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Some Musings from my Wanderings: Part-1

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The last few months took me to various parts of the world, and gave me a chance to interact with a lot of cab and rickshaw drivers. From a homegrown collective of auto-rickshaws in Coimbatore to G7 Taxi in Paris, through the spectrum of Ola-Uber-FastTrack-RedTaxi-Careem, and the individual operators, my conversations yielded a lot of learning. They can be broadly classified into 3 categories: a) Driving solely on one/more ride hailing apps b) Do not drive for any ride hailing apps and only take offline bookings c) Drive for one/more ride hailing apps, and take offline bookings as well Category (a) turned out to be predominantly those who took up the profession after they saw that cab drivers made good money with zero business development efforts. They also turn out to be the ones who told me stories of unpaid EMI payments and abandoning cars in highways, as the dwindling payouts and changing rules for incentives on the ride hailing apps meant a very unsteady and diminished income. Ther
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No Time To Write

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Entrepreneurship took a full hold of me this year; from a solo-operator with limited offerings, we have now grown in size (12 people), expanded our services (3 distinct verticals) and set-up entities in multiple geographies (3 countries). While the journey and experiences are rewarding and immensely gratifying, the flip-side of keeping-up with this growth is the limited time I get to focus on my hobbies. Especially blogging, for it needs proper time and space to articulate properly, and they are two commodities very scarce in my life right now! Dare I promise myself to spend more time blogging next year at least ? One thing I do not mind (in fact, enjoy a lot) is the constant travel. Though I did reach a point of saturation and got fed-up living out of suitcase during one very long stint in September, mostly it was great to go around, meet varied people and see the world recover from the pandemic. It was good to have multiple destinations and multiple interrelated purposes, and a chanc
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"எதுக்கு பயப்படணும் ?"

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சிறுவயதில் உறங்குவதற்கு முன் சிறிது நேரம் பாட்டியுடன் ஏதாவது கதை பேசிவிட்டு (அல்லது கேட்டுவிட்டு) உறங்குவது வழக்கம். சில விஷயங்களை தாய் தந்தையுடன் பகிர்ந்து கொள்வதை விட பாட்டியுடன் பகிர்வதில் ஒருவித மகிழ்ச்சி. பள்ளியில் மறுநாள் ஏதாவது போட்டி அல்லது பரீட்சை என்றால் அடிவயிற்றில் பட்டாம்பூச்சி பறப்பது இயல்பு தானே. அப்படிப்பட்ட தருணங்களில் "பாட்டி, நாளைக்கு ஸ்கூல்ல டெஸ்ட் இருக்கு. பயம்மா இருக்கு." என்று கூறினால் தவறாமல் வரும் பதில், "எதுக்கு பயப்படணும் ? நீ ஏமாத்தல, பொய் சொல்லல, திருடல. இது எதுவும் பண்ணாதவன் எதுக்கும் பயப்பட வேண்டாம்." எவ்வளவு பெரிய விஷயத்தை எவ்வளவு அனாயாசமாக சொல்லிவிட்டாள்! வாழ்க்கையில் சில மலைக்க வைக்கும் தருணங்களிலும், பெரிய நெருக்கடி தரும் தொல்லைகள் வந்த போதிலும், பயம் என்ற ஒன்று சற்று எட்டி பார்க்கும் நேரத்தில் எல்லாம், ஒரு மந்திரம் போல தைரியம் கொடுத்த வார்த்தைகள் அவை.  சிறுவயது முதல் பல கஷ்ட நஷ்டங்களை அனுபவித்து இருந்தாலும், அவைகளைத்தாண்டி எப்பொழுதும் தனக்கும் தன்னை சுற்றி இருப்பவர்களுக்கும் ஒரு  ஆக்கபூர்வமான சூழ்நிலையை உருவாக்கிக்  கொள்வதில் கெட்
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Side-hustle: Out-of-the-garage or just a mirage ?

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Side-hustle has become a term that's becoming too prevalent in conversations these days. Quite a lot is being written and talked about it, right from " proven side-hustlers " sharing their tips (for a fee, of course!) to groups/clubs, where aspiring hustlers could share tales and grow from their experiences. Since things tend to proliferate too easily these days, often diminishing the value and quality of the very thing, here is an attempt to take a quick look at the phenomenon and maybe help the reader set realistic goals. Why do you want to do it? Maybe it is a long-lost hobby of yours or just a means to make some additional money, it is always good to have a clear understanding about the reason that's driving you into it. " Everyone seems to be doing it. " or " Someone told me to do it. " are not acceptable ones! The reason should be internal, something that makes you seek neither validation nor approval from parties who are not related to it. 
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The B Team

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Of late, words like ‘great’, 'awesome' and 'epic' seem too commonplace; we use them too graciously to show appreciation for even little things. But the recently concluded Australia vs India Test series was definitely a great exhibition of character and resilience, an awesome endorsement for Test cricket, and an epic victory for India, in the truest possible sense of these adjectives! Not having the services of 6-7 first choice players in a team of 11 players, perennially losing players to injuries during and after every match, having a stand-in captain whose place in the team was questioned, being on the road for more than 5 months with restricted access to amenities and strict quarantine rules, facing arguably the best current Test bowling attack in their home conditions, and losing the first match of the series after getting out to the lowest score ever - any one of these is enough to hamper the preparation and deter the confidence of a team. But this Indian team d
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Constants & Variables

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A 5-year old kid wishes to go out and play. Unable to accompany the kid for half an hour (owing to work stuff or house errands), and in order the stop the kid from bothering them, the parents hand-over a mobile phone and say, " Watch YouTube " or " Play a game ". Later in the day, the kid doesn't eat supper on-time, and the parents spend a lot of time cajoling, negotiating (with sweets as a reward) and finally forcing the kid to eat, an ordeal that lasts almost an hour! Due to the lack of physical exertion, and a long time spent staring at the mobile screen followed by a late dinner, the kid is unable to sleep properly. After tossing and turning for hours, followed by a disturbed sleep, guess how the next morning would be at that household! Imagine if most days of the kid's childhood are spent this way, and upon reaching adolescence they realize how much irreversible physical and mental damage the bad habits have caused? We all wish to do something that'
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In Memoriam

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Exactly one year ago, I was travelling in California, staying at my cousin's place and doing the usual traveler stuff; attending Halloween parades, road-trip to Vegas and Grand Canyon. Who would have imagined then how much times were set to change in the succeeding 12 months! Many things we assumed as constants in life have changed beyond recognition, while many others we had always assumed as transcending variables are sticking around longer.  It is like a collective " You know nothing, Jon Snow. " phase for the whole world.  While economies will recover, profits/investments can be consolidated and career paths readjusted, the irreversible loss of lives will cast an everlasting shadow. It feels indecent, intrusive and even inhuman to come to terms with a reality where life is lost over a handshake, a hug, or simply physical proximity to a fellow human, more often their own kith and kin.  My stay in San Diego last year coincided with the date of  Día de Muertos  (The Day
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