Reading Between the Stripes

Today wars are raging across continents—from Europe to Asia to Africa—and there is confusion in every mind around “who is the victim.” Every conflict carries two sides—sometimes more. Between the labels of oppressor and oppressed, protector and predator, lies everyone’s own truth, built upon fear, vulnerability and greed.

That made me think about something far simpler.

The life of the humble zebra.

The zebra is one of nature’s most beautiful creations—graceful, patterned, peaceful. Yet, for generations, it has lived under constant threat from the lion, with no real strength to fight back. While the lions come in a pack, the zebras are unable to mobilize their own kind to defend themselves.

It is difficult not to feel for the zebra.

Why does it continue to endure, simply running for its life across endless plains, century after century?

If evolution is a fact, it is tempting to wonder why the zebra did not, metaphorically speaking, “invent a machine gun” to kill the lions.

Maybe it has adapted—but its progress lies in quiet resilience, in the rhythm of running, grazing, escaping, and living on. There is perhaps wisdom in this surrender to the natural order.

So the zebra lives within this reality—at peace where it can be, alert where it must be, grateful for another day.

Now, if you were the grass, enduring this endless aggression from the zebras day after day, how would you see the zebra and the lion?

Would the zebra be your monster—the one that devours you without pause—and the lion your protector, the one that keeps that hunger in check and allows you to grow back?

Think about it.

What an AI Hit Song Reveals About Human Bias

We’ve created a fresh new record — a brand-new chart-topper — but this time, the twist is hard to ignore. The singer isn’t one of our kind. It isn’t a human. It isn’t even a living being.

“Walk My Walk” by Breaking Rust has taken the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart for the week ending 8 Nov 2025. A gritty voice, a tough persona, a story sung straight from the soul… except that the owner of the voice doesn’t have a soul at all. Not a single breath in that track belongs to a real person. The entire song was created by AI.

What truly struck me isn’t the technology — it’s our reaction.

For centuries, humans have sorted themselves into categories: race, colour, creed, class. We love our boxes. We assign value, expectations, and limits based on these labels. We decide who gets the spotlight and who never stands a chance.

Then comes AI — a voice with no identity, no lineage, no demographic — and suddenly the boxes don’t matter. Yet millions are listening, streaming, embracing… even believing the emotional weight of the song. And they’re doing it without asking a single question about its origins.

Or maybe there is another layer behind the scenes.
A quieter one. A more unsettling one.

Perhaps it isn’t the “artist” winning at all — it’s the algorithm underneath, nudging it upward. The same algorithm that decides what rises, what trends, and makes sure my posts get buried as soon as I put them out. An AI-generated artist reaching No. 1 might simply be the system manipulating for one of its own — the earliest sign of AI influencing not just what we consume, but what we consider worthy.

And that brings me to the part that may be the great leveller.

If we can suspend judgment and prejudices for a piece of art created by a machine — why is it so hard to do the same for another human being?

AI may be rewriting creativity, art, and even authenticity. But its greatest power might be this:
It holds up a mirror — reflecting not its flaws, but our own.

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🔗 Read Reflect Rejoice

The Price of Air

 

Photo not of the airline in the post

It’s not that I haven’t traveled by budget airlines before. I remember the good old days when we flew from Kuwait City to Bahrain many years ago. A new low-cost carrier had just launched, and — as unbelievable as it sounds — the taxi fare to the airport cost more than the air ticket itself.

But that was another time.

Recently, I booked a ticket with a well-known full-service carrier. For the first leg, I accepted a connection operated by their budget subsidiary. I felt rather pleased with myself — a comfortable trip, minimal layover, and the convenience of starting right after office hours. What could go wrong?

I didn’t expect the flight to be eventful — and thankfully, it wasn’t. But it was certainly entertaining in its own way. The in-flight announcements were where the real show began. It was almost like sitting in a marketplace, with hawkers enthusiastically pushing their merchandise.

