Smile :)

Was that my greatest bicycle adventure yet or the stupidest :)

120+km Heathrow - Gatwick - Heathrow at night :)

The stretch from Letterhead to Reigate was a pure adrenaline rush - I had my heart in my throat :)

The journey between two breaths

My fascination for underwater swimming has forced me to pay real close attention to my breaths. More specifically, the journey that begins with inhalation before I go into the water and the inhalation after I come out from the water.

When one breath is all you have, then efficiency and optimisation is everything. But what to optimise against? Maximise time under water? Reach maximum depth underwater? or cover maximum horizontal distance/area underwater? Or a combination of all three? It is up to you.

Similarly,

When one life is all you have, then efficiency and optimisation is everything. What to optimise against (happiness, adventure, exploration, etc.) is the question. It is up to you :)

'Beggars can't choose' is a myth :)

A strange and bizarre incident that made us ponder and laugh. A homeless beggar (at least by his appearance) came up to us while my friend and I were walking in Ealing. He begged for money to buy a burger. I offered him a muffin which I was carrying. He refused to take it and said,

"I am on a diet. Money for a burger will do."

"I am sorry, this is all I have", I replied.

He hesitated and then chose to take the muffin. He gave us a look that he was doing us a favour by compromising his diet. It took me a few seconds for the incident to sink in. He was concerned that the muffin will spoil his health more than hunger! There is a lesson to learn here. Everyone, from rich to poor, can exercise their right to choose. This beggar wanted to choose good health over a full stomach. Who am I to judge his choice :)

MaPa, don't worry. Bhaiya and I have got your back :)

I did my longest underwater swim with one breath only - 25 meters :)

It's taken me a very long time to reach this level of efficiency!

Look for open spaces :)

A sporting bonanza! Watched India Pakistan T20 cricket + Manchester United Liverpool football + F1 US Grand Prix. Today, I felt, it was all about open spaces. In sports, we tend to see where our opponents are. Today, however, it felt like the winning players - Babar Azam, Mo. Rizwan, Mo. Salah, Max Verstappen - could see where open spaces are in their respective sports. A subtle difference. Loved it, despite India losing the match :)

I would like to believe I played a role in this :)

Mistakes in the lines of my fate :)

You will find
Mistakes in
The lines of my
Fate in
My stretched palm
With coarse skin
And yet my
Face beams
Of joy glow
Silly grin
Coz' I run, climb
And swim
And bike through
The rain and wind
May fall down
In slipstream
And that's the
Mistake in
The lines of my
Fate which
I don't mind :)

-Chiraag

Ronaldo and Raducanu :)

It was a pleasure to watch the two of you play today! Especially Emma :)

Looking forward to Djoko and Verstappen tomorrow.

18km on foot + 1.8km in water :)

6km on foot + 3.9km in water :)

London Conquered :)

First, India conquered North London with the win at the Lords and now, India conquered South London with the win at the Oval. Enjoyed it :)

25km on foot + 1.1km in water :)

Enjoyed two Oscar winning movies :)

From one obsession to next - this time triathlon :)

The Olympic triathlon comprises 1.5km swimming + 40km cycling + 10km running. Today, after a lot of practice, I managed to swim 2.1km + bicycle 56km + walked 2.6km in one day. For the first time in several years, I feel I did something equivalent to a triathlon albeit at my own slow pace and a different ratio of activities. This wouldn't have been possible without the support of my parents, especially my mom who swims with me :)

Still underwater like a napping Sperm Whale :)

Jarvo 69 and what a remarkable victory :)

Wonderful two weeks of sports! Now moving on to Linear Algebra :)

The past two weeks were exciting and hectic. I was following the Olympic games closely in addition to my other activities like work and training. Didn't get time to post anything on this webpage. Very tired but thoroughly satisfied. Loved what India, Britain and Japan did :)

Now enough of sports. I am gathering my energy to focus on my next intellectual adventure - Linear Algebra. This is going to be epic!

I resonate with this soundtrack from the Olympics Broadcasting Services :)

The piano part takes me to a different level! A sense of blue fire :)

Excited about the Olympic Games :)

I am cheering for India (place of birth), Great Britain (place of work), and Japan (place of worship)! If the three countries combined win more medals than the USA or China or whoever is on top then I will be ecstatic :)

I really like Virgin Galactic's logos. Better than SpaceX or Blue Origin :)

Feeling sad :(

I was hoping to see London party like never before. Congratulations to Italy. Iodex Maliye Kaam Pe Chaliye. Moving on. Next, Tokyo :)

Finally got my first vaccine jab. Pfizer :)

Trying to be well-rested :)

Federer sleeps 12 hours a day. Einstein used to sleep 10+ hours a day. No, I am not proposing everyone should sleep longer. The emphasis is on being well-rested and fresh. Brilliance thrives when one is well-rested.

