This week’s article is a bit late, but I hope you will still enjoy reading these interesting articles.

The workers pushing back on the return to the office – As the pandemic shows signs of abating, and organisations start thinking of calling employees back to the office, they are finding that (some) employees are not really enthused about the idea of going back to a regular office routine. It will be interesting to see how organisations navigate through this and strike a balance.

40 Life Lessons from 40 Years – I am wary of any organised ‘isms’, and I am concerned that ‘Minimalism’ might be going that way. That being said, there are still some interesting and potentially useful insights in this article.

PV Narasimha Rao: India’s ‘accidental’ Prime Minister – Former Prime Minister, P V Narasimha Rao, was born on June 28th 1921, a 100 years ago yesterday. This article looks at the tumultous times that marked the start of his tenure as PM, and the unfortunate politics following his death that led to him not getting due credit for his achievements.

The ultimate symbol for our times – I like reading about Art History, and this article on the role of windows in Western Art is especially interesting.

Don’t feed birds from balcony, it creates nuisance for neighbours – I enjoy watching birds, but do not venture to feeding them. I believe we should only be observers of nature and wildlife, and not active participants, so as to not disturb the ecological equilibrium. This article caught my attention, for a couple of reasons. One was the reason given by the Judge for not feeding birds. And the other was the slow turning of wheels in the Indian judicial system as this case was filed 10 years ago!

A round-up of a few of the interesting articles I came across last week:

Technology Saves the World – It should come as no surprise that this article is written by a technologist, but it still makes some very valid points, as well as provide some food for thought. Equitable access to technology (in addition to vaccines) could be game changing.

A Reluctant Optimist – Professor Scott Galloway outlines a few reasons why he is a bit more (cautiously) optimistic these days…

The Story of the Flying Sikh – Last week saw the passing away of a true Indian legend. I must confess that I did not know the full back story to Milkha Singh’s life and reading this only made his accomplishments even more inspiring.

A Queen and a Sacred River – A fascinating story of determination, smarts and philanthropy set in one of India’s great cities.

Scientists hail golden age to trace bird migration with tech – Regular readers of this blog would know that bird-watching is one of my favourite hobbies. Bird migration is a fascinating topic in itself and now, with the advent of very light-weight GPS trackers, it is becoming possible to understanding migratory behaviours of even small birds.

India’s Foreign Travelers – The South and West coasts of India have a long history of welcoming travelers from all over the world, but especially from around the Indian Ocean. This article looks at five such historical travelers.

Pice hotels: A lifeline for Kolkata’s hungry workers – Restaurants offering comforting meals for the price conscious migrant workers.

‘A career change saved my life’ – Burnout is real. This article looks at some people who have built better lives after burnout.

This week’s articles cover the topics of work, nature and history. I hop you will enjoy reading them!

Why presenteeism wins out over productivity – This article argues that ‘presenteeism’ – being physically in your seat at work just to look dedicated, no matter how unproductive – has not gone away in the post-pandemic world, but just gone digital. It also explains why it is still so emphasised.

Branching out: is communication possible between trees and people? – This fascinating article explores whether it is possible for humans and trees to ‘communicate’ with each other.

IISC Bangalore: Birthing An Idea That Was Ahead Of Its Time – Read on to find out the history behind arguably India’s premier science institiute.

Get To Know India’s Kingfishers – Kingfishers are one of the more beautiful types of birds found in India. This article describes all 12 species of Kingfishers found in India.

The Risks You Can’t Foresee – ‘The clearest signal that a novel risk is emerging is anomalies—things that just don’t make sense. This sounds obvious, but most anomalies are difficult for people to recognize or process.’ A long, but interesting article in the Harvard Business Review on how companies could potentially manage ‘novel’ risks.