After a long time, I met Shri Mukunda, the Sah-Sarkaryavah (Joint General Secretary) of the RSS. Meeting him is always a source of immense joy for me. Ours is a bond that spans nearly a quarter of a century—a journey rooted in deep trust and mutual respect.
Despite holding such a high-ranking and responsible position in public life, Mukunda Ji's simplicity and composed manner of speaking are incredibly soothing to anyone who meets him.
With some people, a mere half-hour of conversation is never enough. You need at least an hour of heartfelt 'Pattanga' (spirited chatting).
In such sessions, there is the nostalgic revisiting of old memories, the keen analysis of current affairs, and above all, a sense of natural love and affection devoid of any pretension.
Such intimate companionship and intellectual dialogue do not remain just 'talk'; they serve as a powerful 'recharge' for the soul. These meetings are like a pleasant sanctuary amidst the relentless gallop of life!
As the saying goes, 'A half-hour chat is just a warm-up. The real wisdom (and the best jokes) only comes out after the 60th minute.' While speaking with Mukunda Ji yesterday, I truly felt the essence of these words.
ಭೂಪಟದ ಭಾಷೆ ನಮ್ಮದಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಒಂದು ಸೊಗಸು.
ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳ ಉತ್ಪನ್ನದ ಪಟ ಕನ್ನಡದ ಅಕ್ಷರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ.
Availability of maps in Indian languages and scripts is important, esp in analytics.
Made this map of GSDP of states, using @latlong_ai Aaloka. It has several script options for labels, including kannada.
My latest #TharoorThink column in the @IndianExpress explains why I have not joined the widespread liberal critique of the Indian government’s “moral failure” to condemn the US-Israeli attack on Iran. India has too much at stake to indulge in the morally gratifying grandstanding that could have placed vital national interests at risk. As the late Kofi Annan advised me, citing a Ghanaian proverb: “never hit a man on the head when you have your fingers between his teeth!”
I must confess that until recently I had never heard of Phool Dei, a spring festival that was celebrated yesterday in the villages of Uttarakhand.
Children gather fresh flowers from the hills and go from house to house placing them on doorsteps, offering a blessing for the household:
“Phool Dei, Chhamma Dei,
Deni Dwar, Bhar Bhakar…” roughly wishing the home prosperity.
In return they receive sweets.
It reminded me a little of Halloween in the U.S., where children go door to door saying “trick or treat.” But what a lovely contrast. Here the children arrive not threatening a prank, or asking first, but giving first. Flowers.
In an age when we speak so much about environmental consciousness, this graceful celebration of spring and nature deserves to be far more widely known.
Just as Holi travelled across India and the world, perhaps Phool Dei should too.
For me, the children of Uttarakhand are my #MondayMotivation
Sharada manuscripts are among the most difficult Indic texts for OCR. Their lines are often long, curved, and rich in diacritics.
We built CURIO, a curvature-aligned OCR to read them.
🧵👇
An interesting exercise.
Also helped brush up my speed reading skills
But the reason I’m sharing it is because embedded in it is a principle that applies well beyond speed reading: You see the ‘big picture’ only when you have a single focal point & eliminate distractions…
(Video Courtesy @UltraLinx )
Today, my daughter came home from school in tears after a disagreement with her friend.
As I sat with her, I realized that simply asking her to learn a Gita shloka on anger (krodha) is not enough. Wisdom must come with a workable method, a concrete way to handle emotions when they actually arise.
That’s when @narendramodi ji came to my rescue, not just with a thought, but with a practical mechanism. One that quietly entered a small, tearful conversation between a mother and her daughter.
Halaga village near Belagavi leads by example 👏
Every evening from 7–9 pm, TVs and mobile phones go off. A siren signals two hours of study, family time, and real conversations.
“No TV, No Mobile — Just Study & Conversation.”
A powerful community-led digital detox. 🌱