They started innocently enough: an offer to upgrade to seats with extra legroom, followed by the familiar spiel about snacks and drinks for purchase. Fair enough — short flight, low expectations — although these were supposedly included, given that I’d booked with a full-service airline. I even declined my snack, generously giving the airline a chance to resell it at a premium.

Then came the twist. The crew cheerfully announced that, yes, the aircraft did have an onboard entertainment system. And yes, we could absolutely enjoy it — provided we were willing to rent a pair of headphones.

I sat back, amused. It wasn’t just the absence of a free service that caught my attention, but the brilliance of the commercial logic behind it. The infrastructure for entertainment was all there — screens, movies, the works — but the means to listen was an upcharge. A masterclass in microtransactions.
A reminder that when it comes to creativity — the sky is the limit, quite literally.

A few savvy passengers came prepared with their own headphones, outsmarting the system — or maybe they were frequent travelers. Meanwhile, the toilets weren’t exactly “pay and use” that day, but they remained mysteriously locked for most of the 50-minute flight, “due to takeoff and landing procedures.”

When we finally landed, I expected a smooth connection through an aerobridge. Instead, the announcement came: we’d be taking a bus to the terminal.

It was at that moment — waiting to disembark, clutching my carry-on — that a thought crossed my mind. Given the airline’s strict commercial ethos, I instinctively reached for my wallet. Just in case.

After all, having charged for the seat, the snacks, and the headphones, who’s to say they wouldn’t monetize the 15-minute bus ride?

It turns out the bus ride — like the toilet, and the life jacket, I suppose — was free of charge.

This time.

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🔗 Read Reflect Rejoice

Tonight, we mourn in silence - Say no to Terrorism

When peace breaks, hearts do too.

Goodbye, Privacy of Thoughts

photo courtesy

The other day, I was discussing the upcoming trip with my wife, and barely an hour later, my phone began showing advertisements from travel portals and a handful of airlines.
It’s no secret that our smartphones are actually very smart — always eavesdropping, quietly learning, and constantly listening.

But believe me, our generation is still fortunate. Our phones may listen to what we say, but our thoughts are our own — at least for now. The generations that follow may not be as lucky.

There are already laboratories working on technology that allows physical actions to be controlled by thoughts. It sounds miraculous — a breakthrough that can change lives, especially for those with limited mobility. Recently, on October 27, 2025, the world celebrated when the UK’s first Neuralink patient successfully controlled a computer with his thoughts. And rightfully so.

But behind that celebration lies a quiet unease.

We are beginning to open the door to our own minds. Once that door is open — once machines learn to read and interpret our neural signals — can we really be sure it will stay a one-way exchange?

What begins as medical innovation may soon find itself in the marketplace, where ethics have another meaning. From thought-controlled devices, it’s only a short step to thought-analyzed advertising, thought-monitored workspaces, and thought-influenced behaviour. The lines that separate what we do, what we say, and what we think are blurring faster than we realize.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning thrive on data — and there is no data more personal than our thoughts. The idea that our unspoken feelings, private reflections, or quiet fears could someday be interpreted, stored, or even predicted by a machine should make us pause.

We once feared that technology would read our messages.
Now, it may one day read our minds.

I’m not against progress. Every great leap forward carries both promise and peril. But somewhere in this pursuit of innovation, I hope we remember to preserve a corner of our personal self — a small, silent space where our thoughts remain untouched, where they can still breathe freely, without algorithms listening, measuring, or manipulating.

Because the day we lose that, we may gain convenience — but lose something far more precious:
the sanctity of our inner world.

Thank you for reading. If this reflection resonated with you, do share your thoughts below — while they’re still your own.

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Read Reflect Rejoice

Adapt or Fade: The Unchanging Law of Change

 

From My Earlier Post

We may resent it, deny it, or even band together to resist — but one fundamental truth remains: a more efficient solution will always phase out the lesser version. It’s not personal; it’s progress.
The key to survival is adaptation — the very essence of Darwin’s theory that has governed not just species, but civilizations and careers alike.

