How comparison messes with your soup.
“You are so slow. Look at your elder brother, he picks up so quickly. So are a slow coach." “Your sister is so responsible. Why can’t you learn something from her?" “You should see the way she...
A small thing. A big difference.
What’s the difference between coffee and black coffee? What’s the difference between bread and toast? What’s the difference between fresh lime water and fresh lime soda? What’s the difference...
A longing for laddoos.
In India, we have a laddoo for everything. There is a laddoo for overweight people, for those who are underweight, for pregnant ladies, growing children, for heat, for cold, for slow metabolism,...
You are God.
It was a blessing to sit next to a great soul for almost 45 minutes. He is the kind of person that the world will remember as a saint, one who served and brought peace upon millions of people. I’m...
Want to get smart? Take breaks. Time your breaks!
You are working on a project. You put in an hour of great work. You decide you have earned a break. So you take a little chill pill. Before you know it, an hour has passed by. Now it is lunch...
No such thing as ‘giving’
She put her head on my shoulders and cried. She was afraid. Petrified of dogs, she had been surprised when one of the dogs at the farm had been let loose. The fear Inside her had been shaken up....
7 lessons about networking I learned at a 15-year college reunion
Most of us had last seen each other 15 years ago, at our graduation ceremony. Yet, here we were, giving each other high fives and warm hugs while struggling to remember our names. For me, it was a...
Old friends are good for you.
We were in the fourth year of mechanical engineering. A top software company of that time had come to hire graduates. They were giving a talk to the students. My friend Nipun says that I sat...
Fresh Methi Cucumber Salad
Methi is bitter. I never ate fresh Methi leaves ever before. My friend Dhiraj Pipada is pioneering a drive to bring fresh organic fruits and vegetables to the good people of Pune. I was amazed by...
I dont want to share you!
I made a new friend. She was like a breath of fresh air. We were like toast and butter, idli and chutney, sweet and sour. We just ‘got’ each other. It was so beautiful. Life was good. I felt...
Eyes that see “age no bar”!
It was summer holidays after 10th. I was 17 and awkward like hell! My body felt like the ugliest thing on this planet. I hated the high pitch sound of my voice. I could never get the wave of my...
Want to get good at something? Do you have 'Sitzfleisch'?
I am a restless soul. To put it another way, I am an active person. I need to keep doing something. Hmmm, ok, I admit, I get distracted easily! It’s genetic, I believe. I remember my mother...
I can't face you!
I walked into the room and she had her head dug inside a pile of pillows. My wife and son were also there. It was a funny scene. I asked my wife what is Meisha doing? It seems she had told a lie,...
Let me make my mistakes!
This was a regular grouse I had with my father. As any father would, he wanted the best for me. Whenever he could see that I am about to make a mistake, he would jump in and want to help me. Young...
Boring!
A few months ago, in a workshop with about 60 dynamic college going youth, we asked them a question - ‘What is the most painful problem youth are facing today?’. Each group of six people had to...
3 steps today, a thousand tomorrow!
For me, all it took was a few weeks of studies before the exams, and results would come. For her it was study round the year. I was doing ten different things at a time. She did one or two. My to...
I like staring at my own creation!
Dhyann is obsessed with Lego. He just completed a set of 2200 pieces gifted to him by my mother. He is just six, but the age recommendation on the box was age 16+. He was nervous. He told me...
5 steps to stop overthinking in relationships
I felt I needed to do something right there and then. I felt choked. The pressure was building up everyday. It was a struggle. I needed to leave. Some things weren't working out with someone who I...
I feel alive!
I am staying at my parents house for a few days. I didn't carry my running shoes with me. When I woke up this morning, my mind had a perfectly valid excuse for no exercise - no shoes! I convinced...
Slay the demon of likes and dislikes!
Slay the demon of likes and dislikes! 2005 Red. Red. Red. 2006 Red. Red. Red. 2007 Red. Red. Red. 2008 Red. Red. Red. 2009 Red. Red. Red. 2010 Red. Red. Red. 2011 Red. Red. Red. 2012 Red. Red....
