The hidden cost of the American Dream: a grandmother who's never held her 20-year-old grandson, an engineer a decade in with no green card, a father racing a November due date against a layoff clock. For Indians, the wait can now stretch past a lifetime. Maybe 1 in 10 truly "make it." The rest live provisional lives. It's time parents asked harder questions before handing kids a dream built for a different decade.

"If you're the parent of a gifted child, you already know the peculiar exhaustion of it. The kid solves a differential equation before breakfast & melts down over diagonally-cut toast. Turns out we've had a case study for this exact chaos for 5,000 years — his name is Krishna. He never micromanaged the Pandavas' talents. He watched, waited, & intervened exactly twice: when survival was at stake, and when someone's dignity was violated. Everything else? Even the dice games the

"ET Panache's viral story on a teenage 'AI startup founder' with a Burj Khalifa office ignores the one detail that matters: who actually paid for it. This critique argues the coverage conflates a parent-funded venture with a self-sustaining business, rewards spectacle over scrutiny, and misleads young readers about what real entrepreneurship requires. A pointed look at why financial journalism owes readers better due diligence — not just a dazzling headline." Lazy or greedy b

India's trading boom is creating a dangerous illusion of easy wealth. Influencers and fintech platforms increasingly portray trading as a shortcut to financial success, while SEBI data shows that over 90% of retail F&O traders lose money. The real cost extends beyond individuals to families, savings and aspirations, raising an urgent question: are we encouraging young Indians to create wealth—or merely to chase it?

There are some speaking engagements that leave you with a sense of accomplishment. Then there are those rare occasions that leave you with a sense of hope. My recent interaction with the gifted young participants of Lodestone 2026, organized by the Pravaha Foundation at IIIT Hyderabad, belonged firmly in the latter category. I am deeply grateful to the Pravaha Foundation for inviting me to contribute to a program that seeks to shape young minds at such a formative stage of li

Travel wide - travel freely - caravan travel There’s something about Indian highways that doesn’t show up in brochures. It’s in the chai stops that turn into conversations. The unplanned detours. The quiet dignity of small towns that don’t try to impress you. Over the years, Shital and I have discovered that road travel in India isn’t just transit—it’s perspective. And yet, we’ve always felt one limitation:You’re never fully free. You’re always chasing the next hotel, the nex

NSE Settlement and the Arithmetic of Absurdity The proposed settlement between the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is being presented as closure. In formal terms, it fits within a consent-based enforcement architecture. In economic terms, however, it raises a sharper question: Has a multi-year structural distortion of market fairness been reduced to a financially efficient exit? A tighter reading—through the lenses

Between Narrative and Numbers Razorpay has, over the past decade, positioned itself as one of India’s most successful fintech platforms—riding the wave of digital payments, SME enablement, and API-led financial infrastructure. With investors including marquee global funds and a last reported valuation in the ~$7–8 billion range (2021–22), expectations around its eventual IPO valuation have steadily crept into the $10–15 billion territory in market conversations. At face value

There is a tendency to associate wisdom with education, status, or institutional authority. But these encounters challenge that assumption. They suggest that clarity often emerges from necessity, that discipline is forged through constraint, and that values are best understood when they are tested daily. The rickshaw driver navigating Mumbai’s chaotic streets is not just transporting passengers—he is, in his own way, navigating life with a framework that many would benefit fr

War exposed crypto’s core weakness. When fear peaked, users fled to dollars, not decentralization. Exchanges—not protocols—held the system together. Assets were frozen, prices swung, and sovereignty failed under pressure. Crypto promised independence from the system; in crisis, it proved it still depends on it.

MODIFIED FOR TRAVEL The Evolution of Indian Regional Aviation: Learning from the Sky For nearly a decade, the Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme has served as the centerpiece of India’s aviation narrative, aiming to fulfill the middle-class dream of affordable air travel. However, by early 2026, a stark reality had set in: nearly half of the routes launched under the original 2016 framework had collapsed once government subsidies expired. The recently approved Modified UD

3 years back i was involved in a marquee program supported by SIDBI - Svavalambam India. The idea was to provide about 3 months free residential program for first generation entreprenuer from cross section of non metro residents of maharashtra. i met a extraordinary bunch of budding individuals with interesting set of business ideas. i also formed personal bond with many of them. however after nearly three years of the culmination of the program, i am yet to see any of the co

The Supreme Court’s recent observation that income should not be the sole determinant in identifying the “creamy layer” within Other Backward Classes (OBCs) has reopened a fundamental question: what exactly are reservations meant to achieve? At first glance, the Court’s reasoning appears sympathetic to the idea that social discrimination can persist even among economically prosperous individuals. But this argument risks blurring the original logic of India’s reservation frame

“Cryptocurrency is driven by the belief that money should be decentralized , not controlled by governments or banks. It champions financial sovereignty , giving individuals absolute ownership of their assets. The movement favors code over institutions , replacing intermediaries with transparent, trustless systems. Promoters see it as a pathway to universal financial access , beyond geography or status. At its core lies a conviction in economic freedom and censorship resi

Paying it forward as a gesture of being thankful to our teachers

Is cooking relevant in these modern times?

Dharmic Literature is replete with stories of self discovery which can serve as a reference point for modern day humans. This blog brings out certain references which I have personally examined and gained from.

Vinay and me with few Teaching assistants and Students at Math.biz 2025 Math.biz * is my annual rejuvenation space. This was the third year of this program. I started my sessions with students sharing an excerpt from Mahabharata. The Pandavas in their first attempt could create a " Indraprastha - A celestial Palace with vibrant city annexed " from " Khandavaprastha - A dangerous forest ". However Pandavas couldnt hold on or protect their Indraprastha and gambled it away. Eve

Its been interesting 5 years for me as a parent / guardian. My kids ( 5 of them currently between aged 15 to 23 years) are in different...

There is a strong posturing of us living in the age of reason and science. Hence prescription of law is central to all discussions,...