Those of us born before the 1980s have seen this play out repeatedly. We’ve lived through typewriters giving way to computers, film cameras replaced by digital ones, and design boards swapped for screens. Think about it - people with one skill set have been replaced by another.

I remember when AutoCAD first entered the profession. Many resisted it, fearing that draughtsmen would lose their livelihoods and artistry would vanish. Some even took pride in doing things “the traditional way.” But imagine if we had stopped there —.

Every great shift in history has faced resistance. When the wheel was invented, there must have been those whose jobs depended on dragging or carrying loads, warning that the wheel would destroy their craft. Yet, had we resisted then, where would we be today?

The world we inhabit today is changing faster than ever. Artificial intelligence, automation, and digital transformation are the new wheels and AutoCADs of our age. And the pattern remains unchanged: every innovation that threatens the old way of doing things also opens new doors for those willing to adapt, learn, and imagine differently.

Change is not the enemy. Resistance to change is.

Sir Ken Robinson once said that the secret to survival is creativity. The future doesn’t belong to the strongest or the most experienced — it belongs to the most adaptable. Those who can reimagine, reinvent, and rediscover themselves each time the world shifts a little more.

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Read Reflect Rejoice

The Real Story Behind Conflict: It’s Not Just a Number

 Today, I post the following in response to Friday Writings #220: Feeling Deeply

Photo by Kris Møklebust:

Kenny Rogers once sang, “Sometimes you have to fight if you’re a man.” But let’s be honest — war never decides who’s right; it only decides who’s left once the dust settles.

People lose their limbs, homes, and sense of safety—often for good. Even those who think they’ve won carry scars that never heal.

History repeats the same lesson. When two sides clash—whether nations, communities, or individuals—what gets recorded are only numbers: how many killed, how many wounded, how many displaced. But these numbers never tell the whole truth.

When a report says, “1 person killed,” that ‘one’ represents a much greater loss—it’s just the visible part of a much deeper wound. What we don't see are the deeper wounds—the wife who lost her husband, the parents who lost their child, the children growing up without a parent. These unseen faces never make it to the headlines, yet they carry the heaviest burden.

When conflict arises, not everyone who seems to support you has your best interests at heart. Some will trap you in a double bind; others will be loud with opinions, cheering from the sidelines, urging you to keep fighting. Don’t give them your attention, and never give them your peace of mind.

Most people just want to live peacefully—to work, raise families, and grow together as a community. No one chooses a fight that leaves behind only broken homes and broken hearts. 

Remember: those who start the fire aren’t the ones who burn.

Too often, people use fear and division to gain power or profit. Don’t be misled. Don’t let anyone push you to hate or fight for their agenda.

Every life matters. Every family matters. Let’s not be trapped in conflicts that leave everyone worse off. The real heroes aren’t those who destroy—but those who protect, rebuild, and stand for peace, even when it’s hard.

P.S. Thanks for stopping by! I’d love to hear your thoughts below — your voice keeps the conversation alive. If you enjoy exploring life’s deeper layers, check out “If It's Just a Body, Let My Words Linger.”

The Lost Art of Repair and Reuse

 

Photo by Ricardo Santanna: Link

For three weeks, I drove around with a pair of favourite shoes in the car. The mission was simple — to replace their worn-out soles. The upper leather was still perfect, sturdy, and familiar. Poetically speaking, the sole was giving up while the soul was still full of spirit.

In Kolkata, there used to be plenty of shoemakers, many from the Chinese community. But for three weeks, I couldn’t find one. The shoes still rest quietly in the back of the car — waiting for a craftsman who can bring them back to life.

As I sat on the couch one afternoon, the smell of shoe polish from my school days drifted back, carrying with it a flood of memories.

