From the desk in Dehradun

Things worth
reading slowly.

Not a blog. Not content. Essays written when something is worth saying — on leadership, intentional living, FIRE, and the questions nobody asks out loud.

01
Leadership & Work

What 200 Resignations Taught Me That No Leadership Book Will

Why good employees leave is one of the most expensive questions organizations consistently fail to answer honestly. In twenty-two years of HR leadership, I sat across from roughly…

8 min read  ·  Apr 2026
02
The Hollow Feeling

The Promotion You Worked Three Years For. And the Monday After.

The hollow feeling after success is one of the most common and least talked-about experiences among high-performing professionals I want to tell you about a Monday morning. Not…

7 min read  ·  Apr 2026
03
The Inner Road

Steve Jobs Came to Kainchi Dham. What Did He Really Find?

In 1974, Steve Jobs was 19 years old, had recently dropped out of Reed College, and was looking for something he couldn’t name. He traveled to India. Not…

9 min read  ·  Apr 2026
04
Retreat & Coaching

What Happens in the First 72 Hours of Viram

A leadership retreat in Dehradun is not what most people expect when they arrive. I am going to tell you what actually happens at Viram. Not the brochure…

8 min read  ·  Apr 2026
05
Leadership & Work

Why I Now Disagree With My Own Book

The best career advice for senior professionals helps them climb faster. My 2020 book was built on exactly that premise. I now disagree with it.” It is a…

7 min read  ·  Mar 2026
06
FIRE & Intentional Living

The FIRE Number That Keeps Moving

A friend of mine (let’s call him Maddy) hit his FIRE number four years ago. His number was ₹5 Cr. in liquid assets. He had decided on this…

7 min read  ·  Mar 2026
07
Personal · Proof

I Painted My Future in 2013. Here's the Honest Truth.

In 2013, I painted my future. A lousy picture, actually. I am not an artist. But that picture changed my life more than any degree, any promotion, or…

8 min read  ·  Mar 2026