Wonderful essay, Utsav. Such lucid writing with so many insights. Loved the way you used the Mobius Strip to explain your thesis. And the sketches are simply brilliant! Superb.
Thank you, Rohan! Pleased that the Mobius strip example worked for you, it was probably the first time I have attempted writing like that. The sketches will continue, that you can be assured of :)
Thank you for taking the time to read Chetna. I am glad that you came across this piece at the time you needed it. Hope it helps you think / feel better!
Thank you for being a constant supporter Anand! I am glad you loved the sketches again (the sketch artist in me is not as confident as the writer in me), so all the validation does help keep me going :)
Each word, each line, and each paragraph kept me seated not allowing my body to get up, or my hand to even pick up an important call… I couldn’t keep reading it to finish it fast, my brain was stopping me and I was having the joy of reflecting on every point and pleasure of smiling with the reflection.
Thank you, thank you so much Utsav for giving me one of the best pieces to read.😊
You are so kind with your words Jeet. I am so thrilled to hear that the piece had your full attention because it is hard to win a reader's attention for as long as 20+ minutes. You calling it one of the best pieces is a phrase which I will savour for a long time.
Easily one of the best things I've read on Substack by far. This was so powerful and easy to read with your sketches and graphics in the middle - loved it thoroughly Utsav! Thank you for writing this :)
Thank you so much Abhishek for taking the time to read this long piece. I am so glad it resonated with you, and as I said in the piece, I hope it gave you ideas and thoughts about dealing with grief, regret and guilt.
This is so lovely Utsav. So many takeaways. Will need to bookmark for future reference. The sketches explain things so well and so aptly. The Bolt and Kipchoge reference was my life 🫣. I will make a wins folder. And will read this again later, I am sure I can get more out of this. And a fantastic example of our never ending flyover. I had written about it in Citizen Matters a few years ago 😅.
I learnt the Bolt and Kipchoge lesson by living my life that way, ultimately realising it is unsustainable. I am thrilled that you have decided to make a 'Wins' folder, and I hope you will return to it timely reminding yourself that you are so much more than your outcomes. Thank you so much for reading and bookmarking Rakhi!
Great writing. Great story telling. It was show not tell all the way.
Some random thoughts.
Change of seasons – in cities where you do see all seasons, perhaps Bangalore – is also a way of noticing how time is a cycle/circle and not linear. In Delhi – we see some spring, summer, autumn and winter. The trees, their leaves, flowers – everything with the changing season registers my belief – every time - in that everything is for a season. I guess it’s about taking the time to notice.
Black kites –they are big birds of the raptor family – but predominantly they are scavengers and not hunters. I take interest birding (bird watching not photographing) and it surprises me every time that nature made these birds so big and strong, yet they don’t do any skilled hunting and are only scavengers. Perhaps result of evolution.
Thank you Renu for taking the time to read, I am glad you chose this piece to return to long-form reading.
I agree with you that noticing the seasons is possible in cities. In Bangalore, too, the city gets excited when the Tabebuia Avellaneda tree, also known as the pink trumpet tree, is in full bloom. But as you pointed out, we are too busy to notice the change since so much of our lives are lived in controlled conditions—either at work or at home. We do need to pause and take notice.
I never thought about the correlation between size and hunting capability this way! You have given me a question to think about. Thank you for that :)
This is such a great way of looking at life. Thanks for making time and writing this Utsav. This is much needed in today's world when one can spiral into self doubt with the smallest of fumbles. This post is a great way to remind oneself that you have to stop beating yourself before you start healing.
Thank you, Saurabh, for reading, and glad you enjoyed it! I think we all should be kinder to ourselves, and not worry too much about the past, for we cannot change it.
I really enjoyed this. It reminded me of two quotes:
One by Kirkegaard, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”
And one by Kahneman likely in reference to the Experiencing Self, “Nothing in life is as important as you think it is, while you are thinking about it.”
I find the same sort of solace in these quotes that I found in your piece 🤍
Thank you, Rose for reading, and I am happy to know that you found solace in the piece. The source of all my writing is these questions I am thinking about, and I so agree with the Kierkegaard quote, we need to self-reflect and understand our own lives. Thank you for sharing this with me.
I keep coming back to this. This time, I fell in love with your sketches, one in particular- the sailing boat. Something to do with the way the lines move. How did this style find you?
Hi Abhishek, so happy to hear that you find continued meaning in my work. As for the sketching style - It's a longish story (which I am incidentally writing about in my next piece which should publish a week from now) - but in a nutshell, I wanted to be able to sketch anywhere, so a single pen and any paper worked the best. So naturally linework became a medium of choice.
Amazing, can't wait to read! I've started sketching using my fountain pen too, debating whether I want to make it a regular practise instead of pencil doodles.
Wonderful essay, Utsav. Such lucid writing with so many insights. Loved the way you used the Mobius Strip to explain your thesis. And the sketches are simply brilliant! Superb.
Thank you, Rohan! Pleased that the Mobius strip example worked for you, it was probably the first time I have attempted writing like that. The sketches will continue, that you can be assured of :)
Read it again, Utsav. Very well articulated! And that boat which has sailed and yet not sailed, trying to find the balance mid-waters is beautiful!
Thank you for taking the time to read again! So glad it resonated with you, especially the sketch :)
Enjoyed every bit of this. Thanks, Utsav
Thank you again Yash, for taking the time to read. Glad you enjoyed it!
