Whispering Shadow

I woke up today to the news that Chadwick Boseman passed away. He succumbed to stage IV cancer after four years of treatment. In the middle of chemotherapy and surgeries, he played iconic roles that glorified his heritage as a Black man - whether it was through biographies of Jacob King and Thurgood Marshall or through the fictional superhero, Black Panther.  He embodied a commitment to his craft, pride in his roots, and strength in his suffering, all within a short life of 43 years. His death is a gentle reminder of how life is short. Unless we live every day bringing alive our best potential to the best of our ability, we may die feeling a sense of guilt or regret. At the same time, his life is also a reminder of the impact you can have in a short time on many around you. Every choice that you make matters and is an opportunity for you to serve. You can leave a mark no matter how long you have to live. I am not Black. In fact, I am an upper-caste Indian belonging to the rel...

It has been a year since I transitioned from Teach For India (TFI). The year has allowed me to overcome the recency bias in assessing the growth I had in the 6+ years I worked there. If I look back, I see many gifts that I have received from the organization, most of them have been positive, and some just transformational. I wanted to talk about five that have been particularly important. The Ability to Reflect and Learn Most human beings grow in a Goldilock's zone where the challenge is just right - not too high to burn them out and not too low to make them feel bored. Throughout the six years of work, I always was in my stretch zone with occasional visits to the panic zone. Therefore, I enjoyed much of the work I was doing. More than the enjoyment though, the diversity of the work that came with my role as a teacher and a director ensured I was learning very rapidly.  When I transitioned, I left with a bit of an imposter's syndrome saying I was leaving the jack of all trades ...

In a lush green forest By the banks of Kabini, Were centuries-old tribes Mature in their ways Of thinking, doing, and living. The most recurring human phenomenon is Choosing the collective, immediate good At the cost of individual suffering - The suffering of another human, of a living thing, of our planet; And the suffering of our future self. The three words that bind the homo sapien - Today, Me and More. These are three words that drove the tribes away. Humans create new problems The other humans try to solve With our power to do both We think we are evolved. What is good enough? What is the right way to live? What is aspirational? We think we know it all Context is everything Without a frame of reference, do we know: Is AGE a function of the mind or the heart or the body or the soul? Is LEARNING a result of education or evolution? Is a GOAL just a function of my perceived necessity? Is survival not a good enough PURPOSE any more? It's our folly to assume We understand the probl...

I went on a date with nature A weekend in the middle of nowhere A tonne of green, a tinge of brown My mind losing any reason to frown  I heard an orchestra of crickets Sounds of birds rarely found The pitter-patter of raindrops The unending songs had many messages Observe and Appreciate! There's beauty in the small things Like an act of kindness Listen and Connect! There's so much that goes unnoticed Like the voices of those oppressed and sometimes, the ones we love Pause and Think! There's life in your moments worth acknowledging Like a child in a sandbox Why did I love these dates?  My nana took me on my first few ones For him, it was about food and family For me, it was sheer curiosity What made the elephant trumpet so loud? How did we have a roof full of orange flowers? Why did the waterfall make a thunderous sound?  Questions which eventually helped me understand: Why education is beyond schools Why living things have a purpose  And finally, why nature made me f...