Bicycle Stop

I am always amazed by the inventions that surround us all day. And if we don’t look carefully, we miss them. I was car pooling with my colleague Anson and our car stopped at a traffic light. Keeping us company at the traffic light were buses, cars, bicycles, scooters, motor cycles – moving vehicles of all sizes and shapes. To the right of our car was a bicycle and Anson pointed out to a small invention that we thought was very clever.

To stop a bicycle, the cyclist has to apply break with the hand and lean the toe on the ground to stop the bike. When it is time to go, he would lift his foot off the ground and pedal away. The person next to us created this small foot rest attached to the break so that he could rest his feet while he also stopped the bike. Instead of dangling his leg onto the ground, he could rest it on the foot rest that also acted as a break and the other leg could still rest on the pedal. This simple invention that would give a tad more comfort stood out to as the most cool thing among all the vehicles that surrounded us. Once the light changed to green, all he had to do was take one foot off the foot rest and pedal forward!  Pretty cool, huh!

Cyclist with his foot resting on the foot rest

The foot rest attachment on the bicycle

Walk in the park

I was staying with a friend in GK 2 and went for my usual morning walk. Nestled among groups of homes, GK2 has small parks where people come to walk, jog, do yoga and enjoy the nature. The path is narrow, can hold barely two people walking together leaving no room for anyone else to pass. I went there early enough that there weren’t too many people.  There was a tall, bearded man walking in front of me and a couple of ladies far behind. The man and I were walking at almost the same pace. With him a few steps ahead of me, we had a comfortable  distance between us making it easy for us to share the same path. In the next round, I saw this man who was walking at a fast pace earlier, walk at a very slow pace giving company to an old sardar man. In a pair of beige shorts, stripe shirt, pagdi and a walking stick, the old man was frail and yet fit. Somehow, there was a dignity in his slightly hunched back and strength in his shuffling feet. They were so slow that I had to ask them to excuse me to pass them.  As there was no room to pass, both men stepped aside letting me pass and I touched the old man gently on his hand apologizing.

That slight touch on the wrinkled skin and the grin on the man’s face as he said “it’s ok” suddenly transported me back in time to when my dad visited me in Portland, Oregon. I was training for the Portland Marathon and had to run at least for an hour each day as part of training. My dad was visiting me and wanted to come on the morning runs with me.  He would walk slowly … much like the older gentleman in the park for a while and retrace his steps back to the car and would wait in the car reading the morning paper or writing his diary. I had a tight schedule and had only that limited time in the morning to run and I had to cram as much into it as possible. It was this kind of focus that got me through the training, a tough work schedule and prepared me for the marathon. I would often feel bad that he had to sit in the car for so long till I got back. I would ask him to walk close by to our home so that he could relax at home till I got back. He said that he did not mind it and I did not push it too much either. 

As I passed the older gentleman and the younger man who is walking at a much slower pace now, I thought of my father and wondered if I should have slowed down a bit and walked with him. I always knew but did not want to acknowledge  - that my father accompanied me at every opportunity often at great lengths of discomfort to him just to maximize his time with me.   So, was it OK for me to speed or should I have been more like this young man who was sacrificing his own cardio vascular workout to walk with an older man?

In India, most often, the children adjust to the adult’s pace. I see youngsters choosing careers they hate because their parents asked them to do so, marrying partners they do not even know because they trust their parents’ choice, giving up on the privacy as they choose to be part of joint families. And in U.S, we were taught to be totally self reliant, make choices and bear the consequences. We expected out parents to keep their own pace while we kept ours.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

And in each case, the pay offs are huge in their own way. It is because of that focus that I had, I could train for a marathon, succeed at a very demanding job and spend some time with my dad. That focus allowed me to have the monetary flexibility to have my father come to America, travel around the country seeing places that he always wanted to see and enjoy being with me. It allowed me to grow and learn in ways I never imagined.  It allowed me to take risks, fail, get up again and succeed through my failures.

In India, because of the family support that is available in a joint family, one does not have to worry about child rearing, house hold work etc.,  I have seen people who have set aside their personal passion and followed the family business to grow it bigger and then return to pursue their passion later in life.  In each case, the rules are clear and the consequences are well mapped.

It is when we try to translate each culture from the lens of the other culture that the meaning goes awry. And I have a curious split personality that can demonstrate this point.

