Over three decades back, author and space philosopher, Frank White coined the term “The Overview Effect” to describe a phenomenon reported after space voyages. When astronauts look back at the earth, they experience a profound appreciation for the fragility with which the Earth is held in space. It appears as a pale blue-green dot spinning […]
The Golden Buddha
There is a fascinating true story about the golden Buddha Statue of the Wat Traimit temple in Bangkok, Thailand. Historians estimate that this statue must have been made somewhere between the 13th – 14thcentury. This statue stands ~9’8” tall and weighs 5.5 tonnes (of gold). A true masterpiece, it was revered by monks and appreciated by […]
Becoming a spoon bender?
In the 1999 film, The Matrix, there is a scene where Neo is waiting to go in and visit the oracle. In the waiting room, he notices a little child, dressed as a monk, bending a spoon by merely looking at it. Fascinated by what he has just witnessed, Neo asks the kid, “ How are you […]
Looking and Seeing
Looking and Seeing…. In the book Ichigo Ichie by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles, there is a wonderful chapter on The Art Of Looking. It brings attention to the fact that there may be many instances when we “look” but we do not “see”. There is a story about Ronald Reagan attending a university award […]
When self-belief meets passion
Stories where a strong desire to succeed intersects with the self-belief to create a magical zone of genius, have always inspired me. Here is one such story that struck a chord with me. When he was two, this adopted child of two loving parents, stopped growing. The team of doctors gave him six months to […]
Mindful Non-Verbal Communication
One of the most powerful languages of all time is non-verbal language. It is the language of facial expressions, gestures and the subtle movements of our body. The beauty of non-verbal communication lies beyond the realm of words and what is said. It is what is not “said” that matters the most – the cues, […]
Working with the fear of Judgment
One question that we coaches love to ask is “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”. This question helps the mind think beyond boundaries set by the fear of failure. However, responses to this question bring up two contrasting pieces of information. On one hand there are bold and magnificent dreams […]
What Coaches and D&I Practitioners will love about Frozen2
Adults like me, who love animation, go to Disney movies for the breathtaking visuals, top notch voice work and good music. Well, this time I saw more than just gorgeous visuals, amazing voice over and great music. I saw an effort to go beyond the standard structure of monomyths. There were some pretty powerful illustrations […]
The Poster Girl of Indian Radio!
I often thought that my diverse interests run in parallel without intersecting. Women in leadership, sarees, creative expression, Indian music and writing – they don’t seem to intersect. However, one day I found a happy intersection in form of a unique and inspiring role model – Nisha Narayanan, Director and COO of Red Fm […]
Having Meaningful Internal Dialogue!
Being someone who loves solitude, I have spent a significant amount of time in my own company. Consequently, I have spoken a lot to myself. I have been my best friend and also my worst enemy. However, in the recent past, I have had some of the most meaningful conversations with myself. I have […]