Self-Improvement

First published in The Hindu, 31 Aug 2025  Many of us grow up feeling we’re lacking in one or more ways. Our sense of inadequacy may stem from multiple sources. We may not be smart enough, fit enough, fast enough, funny enough, rich enough, popular enough or…

First published in The Hindu, 2 August 2025 In an earlier piece in this column, I had discussed the pleasures and benefits of rereading a book. While it’s fairly easy to decide whether you want to revisit a book, a…

First published in The Hindu, 1 June 2025 For many of us, an internal judge resides within our heads and is busy from morning to dusk. Both trivial and significant events get parsed into categories of ‘good’ and ‘bad.’ If…

First published in The Hindu, 3 May 2025             The musician bows reverentially as the audience breaks out in deafening applause. As they rise to give him a standing ovation, the maestro bows even lower, as if seeking their blessings….

First published in The Hindu, 5th April 2025             Though schools may not explicitly announce ranks of all students, very early on, children imbibe the message that they’re competing with one another. We can’t blame students for comparing their grades…

First published in The Hindu, 1 Feb 2025 A list of intelligent people who have done foolish things is fairly long. US President, Bill Clinton, having an affair with an intern, former McKinsey MD, Rajat Gupta for engaging in insider…

First published in The Hindu, 4th January 2025 The ubiquity of New Year resolutions suggest that we continually try to better ourselves. Though there is nothing wrong in wanting to refine ourselves, we tend to equate more with better. In…

First published in The Hindu, 1st December 2024 Though most of us associate exceptional oratorical skills with passion, a facility with words and proper intonation, there’s another facet of effective communication that doesn’t garner much attention. We can emphasize a…

First published in The Hindu, 4th November 2024 As you down your morning coffee, do you also solve Wordle? When you go for your morning run, do you take a slightly different route every day, soaking in the sights and…