Really enjoyed reading this post Utsav! Excellent examples chosen for concepts. Especially, mobius strip.
Thank you for taking the time to read Aishwarya. I am so glad you enjoyed it :)
Thanks Utsav, a reminder I needed so badly
Thank you for taking the time to read Chetna. I am glad that you came across this piece at the time you needed it. Hope it helps you think / feel better!
Loved how you connected time to Mobius strip to experiencing and remembering self. Everything came together so well! And again, loved the sketches!
Thank you for being a constant supporter Anand! I am glad you loved the sketches again (the sketch artist in me is not as confident as the writer in me), so all the validation does help keep me going :)
Each word, each line, and each paragraph kept me seated not allowing my body to get up, or my hand to even pick up an important call… I couldn’t keep reading it to finish it fast, my brain was stopping me and I was having the joy of reflecting on every point and pleasure of smiling with the reflection.
Thank you, thank you so much Utsav for giving me one of the best pieces to read.😊
You are so kind with your words Jeet. I am so thrilled to hear that the piece had your full attention because it is hard to win a reader's attention for as long as 20+ minutes. You calling it one of the best pieces is a phrase which I will savour for a long time.
Easily one of the best things I've read on Substack by far. This was so powerful and easy to read with your sketches and graphics in the middle - loved it thoroughly Utsav! Thank you for writing this :)
Thank you so much Abhishek for taking the time to read this long piece. I am so glad it resonated with you, and as I said in the piece, I hope it gave you ideas and thoughts about dealing with grief, regret and guilt.
This is so lovely Utsav. So many takeaways. Will need to bookmark for future reference. The sketches explain things so well and so aptly. The Bolt and Kipchoge reference was my life 🫣. I will make a wins folder. And will read this again later, I am sure I can get more out of this. And a fantastic example of our never ending flyover. I had written about it in Citizen Matters a few years ago 😅.
I learnt the Bolt and Kipchoge lesson by living my life that way, ultimately realising it is unsustainable. I am thrilled that you have decided to make a 'Wins' folder, and I hope you will return to it timely reminding yourself that you are so much more than your outcomes. Thank you so much for reading and bookmarking Rakhi!
I shared this with so many people. Hope they take time to read. With short attention spans it is difficult to get anyone to read anything these days.
I read the full post, this long, in a long time.
Great writing. Great story telling. It was show not tell all the way.
Some random thoughts.
Change of seasons – in cities where you do see all seasons, perhaps Bangalore – is also a way of noticing how time is a cycle/circle and not linear. In Delhi – we see some spring, summer, autumn and winter. The trees, their leaves, flowers – everything with the changing season registers my belief – every time - in that everything is for a season. I guess it’s about taking the time to notice.
Black kites –they are big birds of the raptor family – but predominantly they are scavengers and not hunters. I take interest birding (bird watching not photographing) and it surprises me every time that nature made these birds so big and strong, yet they don’t do any skilled hunting and are only scavengers. Perhaps result of evolution.
Thank you Renu for taking the time to read, I am glad you chose this piece to return to long-form reading.
I agree with you that noticing the seasons is possible in cities. In Bangalore, too, the city gets excited when the Tabebuia Avellaneda tree, also known as the pink trumpet tree, is in full bloom. But as you pointed out, we are too busy to notice the change since so much of our lives are lived in controlled conditions—either at work or at home. We do need to pause and take notice.
I never thought about the correlation between size and hunting capability this way! You have given me a question to think about. Thank you for that :)
Saving this piece because I’m going to keep coming back to it. This is beautiful, Utsav!
Thank you for taking the time to read Kanchan! So glad you found it worthy of returning to :)
Wonderful!!! I feel each knot of thought process is open
Thank you Sibyl, I hope it gave you more ideas to think about and apply them in your own life.
This is such a great way of looking at life. Thanks for making time and writing this Utsav. This is much needed in today's world when one can spiral into self doubt with the smallest of fumbles. This post is a great way to remind oneself that you have to stop beating yourself before you start healing.
Thank you, Saurabh, for reading, and glad you enjoyed it! I think we all should be kinder to ourselves, and not worry too much about the past, for we cannot change it.
I really enjoyed this. It reminded me of two quotes:
One by Kirkegaard, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”
And one by Kahneman likely in reference to the Experiencing Self, “Nothing in life is as important as you think it is, while you are thinking about it.”
I find the same sort of solace in these quotes that I found in your piece 🤍
Thank you, Rose for reading, and I am happy to know that you found solace in the piece. The source of all my writing is these questions I am thinking about, and I so agree with the Kierkegaard quote, we need to self-reflect and understand our own lives. Thank you for sharing this with me.
Wow! my first time here!
And I hope you return, and find other pieces that resonate with you!
I keep coming back to this. This time, I fell in love with your sketches, one in particular- the sailing boat. Something to do with the way the lines move. How did this style find you?
Hi Abhishek, so happy to hear that you find continued meaning in my work. As for the sketching style - It's a longish story (which I am incidentally writing about in my next piece which should publish a week from now) - but in a nutshell, I wanted to be able to sketch anywhere, so a single pen and any paper worked the best. So naturally linework became a medium of choice.
Amazing, can't wait to read! I've started sketching using my fountain pen too, debating whether I want to make it a regular practise instead of pencil doodles.