We don't see eye to eye. Lets make apple pie!
You just don’t get it do you? If you don’t study hard, you are going to struggle in life. Aren’t you interested in your own life? Why do we have to keep nagging you? I am not asking you to stop...
TV is so satisfying!
TV, youtube, satellite, and even Netflix, can be immensely satisfying. I tell myself, “today has a been a long and tiring day, I deserve some TV now!" It is a source of relaxation. Watching TV...
Please listen to my dreams!
One day, a young boy had a dream. He was sailing across the galaxy in a magical ship. It was a large boat with big sails that resembled the wings of an eagle. He sailed past planets of darkness...
Fun now OR more fun tomorrow!
I was chatting with a group of youngsters and telling them about the famous ‘marshmallow experiment’ conducted by Walter Mischel in the 1960’s at Stanford University. The children who were willing...
Help me, but help me.
My young friend was in a little bit of trouble. She urgently needed to buy a box of contact lenses. She was running on her last ones. The power of her lenses is quite high. Tomorrow, she would be...
We were friends.
We were friends. We did things together. We said some silly things to each other and then we laughed. We even fought open heartedly. We worked. We created some magic. But now its gone. I am with...
Confidence is a chemical.
Over the last four months I have lost 11kgs, mostly fat stored in my body. I've been exercising regularly, eating right, and limiting the cheat days. I'm suddenly fitting into clothes that I last...
I need to be understood.
I asked my young friend, what do today’s youth need. After a few blinks, she replied, “I guess we need to be strong. We are too weak. If we take one something, and have a few failures, we just...
Death, my friend.
As she lay there suffering, I looked into her eyes and saw death. She stared at me. She had a faint smile. Her wrinkled face revealed a melange of peace and pain. I ran my fingers through her...
A four letter word called 'Happiness'
I needed an instant dose of happiness. I was feeling heavy. My heart craved for lightness. The brightness of light, and the lightness of feeling bright. I had been looking around me, trying to...
When happiness is gone.
She is gone. My project failed. He didn’t even look at me. She doesn’t laugh at my jokes anymore. My friend is now more friendly with someone else. She looked at me with that ‘seeing through’...
Not yet!
My four year old daughter and five and a half year old son understand the language of ‘not yet’ very well. Their latest love is the cartoon character Pepper Pig. Like many parents, my wife and...
Marks matter - a matter of marks
Exams results are out. Its always a period of heightened emotions, be it celebration, excitement, disappointment and sometimes even shock and grief. We hear the voices of many who ask this...
I did it for me.
I did it for me. The other day I made a lovely little sketch of my daughter. I immediately grabbed my phone and posted it on... hehe... FB and Insta. And then within five minutes I was checking to...
I love you, but don't come close!
From a distance, everything looks beautiful. All the flaws are hidden. I am sitting by the window in my room on the 10th floor. The buildings across the river outside look glorious. They seem...
Im getting rid of my 'Lal Batti'
In school I remember being very fascinated by the ‘Lal batti’ on the hood on my friend's father’s car. His dad was a elected representative, who happened to be ’not in power' at that time. Yet,...
Do!
I was surprised to see him using a makeshift spade to make little trenches. He was planting little saplings in the narrow patch of soil. As I got out of my car, with curiosity I asked him which...
The well of emotions.
The well of emotions. We went for a swim in a village well. They say it is more than 200 years old. There was no advanced technology then. Yet, they say that it is designed so that there is always...
What did you learn today?
When I was in the 8th standard, my parents gifted me a ZX Spectrum. That was the first programmable gaming console to hit the market in Indian. You could hook it up to a TV and play video games....
Laziness is just a BUMP.
When you come to my house, you will come across a big bump about 50m before the gate of our society. Its like a giant speed breaker, almost 7 to 8 feet in height. I guess there is a huge water...
