The National Abu Dhabi
Comment Essays for The National Abu Dhabi
Hindustan Times: Inclusion
How did the MacArthur Foundation with an annual budget of about $160 million, a staff of around 250 people and a jury of about a dozen become so spectacularly inclusive not just in terms of gender parity but also in every other domain? The answer is both obvious and very hard to achieve: by acknowledging their bias, and actively seeking to overcome it.
Hindustan Times: Show your love
An uncle passed away. At his funeral and subsequent days, I witnessed an outpouring of love and from his family, relatives, people he mentored and neighbours. All of which led me to wonder about the age-old question: what will your obituary say? What will people say about you after you are gone? What will they speak about at your memorial service? Which is another way of asking: who are you and what do you project to the world?
Hindustan Times: Secret Bangalore
To write this, I asked a few old and new Bangaloreans for suggestions of where to go and what to do. Here below is a list of “Secret Bangalore” suggestions, in honour of India’s 75th Republic Day. They include chaats to masalas to juices. Thank you Sowmya Nandan, Naresh Narasimhan, Vishal Nagpal and Jay Bhow.
Hindustan Times: Self-care
How to help your diabetes. How to help with your body pains. How to figure out your posture and gait. I talk to three Bangalore experts on these topics. Small things you can do.
WisdomCircle: New Year Resolutions
We all need to change, adapt, and evolve in order to survive and thrive. I have been thinking a lot about this particularly in the context of New Year resolutions. Here then are 10 suggestions.
Hindustan Times: Buying happiness
This column got me thinking about happiness and whether it was possible to access it for cheap – specifically for under Rs.100. So here are some things that I have tried.
Hindustan Times: Best Pizza in Bangalore
The best pizza I have eaten in Bangalore is at my friend, Jay Bhow’s house. So when Jay, a VPN certified pizzaiolo, wondered if Bangalore was the artisanal pizza capital of India, we decided to go on a pizza crawl to find out.
WisdomCircle: Upskilling
Most couples retire without thinking about the fact that they may well be single soon either due to death or (these days) divorce. While death of a partner is an eventuality that most married couples face, “gray divorce” is becoming more prevalent these days, even in India.
Hindustan Times: Bangalore Hubba
Open the BLR Hubba homepage (https://blrhubba.in/) and I guarantee that you are going to get overwhelmed by the number of things on offer. Currently in its second edition with a budget of Rs. 8 crores, the Hubba runs from November 30 to December 14 at different venues across Bangalore.
WisdomCircle: Privilege & Intersectionality
If you are reading this, you are likely a high-functioning super-bright person, which means, at least according to your kids, that you are also “judgey” or judgemental.
Hindustan Times: Karnataka Rajyotsava
When I first moved to Bangalore nearly 20 years ago, I didn’t know that Karnataka as a state was only named in 1973. Karnataka Rajyotsava, celebrated each year on November 1st is a great time to be in Bangalore.
Mint Lounge: Conservation story
Recently, conservationists in Bengaluru had a huge win. The State Board of Wildlife, headed by the Karnataka chief minister, approved a proposal to deem 5,010 acre of grasslands, about 25km outside the city, as the Greater Hesaraghatta Conservation Reserve (GHCR).