The art of navigation

January 25, 2026January 25, 2026 ~ Rishi ~ Leave a comment

Hi! I am a motorbike from India. And I am writing this to you, my beloved reader, from the confines of a garage.

For those of you who read some amazing chronicles written by my riders, I must remind you that I am still the same good ol’ bike. And for those of you who romanticised riding me, watching someone in the movies, let me promise you that there are still thrills to be had riding me.

But I am writing this note to you for something more basic. To appeal to you to save me. From ignominy.

Why? You may wonder. Let me tell you.

You see, when I started riding everywhere all those years ago, my partners (riders) loved me immensely and took care of me like their family member. They used to be careful driving me around, taking pride in being a motorbike rider.

Then, as times changed, more and more of those sophisticated riders switched to cars for their everyday activities. I became a leisure toy for some, while for others I was relegated to their garage, or worse still, sold off.

Nowadays, I am being driven around mostly by people who are in a hurry. Those who want to beat the traffic on the roads and whoosh past everyone. They see me only as a utility vehicle, secretly still wishing they had a car.

So, they drive as if they are possessed by a spirit. “Get me there quickly” is their motto and they swish and whoosh past anyone and everyone. No regards to how others are driving, or who they are. Such is the hurry that some of them are fine with even jumping on to footpaths or drive on the wrong side of the road.

Then, there are those who are navigating the roads as if they are playing roadrash, the game that made me famous with the cool kids of the 90’s. So, they twist me at odd angles, without any respect for me. Sometimes, I brush off against other vehicles, who call me names.

And that’s the butt of my problem. When the fellow citizens walking or driving alongside see these riders commit these acts, it is I who get sullied. “These bikes are a nuisance”, I heard one saying. Another recalled how she had almost been overrun by one a few days back.

I can only look at those exasperated faces, for I am only a machine being driven around. Without intelligence. For now.

Actually, I am waiting for all this AI and Machine Intelligence to come to my rescue. I would then have the power to not do anything wrong. And hopefully, I will regain my respect among the few enthusiasts who still wish they had a bike…

Or perhaps, if you read this and like it, maybe for the time being it may give some intelligence to all those who ought to treat their bikes with dignity!

Socially awkward?!

January 11, 2026 ~ Rishi ~ Leave a comment

Joy was upset. It seemed like the worst day of his life!

He had woken up with different hopes. After a day when he had given his all to make his dance performance at the annual bash a success.

Last evening, after the performance he had received a good reception from the crowd, consisting of his college friends and their families. So, naturally he thought he had done well and had posted the recorded video on YouTube.

He had then shared the video on all his social media feeds and was expecting more comments from his circle. In anticipation, he logged in to see the comments and likes. He had got some love from a few of his friends.

Somehow, however, the video had also found traction with a different group whom he wasn’t connected to. And there were some nasty comments on his feed. He was being trolled for his movements and for imitating a famous dancer.

This didn’t sit well with Joy. He took his social media presence very seriously and had been angling to amass new followers. Such trolling could do his reputation harm and make him feel awkward.

He didn’t know what to do. He thought of multiple options, including taking down the video, in the first couple of hours.

Not convinced entirely, he then called some of his friends and sought advice. He even researched online on how to handle bad comments.

All this had worked him upto a frenzy by the evening and he was sitting upset in the balcony. There were a few children playing cricket down in the community area, but he was in no mood to enjoy. He sat there sulking.

As he watched from the balcony, something interesting happened. One of the kids, who was batting, had been slow to start. He was normally a good batsman, Joy knew him. However, due to his poor form today, some of his teammates started calling him names.

The boy, even though hearing everything, chose to ignore. He just focused on his batting. It took him longer than usual, but ultimately he broke the shackles and runs started flowing again. The other teammates who were hooting him, shut down now. After the game, they all shared in the revelry of victory.

As Joy watched this play out in front of his eyes, he realised bad form or a bad day was just a passing phase. If one doesn’t take it to heart or feel awkward about it, it didn’t affect as much. It was he who was making the day worse by sulking about it.

After all, social media was a means of connecting with others and being engaged. One bad post or some trolls couldn’t take away his hard work. Or the fact that he was happy about his performance. Their judgement shouldn’t have made him feel awkward.

He decided to leave things as is and didn’t respond. He also continued with his life normally. After a couple of days, seeing no engagement or infuriated responses, the trolls shut down.

The phase passed. The lesson remained. There was no awkwardness…

“Virtually Connected!?”

October 19, 2025October 19, 2025 ~ Rishi ~ Leave a comment

This week, I was talking to a cousin, a younger brother who grew up before me. We were talking after almost six months. And we were discussing how we had both been so busy that time just slipped by.

The next day, I read somewhere, “the more we are connected, the more disconnected we feel”…

As I reflected on the statement and my chat with my cousin brother, it occurred to me that this couldn’t be further from the truth.

We are all very well connected. We carry a phone with us all the time and we are reachable instantly. But we find it increasingly difficult to call those who we want to be connected with.

It isn’t so much to do with only willingness. Maybe that’s the case in a few instances. But otherwise, we are all just badly caught up in life.