Those leather shoes we wore as children were worn out by the end of each day — from kicking stones, chasing balls, and splashing through muddy puddles. Each morning, we had to restore some level of decency before school. It was less about polishing and more about covering the grey with black Cherry Blossom. When the leather finally gave way, the shoemaker stitched it back to life. Back then, like cats — shoes too had nine lives.

They were the shoe doctors — the cobblers. Some had fixed spots at street corners; others went house to house on Sundays offering their craft.

Then the sneakers arrived — fabric, plastic, bright, and carefree. They needed no polish, no shiner, no cobbler, and were beyond repair. The little tin of Kiwi sat forgotten, until even Kiwi itself disappeared from the shelves.

With affluence, we began losing the art of repair — that quiet craftsmanship which challenged us to spot the patch. It wasn’t just the cobblers. Expert seamstresses once repaired torn clothes so skillfully that the mending would vanish into the fabric — an art called rafoo in Indian languages.

Shoemakers weren’t the only ones who took the hit. So did the tailors. Once ubiquitous, the neighborhood tailor who stitched men’s clothes has almost disappeared. One by one, many professions quietly folded into memory, swept aside by innovation and convenience.

Yet Indian philosophy has always seen life as cyclical, not linear — and perhaps that’s why change doesn’t only erase; it often circles back. The turntable spins again. Vinyl records return, now as luxury. Fountain pens glisten once more in lacquer and gold. Winding watches tick with Swiss precision. You have bespoke shoemakers at a premium, and tailors who craft suits for those who choose individuality over mass production. Cars with manual gearshifts roar again — toys for those who can afford nostalgia.

When the common man moves on, the old ways sometimes make a comeback — polished into object de désir.

Shoes, pens, suits, records — it was never just about the objects. It was about the rituals, the hands that kept them alive, and the rhythm they brought to our everyday life.

Winds of change sweep through, taking much with them. But sometimes, the wind circles back — and what was once ordinary returns, perfected by technology yet dressed in memory.

P.S. If you enjoyed this reflection, share it to keep the art of repair and reuse alive at least in our memories — and explore this Japanese Concept of "mottainai' that celebrate the beauty of everyday life without waste.

The Three Futures of Humanity: How Technology Could Redefine What It Means to Be Human

Photo by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz

As technology accelerates faster than our collective understanding, humanity stands at a quiet crossroads. The choices we make today — about wealth, biology, and artificial intelligence — may soon redefine not only our societies but the very essence of being human. 
And we cannot be sure that future generations will be grateful for the world we leave behind. As the economic divide widens, the outlines of a new social order begin to emerge — one that may divide humanity into three broad groups:

1. The Rich — the “Ranchers”: those wealthy enough to purchase longevity, intelligence, and prosperity through biological and technological enhancement.

2. The Hybrids: engineered beings, part human and part machine, designed for efficiency — lab-grown sapiens created to serve specific roles without complaint or question.

3. The Commoners: the unaugmented majority, living within systems designed by and for the powerful few — unwanted, replaceable, and without real leverage.

As the elite extend their lifespans and influence, they may come to resemble modern-day ranchers, while the commoners live out short, cyclical existences — birth, work, and death — guided, persuaded, and manipulated by narratives crafted from above.

Throughout history, life has evolved by solving problems — each challenge a question posed by nature. Artificial intelligence–powered beings will follow the same evolutionary logic: first answering human questions, then generating and solving their own.

When that day comes, a new reality may dawn — one where the boundaries between ranchers, hybrids, and commoners blur, or perhaps, vanish altogether. Perhaps the greatest paradox of all is this: 

The future will not be decided by machines, but by the story humanity chooses to write next.

P.S. Thanks for stopping by! I’d love to hear your thoughts below — your voice keeps the conversation alive. If this reflection on humanity’s future made you pause, enjoy exploring life’s deeper layers, check out Oubaitori (桜梅桃李) — Each Tree Blooms in Its Own Time.

