers. Construction engineers. Armed Forces. You name a domain and a passing lark will point to how AI and related stuff is sitting outside the door.
The ramifications of such sweeping change presents dilemmas at scale. Most of it dished out simulataneously. Complex and interwoven, mankind’s sense of preservation is being tested. The scenario of mankind not cherishing all the progress made by its own is real. Worse, it is already happening every day.
There is something more
The fourth industrial revolution has in it an innate ability to amplify and showcase the inequalities that are omni present in the world. These inequalities have been a result of a thinking that gave ‘Capital’ a lot more heft. Perhaps this time it will be a tad different with ‘talent’ getting more attention than before.
The amplification of inequalities and the new opportunity to amplify independent voice is a different deal. This change is not the usual change!
In search of new frameworks and new mental models
Ways of thinking and working that aided us all these years are coming apart now. Not because they are wrong but because, they were designed for a different era. The new age citizen needs a new assortment of skills and mind maps. Needless to say that holds true for leaders and leadership as well.
Klaus Schwab notes, “We need leaders who are emotionally intelligent, and able to model and champion co-operative working. They’ll coach, rather than command; they’ll be driven by empathy, not ego. The digital revolution needs a different, more human kind of leadership”.
We need to keep thinking and talking about this. It is only in our interest to do the same.
When effort surpasses reality, the picture isn’t one of suffering—it’s one of progress.
Look closely, and life isn’t just about enduring; it’s about adapting, creating, pushing forward. The human spirit isn’t wired for defeat—it is built to survive and overcome.
Seen this way, suffering takes a backseat to resilience, and struggle reveals itself as transformation.
In markets, “handcrafted” is a premium label, reserved for the unique and the carefully made. But for millions, handcrafting life is not a choice—it’s everyday survival.
Effort, persistence, and the refusal to give in—that’s the real handmade story.
Objects have character. Don’t they? This brass kettle from another era sat quietly, serving filter coffee and cardamom tea for generations. Imagine what it has seen!
Families growing, stories flowing, and lives unfolding—all while it stayed still.
Sometimes, I wish it could talk, spilling tales of the people and the times. But its dents and marks do the talking. They hint at the lives it touched.
So, I let my imagination take over and weave my own stories.
After all, isn’t that what character is—a silent storyteller of time?
What seemed like a car was just an assortment of lights, choreographed to perfection. Orchestration rules the world now. Every movement, every detail, neatly arranged.
Amidst the glitz and precision, an old friend appears, catching me by surprise. “You haven’t changed one bit,” they say.
“I’m glad you looked,” I reply.
A moment. A hug. A smile.
Orchestration may dominate our world, but moments like these remind us there’s something it can’t choreograph—genuine connections.
The treads on tyres leave their distinct marks on the ground, telling a story of grip, direction, and purpose.
It’s the same with us. What’s inside shapes how we behave, speak, and leave our mark on the world. When the tread is strong, it shows in our character and actions.
But when the tread wears out—when we let life grind us down—the marks we leave lose their distinctiveness. A bald tyre leaves no meaningful trace.
The tread within matters. Nurture it, renew it, and ensure it’s ready for the road ahead. That’s how you leave a lasting mark.
Some build monuments to power. Others, to love. Premchand Roychand, a wealthy businessman, built the Rajabai Tower for something both grand and simple—to help his blind mother keep time.
Modelled after Big Ben, its chimes once echoed across Mumbai, guiding her through the day. A full-fledged clock tower just so a mother could tell time—now that’s devotion on another level.
He must have been some man. And she, some mother.
Centuries later, the tower still stands. A reminder that love, like time, leaves its mark.
It is illegal to go to San Fransisco and not post a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. At least it would appear so, just going by the number of questions that you get when you dont post one. 🙂
The bridge is beautiful and its been standing since 1937. The bridge took more than a decade of overcoming opposition for it to get built. People opposed the very building of it for a number of reasons. Today those reasons seem submerged in its practical and symbolic value.
The awesome doesnt get built overnight! And the awesome doesn’t appear awesome when it is still in the mind!