What used to be living has turned into survival. What used to be life has turned into a race…

Not so long ago, there was a time when we would spend an hour writing letters to our friends. They later became emails and then social media messages. Now-a-days, they are confined to mere wishes and maybe an occasional phone call.

Those were the days, when we would just arrive at someone’s doorstep and be invited instantly to partake in whatever meal everyone was having. Now, we plan much ahead of time, and yet find it onerous to arrange everything.

Those were the days, when we would just gather together for a game of cards or something indoors. Hours would be spent playing, without realising the time that had passed. Now, we try and time things so much that these fun times aren’t happening so often.

We are all to blame ourselves for this situation. We thought we are progressing but what has really happened is we have degraded in the one thing that really matters – human connection!

And then, we see our kids, who are already glued to their phones and gadgets, preferring to be virtually connected, rather than in person. Preferring to be online and hiding behind the screen anonymously.

We want them to go out and play. We want them to engage with other humans. We want them to develop bonds.

But we are the ones holding them back. By continuing to be a slave of our recently developed habits. And by setting a bad example for them during their formative years.

Perhaps, this Diwali, we ought to switch on the lights, invite people home, and enjoy being in other’s company! Setting an example for our little ones and more importantly, for ourselves…

The Tangential Line

June 29, 2025 ~ Rishi ~ 1 Comment

A line is one of the most basic shapes in our life. And it’s straight.

Last I checked, straight still remains the shortest path between two points.

And yet, there’s this macabre pleasure people get in real life of forming lines which are tangential or don’t follow the rules of geometry.

As if, that tangent is an art form in itself. And the waviness of the line makes it more appealing!Sort of like , I will do this because I can.

But what about folks like me who like it straight?

I thought this phenomenon was restricted to India and parts of the developing world. But boy, was I wrong. Under duress, most people break! The line…

At Paris airport last weekend, I witnessed this first hand.

With a highly confusing design, the Paris airport is a study in itself. Transiting through it for the first time, I had expected it to be better organized. It wasn’t is an understatement.

Owing to multiple pathways and too many checkpoints, I saw people breaking lines everywhere. At the terminal interchange, at the passport control, at the bus boarding lines, and at the security gates.

Having to scamper through the length of the airport, within the short time span I had to catch my connecting flight back home, I first thought I will follow the rules as everyone does and will get through fast enough.

By the time I realized that wasn’t to be, there were already ten people who had overtaken me in trying to gain faster access. I had to cajole and request some of the airport staff, to make it just in time for my flight!

As I settled down into my seat, and relived my hour at the interchange, I heaved a sigh of relief. I was trained enough in the vagaries of India to find my way through that chaos.

Fresh from this dramatic experience, over this weekend, as we went to watch a movie, looking around, I felt that I needed those same instincts to get my tub of popcorn.

Thankfully, my straight common sense prevailed and I saved myself from going tangential…

The hidden facade

February 2, 2025 ~ Rishi ~ Leave a comment

Varun loathed himself. Sitting in his cabin, he couldn’t wish the feeling away…

It had been a week of intense discussions. It was annual performance review time and being the head of department, he had quite a big team. As was the practice, he had to discuss his team’s performance and share their ratings individually.

When Varun had joined the corporate world, almost twenty years back, he had promised himself that he will bring his authentic self to work.

As years progressed, that was what he was known for too. Straight forward, always authentic in what he thinks and says. People liked him for that.

Then, as he hit the middle management layer, and decided to aim for the higher echelons, he suddenly realized that this value of his wasn’t much appreciated in the new circle.

They all talked about how he had to also be tactful and read the room before saying anything. How he must hold on to his feelings and not let them show on his face. And how it all mattered to the big bosses, how much in control he appeared when he did so.

Gradually, he became the person that he promised not to. Over the last couple of years, he had towed the management’s line. He had not been authentic at all times. And while, others may not have realized it, he did!

That week, as he went through his review meetings, he had realized that he was not being his authentic self more often than not.

In the eagerness to be seen as likable, he didn’t given the right feedback to a few of his team members. With a couple of others, he had been unnecessarily harsh, because he thought they wouldn’t fit in the right category in the management’s view.

That Friday, as he sat in his cabin, thinking through the week, he had nothing but loathe for himself. For how he had turned out to be this unauthentic, facetious person. He couldn’t believe this is what he had come to.

He kept staring at the wall in front of him for a long time, looking back at all these years of his work life and how his behavior had come to this.

Then, with a heavy heart, he got up and dragged himself home. That evening was a restless one for him, he couldn’t come to terms with himself.

His wife, who had known him even before he had started working, knew something was amiss. She sat him down and reasoned with him. She had already observed that he had let go of his authentic self, and had seen this coming.

She gave him courage to find the mistakes he had made in recent times and discussed openly with him on how he thought he could correct those. As those thoughts crystalized, Varun saw the fog lifting from his mind.

Monday, as soon as he got into the office, he invited those few team members he wanted to speak to. He met with them one by one, telling them that he had not been his authentic self and then sharing the real feedback he had for them.

That evening, as he walked out of the office, he came across a picture from one of his older albums his phone had surfaced. It was from the time when he had gone for his first rock climbing trip.

The picture was of him holding on to the grappling rope with fear on his face. It was of a time long gone by, but it was of that authentic Varun he had known for a long time. And who he had recalled today after a long time…