COVID-19 – Journey from Normal to the New Normal

Sooner we accept the reality that COVID-19 will not go away soon, the better equipped we shall be to endure it. Moreover, when it does go, it won’t be a definitive ending like a project completion, It would fade away rather slowly with only statistics to confirm its departure.

Our history syllabus although designed for a broad grasp of major historical developments, missed out on the pandemics of the past centuries. Absence of these from our collective subconscious left us out of depths when COVID struck. Microbes were the invisible enemy then as now and the survivors will be left behind licking the wounds like the in the past.

The Bubonic plague, which also originated in the East Asia continued for 5 years from 1347 claiming an estimated 75 to 200 million scalps. The Spanish flu of 1918 is more recent and continued for over a year claiming 17 to 50 million human lives.

If history is to be believed, a recession with unprecedented impact on the global economy is inevitable. The jagged rocks will surface as the tide recedes but we should use this crisis as an opportunity to rethink our priorities. Undoubtedly, one of the biggest lessons is the necessity of private and public investment in the health system.

The need for social distancing have shaken the foundation of the very first pillar of civilization, the construction industry. With lockdown in every other city, we suddenly found ourselves at the mercy of the new estate, the digital estate. Not able to reach the offices, the A-E firms finally jumped, albeit clumsily into the world of “work- from-home”.

Another equally old profession, teaching too witnessed similar paradigm shift. After a brief pause, schools restarted classes using available technologies as students got the taste of “Learn-from-home”.

In the coming days this clumsiness will disappear as the change become more pervasive and the technology further augmented. Before we realize the full implication of the changes, we will transition into the world where these will be “new normal”.

The lean business models and where the employer does not pay the utility bills or travel allowances is not expected to face resistance from the business leaders.

Let’s visualize together what could be the “new normal”, looking beyond face mask, 20 seconds’ hand wash, sanitizer and “work- from-home”:

• With more people working from home, the demand for office spaces will decline.
• As people get used to shopping online, the demand of malls too will also see a downward trend.
• When we spend more time at our homes, demand for spacious residences are bound to increase. This might very well set a trend of people moving away from the overcrowded cities.
• Freed up real-estate of the cities will require new functions and new visionaries will arrive at the scenes to redefine the societal priorities.
• A journey of trial & error will begin leading to innovation and trend setting.
• Multifunctional areas that support work & leisure together will evolve as people reinvent spaces for social interactions.
• The geographical boundaries and physical distance will become even more irrelevant as students in the remote countryside will access superstar instructors in megalopolis. 
• Reduction of the carbon footprints at individual levels is bound to bring the clean air & starry nights to our cities.

·     History will salutes the ones who embraces the chaos and opt for a seamless transition into the world of “new normal”.

What does your brain say!

This post is not about bio science although you might have such a feeling and that's a disclaimer.

The brain which is the command center for our nervous system is the most complex object in the universe and the good news is that we all possess one inside our skulls. 100 billion neurons link to one another in a complex but a unique pattern within the lump of fats and proteins. The scientists and neurologists are still at the beginning of unraveling the incredible power of the human brain.

The brain has the power to learn new languages, perceive beauty and remember tens of thousands of individual bits of information. Human brains can also achieve amazing results by easily joining the dots even if there are some dots missing. Our brains can make out the objects, a person’s face or a sentence in a language of our average proficiency.

Let’s take the sentence above as an example. How many of us would not be able to decipher it meaningfully! But this is just a simple one sentence, whereas you have come across entire paragraph in the past with misspelled words and still managed to read it on the fly...without pausing for a moment. 

This is because we have given total autonomy to the brain and it determines the entire sentence based on the limited information based on past experience. Habituation is what brain does when it sees the same old thing day after day. In such situation the brain economizes on the attention and this is the strength of humankind.

