2023, a review

2023, for me, has been a journey back in space and time to look for the person I was before I became a journalist, before writing for an audience and networking came to dominate my life. As I worked on strengthening my physical, mental and spiritual core, I rediscovered my love for the martial arts, dance, science and silence. In the cacophony of networking, I had forgotten how much better I find solitude. Writing without an agenda and audience has been one of my greatest powers. 

It wouldn't have been possible to see through what has been a very tough year as a parent without the guidance of Sarah Smith and Claire Steele of Eltonix who I came in touch with thanks to British Council India, Gavin McCormack's resources at Upschool, Hansa Dhar , the entire teaching and non-teaching staff at my son's school, NISV, my co-travellers at Interfaith and Servicespace, Tim Harrison of the Compassion Training Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, Apsara Iyengar and the young team at Applause Theatre&Art Vadodara and two of the best books I read this year - Neurotribes by Steve Silberman and Steve Waugh's The Meaning of Luck.

The steely support of my friends and mentors, who, more than judgment or advice, gave me an ear, demonstrates how privileged I am to have you all in my life. Looking forward to stepping into 2024 😊 Happy New Year to you all.

Book 58: Forever After All by Catherina Maura

Book 58: Forever After All

Author: Catharina Maura (Hong Kong) 🇭🇰

Genre: Romance

Page 386:

There’s no shame in loving someone with all your heart, Elena, but that love must be mutual. If you end up giving more of yourself than you get back, you’ll end up a shell of yourself, depleted, like I was. Had I walked out sooner, I might have had a different life. Who knows? I might have actually found true love.” I stare at her, my thoughts whirling. “Even after everything that happened, you still seem to believe in love.” Mom nods. “It’s not love that did this to me, honey. It’s the absence of love.”

Flag Score:  🇦🇬 🇸🇰 🇬🇷 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇳🇬 🇮🇷 🇵🇪 🇭🇰 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇾 🇮🇩 🇵🇾 🇦🇷 🇩🇰 🇺🇸 🇭🇷 🇵🇹 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇨🇦 🇿🇦 🇸🇬 🇬🇧 🇷🇴 🇲🇽 🇳🇿 🇮🇸 🇦🇺 🇱🇧 🇳🇱 🇮🇪 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇹🇿 ☭🇷🇺 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇨🇭 🇫🇷 🇫🇲 🇵🇰 🇯🇵 🇳🇪 🇧🇩 🇦🇫 🇸🇾 🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿 🇪🇬 🇾🇪 🇸🇰 🇵🇱 🇦🇹 🇨🇳 🇹🇭 🇦🇪 🇨🇺 🇺🇦 🇰🇭 🇨🇿 🇰🇵 🇻🇳 🇭🇺 🇨🇱 🇧🇴 🇧🇷 🇬🇮 🇲🇲 🇮🇶 🇯🇪

#readingjourney23 #books #bookoholic #flagscore #romance 

Higginbothams: Where you cannot just buy one book

One of India's and Madras's most iconic bookstores, Higginbothams has been around since 1844. I had to buy my first Perumal Murugan books from here. I also had picked up Ponniyin Selvan I but then they told me either I buy all five or none. A Crossword would have sold me one after I had told them that I couldn't carry five in a flight but akka and anna at the sales counter here were adamant in Tamil and English. Well, what's a visit to the bookstore without a story.

Book 57: The Meaning of Luck by Steve Waugh

Book 57: The Meaning of Luck - Stories of Learning, Leadership and Love

Author: Steve Waugh (Australia) 🇦🇺

Genre: Cricket / Leadership /Australia

Set in: Australia 🇦🇺 India 🇮🇳 UK 🇬🇧 Turkey 🇹🇷 China 🇨🇳 Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇬 South Africa 🇿🇦 New Zealand 🇳🇿 Pakistan 🇵🇰

Page 132:

'Sure, cricket is important,' I said to the boys at Chichester, 'or at least it is to us and to many who watch us and care about how we go.' But it isn't a matter of life or death.

