2025 - Review

 As 2025 draws to an end, it feels like the right moment to pause and reflect on the milestones achieved, the joyful moments cherished, and the challenges faced along the way. Like every year, my heart is filled with gratitude for the many blessings God has bestowed through people and experiences.

I am now nearing the final milestone of my MSc Yoga programme. The second and third semesters went well, and the deeper learning and meaningful interactions made the journey truly memorable. I will certainly miss the structured learning and academic rigor that this programme offered. The final thesis work remains, and I hope to complete it in the first half of 2026.

2025 also marked the year I began teaching online Yoga classes. It was a deeply satisfying experience to plan each session and gradually incorporate varied asanas into the practice. However, I had to pause the batch as they clashed with the busy morning routine of preparing lunch boxes on time. I’m hopeful that in 2026 I’ll be able to work out an alternate schedule and resume the classes soon.

Apart from Yoga, I also initiated two new journeys — Jnana Sadhana and Bhakti Sadhana.

Jnana Sadhana is meant for sincere seekers on a path of learning and knowledge. Through over 20 weekly sessions, we explored and discussed books, podcasts, and online courses across a wide range of topics. Eventually, we narrowed our focus to the Bhagavad Gita and have completed six sessions so far. This initiative will continue more deeply in 2026, with the aim of studying the Bhagavad Gita and imbibing its core teachings in daily life.

Bhakti Sadhana grew as an extension of the offline shloka classes I had conducted the previous year. The chanting sessions moved online, and we came together for several group parayanams during festivals and other significant occasions. Over the year, we learned the Hanuman Chalisa, Aditya Hrudayam, Pratahsmarana Stotram, Sudarshana Ashtakam, Mahishasura Mardini Stotram, Damodara Ashtakam, Kalabhairava Ashtakam, and Mahalakshmi Ashtakam. Recordings of these sessions are available on my YouTube channel.

It was a deeply fulfilling process, as I prepared detailed slides, studied the meaning of every verse, and listened to multiple discourses before each class. With divine grace, this initiative will continue in 2026 with many more stotras and parayanams.

Alongside this, I also dedicated time to learning new stotras such as the Ramaraksha Stotram, Lingashtakam, Shiva Manasa Pooja, Shiva Panchakshari Stotra, and Durga Sapta Shloki, thanks to courses offered by Nirvana Academy. Vijayalakshmi ji remains a source of inspiration for me, and I eagerly look forward to their future offerings.

Learning scriptures continued through multiple sources this year as well. It has now become a daily sadhana for me to listen to these discourses on YouTube, make detailed notes, and reflect on the teachings. Below is a list of the discourse series I have completed so far. Many others are still in progress, which I will share in next year’s review. :-) 

Vedanta Institute London (Bhaskar ji)

• Bhaja Govindam

• Thesis on God

• Symbolism of Hindu Gods and Rituals

• Gita Dhyanam

• Gita chapters 4, 5, 6, 9, 12

Arsha Bodhini (Acharya Lavanya ji)

• Bhaja Govindam

• Sadhana Panchakam

• Understanding Karma Yoga

Advaita Bharati (Acharya Suryapriya ji)

• Gita in daily life

Chinmaya Mission (Swami Aparajitananda)

• Narada Bhakti Sutras

Since learning happened mainly through Shravanam (hearing), reading took a back seat. Managed to complete 10 books, with a few more in progress.

1. Kindle Life by Swami Chinmayananda

2. Bhaja Govindam by Swami Chinmayananda

3. Tattva Bodha by Swami Tejomayananda

4. Narada Bhakti Sutra by Swami Sivananda

5. To the beginning of the end of Karma by Meetu Bisht

6. Narada Bhakti Sutra by Swami Chinmayananda

7. Narada Bhakti Sutra by Swami Bhuteshananda

8. Vedic view and way of life by Swami Dayananda Saraswati

9. Sanatana Dharma Q&A by B Mahadevan

10.  A manual of Self Unfoldment by Swami Chinmayananda

Staying away from social media has helped me remain focused on what truly matters and avoid being caught in the content-creation treadmill that demands constant output just to stay relevant.

My workshops on packaged foods continued this year as well, including the annual session at Bhoomi College, a short lecture for a school in Kolkata for sixth-grade students, and a two-hour workshop for members of My Bharat My Culture. In addition, I introduced a new workshop titled “Reclaim Your Focus,” aimed at addressing social media addiction and encouraging the practice of digital minimalism. I conducted one session this year for My Bharat My Culture members and hope to take it to a wider audience in 2026.

We didn’t do much traveling outside the city this year. We did a 3-day trip to Kumarakom which was relaxing. 

On my birthday, K took us out on a day trip to Aprameya temple, Shivasamudram falls, and Art of Living Ashram. It was quite memorable.

We enjoyed the standup comedy show “8” by Praveen Kumar (big fan!). It was hilarious to see his reaction, when I invited him home for “super upma”! ;-)

We spent a day visiting our favorite Prani pet sanctuary. A great place for anyone who loves to spend time with pet animals.

