Ideas We Believe

I found myself in a rare situation this April. Had things stuck to their schedule, I would have completed my graduation curriculum and would have been ticking off any college goer's dream check-list, which did include a few travel and adventure. But, the situation as of 2020 has a different story to tell. With no end to this quarantine insight, the check-list became an impossibility.  So I took the Coursera COVID offer for colleges and started my odyssey to various areas of studies, my mechanical engineering syllabi had prevented me from. So without much ado, here are the "Gems" on the courses platform, each one must give a shot at.  Model Thinking This course gives an unusual approach to what we have accepted as complex socio-political phenomena. With simple logical and mathematical principle, Prof. Scott E. Page recreates results which have puzzled global leaders. He argues that this approach to reality is a must for all in this 21st century, and I could not agree mo...

Yes, I am proudly a Hindu and also a Nationalist. But its a risk today, the risk being targeted as an Islamophobic and an intolerant. And to a large extent, the fear is genuine, just misdirected. Well, I may have sounded judgemental in the past few lines, so, I would love to present my case. Hinduism is, arguably, one of the most complicated religions, because of the lack of a single discourse, multiple narratives and the argumentative nature of the texts. This, however, has made things simple for the people of the subcontinent, allowing for customisations to rituals and traditions. An excellent example of this is the cultural influence on the religious practises, or even better the inclusion of Jains and Buddhists to the mass umbrella of Hindu dwellers. However, the story has an ugly face over the last decades, namely the partition of India. This has exposed so many fault lines over the years and needless to mention the crooked politics that exploits these frontiers. The appease...

“Treat.” Every time I feel happy enough with my life to share some good news with a friend, that familiar, slightly nagging word jumps out: “Treat.” Quite shamelessly, I’ll then start downplaying my achievement, as if trying to convince us both it wasn’t such a big deal. This pattern repeats so often that I sometimes wonder if “treat” is the truest form of “congratulations.” But what makes a treat so essential? Why does celebrating feel incomplete without it? Why Celebrating Success Matters Psychologically Celebration is an essential part of success. Taking time to acknowledge an achievement imprints a sense of positivity, helping good moments feel memorable even when life’s not perfect. Most of the effort behind any accomplishment isn’t that glamorous—it’s the joy after success that inspires us to keep going. By linking achievement with positive emotions, we reinforce motivation and remind ourselves that life is more than just its struggles. The Social Dynamics of Treats But i...