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

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

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

Is cooking relevant in these modern times?

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...