Rules are good. Following processes makes sense. TILL IT DOESN'T. Knowing the difference on when to insist on process and when to think bigger picture is critical. Lest one make a fool of oneself and be Penny-wise, Pound Foolish.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2026/02/26/p...
My thoughts on the IYC protest at the Global AI summit and the reactions it has provoked.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2026/02/21/h...
With #RepublicDay2026 coming up, I reflect on what it means to 'celebrate'.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2026/01/25/c...
I managed to read some great books this year; apart from consuming podcasts that kept me seeking more like an addict. From my 2025 reading, these are the books I would like to recommend.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/12/31/r...
Conversations with university mates reminds me of Douglas Adams, the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and Somebody Else's Problem Field.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/12/23/s...
The Great Shamsuddin Family (Review)
In the middle of macho, hate-filled, nationalistic nonsense that passes for mainstream Hindustani cinema these days, the movie comes across as a a rare calm spot.
Anusha Rizvi excels as the Writer Director.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/12/14/t...
I am now of an age where conversations with friends are often dominated by 'parental care'. I am also of an age where 'old-age' knocks at my own door. I reflect on challenges that care-givers face.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/10/27/c...
Can never think of Dorothy Parker w/o remembering what she apparently said to her publisher - “Tell him I was too fucking busy-- or vice versa.” 😈
04.09.2025 06:23 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
^^ This is from a historian talking about post Trujillo era in the Dominican Republic. It applies to many countries, my own - India, as well.
I am reading @alexvont.bsky.social's book Fallen Idols.
(Another good to read to know more about Trujillo is Mario Vargas Llosa's Feast of the Goat.)
"Knowledge of history has been reduced to meagre levels, so that most of the population lacks information about what happened."
"The educational system does not provide tools for critical thinking, which affects the difficulty of conceptualising the historical past."
How Warmongering Necessitates Humanitarian Aid
The one way to not feed war machines is TO NOT PROMOTE AND/OR START WARS. The WSJ article "How Humanitarian Aid Feeds War Machines" sidesteps the root cause of conflict. I offer a rebuttal.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/08/11/h...
I introduce Daniel Boorstin's 1961 book The Image. The book remains even more relevant today; we need to understand how we are living in a bubble away from reality.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/07/22/t...
I introduce Daniel Boorstin's 1961 book The Image. The book remains even more relevant today; we need to understand how we are living in a bubble away from reality.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/07/22/t...
My review of Aghaat, a movie released 40 years ago. Why now? Cos it has learning for us today.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/07/10/a...
A tweet extolling efficiency sends me down the memory lane and leads to a mini-rant on how we over-glorify the wrong things (in my opinion, of course) and miss out on what it means to be human.
Add idleness to your life.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/07/04/a...
To counter the frequent, vile rants about slums in Indian cities, I post something I wrote on Quora few years ago. Privileged folk in India need a real education. Slums are a manifestation of a failed rural livelihood and urban housing mechanisms.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/07/01/s...
Stolen (A review)
I saw #Stolen on @PrimeVideoIN and loved it. I write here to say why, without giving too much of the plot away.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/06/09/s...
Capitalism didn't give us the internet.
Large-scale cooperation, open protocols, and free software gave us the internet. Capitalism gave us mobile sites that don't work because fifteen ads cover the screen.
My synopsis of Robert F. Mager's "Goal Analysis", a book that remains relevant 50+ years after it was published.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/05/01/g...
The Hindu Gods of Ancient Syria by Sam Dalrymple. Loved the last line "What a crazy world the bronze age was…"
It seems that the apple doesn't fall far away from the tree, eh @willdalrymple.bsky.social?
open.substack.com/pub/travelso...
The Cynefin Framework is a way of thinking. In an uncertain world, Cynefin reminds us that not all problems are alike and hence not all solutions are alike.
Part of my series on demystifying development jargon
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/04/18/c...
Indian media personalities are also becoming international icons. See how Bill Maher had adopted their style and approach.
14.04.2025 14:55 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
#BookRecommendation
IRU : The Remarkable Life of Irawati Karve by Urmilla Deshpande and Thiago Pinto Barbosa.
My take on #Santosh, a movie that may never see release in India because of an over-reaction by government of India. I cannot figure this out. It is not as if these things have been not been shown earlier.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/03/31/s...
My reflections on the Netflix mini-series #Adolescence. The questions it raised. The thoughts it provoked. And why you should watch it.
makarandimpressions.wordpress.com/2025/03/21/a...
#BookRecommendations2025
Conclave, by Robert Harris. I watched the movie first and then read the book. I am not surprised that the movie won the Academy award for Best Adapted Screenplay. They haven't deviated much from the well written book.
#BookRecommendations2025
Annie Zaidi's "Prelude to a Riot".
"Please read out of the syllabus. A syllabus is 'set' for you. You understand? It is 'set' by people whose job it is to limit your knowledge." Garuda Sir, a fascinating character now in short supply in India.
In John Grisham's The Pelican Brief, POTUS is shown to be a weak, indecisive man uninterested in governance, leaving it all to his chief of staff. He spends his time inviting people in his administration to play golf. Only those he can beat and humiliate, ofc.
Art or life?
This is NOT prose, it's poetry. What writing by @willdalrymple.bsky.social in The Golden Road. ❤️
This passage describes the sculpture of Vishnu in the Varaha avataar at Udaygiri.
Image from Wikipedia.
Overstepping.
28.02.2025 07:37 — 👍 11 🔁 5 💬 1 📌 0