But the challenge is to make proper use of the power of the brain as uncontrolled use could also turn out to be its greatest weakness.

We are usually prejudiced based on a few visible traits or characteristics. He looks like this therefore he will behave like that or she is dressed that way hence she is of that particular type. We ourselves have experienced similar situations in the past or often heard our friends and colleagues making such comments.

This is where we need to be rational with our thoughts. Life is full of wonders and wonderful things will happen whenever we keep our mind open and pay attention to what happens around us. We will have better understanding of our world, make new friends and probably develop new lasting relationships.

We have to remember that there is nothing in a caterpillar that tells us that it will become a butterfly. The sentence on the top could well be this without our prejudice.

Jammikunta... a daily pause for a cause

Our motherland is as diverse in its customs and practices as it is with individual and collective social values. Some people despise others’ patriotic or nationalistic fervor. Despite staying outside for two decades, I am on that side of the fence where people cherish these values and naturally the news about Jammikunta gave me a pleasant feeling.

Jammikunta is situated in Karimnagar district, about 140 km from Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana. Life comes to a halt every day at 8 a.m. as people pause for a minute to sing the national anthem. This has become a daily routine of the people in this sleepy town since 15 August 2017, following an initiative by a local police inspector.

After many centuries of subjugation by foreign invading forces, I strongly feel there is a need for a nationalistic approach to reclaim our lost identity. Without a strong identity, I am afraid there will be no we tomorrow but for our shadows.

At this point someone might bring the statement made by the great English writer Samuel Johnson’s statement to the table as a counter argument.

"Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel."

The context of this comment is unknown so we don't really know for sure what was on Johnson's mind at the time. His friend and biographer, James Boswell however, assures that when Johnson made this famous pronouncement, he referred only to false patriotism. As for Boswell’s credentials, his biography of Samuel Johnson, is commonly said to be the greatest biography written in the English language.

I am optimistic that as respect grows, we shall evolve as a stronger as individuals as well as civic societies. 

Jammikunta, showing the way

fair trade & modern day slavery

The other day I took my daughter for her choir practice where they meet two or three times every week to rehearse for an hour. I was strolling in the school corridor looking at various displays, notices and bulletin boards while they were busy inside.

The fourth graders of this Swiss school had prepared a bulletin board based on their self-research and it was very impressive. I am glad that I stood there for few minutes as it made feel more about the plight of the farm workers. Being enlightened early in life about “Fair Trade Practices”, I am optimistic that these children will grow up to be a more socially responsible generation.

They have noted down the following for the banana plantation workers who gets the lowest reward for their efforts as per the banana split.

• Work for 14 hours a day in harsh weather conditions
• Have poor working condition
• Spray fertilizers and pesticides
• Cut down the bananas
• Carry heavy loads of bananas for washing
• Wash the bananas
• Cannot usually join a union

Banana Plantation is only an example but disparity exist in all types of export oriented trade, be it farming or manufacturing. The incident of Rana plaza in Bangladesh in 2013, had shocked the entire world but there are still thousands of other businesses where workers continue to endure hardship to maximize profits.  

I looked up on the Wikipedia for information about Fair trade. Fair trade is an institutional arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions. The philosophy and the core principles are very good. However, what is lacking is its implementation on ground. Licensing unfortunately doesn't help the farmers much, although it provides significant marketing advantage for the business owners.        

Fair trade is grounded in three core beliefs:

1. Producers have the power to express unity with consumers.
2. The world trade practices that currently exist promote the unequal distribution of wealth between nations.
3. Buying products from producers in developing countries at a fair price is a more efficient way of promoting sustainable development than traditional charity and aid.

Being a part of the CIOB, we take sustainable construction development very seriously. Construction is by far the largest industry in this world and we ensure that the supply chain selection process is rigorous. The message to the manufacturers is clear and unambiguous. Exploitation of their workforce will not be tolerated.

Will you be joining hands to stop this modern day slavery!