Most road accidents happen when the driver is tired. I lost my calm today and I realise that it is because I was just tired. So today is dedicated to complete rest. I can deal with challenging situations tomorrow. Today, I need to recover :)

Life-expectancy, a historical perspective :)

A long discussion with MaPa brought us to this web page. One of my favourite websites!

Vettel stayed in the car just to stay in 'the zone' :)

"Red flag and restart always has the potential to break your concentration. But I stayed in the car (unlike other drivers who took the opportunity to get off the car and refresh) to try and stay in the ZONE"
-Sebastian Vettel after finishing 2nd in Baku Grand Prix.

Devon Conway, 200 runs in a debut at the Lord's, respect :)

I want to teach my courses in Ozzy Man's style :)

Obsessed with Operations Research :)

Optimise Optimise Optimise!

Fastest, Cheapest, Maximise gains, Minimise loss. I have been creating Operations Research puzzles for my parents and they are loving it :)

India resists Science!

Does India hate science? No.
Does India love science? No.
India just resists science. It will pursue only if it needs to. Only to the extent that will result in immediate returns. Not because it wants to. Not because it is curious.

Dear India. This too shall pass. Just wait!

Every time I talk to someone back home in India, they tell me some relative of theirs has died. My advice is simple - this too shall pass, just wait patiently in isolation! Theoretically, we could eradicate Covid by simply staying in isolation from each other for 14 days. Yes, just 14 days of synchronized, coordinated isolation of every individual simultaneously. No two humans come in contact with each other for two weeks. That's it! On the 15th day, after the last person to have Covid has either recovered fully (or unfortunately succumbed to it), would be the end of it. But yes, this is far fetched and unpragmatic - asking 7Billion+ people to stay isolated from each other for 14 days simultaneously is a tough ask.

For now, just wait!

Happy MaPa, singing and dancing their way through vaccination :)

A new face every day :)

Inspired by the Batman villain Clayface, who can make himself look like anyone, imagine if you had a new face every day. Would you end up losing your identity? Or would you end up identifying yourself with each and every face you take on?

Technically, we do have a new face every day but the difference between our appearance from one day to another is minute. A good reminder that I have a new face every day, a new form every day, new thoughts every day. I need not have a rigid identity. I can have a flexible identity.

This year - F1 :)

I hear Redbull is now a more powerful machine than Mercedes.
I hear Verstappen is a more aggressive driver than Hamilton.

I am told this year is going to be exciting!

I haven't been watching Formula 1 since Michael Schumacher left Ferrari (long long ago).
I guess I will restart following F1 once again before it dies in the age of electric :)

More unnecessary drama forecasted ahead :)

Fortunately, I am over-occupied to be bothered by it :)

Unfortunately, I am over-occupied to deal with it and resolve it properly :(

BTW... My beard is inspired by the druids in Asterix :)

Wonderful Weather :)

I love the weather in Britain, more than anything else!

Need, Greed and everything in between :)

I watched TUMBBAD movie and I am impressed. Highly recommend it. The story is the same as Aesop's fable - the golden egg, something we read in kindergarten. But it is the story-telling in TUMBBAD that's amazing!

"The world has enough for everyone's needs, but not everyone's greed" -Mahatma Gandhi

The movie made me ponder more deeply about Need and Greed. As an exercise, I started classifying material things around me into NEED and GREED categories for a while. Very quickly I came across grey areas. Hmmm! It is a spectrum. Good to be aware of it. The exercise reminds me of the 'minimalism' exercise where I put all my possessions into a bag and then take those things out that I need. Over a period of time, say a few months, whatever is left behind in the bag are the things I never needed!

Australia vs India 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Test series :)

This test series of cricket was not a sporting event. It is a story!

No. It is not a story. It is a saga!

It is not any ordinary saga. It is an epic saga!

At the risk of exaggeration and philosophising - this test series was divine! The greatest I have ever seen (although passively)! With a tear in my eye and a smile on my face, I bow down to the 'story' that was expressed in the form of this test series :)

"Bruised. Broken. But never short of character" -Rahane

I am talking about the test match against Australia in Sydney. India survived 132 overs (792 balls)! Remarkable! This match was a poem! This match was a piece of art! Thoroughly satisfied :)

130 Kilometres in 13 days :)

We walked 18.1 Kilometres in just one day and 130 Kilometres in the last 13 days!

Resuming work :)

Feeling a little bit lazy to restart working once again! But as the great Raju Srivastav says, "Iodex Maliye Kaam Pe Chaliye!" hahahaha :)

This term, next 3 months, is big. I am beginning a new Chapter in my life and career. Unwavering focus, unfaltering patience and an undeterred smile will come handy :)

Something is better than nothing :)

We walked 70 kilometres in the last 7 days. Seems like I am developing a new habit of walking 10 kms each day. I would have wanted some kind of a running habit but walking is fine too. Something is better than nothing!

Unexpected fireworks :)

Well! I thought London had chosen not to celebrate because the pandemic is at its peak over here. But it did in a creative way.

I liked it! Especially David Attenborough's message at the end :)