“Wouldn’t the world be better if more people didn’t have kids?” asks Nikhil Kamat in his conversation with Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank, in the interview for his People by WTF series. (Youtube). In the engaging conversation (as always) marked by meaningful pauses, optimistic vibes, curiosity of questions, clarity of answers, and the…
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“We are not here to make friends..”
“We are not here to make friends. We have a business to do“ It is a comment I have heard more than once in the context of bringing people together and building teams. A fair point, one might say, given that everyone’s worth today in the business world is defined by the quarter. Whether we…
Forks, AI and the Quaint Elder
‘What happens when progress stops asking for permission?’ is the sub-title of a thought-provoking piece by Kavi Arasu published in Founding Fuel. Makes you pause and think deeply, even before you have read the full piece. In life we often find ourselves at forks of diverging paths, and we make choices. But choices have consequences….
Whose Money Is It Anyway? Fund raising, Business Building and Our Misplaced Heroes
A digital media company was bought in 2022 for $50 million. Then in 2025, the purchaser sold it for $9 million. Over 80% of the value vanished. “We later realized that we could do brand building anyway without having to own a media company,” said the entrepreneur of pedigree. Who pays the cost of late…
If a better quality of life is an aspiration….
Last year, a friend’s smart and talented daughter got admission at the most coveted Architecture & Environment / Urban Planning University in Ahmedabad. I assumed they would be excited, as I was. After a lot of debate at their home on the ‘earning potential’ of the degree, she hesitantly joined. Only to drop out in…
The Not-So-Trickling Down Theory
A few days back, a LinkedIn user, Arvind had shared a WhatsApp group conversation from a residential society. It was a déjà vu, as it’s a story I’ve heard and experienced far too many times. These are those conversations. Flared up emotions. Existential dread. Concerns about a world that’s turning completely unfair! Hell broken loose….
Real Problems. Un-Real Solutions
“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” [Attributed to Abraham Maslow] The new and only tool now is AI. The solution for Bangalore’s traffic woes? An AI tool that will let you know in advance where the jams are likely to occur, so that…
Is People Development only HR’s responsibility?
[First published in Economic Times, 13th Jan 2025] The HR function is often criticised in organisations for not doing what it is meant to. The narratives are often along the lines of HR straying away from its purpose, it becoming a compliance function and not a strategic partner, does not do enough to fulfil the…
A Walkable Mumbai
[This was a blog piece written as part of a Appreciation Course on Urban Governance by Takshashila Institution. This article relies on multiple sources for information. All the sources are credited at the end of the article] An arterial road or an internal road. The grey colour Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) van arrives. A few…
Please hold the line, sir, Hum Hai Na?
This was first written and published in April 2007 in the The Brand Reporter and agencyfaqs!. Mein hoo na, Dil Se …Thank you for holding the line…. You are a valuable customer…. Please hold the line while we transfer you to a customer care executive…. You are a valuable customer……. It was the 8th time this cycle was repeating….