My Take

The best gifts are usually the simplest ones. A hug of appreciation, a nod of empathy, a heartfelt compliment – all etch an everlasting impression on our minds. The second-best gifts are the ones that group all these feelings in one package. Such gifts are an exhibit of how much you value the presence, well-being [...]

Have you ever been in a shopping mall or an airport or at a party and happened to have observed the way people treat their kids at such social gatherings? While there would be a kid who would have accidently dropped food from his plate, getting fiercely reprimanded by his parents, another one would be [...]

Just the other day I was talking about of the relief efforts which were going on towards a national disaster and how important it is as a nation for us to contribute through this relief effort in some way or the other. It then occurred it me in discussions with a few friends that “giving” [...]

When was the last time you laughed? Like genuinely laughed? Laughed so much that you had tears of joy in your eyes? A few days back, I happened to pass by a small town, en route to one of our business locations. As my colleague and I stopped over for a hot cup of tea [...]

One day while out on a walk in my society’s park I was reminded of the times when as kids I and my friends used to play various sports all day long, even in the absence of proper playgrounds. I remember that the moment we reached home from school, we’d have lunch and rush out [...]

It’s no secret that the world has been changing at an unprecedented pace. In the last decade, virtually every industry has experienced rapid changes thanks to globalization, the advent of new technologies and digital disruption. Take the example of the 1000-year-old hospitality industry which got revolutionized by a simple website, less than a decade in [...]

The other day one of my leaders came to me to have a discussion on his career which according to him was stalling. He seemed rather low-spirited and I sat him down to understand where and how was he positioned currently and what was it that was bothering him. I said lets figure out what [...]

I rarely get any idle time, given my schedule. On one such day when I was looking at trees outside the window, I thought that this is a good time to call up someone. I suddenly drew a blank and realized that it has been months since I called somebody to have a casual conversation, [...]

Given my tight schedule, bookstores at the airport are my only source of getting a sneak peek into the hardbound world of books. Recently, wandering down the aisles of one such store, the sheer expanse of the self-help section caught my attention. Most of these books talked about lifestyle management, about stress management. And, of [...]

  Education is considered to be an important tool to build a good career and make your mark in the society. You are told from your childhood itself that your grades not only determine your chances of getting into a good college, but also define your success after graduation. Your level of intelligence is gauged [...]

  During a recent leadership workshop, ideas and conversations somehow diverted to discussions on happiness at work and on quality of life and their determinants. While a lot of factors influence one’s take on these topics, I feel elements like cultural aspects, mindsets, conscience and expectations play a crucial role in determining the shape of [...]

Recently while going through an old album, I stumbled upon a timeworn group photograph from my school days, the kind where the class teacher and the school principal are seated in the middle, and the kids are stacked neatly around them. As I muse about my own childhood days and try to remember the names [...]