MOMO Gormandizers AnonymousVishy KurugantiAugust 02, 20202 minsMomo: a type of steamed dumpling with some form of filling. Original traditional delicacy from Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Ladakh, Darjeeling, and Northeast – now mainstream Indian fare I’ve heard some of…
If only giving up desires was this easyVishy KurugantiJuly 31, 20201 minsThe great sage Ramakrishna from a conversation on Aug 24, 1882: “Sometimes I used to assume a rajasic mood in order to practice renunciation. Once I had the desire to put on a gold-embroidered robe…
At the left hand of GodVishy KurugantiJuly 09, 20202 minsBut everyone can make a beginning. Things to do in the morning: 1) First, I remember that I’m going to die. This gives urgency to the way I will live that day. 2) Second, I spend 5 minutes in…
The asthmatic who went up a hill but came down a mountainVishy KurugantiJuly 05, 20203 mins“Hey V, are you carrying your inhaler? R is having an asthma attack further up the trail.” It was day #6 (of our 3-week trek from Uttarkashi to Yamunotri) and my first reminder that I was an asthmatic…
Tiny Habits, as explained by Goscinny & UderzoVishy KurugantiMay 31, 20201 minsIf you’ve not heard about Dr. BJ Fogg or Tiny Habits, let me suggest this 800-word primer on the habit guru’s key principles. If you are struggling with an unambiguous definition of tiny, the masters…
Lockdownland – a documentary by BBC’s David ReidVishy KurugantiMay 24, 20201 minsI first met David Reid (one-man-army BBC documentary maker) in late 2014. A meeting that started off with a cold call to the mGaadi call center with “Hey, you guys seem to be transforming auto…
In defense of idol worshipVishy KurugantiMay 02, 20201 minsA source of controversy and a massive source of division between the major religions that believe in form/idol worship (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism) and those for whom it is anathema (Christianity…
Subhadra is a horseVishy KurugantiMay 01, 20202 mins[Editor’s Note: My mother, a late adopter of the Internet, used to write the loveliest of letters to her children pre-Internet era. The letters stopped after I returned to India. In the past few years…
The well-grounded runnerVishy KurugantiApril 11, 20202 minsYears ago, when I shared one of my posts on barefoot running (or cold showers) on Facebook, my friend Ramesh Pai shared this interesting anecdote: You’ll be amused to know about this Polish guy that…
On suppression vs dissipation of desireVishy KurugantiApril 04, 20201 minsMy Jiddu Krishnamurti friend painstakingly reminds me that desire suppression is very different from desire dissipation. Between the two, the latter is desirable (pun intended) because suppression…
