My Musings

The summer of 1996 holds a significant place in my memory. I vividly recall the experience of watching the epic movie DDLJ on a Video Cassette in the comfort of my home. Just around the climax, the sound system started screeching (VHS tapes of terrible 90s). I was tearing up and pining for Simran to join her beloved Raj, but I couldn't hear what Simran's wretched father was saying! It spoiled my entire movie experience and scarred my memory in ways one can't imagine. Twenty years later, the screech still rings in my ears, giving me jitters.   It was weeks later that I learned about the iconic dialogue, much to my dismay- Jaa Simran jaa ! While I enjoyed the 3-hour-long movie to bits, smiling, weeping, and praying for Simran, the last 3 minutes wrecked my memory of the iconic film.     Tyranny of the Remembering Self The moment stuck with me for many years. Why did three hours of sheer joy not matter? Why did those three minutes of agony shape my experience? It was on...

This is a momentous week to recall the pivotal year of 1991 in India's history. 1991 was a remarkable period in the country's history. India was at a crossroads, which was a fancy way of saying we were bankrupt. The cabinet secretary handed a note to the newly sworn-in PM. He looked at it bewildered and asked, " Is the economic situation that bad?"  The non challant response — "No Sir... It's worse!" Thus began unraveling the story of the reforms. The options for the intellectual and the diligent finance minister were straightforward: a simple three-point plan: devaluing the rupee, liberalizing trade, and disrobing the license raj.    Unlike a corporate leader who could simply draft a policy, issue a memo, and expect compliance, the economic reforms were not corporate boardroom drama. The Oxford-educated finance minister was not making chess moves but making strategic maneuvers. But there was a democracy at pla...

A troubling trend of glamorizing ' early quits' is gaining momentum. A Google search will throw up a plethora of blogs on how empowering it is to quit your day job. Those blogs will subtly remind you that the author is a so-and-so from IIT or NIT. Just as your eyebrows perk up, will follow the next sentence: worked in Mckinsey, Goldman, or other such hallowed enterprise. Now you are mighty impressed. Hey, hold on! Did you miss that the person was a Managing director or a company co-founder? He gave it all up to lead a mundane life. Now, a small tear escapes your eyes as if you were likening them to Buddha or Gandhi. The rest of the fleeting essay concerns renunciation. One can't help but make a virtue out of giving up the Outlook mailbox. Of course, who can slip the virtue signal about letting go of a payslip? Here is where Gandhi and Ambedkar appear. Gandhi was an upper-caste Baniya whose family consisted of uber-rich merchants. His father was a prime minister of Porbandar...