In 2010 when I started the blog Business to Buddha, my hypothesis was simple – there is a connection between business, economics, management and spirituality. At that time, I found it very logical. But today, I sometimes stop and ask myself – does it still stand true? Or was it only a nice thought to start a blog? I go back to Buddha’s teaching of dependent co-arising – we grow when others grow. In business Read more…
Occasionally, I share stories from Indian culture with my daughter – Adviti. Though, we’ve not watched the recently released movie Mahavatar Narsimha, but I have read the story of Bhakt Prahalad in the form of Amar Chitra Katha for her. I wish I get more time with her to explore, once she grows up, it would be the other way round, probably she would not have time for me. Last December when we went to Read more…
Mind’s chatter rarely stops. On that fateful day more than a year ago, even though I was riding my two-wheeler, mind was rambling, 9:05 am I will reach home. We will have breakfast, by 10:00 am or so we will take a stroll in the society. By that time Adviti will be back from her dance class. We would get ready by 11:00 am spend some time at home and start for social gathering followed Read more…
“When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on”. This was one of my MBA batchmate Rachita’s status message. I am talking about 2010-11. I asked her, what is the meaning? Why have you put it? She explained it to me, the context was our tiring coursework and demanding content. I kept it in my blog drafts and I loved the concept, finally returned and writing this after 14 Read more…
The past few months have been intensely demanding. Even when I wanted to write or reflect, I simply didn’t have the time. Ironically, the only quiet moments came while taking a bath—and during those moments, I often wished for a wireless connection to my brain, just to download my thoughts directly. This constant “busy-ness” wasn’t just professional; it touched every part of my life – personal, familial, and work-related. Of the three, my professional commitments Read more…
It happened about 30 years ago. We were in our early teens, returning from NCC camp. One of my close friends and fellow cadets Ashish Awasthi asked me – “Pravin, whats your take on solving bigger problems of India such as cleanliness?” It is ironic, we were at Indore bus stand it was dirty. By the way Indore is the cleanest city now in India! I was one of those ultra-aggressive and kind of Subhash Read more…
I had the privilege of visiting several temples in Tamil Nadu last month, including the iconic Rameshwaram, one of the Char-Dhams for Hindus. It was an eye-opening experience that stirred memories of my younger days in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, where I visited temples more frequently. Over time, however, my visits had become less frequent. The reasons were a plenty. Two that I feel important to discuss include first there is “no conversation” and second mostly Read more…
Recently, I had an intriguing conversation with my friend Vikas on our society’s basketball court. Vikas is an excellent practitioner of Yoga, and he does his practices often around the court. Though we had never discussed spirituality or meditation before but this time we discussed not only work, books but also the Indian spiritual masters. After exchanging New Year pleasantries, we found ourselves talking about the impact of AI on our lives and businesses. It Read more…
Many a times, one thought triggers another and one goes on a long trip sitting at one place. My travel recently had been the same. The collarbone fracture that is still healing has taken me on many trips, here is one where I ended up questioning myself – is it self respect or ego? Our return train journey from my sister’s home was turning into an unexpected adventure. We did not get a reservation, forcing Read more…
A few weeks ago, a scooter accident shattered more than just my collarbone. It cracked my illusion of control. I’m always been a confident, “in-charge” kind of person, a planner – “get-things-done” kind of guy, proactive with reflexes sharper than most. Just after the spill, the first blow was to my self-image. With reflexes honed from years of being a decent athlete (trophies gathering dust are proof, at least!). The Fall: Let me rewind. I Read more…
