Kids and one-upmanshipVishy KurugantiJune 20, 20121 minsPic: courtesy cartoonstock.com The conversation below is between four Indian kids. Indian kids who know that marathon equals the precise distance of 42.2 km and isn’t a modifier like “5k marathon” or…
When Bokaro Steel Plant and America almost had a date…Vishy KurugantiJune 18, 20127 minsBokaro Steel Plant main gate (Pic: courtesy sail.co.in) In Ambassador’s Journal, John Kenneth Galbraith writes about many interesting things during his tenure as US Ambassador to India. The snippets…
It’s all a vast upper body conspiracy!Vishy KurugantiJune 14, 20124 minsIt’s been a little over 3 months since I changed my running shoe. I fuss and obsess over my new shoe like never before. To the extent that I’ve taken to washing them after every run. Strange, huh? My…
Of leaky boats and writing in the connected ageVishy KurugantiJune 04, 20122 minsPic: courtesy telegraph.co.uk A writer is tasked with writing an article. His progress is akin to a man’s exertions on a paddle boat. Smooth rowing strokes at rhythmic intervals gets him closer and…
A Quiet Violence (view from a Bangladesh village) – an excerptVishy KurugantiMay 31, 20121 minsPic: courtesy Amazon.com In Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo’s book, Poor Economics, they reference the following story from Betsey Hartman and Jim Boyce’s book – A Quiet Violence (view from a…
Second batch of friends arrived a few months agoVishy KurugantiMay 20, 20122 minsBringing 15 boxes of friends home – the post that started it all off. This post recounts the voyage of our second batch of friends, henceforth dubbed as Part 2 of the series. In Dec 2011, my brother…
How NOT to order green tea in JapanVishy KurugantiMay 15, 20122 minsPic: courtesy japaneserecipes.wikia.com Sheena Iyengar, in her fascinating book on choice – The Art of Choosing, shares numerous stories demonstrating the cultural psychological differences between…
James Gatlin – on competing with the fastest man in the worldVishy KurugantiMay 13, 20121 minsJames Gatlin, after winning the 100m race at the Diamond League in Doha American sprinter James Gatlin, who’s just coming off a doping-induced ban, talks about competing with the fastest man in the…
Beirut in April (circa 1961)Vishy KurugantiApril 22, 20122 minsKhalil Gibran parc in Beirut In Ambassador’s Journal, John Kenneth Galbraith writes about his 3-day layover in Beirut, enroute to India — where he would begin his tenure as US Ambassador to India…
Why some blog posts have a longer gestation periodVishy KurugantiApril 22, 20122 minsYears ago, during my time at Yahoo, I had a manager (let’s call him “X”) who exhibited an interestingly annoying behavior. He would promptly respond to all my tactical emails but When it came to the…