Flag Score: 🇦🇬 🇸🇰 🇬🇷 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇳🇬 🇮🇷 🇵🇪 🇭🇰 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇾 🇮🇩 🇵🇾 🇦🇷 🇩🇰 🇺🇸 🇭🇷 🇵🇹 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇨🇦 🇿🇦 🇸🇬 🇬🇧 🇷🇴 🇲🇽 🇳🇿 🇮🇸 🇦🇺 🇱🇧 🇳🇱 🇮🇪 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇹🇿 ☭🇷🇺 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇨🇭 🇫🇷 🇫🇲 🇵🇰 🇯🇵 🇳🇪 🇧🇩 🇦🇫 🇸🇾 🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿 🇪🇬 🇾🇪 🇸🇰 🇵🇱 🇦🇹 🇨🇳 🇹🇭 🇦🇪 🇨🇺 🇺🇦 🇰🇭 🇨🇿 🇰🇵 🇻🇳 🇭🇺 🇨🇱 🇧🇴 🇧🇷 🇬🇮 🇲🇲 🇮🇶 🇯🇪

#readingjourney23 #books #cricket #stevewaugh #australia #australiancricket #flagscore #bookoholic #leadership #business #stevewaughfoundation

Conferences are for confronting our own biases

I took the stage after two years at the Second National Conference on Managing People Planet and Profit - Shaping the Sustainable Future through Innovation and Digitalisation at School of Business and Law Navrachana University  thanks to Dr. Hitesh Bhatia who prodded me to get out of hibernation and present an academic paper on birds. While they're usually touted as knowledge-sharing forums, conferences help us confront our own biases. 

Silence and Virtue with Nipun Mehta of ServiceSpace

For over a decade, I have missed the chance of seeing Nipun Mehta, the founder of ServiceSpace and incubator of gift economy in person whenever he visited Gujarat. Well, some things are worth waiting for. A fine talk of virtues through stories and practice about silence.

Book 56: Mindy Kaling's Kind of Hindu

Book 56: Kind of Hindu

Author: Mindy Kaling (USA) 🇺🇸

Genre: Memoir/ Amazon Originals 

Set in: USA 🇺🇸

Page 15:

Why was I crying so much? Because I think that it finally dawned on me that I have a child who will never know her grandmother, the person who was the closest to me in the world. And I was about to start this journey with my daughter by myself without the help of my mother. I was going to raise her alone, and I was terrified.

Flag Score:  🇸🇰 🇬🇷 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇳🇬 🇮🇷 🇵🇪 🇭🇰 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇾 🇮🇩 🇵🇾 🇦🇷 🇩🇰 🇺🇸 🇭🇷 🇵🇹 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇨🇦 🇿🇦 🇸🇬 🇬🇧 🇷🇴 🇲🇽 🇳🇿 🇮🇸 🇦🇺 🇱🇧 🇳🇱 🇮🇪 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇹🇿 ☭🇷🇺 🇮🇳 🇩🇪 🇨🇭 🇫🇷 🇫🇲 🇵🇰 🇯🇵 🇳🇪 🇧🇩 🇦🇫 🇸🇾 🏴󠁣󠁮󠀵󠀴󠁿 🇪🇬 🇾🇪 🇸🇰 🇵🇱 🇦🇹 🇨🇳 🇹🇭 🇦🇪 🇨🇺 🇺🇦 🇰🇭 🇨🇿 🇰🇵 🇻🇳 🇭🇺 🇨🇱 🇧🇴 🇧🇷 🇬🇮 🇲🇲 🇮🇶 🇯🇪

#readingjourney23 #flagscore #books #mindykaling #hindu #kindofhindu #amazon #kindle #primereading #amazonoriginalstories #books #bookoholic

Making Birds Count - The Growing Intersectionality of Animal, Human and Artificial Intelligence in Citizen Science

What do you do when you count birds while waiting to drop off and pick up your child from school for over a year? You write your first academic paper in 20 years and present it at the National Conference on Managing People, Planet and Profit at Navrachana University. Considering the fact that my last academic paper two decades ago was a study of choreography in Hindi Cinema in 2005, the fact that I managed to produce a piece of scientific literature is a feat in itself. I have written in many different styles (poetry, prose, fiction, non-fiction, play, screenplay) but Making Birds Count - The growing intersectionality of animal, human and artificial intelligence with my own research and data will remain etched in my heart. I almost gave up presenting it after sitting through sessions with business school graduates, eminent economists and data analysts. But then, as the only independent researcher at a business school conference, I felt the birds needed a voice and I am thankful Navrachana University  provided the space.