A holiday state of mind.
Are you enjoying the exams? Does that sound like a strange question? Let me not create unnecessary suspense. I've realised that if I'm not happy now, chances are I won't be happy when I get that...
Don't just raise the ceiling. Raise the floor!
I am the ambitious types. I like to do many things. And I like to do them well. But here is an honest admission, I tend to rest on my laurels quite easily. Let me explain. A few years ago, I got...
Think. Don't overthink!
I like screwdrivers. I own them in many shapes and sizes - star, flat, philips, miniature, etc. Yup, you could say that I’m a kind of a wannabe handyman. I’ve always loved having a well stocked...
Study tips - one week to go!
The last few days are all about getting your mind and body ready to PERFORM. Its not about last minute cramming. Its about right ‘mental state’. Do everything you can to be calm, mentally strong,...
When love destroys.
Our son Dhyann is 5 and he gets homework on Fridays. It was a Monday morning. Dhyann was doing his homework and eating breakfast. We were helping him where he got stuck. That's when it struck me....
I took a leap of faith.
My father used to tell me, a pole vaulter uses the pole to gain height and lift off the ground. But, if she wishes to cross the bar, she cannot afford to keep holding on to the pole. She needs to...
Want results? Be a B.O.S.S.S.
Results create freedom. I performed well all through my school and college life. My parents never asked me about my schedule or my whereabouts. They never applied any constraints. I was a...
Broken resolution? Did you train your camel?
When I was around 19, we had been for a camel safari in Jaisalmer. We had camped right in the middle of the desert, just 40 kms before the India Pakistan border. It was a magical experience. By...
The curse of the gifted.
When I had one shoe I was happy, I didn’t have to think which one should I wear today. When I was in school I was happy, I didn’t have to think about what should I do today. I had a friend who was...
A message for the youth.
There a some moments in our life when a person we meet changes our life forever. It may not be because of what he said to did. It's just because of how they live their life. It's because of their...
How to handle pressure.
Did you know... Using a pressure cooker saves energy. Saves time - cooking time is reduced by as much as 70%. Food cooked in a pressure cooker retains most of the nutrients. Keeps the kitchen...
An E.P.I.C. way to appreciate!
If I were a super-hero, the super power I would want is to be able to make people believe in themselves! I’d just waive my magic wand, zip-zap-zoom, and your self-belief touches the sky! Then, its...
How to feel free.
Choose. That’s what I discovered when I was a 9 year old boy. I have this clear memory. My cousins were visiting us for the summer holidays. We were all at in my grandparents home playing in the...
Do. Forget. Do.
That’s my simple formula. Do something good. Forget about it. Again do something good. Ad infinitum. This is the shortest blog post I’ve written. A part of the reason is that I’m feeling super...
Am I any good?
Am I making a difference? Am I doing everything I should? This question often hits my senses And I ask myself ‘Am I any good?’ / Clouds loom, thunder strikes. Winds blow, the chill set in. The...
Winning. The 'micro' way.
Please don't attempt to wrestle with King Kong! He is just to big and strong. There is no chance of winning. The only way win is to get him on your side. I want to get fit. I want to learn a new...
My Autobiography (in 2021)
This one took courage. This is me putting myself out there for the world to see inspired by the questions in the workbook ‘Thought experiments’ by Narendra Goidani. Have a read, and do hold me...
My goals found me.
For years I have struggled with setting goals. Revenue goals, unit sales goals, weight loss goals, and even relationship goals. I have tried many systems of goal settings - SMART, SMARTER, and...
I want you to LIKE me!
Yup, go ahead and like this post. It feels good. The greatest need of ALL people, all the time is validation! My son draws a tree (something that looks like a disjointed hip of an ageing...
The power of pampering!
We had an evening meeting that went on for a few hours. Around 5pm my stomach usually begins to make a few gurgling sounds. It’s my abdominal alarm clock that reminds me its time for a snack....
