@Karthik

Cook | Food | #CustomerSuccess | Married @PKhushboo20 | Friend to an InDog| #remotework

[@Karthik @Karthik]

Loneliness is not always about being single. It’s about the quiet burnout that you face without friends.

[Dr Mouth Matters @GanKanchi]

Confessions and realities

42M, 55LPA

I am a 42-year-old man with a senior job in IT. I have a house in Chennai, a supportive wife, and two children. On paper, everything about my life looks perfect. I have achieved all the things society says a man should achieve.

In my twenties, life felt different. I had friends to spend time with. We would hang out at Marina Beach and Besant Nagar beach, watch movies at Rohini, Udayam, and Kasi theatres, and ride around Mount Road on my RX100.

In my thirties, I had colleagues to talk with over tea breaks. We would discuss apartments, onsite trips, and share random stories about life and work.

But now, in my forties, life has turned into a quiet routine. My phone rarely rings for anything personal. Most calls are about office work, bank alerts, or someone from home asking me to pick up milk on the way back.

The loneliness of a man in his forties is unusual. I am not physically alone, but I often feel like a machine.

When I enter my home, I am simply “Appa.” I am the person who pays school fees, fixes the Wi-Fi, and handles repairs. My wife is busy with her work and the kids. My children are teenagers now, living in their own worlds and their own rooms. They love me, but they mostly see me as the person who provides comfort and stability. They no longer see me as an individual.

At the office, I am the senior person. I am expected to have all the answers. I cannot tell my team that I feel tired. I cannot tell my boss that I sometimes struggle to keep up with new technologies. I must appear confident and strong, even when I quietly worry about the future.

Sometimes I drive home slowly from work just to spend a few extra minutes in the car. I listen to songs from my college days.
For those fifteen minutes, I am not a manager or a father. I am simply myself again.

I realize that I have not had a real conversation about my feelings with anyone in years.

My old friends now exist mostly as names on WhatsApp. We send “Happy Birthday” or “Congratulations” messages, but rarely talk. When we meet at weddings, our conversations revolve around our children’s grades or the cars we drive. We never talk about what we actually feel.

The hardest part is that I cannot even complain. If I tell my family that I feel lonely, they look confused and say, “But we are all here with you.”
They do not understand that a person can be surrounded by people and still feel like they are on a desert island.

Society teaches men that if they provide money and security, they have succeeded in life.
But no one teaches us how to deal with the silence that comes with it.

I have built a beautiful life for everyone around me, but sometimes it feels like there is no space left for me inside it.

And maybe… this is what life in your forties feels like.

[@Karthik @Karthik]

@unitechy Yes it started with random anxiety. Reducing it helps a lot

[@Karthik @Karthik]

High time India comes up with laws to stop specific companies from doing these spam calls. Daily it’s a tirade of Bajaj Finance, Some random overdraft or square yards calls.

[@Karthik @Karthik]

@SombirSinghjat1 Don’t like momos or wow or gluten free?

[@Karthik @Karthik]

Looks like Wow Momos sells gluten free momos. Something I never found searching “gluten free” so many times on Zomato. I am sure I am missing some good gluten free stuff like this especially in and around Indiranagar.

[@Karthik @Karthik]

@bibhasdn I agree. But annoying part is when you search gluten free on zomato it doesn’t show up. Even though the name is gluten free momos.

[Varun Krishnan @varunkrish]

Bought a Western Digital SN7100 NVMe 2TB in August 2025 for ₹10239.
The same drive now 6 months later costs a minimum of ₹29950. Crazy how the AI boom is ruining storage and memory prices for everyone!

[@Karthik @Karthik]

@unitechy Where was this?

[@Karthik @Karthik]

@unitechy Let people dig their own graves. This might be a future but no time soon are they replacing these saas tools with vibe coding.

[@Karthik @Karthik]

@mahafreed Ah yes that they do use

[@Karthik @Karthik]

@mahafreed And the masala doesn’t have red chilli powder or turmeric powder from what I remember.

[@Karthik @Karthik]

@varunkrish Why don’t you edit off a local server wouldn’t that save space?

[@Karthik @Karthik]

@mahafreed Most of the time I have noticed it’s their masala powder plus anardana powder they use

[@Karthik @Karthik]

The most annoying thing these days is Amazon guys leaving the parcels at the security gate. Problem is that there is construction going on in the society and the security cabin doesn’t even have a door. And no amount of feedback to Amazon helps.

[@Karthik @Karthik]

@unitechy Fitness influencers with no actual knowledge

[@Karthik @Karthik]

@unitechy Hard to find decent groups honestly.

[@Karthik @Karthik]

Most annoying thing ever is these gas cylinder agencies. First they won't tell you who delivers in your area. Apparently that's on you to figure it out then when they do deliver you have to pay them extra. I miss the piped gas connections.

[@Karthik @Karthik]

Moving houses is a pain especially when you want to set things right. Not that I might have the money for it but those Japanese movers who move houses with unpacking would be nice.