If I see myself speeding around while letting my dad saunter slowly, I feel terrible.  I feel as though I was a heartless person. But then, I had to earn money to support myself, drive, cook, clean, shop for groceries, do the laundry, take the clothes for dry cleaning, take the car for a wash, oil change, maintenance and keep some time for my personal passions, be it running or rock climbing or river rafting or reading. Since athletics did not come naturally to me, I had to give it a lot more time than an average American colleague of mine .. just to keep pace, let alone win any race. And that WAS the right thing to at that time. And my father knew this. Since he went to school in America, he knew the pace, the demands and he adjusted to my pace allowing me to succeed.

When I see the young man in the park walking slowly with the old man, I could get irritated with the slow pace, of the hindrance to others who may be walking faster; I could feel sorry for the young man because the effect of his cardiovascular exercise has considerably reduced because he had to walk with the old man. And IF I did not see the fast pace of the young man earlier, there is even a danger of me assuming that all Indians are slow, young or old.  If I did not understand that this was a choice that the young man was making out of his own will, I could even assume that this is a repressive country, which makes people do things that they don’t really want to do.   

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to experience both cultures so that I organized my life to fit a marathon and yet spent time with my dad when he was in the hospital, when he needed me most. I learnt how to keep personal priorities aside to achieve goals at hand and I also learnt how to slow down while. And most importantly, I learnt not to judge from my own personal lens but make the best of both cultures who have a great deal to offer. One of the parting advices my dad gave was never to be guilty of any past actions. He said that no matter what I did, he always knew that I loved him. Even when I left him behind on the trail, he was always with me and he knew it.

Trains and More...

the locomotive parked at San Locomotive 

Travel by train is magic for me. I have experienced everything from unreserved ladies compartment to two tier A/C to first class. Regardless of the class of travel, I find myself transported to another world zipping by small towns, street vendors and bear witness to lives of strangers. A mother combing her daughter’s hair sitting on the door step, children playing in the pond while washing buffaloes, farmers tilling the field or chilling under the tree, various modes of transportation stopped at the railway crossing as we speed by – I can spend hours looking at these fast moving scenes and make up stories. My relationship with trains has always been in the journey and in the physical compartment. 

A few weeks ago, right here in Whitefield, Bangalore, I had an opportunity to witness the science behind the locomotive that actually pulls the train. Across the road from Taj Vivanta and ITPL, where thousands of people go to work in the tech sector, there is a large sign that says San Locomotives with a live locomotive parked by the gate. I learnt of a different kind of technology brewing behind those gates. Most of the railway business is in transporting goods. Many large power plants, stone quarries etc have miles of train tracks inside the premises to move the goods back and forth. The Indian railways do not want to get into the business of moving goods for the company. The goods train drops off the large supplies at the gate of the company and leaves it to the company to handle the movement within their premises. And that’s where San locomotives comes into play. They make the locomotives that pull the goods. And there is plenty of technology in the way the locomotives are made.  For example, the housing (metal covering) that houses the engines used to take a person working for 8-10 shifts to make one housing. Today, they have machines that make it in two hours.  Another invention at San is the two engine locomotive. There are many instances, where the train could go empty to the quarry and come back filled with coal, or it could take equipment to power plant and come back empty. In such cases, the locomotive could operate on one engine when it is goes empty and turn on both the engines when it needs to pull more weight. The invention that got me most excited was what I call “ambulance on track”. Many times, accidents occur in very remote places and it might not be possible for vehicles to get there for rescue. They have created a compartment fitted with all first aid kits including an operating theatre with engine built in the underside of the compartment so that it can go easily to the accident site on the train tracks and help people. Just imagine having these available as mobile clinics to go to remote villages and towns to treat people on an on-going basis. We have train tracks going through areas where there are no roads and products like this could be of great help. 

The barracks from second world war in the premise 

Jackfruit trees

It was so refreshing to step away from the traditional definition of technology of gadgets and gizmos and go to a new world of technology. And yet, a bit of greenery and history prevails. On the premises, the barracks from second world war where prisoners of war were kept are still in tact. The premises is full of large trees – some bearing humongous jack fruit while the others spreading their shade.








