A Thrilling Start To An Academic Life
As a child growing up in San Francisco in the 1970s, Zena Hitz had always loved reading. As did her older brother, and parents, with the family often engaging in fierce literary feuds that sparked off her lifelong zeal for learning.
… Continue reading “A Scholar Experiences Poverty At a Mid-life Break”
While our country has a colossal and overwhelmingly influential film industry, there is a surprising dearth of writers who turn a nuanced eye to the making of these films. Jai Arjun Singh, who also writes for The Mint,
At 50, Neeraj Sagar made a bold decision to quit his highly-regarded position as a Senior Partner at Egon Zehnder and strike out on his own. The driving force behind his new venture, WisdomCircle, is the belief that older generations have much to offer and should not be disregarded due to ageist biases.
… Continue reading “Harnessing the Wisdom of Older Generations: Insights from a Founder”
What Malls Might Signify in India
To those of us who grew up in Indian cities in the 60s, 70s, 80s or even 90s, shopping malls were unfamiliar spaces. Since then, there are perhaps few other spaces that are as ubiquitous,
For all who have taken to playing chess since The Queen’s Gambit. Or have reassessed their flippant dismissal of the aspirations that abide in Kamathipura since Gangubai Kathiawadi. Or to those who wonder about the historical forces that have led to far fewer female comedians since The Marvelous Mrs.
… Continue reading “Empowering Women With A TV Cooking Show”
When I stumbled on Ishani Roy’s profile on LinkedIn, I was fascinated for many reasons. For one thing, she had transited from a deep STEM career to a thorny human behavioural domain. After all, Roy had been passionate about Applied Mathematics,
… Continue reading “Championing Diverse and Inclusive Workplaces”
I must acknowledge straightaway that I was bowled over by this book. As someone who likes to describe myself as “curious”, I thought I knew what curiosity meant. And more significantly, what it felt like.
Richard Reeves needed courage of a sort to write this book. After all, in an age where women’s issues are often accented – the wage gaps, their inadequate presence in senior leadership roles or on Corporate Boards,
Remember Gone With the Wind?
Many Boomers and Gen Xers might recall watching Gone With the Wind. Clark Gable as Rhett Butler exuded a slick charm that epitomized the dark,
Philippe Gluckman, who has been the Creative Director for Dreamworks in India and the Visual Effects Supervisor for iconic hits like Shrek and Madagascar, offers invigorating lessons for those who want to break into animation or forge successful careers in a creative field.
… Continue reading “Creative Insights From a World Class Animator”
Have you ever wandered inside a zoo and wondered about animal talk? Do monkeys chatter with each other? What about birds, who according to recent research, are much smarter than we imagine? Better still, what if those creatures can talk to us?
When I first read Tim O’Brien’s novel-in-stories, The Things They Carried, I felt like I had been socked in the gut. His descriptions of soldierly feelings – the fatigue, the emotional depletion,
… Continue reading “Tim O’Brien’s Soldierly Reflections on the Vietnam War”
“Prem preet ya love l’amour” – From Chashme Buddoor (1981)
Chashme Buddoor was released in 1981. It was the pre-liberalization era. Most households did not own television sets.
… Continue reading “A Glimpse Into Deepti Naval’s Childhood”
At times, it’s fun to return to an old book. And the kind of book, that oddly enough, might be better understood by those that don’t read it. Or best understood by those that don’t read anything at all.
… Continue reading “Dipping Into Taoist Wisdom with Winnie the Pooh”
Large-scale disasters or pandemics give rise to unlikely outcomes. And even engender positive spinoffs. One of the offshoots was this book, sparked off by conversations between Bala Srinivasa and T.N. Hari, both deeply attuned to the entrepreneurial terrain in India,
… Continue reading “Tapping Into the Promise of Middle India”
It’s heartening when well-recognized national icons like Ravi Venkatesan reflect on their own life journeys and painstakingly mine nuggets of wisdom. After all, the kind of insights that Venkatesan offers can only be arrived at by those who traverse life stages with two selves: one being zealous and participatory,
I not only buy books, but I also watch others buy books. At bookstore checkouts, I’m intensely curious about the titles other customers choose. So recently, when I watched not one, but two Bangalore college students pick up “The Psychology of Money,” I was prodded into adding it to my list.
I’m back to riffing on a favorite song. While I realize that many in the younger generation might not have heard this ever, I hope at least a few Gen Xers and Baby Boomers can relate to the ‘80s hit: Summer of ’69 by the Canadian singer,
… Continue reading “Dwelling On The Summer of ’69 by Bryan Adams”
At one point, Ashish Kothari seemed like someone who had it all. At 42, he had the kind of life that checked all social boxes. Professionally, he was a Partner at McKinsey. On the personal front,
When I stumbled on Sandeep Nair’s personal website, I was intrigued. He was as fascinated by the manner in which an illiterate, Irish lad became the Maharajah of Tipperary (in Haryana, in the 1700s) as he was in P&G’s advertising failures or in Zepto’s speedy deliveries.
… Continue reading “A Marketer Who Relishes Brand Building, History and Writing”
Brinda S. Narayan
