India already had Guru Purnima. So why did we need Teachers’ Day? Maybe because the two are asking us to do two different things. Guru Purnima reminds us to honour the guru. Teachers’ Day should perhaps make us reflect on the teacher. And that reflection is more important today than ever. Once, the teacher was […]
This Teachers’ Day, Can We Ask Teachers an Uncomfortable Question? Read More »
Years ago, during my PhD, I got stuck with an academic problem that refused to go away. The problem itself was bad enough. What hurt more was the feeling that nobody wanted to listen. But there was one teacher who gave me hope. She was articulate, confident, and famously outspoken. The kind of person who
The Day I Realized Fear Was the Hidden Curriculum in Education Read More »
I do this thing where I carry my laptop to a cafe, open a very serious-looking spreadsheet, and then spend most of the time listening to other people’s conversations. As a career coach, I tell myself this is “research.” My sister calls it eavesdropping. We are both right. Last month, two young people sat at
We’ve become comfortable with the optics of empowerment. A woman at the table.A woman in the photo.A woman on the panel. It looks right. It signals progress. But look a little closer and a tougher question appears:Who is actually deciding? Because real empowerment is not about being seen. It’s about being heard, and more importantly,
Representation Is Not Presence. Empowerment Is Not Performance. Read More »
Karnataka bans social media for under-16s. Is this the act of delayed gratification that rescues a generation — or just another policy that sounds brave but blinks at enforcement? “76% of Karnataka’s 14-16-year-olds spend more time on social media than they do studying. We don’t have a content problem. We have a childhood problem.” In
The Marshmallow Moment India Has Been Waiting For Read More »
Galgotias University’s abrupt exit from the India AI Impact Summit 2026 is more than just a headline.It is a moment of reflection for anyone building in education, innovation, or nation-led ecosystems. Because here’s the uncomfortable truth:Ambition without precision can backfire—especially on national platforms. The Story Behind the Incident Galgotias has not built small. With an
Reverse thinking and reverse calculation — that’s what entrepreneurship has taught me. I often begin from the outcome and walk backwards. Perhaps that’s why dreams feel so familiar to me. They are unfinished thoughts, completing themselves without permission. A few weeks ago, I was facilitating a CBP session on life skills with in-service teachers. The
When I Dreamt Schools Had Forgotten to Be Human Read More »
When my father left us, the world did not end, but something very quiet inside me did. It felt like someone had switched off a familiar background sound – a voice that had always been there, even when we weren’t talking. Suddenly, the house was the same, the streets were the same, my work was
Waves of Grief, Ocean of Consciousness Read More »
“Why do I wake up with this sinking dread, forcing myself to that office every single day? This relocation didn’t just move me—it shattered everything I’d built over more than a decade: my cozy home, my easy routine, my peace. Now it’s back to square one—squeezed on crowded buses, dragging my exhausted body through the
Mid-Career Burnout: When the Grind Feels Like Starting Over Read More »
To the grieving parents of Shourya Patil and sisters Nishika (16), Prachi (14), Pakhi (12): Your love was real, yet it slipped through exhausted fingers. To the teachers at St. Columba’s and the Ghaziabad family: You nurture in silos—lessons planned, homes provided—but in the vital interplay, signals crossed, and our children paid. NCRB data screams
Silos of Care, Networks of Neglect: Why Our Children Feel So Alone Read More »