Thanks to my friends Anna and Milind, who own the place (or “guardians” of the place as they say), it was not just a tech tour but one filled with personal heritage and stories. A whiff of history, a dose of technology, the magic of trains and the warm hospitality of Anna and Milind maketh a great morning feast :)

Anna and Milind 

James Cameron ….moments away from a historic dive

The world knows James Cameron as one of the most successful film directors but the truth is that he is a technologist and an explorer at heart. Every movie he makes is filled with technologies he kluges together and exploring the ocean is his passion.  And the thing that is most striking about him is that despite all his success and the glamour that surrounds him, he revels in getting his hands dirty with scientific exploration.  A one time truck driver turned film maker is truly passionate about pushing himself beyond reason to explore depths of the universe … literally.  So, what makes Jim?  Who is he really? 

My first real opinion of Jim was formed when I watched him declare himself the “king of the universe” when he received the Oscar for “Titanic”.  And all I could do was roll my eyes.  I was working with a lot of powers to be in Los Angeles at that time and it was fascinating to observe the unparallel talent that pulls you toward a person and the spoilt brat behaviour that makes you walk away.  A couple of years ago, I got to know Jim and his wife Suzy along with their business partner Maria and I discovered a total new side of Jim, who was unpretentious, charming and very easy going. When I interviewed him at the INK conference 2010, I asked him as to what changed him from being that seemingly arrogant man at the Oscars to an almost bearable person today.  Though framed in humor, my question was truly sincere in that I wanted to get to the bottom of this transformation.  And the answer that Jim gave was rather surprising - He said that it is working with the scientific community that brought about the change in him.  He said that Hollywood rewards bad behaviour but when you are creating a submersible that has to can go to the depths of the ocean, you have to work together as equals and learn to respect every opinion that is put forth.  He gave the credit to the scientific community for keeping him grounded.  This is what Jim said.  And then when you look at what he does, he rarely does anything significant (including the trip to India) without his wife, Suzy.  After knowing her, I can say that it is her simplicity and grace that keeps him grounded as well.  

As I write this blog, Suzy and Jim along with his scientific team are on their way to Mariana Trench, preparing for Jim to do something historic - make a solo dive to the deepest part of Earth’s oceans - Challenger Deep.  According to Suzy’s email to me “We are on a Mermaid Sapphire ship and steaming from the small atoll of Ulithi to Challenger Deep.  It is a 16 hour journey……From the time they close the hatch until the time when Jim climbs out of the hatch will be around 10 hours”.  

I can only imagine what it feels to go to the darkest place on earth solo and come back to tell about it.  It’s 10 hours of eternity, of being surrounded by one the most magical, dark, powerful body of water that occupies most of this earth.  National Geographic mentioned that Jim already set a new record for deepest solo submersible dive earlier this year.

When Jim completes the dive, the world will celebrate his accomplishment and I plan to raise a toast to do the same and also celebrate the seven year journey, of his personal commitment to use his wealth and his reputation for dedicating it to science and most importantly, a toast to Suzy because she is his rock and she does it with so much grace.  Please follow our tweets at @INKtalks, @DeepChallenge and @suzymusing.

I interviewed James Cameron as a part of the INK Conference 2010. Checkout these INKtalks videos. 

Part I

Part II

Little pleasures of life

I love saturdays with no plans.  Today, I took my eight year old son son for his long due haircut.  We went to the usual road side shop, got his usual short hair cut while chatting with the barber in telugu, watching an old movie on the TV mounted on the corner.  When we got home, I helped my son wash his hair.  As he sat on a low stool and bent his head down waiting for me to pour the the tumbler of water down his head, I saw all the small hairs from the haircut settled on the back of his neck and back.  The sight took me back many years and reminded me of my dad and our hair cut session.