I tried an Escape Room experience for the first time this year, something that’s quite popular in Bangalore. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy it much—it felt overpriced for a rather mediocre experience. Definitely not my kind of fun! 🙂

Meeting my nephew and niece was quite special. D had so much fun with her cousins, although only for a few days.

I had some health-related setbacks in the middle of the year, which by God’s grace, got resolved for now.

As with every year, I have no specific goals, resolutions, or plans for 2026. I choose instead to accept God’s will and remain an instrument in fulfilling His plans, with discipline, rigor, and a deep sense of responsibility toward my health, family, society, and my country, Bharat.

Wishing everyone a very happy, joyous and peaceful 2026!

The Brain Training App that I love

In 2020, I wrote about my experience with a brain-training app called Elevate, which I found incredibly engaging. At the time, I shared five reasons why it had completely hooked me.

Five years later, in an era where apps grab our attention quickly and then fade just as fast, I find myself writing about the same app again. My daughter and I are still using it—so much so that we upgraded to the premium version. Over time, we reached the highest difficulty levels in most of the games. Eventually, our interest dipped slightly. My daughter wanted to keep her streak alive, so she began playing with minimal effort, just enough to maintain it.

About three months ago, Elevate introduced a new feature called Leagues. It was a simple leaderboard system where the top ten players advanced through tiers such as Bronze, Silver, Gold, Ruby, and Diamond. This immediately reignited our interest. We found ourselves eagerly playing games across Math, Reading, Memory, Writing, and Speaking categories. It was exciting to climb the ranks—only to discover the next morning that we had slipped down a few places. As we progressed, we eventually reached the final league, which then began repeating.

Once again, our enthusiasm dipped when it felt like there was nowhere left to go. Almost as if they anticipated this, Elevate rolled out another feature: Daily Quests. Each day brings three new, changing quests. My daughter now wakes up curious to see what the day’s challenges will be. Completing quests earns coins, which can be used for benefits like XP boosts and streak freezes.

I’m fairly certain that at some point we’ll accumulate coins without knowing what to do with them and feel bored again. But given how thoughtfully the team has layered gamification over time, I’m confident they’re already working on new ways to make those coins meaningful.

The core motivations remain the same—keeping our brains active and spending quality time together. What has changed is how engaging the journey feels. The user experience is top-notch, from the visuals and music (including those mildly annoying error sounds!) to the smooth, uncluttered game flow.

I’ve recommended Elevate to many friends—not just as a user, but also to product managers and UX designers looking for inspiration in thoughtful, engaging design.

The same team has also launched a new app called Spark, a knowledge-based game that covers a wide range of topics. It offers short, bite-sized nuggets of information that you can explore, test yourself on, and learn from—all wrapped in a beautifully engaging design. As an early adopter, I find it especially useful for expanding my understanding of topics I’m less familiar with. I hope we’re able to stay as consistent with Spark as we have been with the Elevate app. 

Importance of Values

One of my most favorite books is "Value of Values" by Swami Dayananda Saraswati. In the first 25 pages, the importance of values and how they impact our everyday life are so beautifully explained. 

 Our actions, emotions, decisions, and life priorities all trace back to our values. Understanding values brings clarity, reduces confusion, and supports better decision‑making.

Why Values Matter

• Values shape behavior: What we do is determined by what we value.
• Awareness of values brings clarity: Knowing your values helps resolve confusion and align decisions.
• Values must be chosen, not imposed: Only self‑chosen values can be truly assimilated into one’s life.
• Values are universal in content but context‑dependent in application.

How We Relate to Values

1. We apply values more strictly to others than to ourselves

Example:
We demand refunds when we receive less than we paid for, but rarely report when we receive more than we paid for.

2. Going against our own values creates guilt

Example:
If truthfulness is your value but your employer pressures you to falsify data, guilt arises and disturbs mental peace.

3. Not living up to our accepted values creates inner conflict

Example:
You value health but cannot maintain healthy habits due to pressures — leading to misalignment between thoughts, words, and actions.

4. We expect 100% compliance from others but not from ourselves

This creates what Swami Dayananda Saraswati calls a split value.

Examples:

• Telling children to avoid screens while being glued to our own devices.
• Building a wellness app while being addicted to smoking or alcohol.

5. Split values create the “knower–doer” gap

• You know the value.
• You want to live it.
• But your actions don’t align.
• This leads to guilt, fragmentation, and lack of inner integration.

Values are not abstract ideals — they shape our mental state, our choices, and our sense of inner harmony.

A Decade of Experiments: What I Tried, What I Learned

January 9th, 2016 — the day I stepped out of my comfort zone.

I still remember my very first food stall at a lake santhe. After spending years fascinated by food and nutrition, I finally decided to share that passion beyond my family. My menu was simple but heartfelt — fingermillet idlis, barnyard millet sweet pongal, and rajamudi rice savory pongal. Millets were far from “trendy” back then, but the joy I felt that day is still unmatched.

