The Divine Comedy

'Self-Made' is a myth. There is no one who is self-made. Period. All the millionaires anecdotes and rags-to-riches stories that we come across, may make us feel like we are all powerful alone and we can conquer the world alone - but that is far from the truth. We are a social conglomerate and we need to be guided, inspired and navigated by others, people who have lived and worked in the right direction more than us. The fact is that today, we ain't got the time or the opportunities to make all the mistakes we can and then learn from them. Don't believe anyone who says otherwise.

Starting to do something in life, is so similar to when we started off as babies. We didn't know a thing, had no clue about the whats, whys and wheres of any skill whatsoever. Had we been left to teach ourselves everything, most of us would still be crawling the floors and inventing  ways to ask for a sandwich. But no. We had folks to guide us, hold our hands, teach us best ways to walk, t…

In my years with Goldman Sachs, we used to have a series where managing directors and partners would share with the employees - 'The best advice you ever got'. It got me reflecting about what such advice have I received. A professor of mine had once said -
For the introductory years of your career, never worry about what you are working on, or where you are employed, or how much money you are making. What you should care about is who you are working with, because they play a big role in defining who you will be in the rest of your life!And that is exactly what has stuck around with me even now. However, once you enter the corporate arena, you will be surprised how hard it is to find people around you who are actually mentor material, people from whom you can learn how to navigate through work and life. It is pretty much the same situation in primary, higher and professional education. Rarely do you come across managers, teachers or professors who are willing to spend some time …

The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love, and to be greater than our suffering. - Ben Okri

Sketched with ❤ by Sonal Raj

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. - Pablo Picasso


Sketched with ❤ by Sonal Raj

There are many things in life and in the world that catches the eye, but only a few that touch the heart. That is where passion comes in.



From the toddling stages to the miseries of adulthood, my passions have shifted a lot, from governing a country, to making music, finding cures to teaching, travelling to creating art. What lies constant beneath the trivialities of these fluctuating passions is the zeal for progress. I am a sucker for Technology. If I had to dedicate my life to just one thing, it would be to ideate technology. Not the technology that you think you are contributing to by working for the Tech giants, but the kind that pushes the human race forward in evolution and not commerce.

I want to ideate the next clean energy storage, the automated medico-surgical pods, the multi-disease super drugs, the Woosh ( the mach 9 quantum teleporter, way cooler than the hyper loop ) for supersonic travels. I’d be making the neural interface for mind to mind communications, the food…

Procrastination - For those wondering what it is - a genetic psychology journal describes it as the act of delaying a task until a point of discomfort, without any viable cause or reason.
We can all relate to it; it is a part of being human, having a free will. Now, whether it is a good or a bad quality is debatable. I have come across several accounts from friends, family and even strangers, with some regretting every time they procrastinate, to others who use this 'free will' gift of procrastination to be more efficient and productive. And I, too am a victim of this phenomenon - why? - I am about 4 months late in writing this post !!

It is almost the same story every single time. As the Sunday dawns away, we realize that we have blown it again. Throughout the week I feel like I do not have time to cook, eat, do the laundry, write a post, complete my book and do the usual odd errand. And I eagerly lean towards the weekend - stacking up - to finally get some work done in the two…