The ‘uncertainty’ drive.
After completing the Lifeschool triathlon successfully in April this year, I had moved into somewhat of a lull. Those 6 months of training were intense. We were team of 74 people. The stakes were...
The other side of gratitude.
Medicine heals. Poison kills. Yet, many medicines are actually poison when consumed in the wrong way! I do some good. I help someone. I write something that touches you. I say something that moves...
SIX ways to conquer fear.
ONE Curiosity always gets the better of fear. Seen horror movies? What gets the protagonist to open the that closet, venture into that graveyard, or step down into the attic? It’s what made...
What’s the level of your 'Emotional Reservoir’?
I love playing video games! The neat thing about them are the various the dashboards, control panels and indicators you get. How many lives I have l left, how much ‘nitro boost’ I have, total...
5 reasons to say NO.
‘What? You are'nt thinking of attending the lecture! Just bunk and come for the movie with us!' ‘Here, just have one more, it won’t kill you!' ‘I’m running late again, can we postpone our...
What shrinks your ‘Doubling time’?
Last week, one of my professors from WIMWI (a well known institute of management in western india, the alias used for IIM-A in case studies!) was in Pune. Professor Sunil Handa obliged us by...
Automation: will my job still exist 5 years from now?
Things change. Some of us remember the time when STD booths existed at every corner of country. These were booths from where you could make an intercity or international phone call for cash...
I will stop limiting myself.
I was with my friend Siddharth Gaikwad at his home in Bangalore. He is a very senior digital user experience designer. Together, we have been working on creating an online platform for youth. The...
You did it ‘inspite of’!
What better way to feel the magic of Independence Day than to have experienced the magic of Dipa Karmakar’s feat of standing 4th in the Women’s Vault event in the Rio Olympics. What makes it...
Your words hurt me!
When spoken words hurt, it feels like the most painful thing in the world. I would rather have broken bones. I would rather have an open wound. Words, it seems, can be more painful than bullets or...
The golden sound of SILENCE.
I have always been a hyperactive person. It’s tough for me to sit still. I need to read, do, watch, think, learn, draw, run, listen, cook, or… eat! When I got to know my wife better (after 7 years...
How fast do you get BACK on TRACK?
Since 2012, I have been meditating everyday. Until a few months ago, I had not missed a single day. Be it travel, be it a late night, be it visitors at home, be it whatever, not a day had been...
I’m building a ‘body of work’!
In the very first batch of Dancing with Tigers, in one of the sessions called ‘Winning Habits’, we all took a challenge. We decided to learn a new habit by repeating it everyday for 30 days. I had...
I want your touch!
I came home a little later than usual. The kids were in the process of going to sleep. My wife opened the door. As I walked in, I could see my 5 yr old and my 3 year old walking out behind my...
The futility of ‘sorry’.
I was studying at a Well-known Institute of Management in Western India (WIMWI is the acronym used in some of the case studies at IIM-A, that involve IIM-A in the narrative). One year of gruelling...
I’ll think about it!
I knew this guy who is very intelligent and extremely capable. I was sure he would do brilliantly well in whatever work he chose to do in his life. He was sincere, hard working, fun-loving, and...
TOP 10 reasons why I CAN'T!
I have started a new collection - of brilliant reasons for not taking opportunities. No, Im not talking about stock market opportunities, marriage proposals, or opportunities to hitchhike a ride...
The deluge.
We were good friends. We worked well together, inspite of the fact that we were very different from each other in terms of our personalities. Yet, there was a mutual respect, even an...
Iss field mein SCOPE hai kya?
I have heard this question a gazillion times ‘Is there scope in biotechnology?’. The last word in the sentence can be replaced by photography, film editing, hotel management, literature studies,...
I love to ‘DO’!
I was just 18 years year old. I never thought I could do it. I took up the project in a moment of crazy curiosity. I used to take guitar lessons with a wonderful and loving teacher, Silveira Sir....