That experience pushed me to start a small home-based catering service for my apartment community. Every weekend, I’d brainstorm menus, shop for ingredients, and cook with full focus — that “in the zone” feeling I cherish. Orders were few initially, mostly from a couple of kind senior citizens. But I persisted. Over time, I added podis and thokkus, and slowly, appreciation grew. Of course, there were also the occasional digs — “Why would a BE/MBA do such menial work?” But honestly, those comments only made me more resilient.

2017 — the world of packaged foods opened up

Another passion took shape that year: writing about packaged foods and their ingredients. Every time I wrote a blog post, time just dissolved — 2–3 hours would feel like 10 minutes. Readers found value in the posts, and soon I was speaking at public forums and conducting workshops on how to read food labels.
I may not be actively doing this today, but even now people tell me they remember me from those posts. That’s a feeling hard to describe.

This same journey unexpectedly nudged me towards meme-making on packaged food brands using Tamil movie scenes as the backdrop in 2019. When I look back, I’m both amused and surprised that I did that. I even attempted a couple of stand-up comedy sets on packaged foods. Watching the recordings today is embarrassing, but my daughter insists it was brave.

2023 — the year of books and shlokas

I launched a book club called Sparks and Nuggets with an ambitious goal — one book a week. I’d create mind maps, share insights, and host discussions. I truly enjoyed the rhythm of reading, reflecting, and presenting. After nine months, enthusiasm from the group faded, and I had to wrap it up — but the journey was fulfilling while it lasted.

Around the same time, I started a Shloka chanting class for kids in my apartment. A small group joined, and the classes were delightful. We explored short shlokas, stories, symbolisms, and their curious questions made every session memorable. We managed it for over a year before schedules clashed and we had to pause.

2025 — growing deeper into spirituality and teaching

This year, I began online shloka chanting classes, and we have completed eight stotras so far. The behind-the-scenes effort — preparing PPTs, researching meanings, listening to discourses for more context — has been intense but deeply satisfying.

Continuous learning is my non-negotiable priority. To share what I learn, I started weekly “learning sessions” reviewing discourses, podcasts, and books. We completed 21 sessions in Season 1. For Season 2, I narrowed the focus to the Bhagavad Gita — and we’re already six sessions in.

As a certified Yoga teacher, I also started online yoga classes this year. A few students stayed committed, but many dropped out. Morning schedule clashes forced me to pause this initiative for now.

What I’ve understood after all these experiments

Across everything I tried, two truths have stood out clearly:

The Positive:
My passion, discipline, and consistency never waver. When I’m committed, I give my whole self to the process.

The Challenge:
My energy dips when audience interest drops. Sustaining momentum becomes difficult when impact seems uncertain.

But the Gita brings me back to balance. Krishna’s words — “karmanye vaadhikaraste” (Gita 2.47) — remind me that my choice is only to the action, never the fruits.

As I continue experimenting, learning, and teaching, I hope I can eventually shape these scattered attempts into something meaningful and dharmic — something that creates a larger impact, but rooted in the spirit of karma yoga.

Ideal time to begin engaging with scriptures

Is reading scriptures something to pick up only after retirement?

Are stotras and kirtans meant solely for the elderly?

Many of us unconsciously assume this, and that belief stops us from encouraging teenagers and young adults to explore spirituality early in life. The early working years are filled with pressure, deadlines, and expectations, leaving little time or mental space for inner work. And even when the desire is there, social norms often dictate what is considered “cool,” steering us away from practices that nourish the mind.

There is also a feeling that one needs life experience and emotional maturity to truly understand spiritual wisdom. That is true to an extent, but it shouldn’t become an excuse to postpone the journey.

Bhartrhari’s Vairagya Shatakam, a profound collection of 100 verses on detachment, offers a gentle yet powerful reminder on when this pursuit should actually begin. In Verse 75, he lays out the ideal time with striking clarity:

“As long as this body is free from disease and decrepitude,

as long as senility is far off,

as long as the powers of the senses are unaffected, and

life is not decaying, so long,

wise persons should put forth mighty exertions for the sake of their supreme good,

for when the house is on fire what avails setting about digging a well (for water)?”

The comparison is striking. If a house is already burning, digging a well becomes pointless. In the same way, when life confronts us with illness, old age, loss, loneliness, or financial instability, how equipped will we be to sit through a discourse and absorb deep teachings on impermanence?

Preparing oneself inwardly is not something to be postponed. Building psychological resilience and mental clarity is most effective when begun in our 20s—or at least by our 30s—while the mind is agile and receptive. When unexpected challenges arrive, as they inevitably do, we can then draw strength from within rather than be swept away by circumstances.

Spirituality isn’t a late-life activity. It’s a foundation we lay early, so that whatever life brings later, we stand firm rather than fall.

Source of the verse: Vairagya Shatakam - translation by Swami Madhavananda, Advaita Ashrama