When I was a kid, my dad used to insist that I spend the entire weekend with him no matter what he was doing …from the time we woke up and brushed our teeth to the time we were asleep, we were together.  Even if he had an important event to attend, I used to tag along with him. Even though my dad was bald, he was keen to get a haircut almost every other sunday.  That sunday morning, the barber would show up at our home, enjoy my grand mother’s cup of coffee and set up a make shift barber shop in our front yard.  Till I was 8, my dad used get my hair cut done along with him.  While my classmates had long, thick tresses, I had a crew cut! I used to get my haircut while my dad finished reading his morning paper and then I would watch my dad get his haircut while chatting with the barber on every subject from local politics to latest medical discoveries.  Even though the amount of hair that needed to be cut from my almost bald father was little, the ritual was rather long.  As he got done, my dad would turn his back to me to pay the barber.  That’s when I would spot these small hairs stuck to his neck and his back and I would take a small hand towel and wave it across his back trying to dust every bit of hair off his back. It was a game .. our silly game. I can still remember small specs of grey hair splashed on his brown neck as though it was yesterday.  In that moment, I was thankful that he insisted on us being together through all the routine stuff of the day.

 I realized that It is in these insignificant activities that we find memorable moments.  As I brushed the hair off my eight year old’s back and poured the water to rinse off the remnants of the haircut, I hoped that someday he would be thankful for these simple moments as well. 

What do INK and South Africa have in common?

originally posted to the INK Blog

Emerging economies like India and South Africa are at a crossroads. In the past, the West has defined the dominant narratives of these places. To many people, India has always been associated with poverty, and Africa with animals – exotic, alien and somehow different. But the image has been changing in recent years, as the world understands that stereotypes do not define the essence of these countries.

From left to right: Chi Chi Maponya (Deputy Chairman of the board, Brand South Africa); Jacob Zuma (President of South Africa); Miller Matola (CEO of Brand South Africa); and Lakshmi Pratury (Host and Curator of the INK Conference)

Part of INK’s mission is to make the world aware of new thought leaders from places like India and South Africa. The story of India is more than popular sports or stars. At INK we work hard to break that stereotype. One thing we do which I find inspiring is our Fellows program, where we bring young innovators from India and emerging economies around the world to the INK Conference, and invite them to give a talk on their ideas to our community. The INK Fellows are the type of people I believe should be the role models for our youth.


That’s why it was so encouraging to meet with President Jacob Zuma of South Africa and his team of leaders from Brand South Africa on Tuesday. The people at Brand South Africa are trying to redefine South Africa to the rest of the world, just as INK is working to offer the world new perspectives on India. While speaking with them I realized they are just as enthusiastic as we are about breaking stereotypes about places, and getting the thought leaders and youth from emerging economies to meet and collaborate with one another.


We’re looking forward to working with President Zuma and his team to partner with South Africa and bring more South African thinkers to INK. As INK grows, these types of collaborations are an exciting part of our future.

Indian Adda

Today is India’s Republic Day and I am miles away from home.  As I wandered the streets of Davos, with snow crunching under my boots, cold air brushing my face, multiple accents filling my ears - I spent the time between meetings munching on samosas and veg kabob (can you believe it?). The India Brand Equity Foundation took over a room adjacent to a restaurant and set it up with hot chai and Indian snacks. The India chefs used the restaurant kitchen to create multiple dishes to cater to the Indian palate. The adda never closed at 7pm as it was supposed to but the hostesses never lost their smile and the food never stopped coming our way.  

As I sat there and watched the activity, I realized that one of the best assets India possesses as a country is the sense of hospitality.I thought of my grand mother who managed to whip up SOMETHING for the indefinite amount of guests who seem to flow in and out of our home; of my oldest sister who gets three blouses stitched for every saree she buys so that all three of us sisters can wear her sarees;  of my second sister and her husband who leave their family and move in with us at a moment’s notice to baby sit my son if I have to travel for business; of my maid who stays way beyond her negotiated hours if we are late getting home without expecting any overtime salary. 

What is common among all these people is their generosity and their innate sense of giving without expecting anything in return right away. Yes! there is a moral binding and an expectation that we all take care of one another in time of need.  In some ways, doing something per rules for which an agreed amount is exchanged is desirable because there are no expectations. It leads to a very predictable life of opening something on time and closing on time and not making any exceptions. And then, there is the Indian way where a shop might stay open because they could not say “No” to their customers, which might cause them to delay opening the next day.

As India matures, becomes a “professional” country, some of these courtesies may die and some more predictability might set in. And as we do that, I hope that we do not lose that in-born sense of hospitality, generosity and make exceptions to stay open a tad longer because the customers are really having fun. I hope that we master that dance taking into stride the discipline of the west and the flexibility of the east.  Here’s to the Republic day and hot samosas in cold snow :-)