A Song for the India We Share

There are some songs that never become irrelevant. In a few weeks, on 1 October 2026, it will be exactly 30 years since Hariharan and Leslee Lewis released their iconic album Colonial Cousins. I love every song in it, but Krishna has forever stayed closest to my heart. 

Every time I listen to it, I'm reminded of an idea of India that has always inspired me. An India that has, for centuries, been home to people of different faiths, languages, traditions, and ways of life. It has never been a perfect story. Like every civilization, ours has seen moments of harmony alongside moments of conflict and triumph alongside mistakes. But the aspiration to coexist has always been one of the most beautiful parts of our shared heritage. That is exactly what makes this song timeless.

As we celebrate this Independence Day, I'd like to dedicate it especially to the younger generation. Yours is the first generation to grow up in a world shaped so completely by globalization and digital connectivity that you have opportunities, influences, and responsibilities unlike any generation before you.

As you help shape India's future, I hope you also carry forward one of its greatest strengths, the ability to see humanity, curiosity, and respect before anything else. May this song remind us that being secular is not simply a constitutional principle. It is also a way of living with openness, dignity, and compassion towards one another. And perhaps that's why, there couldn't be a better song to celebrate the many colours of India.

Happy Independence Day!

 

Walking Through the World of Sherlock

 

I just got back from London, and I still think nothing captures the city's spirit quite like the Sherlock theme. One of the highlights of my trip was visiting almost every location featured in it. And thanks to playing the popular game, Scotland Yard, I also decided to experience every mode of transport the city had to offer.

The Tube. The trains. The iconic black cabs. The Uber boats. And, of course, the classic red double decker buses. It felt less like sightseeing and more like stepping into a city I had already explored countless times through music, television, and board games.

Some places surprise you because they're new. Others because they somehow already feel familiar.

To Every Woman

 

Few conversations have stayed with me the way this one has. Thank you, Elizabeth Gilbert, for putting into words something I've been reflecting on for a long time. It reminded me that perhaps the question isn't "Why are so many educated, accomplished, and financially independent women choosing not to marry or have children?"

The better question is, "What has society done to make these choices feel less safe, less equal, or less fulfilling than they could be?" Marriage itself isn't the problem. Patriarchal expectations within marriage are.

Until our relationships evolve into genuine partnerships built on mutual respect, shared responsibility, and emotional equality, many women will continue questioning whether the institution, as it exists today, aligns with the life they want to build.

This conversation is worth having. 

Happy Woman's Day!  

तू बुद्धि दे तू तेज दे

A prayer I first heard at the experimental school that inspired the book I co authored has stayed with me ever since. Few prayers ask us to become better human beings instead of merely asking God to make our lives better. This is one of them.

Listen to the song here.

तू बुद्धि दे तू तेज दे नवचेतना विश्वास दे
जे सत्य सुंदर सर्वथा आजन्म त्याचा ध्यास दे

हरवले आभाळ ज्यांचे हो तयांचा सोबती
सापडेना वाट ज्यांना हो तयांचा सारथी
साधना करिती तुझी जे नित्य तव सहवास दे

जाणवाया दुर्बलांचे दुःख आणि वेदना
तेवत्या राहो सदा रंध्रातुनी संवेदना
धमन्यातल्या रुधिरास या खल भेदण्याची आस दे
सामर्थ्य या शब्दांस आणि अर्थ या जगण्यास दे

सन्मार्ग आणि सन्मती लाभो सदा सत्संगती
नीती ना ही भ्रष्ट हो जरी संकटे आली किती
पंखास या बळ दे नवे झेपावण्या आकाश दे

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

 

There are songs you enjoy, songs you remember, and then there are songs that become a part of who you are. Today, Mile Sur Mera Tumhara has been on loop.

For me, no other song has come even remotely close to capturing the diversity, heritage, cultures, languages, music, folk traditions, landscapes, and spirit of India the way this one does. It reminds me that our differences were never meant to divide us. They were meant to come together, just as countless rivers eventually find the same ocean.

I've also shared the lyrics below in case you'd like to follow along or even sing it yourself. Trust me, if you've never done it before, give it a try. I have been doing it since morning. Especially, the finale... the song gently flows into the tune of Jana Gana Mana, I still get goosebumps. Every! Single! Time!

My hope for the generations that will shape India's future is that they inherit not just our progress, but also the values that have held this country together for centuries. Respect for diversity, openness to different cultures, and the understanding that unity doesn't require uniformity.

Happy Republic Day! 🇮🇳

 

Hindi

Mile sur mera tumharaa, to sur bane hamaraa....

Sur kee nadhiyaan har disha se behke saagar mein milee...

Baadalon ka roop lekar barsen halke halke...

Mile sur mera tumharaa.. toh... sur bane hamaara..

Mile sur mera tumhara...

Kashmiri 

Chaain taraj tahin nyay taraj

Ek but baniye saayen taraj

Punjabi

Tera sur mile mere sur de naal

Milke bane ek nava surtaal

Hindi

Mile sur mera tumharaa....

To sur bane hamaara..

Sindhi

Mohnja sur tohi desa pyara mile jadein

Geet ashaanjo madhur tarano bane tadein

Urdu

Sur ka dariya behke saagar me mile

Punjabi 

Badlaan da roop leike barasan hole hole

Tamil

Isaindhal namm iruvarin suramum namadhakum..

Dhisai veru aanalum aariser aarugal

Mugilai mazaiyai pozivadu pol isai

...Namm isssaiiii....

Padhant

Thik thakida thathikakida....thaka thimi thaka junu

Kannada

Nanna danige ninna daniyu,

Seridante namma daniyu..

Telugu

Naa swaramu nee swaramu sangammamai,

Mana swaram ga avatarinchey

Malayalam

Ente swaravum ningalude swaravum

Otthu chernnu nammude swaramai....

Bengali

Tomaar shoor moder shoor srishti korook oikyashoor...

Tomaar shoor moder shoor srishti korook oikyashoor...

Assamese

Srishti hok oikyatan

Oriya

Toma mora swarer milan srishti kare chalbochatano

Gujarati

Male sur jo taro maro, bane aapno sur niralo

Marathi

Majhya tumchya julta tara madhur suranchya barasti dhara

Hindi

Sur ki nadiya har disha se behke saagar mein mile...Baadlo ka roop leke barse halke halke..

Oh...Mile sur mera tumhara tho....sur bane hamara...

Mile Sur mera tumhara

To sur bane hamara tho sur bane hamara

To sur bane hamara

.......

And then...

🎶 Jaya he, jaya he... jaya jaya jaya he...