On My Mind

The question of having a hobby as a formal activity had never been posed to me until my UPSC interview. It hadn't really found a place in the list of things I considered worth thinking about. This doesn't mean I had no hobby, just that the activities I did for leisure hadn't been codified as hobbies in my vocabulary. It’s been almost six years since I last gave this question serious thought. The question kept returning, and the pressure to have a hobby is huge. But my escapist attitude surrendered my schedule to the mighty civil list, rendering the whole idea of hobbies moot. However, fate today led me to the corners of the internet where Sandeep Maheshwari, Shiv Khera and Jean-Paul Sartre seem to be algorithmic neighbours. Hence, with renewed motivation, I am determined to find my hobbies again. I have generally claimed writing to be a hobby of mine, but the state of this blog belies my claim. I have barely written a post or two in the last two years. Every time I pick up ...

There is something oddly satisfying when you advise someone to live in the present. It seems obvious, and the joy of stating the obvious to people is unmatched. Worrying about the past is as useful as expecting a street corner without paan stains. Past is beyond human control as of the 21st century. Similarly, future is yet to come. Letting it affect the present appears to be a lose-lose proposition. However, after interacting with hundreds of self-proclaimed mental health experts, I have come to realise that it is indeed better to live in the past, or future, basically anything but present. Present is chaotic. There are just too many issues and everything seems to be breaking. Historically, there has been a general consensus that present is the worst time after the big bang and not many learned people disagree. Bollywood buffs are sure best movies came out in the 60s-70s. The Cricket experts are unanimous in their opinion that best cricket was played in the 70s-90s. It’s widely believ...

One fine day, some influencer proclaimed " Thou should'st love yourself ", and the world has been overflowing with love ever since. Russians have started smiling at tourists, Kohli started politely thanking batsmen for their service once they got out, and the global population reached its peak. While Delhites may disagree, love is now in the air.  However, now is the time to unlove.  Loving oneself has frankly given rise to mediocrity. The feedback loop breaks when you start loving yourself unconditionally. Loving yourself even after selecting Prasidh Krishna in the second test is just plain wrong. Sleeping peacefully after using comic sans font in a formal presentation is repulsive. Consistently losing test matches, but being at peace with it is the reason why a country of 1.4 billion has no major sport achievement to show for. There is an urgent need to be self-critical, and self-aware for the civilization to prosper.  Moreover, some people don't deserve love, not e...

Some 13 billion years ago, the Big Bang occurred, and the universe started taking its present shape. Brilliant minds of ours and earlier generations have spent a considerable amount of cognitive resources to unravel this mystery. Notwithstanding the appreciable progress made in our understanding, it has been suggested by many a bureaucrat that this wastage of human capacity could have been avoided if someone had neatly prepared an office note on the big bang then. The process of documentation and record-keeping is essential in government, as in any other form of organization that grows beyond the individual. Documenting known facts of any issue, discovering more through inquiry or academic research, and then forming a well-justified conclusion forms the core of any decision that is taken. This entire exercise is colloquially known as the "paperwork". Since the stakeholders aren't just the people making the decisions, it is important that paperwork is done with due diligen...

Buddha said the world is full of suffering, and I have scrolled enough social media to realize that is indeed the case. Heck, it feels like doomsday is around the corner. There is just misery all around. Everyone has got something which needs to be done!   There are problems spanning decades and unresolved issues plaguing generations, and this is without counting the Indian men's cricket team's propensity to lose in knockout matches. Therefore, to no one's surprise, the modern world is looking for problem solvers, people who can deconstruct these multi-layered, nuanced points of contention and arrive at an acceptable solution.   With 29 years of experience at being alive, a few months at an MNC and now 2 odd months in government, I have some ideas that should help a newcomer become the go-to man for any crisis. Like any other success guru, these are not at all well-researched and are purely anecdotal in nature.    Let's start with the primary answer to problems - mon...

Rohit Sharma had been timing the ball well, Shami was on song, and Kohli had never been more determined. The 2023 Cricket World Cup could not have come at a better time. The Indian team was riding high on form and practice. In a quiet corner of Kolkata, Abhishek had been manifesting this. An ardent fan of the Indian cricket team, he has been manifesting this situation since 2019. Brick by brick, he visualised each batsman getting into a particular role, each bowler perfecting their wide yorkers. But by 2023, it was too much for God. God had grown increasingly tired of the constant bitching and interference of Abhishek in his plans. S/he originally wanted India to win the cup, but Abhishek annoyed him more than the pop-up ads. No wonder India faltered at the last step! Manifestation is the buzzword these days. It has taken over the world by storm. People are manifesting to lose weight, start a business, or get a degree. However, it is all hogwash, a product of the greased wheels o...