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Unexpected joy in a kid’s storybook

  Sometimes little joys arrive in the most unexpected ways. During an official trip to Bangalore, I planned to meet a school friend before heading to the airport. She has a seven-year-old son and I wanted to take something for him. I looked at toys but wasn’t sure what he liked. A friend who has an eight-year-old suggested something simple — books. That sounded like a good idea. With his help I picked three books, including one by Sudha Murty and another by Ruskin Bond . Later that night, before leaving, I casually opened one of the books. The cover page somehow caught my attention and I started reading. Soon I found myself completely absorbed in it — almost like a child again. The stories reminded me of my grandmother. She lived far away while I was growing up, so I never really heard many stories from her. Yet while reading those pages, I strangely felt as if I was listening to her. The next day my friend arrived a little late at the coffee shop. Surprisingly, ...
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Corporate Hypocrites: The Quiet Engine of Office Politics

  Corporate politics is often discussed in terms of strategy, influence, and power. But beneath many of these dynamics lies a simpler reality: hypocrisy. It exists at almost every level of an organisation. Not always loudly. Often subtly. And it tends to show up most strongly among a few types of individuals: Insecure supervisors or colleagues who feel threatened by competence Toxic personalities who thrive on control and manipulation Individuals aware of their own inefficiencies who compensate through politics Those with a fundamentally lazy or disengaged work ethic For such individuals, hypocrisy becomes a survival mechanism. Publicly, they may speak about teamwork, transparency, or organisational goals. Privately, their actions may prioritise personal comfort, control, or image. The impact is rarely immediate — but it is cumulative. Over time, several things begin to happen: Employees develop quiet resentment Productivity suffers due to delays, rewo...
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Corporate Life Trick #1: The insecurity paradox

Corporate politics often teaches lessons we never asked for. One such lesson comes from insecure supervisors. They are often effortless in finding flaws, criticism. But there is something that unsettles them more than confrontation. Consistent competence. When an employee: Delivers strong work Provides thoughtful inputs Contributes meaningfully to team goals It creates a paradox. The supervisor needs the work done well. Yet the same competence silently amplifies their insecurity. It becomes: “I need this person’s performance… but I don’t like how capable they are.” This tension can lead to: Baseless criticism  Nitpicking Subtle/ explicit undermining So what should the employee do? React emotionally? Withdraw? Escalate? There is another approach. Stay steady. Deliver quality. Meet timelines. Respect hierarchy publicly. Avoid ego battles. Excellence, when paired with emotional restraint, becomes a long-term strategy. This builds undeniable creditabilit...
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Mood Alignment: The Invisible Trigger

  Mood alignment is one of the most underrated forces in daily life. It can reduce friction. Or create chaos within minutes. No two individuals are alike. Even those with similar habits or preferences differ in temperament, stress tolerance, and emotional triggers. A stressful day. A sharp tone. A delayed response. Sometimes, that’s all it takes. One person’s mood shift can silently alter the emotional climate of a room. The interesting part? The real damage often isn’t caused by the first reaction — but by the second one. When stress meets stress, escalation is inevitable. The person experiencing the mood swing may not even realize the ripple effect. And those around them, reacting impulsively, unknowingly amplify it. None of us want to be on the receiving end of emotional volatility. Yet, at times, we pass it on. Calmness helps. But calmness is not naturally contagious( i wrote about this earlier  https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5100808428698676411/...
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Meditation via a random meeting - an update

  In my previous blog,  https://logicallekh.blogspot.com/2025/12/random-meetings.html   I mentioned that I was stepping into something new — something I had heard about but never truly explored for myself. Breathing practices. Structured meditation. Mental stillness. I had dabbled in meditation earlier in my own way. It felt nice, but there were no dramatic changes Did it transform me overnight? Maybe not but made me feel good. Then the course happened And something subtle changed. I feel better after the practice — in a way that’s difficult to articulate but real. I pause slightly before reacting. I observe a little before responding. The change isn’t loud. It’s quiet. Gradual. And perhaps that’s the point. This “rare meeting” — with breath, silence, and stillness — revealed a side of me that values pause over impulse. What reassures me most is this: The tools to manage our patterns and reactions may not always be external. Sometimes they already exist wit...
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