Blue Skies Ahead

Hello everyone, I managed to skip the January newsletter and not do any lasting damage (it turns out some of you missed my New Year's resolution last year to make this monthly!) haha no harm done. How have you been? (Yes you can reply to this or share a comment).

If you were in India this month, you couldn't have missed the excitement around the AI Summit! Yes, you would have seen the grumbling and maybe noted some of the challenges (though traffic bottlenecks seem to happen with every major event Delhi hosts), but you had to be there to pick up on the energy and enthusiasm. People were excited to know who was building what, and to see what was going on. That's your vibe check for the moment. I'm looking for smart and critical analyses and will share with those who are interested.

Meanwhile, if you were here in January, chances are you met your favourite author or reader or hosts at the unstoppable Jaipur Literature Festival! Were you there? Did you have a fab time? Did you get your books signed? I was so excited to hear a bit of Stephen Fry, listen to Jimmy Wales X Anita Anand in a truly fascinating chat on Wikipedia as it turns 25 (what?! an incredible moment)...

... also to speak with Tarini Mohan about her book Lifequake (and in fact we will have a do-over at The Bookshop in Delhi this Friday), and to speak on a panel about mental health. To a packed room! Because, guess what? Our beloved little engine that could, The Health Collective (also known as India's first mental health storytelling platform, if you please) turns 10 this summer!!

We will have merch and celebrations galore but can you believe we got a chance to speak to a PACKED hall about mental health at a literature festival? What fun! Also yes there are a bunch of books, please do check them out! Including on my newly revamped site, which I'm excited to share.

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Speaking of the Jaipur Lit Festival, I also got a chance to meet some wonderful friends (old and new), talk a bit about our new initiative with Say Again Press, and even line up a guest for the podcast.

Is it time to finally put our phones down and start thinking about the analogue life?

Say Again Podcast Episode 57

Well some folks like Nishant Jain, the wonderful and super popular 'Sneaky Artist', says not just that—we should take 5 minutes out each day and bring out a sketchbook instead. We'll engage with our environment, be present and activate different parts of our neuromuscular system, and not be bogged down by what the algos are dictating to us, either. This former neuroscientist turned artist and author was at JLF, and also at the Aspen Ideas Summit, so I ask him what he tells the bigwig corporate execs?

Turns out he tells them all about this very life-changing idea.

There will be timestamps for the different chapters on YT below, or you can catch this podcast Say Again on Spotify or Apple :)

Sneaky Artist: You can find his Substack, Instagram (@sneakyartist) or site

This Too Shall Pass

Shorter Attention Spans? No worries, we got you! There are ofc videos and shorts and reels and what-not.

Let's Talk Leadership, Ratan Tata and...Volatility: I also had the opportunity on the pod to speak to the former MD of Tata Elxsi and former MD of Cisco India, S Devarajan about many leadership lessons and tips, as well as his take on the turbulence in the job markets. Here's a short clip for those of you who want to check this out and I hope this brings some relief, or at least a bit of a change, even if you've been chanting This Too Shall Pass under your breath for the past several months.

Year of the Fire Horse!

Look, I'm as rational as the best of you, but I have to say ever since I first heard about this hugely era-defining change that will impact signs like mine of the horoscope (wait, what? have I lost you already?!) – ok tbh I'm usually very haha don't be ridiculous when it comes the horoscope and astrology and predictions.

But... what if this fascinating year of the fire horse DOES mean that my star sign will unlock, unthrottle and reach its full potential?! And is shaking off 7+ years of god knows what the hell that was? What if this IS meant to be the year of years?

Haha DON'T BE RIDICULOUS.

Reading Reccos

1. The Adolescence of Technology: I'm still reading this epic piece by Dario Amodei, and I daresay you're going to want to wade through this one yourself. A lot to unpack here.
   https://www.darioamodei.com/essay/the-adolescence-of-technology
2. Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno: I read this in advance of a panel with the French author and her compatriot Marie Darrieussecq, and it's such a devastating book. It's about child abuse, so be forewarned, but I think it's an important book to read. Especially if you've been disgusted and horrified by the Epstein files news and headlines. This is written with such literary skill and Sinno is such a rare talent, that I wish her readers and solidarity and ever-more prizes (and she's won several!). Phenomenal book and writer, both.
3. Railsong by Rahul Bhattacharya: A beautiful, lyrical and super-engaging book by the very talented Indian writer. I love his protagonist Miss Charulata Chitol and her unusual story, the love letter to the Indian Railways (in many ways) and the sharp-eyed look at our prejudices and judgements and biases. It's a throwback to a style of writing I don't think we see as much anymore, and even (especially) if you've not been reading fiction of late, I'd recommend.
4. Things I Don't Want You to Know by Deborah Levy: I didn't know anything about this South African playwright and writer and it didn't hamper my reading of this book in the least. It's an autobiographical account and deals with some of the apartheid era realities, as well as dissonance and identity politics, family drama and relationships, losing, and critically, finding her voice. This is not a new book but I'd only just heard of it and would love to know if you've read it. (Also apparently it's intended as a response to George Orwell's essay Why I Write, which I should probably now dig into).
5. Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter: I don't have words to describe what a creative anarchic and devastatingly good masterpiece this is. I saw this recco in writer Anisha Lalvani's Insta stories btw (who said social media is all rubbish?) and am so glad I followed up to read it. Stunning work.

Not on Trend, Amrita

I apparently will not be re-reading Wuthering Heights any time soon, though I know everyone and their aunt have an opinion on the book, the politics, the movie, the casting, the toxic relationships and what-not. If you're re-reading it let me know how it feels as an adult? And if you're watching or 'hate-watching' also, likewise!

#NowWatching:

Sam Altman in conversation with Anant Goenka: YT Link

Chalo, now time to go offline. Feel free to send me or to share here your reccos, raves, hits and misses if you like. Have a lovely rest-of-Feb and I may even see you next month!

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