On Pain
She looked the other way. His face twisted into disgust. I found I had been wrong all along, And my world came crashing down He told me I was not ready. She said she felt uncared for. In one...
Falling, falling, falling...
My cousin Shivani is one of those people who many describe as ‘a big bang in a tiny package’. She has read literature at Oxford, been a Teach for India fellow, helped put together and manage a...
Lazy kya? It’s not your fault!
The American psychologist and author Madeline Levy, writes in her book ‘The Price of Privilege’ that ‘kids who have everything easily available can often feel empty.’ Her shocking realisation over...
My passion found me!
When I was in engineering college I had an obsession - learning the guitar. I found an excellent teacher, and I became his sincere student. He had tremendous hope in me. I would practise...
Am I driven by fear or am I driven by love?
Akash was my friend in school. He was very good at everything he did - sports, studies, dramatics, etc. He was very competitive. His goal was to be in the top 3 of the class always. He wanted to...
What is the power of YOUTH?
Last week, we asked a question to several youngsters who have graduated from the Dancing with Tigers workshop. The question was 'What according to you is the power of youth?' We got 29 responses....
Hey WINNER, forget your bygone victory!
When we were in management school, we were told that in the world of investment banking “you are only as good as your last deal!" Now that’s a lot of pressure. I may have had a history of 15 years...
I will be a GREAT mentee!
The word ‘mentee' has nothing to do with mint, mentos or mental! ‘Mentee' is the counterpoint of ‘mentor’. Mentee is the one who receives the wisdom and guidance of a mentor. A mentor-mentee...
Do you have the 5% advantage?
I had made huge efforts for the last three months. I had trained relentlessly for 12 to 13 hours a week. After numerous ups and downs, turns and twists, victories and losses, the penultimate week...
No-bake ENERGYmmmmm bars!
For the longest time I have had this fascination with every bars (and also energy balls - or laddoo's). Recently our Triathlon inspiration Malhar Ganla, inspired a few of us to start a 12-hr...
Do you want to be an overnight success?
Last week me and my wife were chilling at a beach in north Goa. Suddenly my wife screamed for me to look towards the sea. A little surprised at her sense of urgency, I immediately got up from my...
Do you have a bath everyday?
Hmmm… you don’t have to answer that. I know the answer. Unless you live in the arctic zone, or in a log cabin somewhere northern Norway, where the temperature goes below minus 20 degrees Celsius...
OMG, I took a wrong turn!
I was driving along to reach the hospital to celebrate with my cousin’s family for the birth of their baby. As I arrived at the T Junction, instead of taking a right, I took a left. I had been on...
Fake it till you make it!
Here is another one about me and my experiments on my 4 year old son Dhyann. I have a little outgrowth on my left ear. It’s a birth defect. Or, should I say, it’s a gift. It is something that has...
I will do something awesome, TODAY.
I remember clearly how much I used to look forward to summer holidays. I would make detailed plans. My plans were not just about movies, food and hanging out. Learning to play a musical...
The purpose of education.
My friend Amit took an extra year to complete his engineering degree. Yes, he failed a year. There were enough people who mocked him and laughed at him. His parents were concerned. They were happy...
A strategy for champions - pressure needs a place to go!
When pressure builds, it needs a place to go. It searches for release. Take it in the intestinal sense too, if you wish. When the pressure builds, release is a must! There better be a toilet in...
Go, break the rules!
Rules are meant to be broken, some say. All great creators, inventors, and artists have broken rules. The defied existing paradigms, norms and broke the stated and unstated rules of the game in...
Strong Vs Weak FEAR
When I was a child, I remember being scared of the dark.The fear would literally grip my body, contracting my muscles, send a shiver down my spine, and make the hair on my body stand. I have felt...
The greatest gift I can give my child.
Kids love chocolate. And so does my 4yr old son, Dhyann. Today I attempted a micro-recreation of a famous experiment that was first carried out at Stanford in 1970 by psychologist Walter Mischel....