Notes (25/26/27) - 2025

Past few weeks have mostly been about music, books, and people. Each in their own way kept me going.

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I attended the IndieWebClub workshop at the Underline Center in Indiranagar, and to my surprise, ended up writing non-stop. The thoughts just kept flowing. As part of the session, we were asked to publish what we wrote, so I did. One idea that stuck with me was finally given a name: Psychological Sovereignty - how we measure happiness, wealth, or success not in absolutes, but relative to those around us. It comes from deprecation theory in psychology and economics, and has been quietly echoing in my mind since. I met Thej, Suneela & Yash and also connected with a few new bunch like Tanvi, Ankur, Abinav and more. It felt good to be around people building things with thought and intention. The day ended with filter coffee and vada on a rainy evening with them, which felt just right.

I published my first YouTube video, a keyboard piece that ended up as Shorts because of the angle and duration. I’ll be more mindful next time, but it still felt like a nice little milestone. Hemanth was my cameraman for the day. I also finished reading Door to Door Bookstore, another small but satisfying tick. Neither was planned, but I’m glad they happened. I am currently reading Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

One of the nicest surprises was catching up with Kaushik and Rohan after years. We met at Phobidden Fruit for wine and dine. It was so sweet of Rohan to remember us after three years and arranged a meet up. Felt like a mini Nepal reunion. Rohan was warm and easygoing, and shared a detailed retelling of his Leh bike ride. Every detail made it feel like we were right there with him. By the end of it, he’d promised to teach me how to ride and I may join some of his marathons too. After lunch, the three of us had chai at a roadside stall, the kind of pause that made the afternoon stretch in a good way. Then we strolled over to Magnolia Bakery and they both demolished the sweet. Kaushik gleefully gulped the rest with full of joy.

Once Rohan left, Kaushik and I got on his scooty and rode to Champaca bookstore, he’d mentioned it casually, and I didn’t need convincing. And of course, I ended up picking another book on Tibet. We then walked towards the metro, chatting about everything and nothing. It wasn’t just the places or the plan but the ease of it all. The kind of day that unfolds gently to carry something soft back home with you.

Work-wise, I couldn’t get much done last week since I was in Coimbatore for a family function. I’ll be picking things up again over the next few weeks. Hemanth’s been a bit under the weather too, so I’ll mostly be working from home while things settle down.