Essays.

Amit Gawande

Life in a Portrait Mode

I love taking portrait shots of my daughter. Her expressions are the focus, and everything blurs away in the background. Anyway, what matters to me is my daughter’s smile or the lack of any. Each expression more priceless. I hope to live my life in the same manner, in portrait mode. Put things …

Amit Gawande

Being Favourite vs Being Popular

Every service wants to be everyone’s favourite. But what the makers are working towards is being favoured. Or popular. There is a minute but significant distinction between those two. It is easy to market something subjective, which is what the latter is. “Best…”. …

Amit Gawande

Having More Choices is Dreadful

Choices are abundant these days - more variety of cuisines, more brands of clothes, more range of devices, more solutions. More of the same, yet different in imperceivable ways. More is good, right? Not when the dread of choosing paralyses me. Making a selection demands brain cycles, both while and …

Amit Gawande

I Love Technology

Whenever I pick up a call on my watch and talk to my wife, I am happy. Whenever I scan or tap my phone to pay for stuff, I am happy. Whenever I click a button on my smartphone to capture the best of the moment in front of me, I am happy. Whenever I beam my voice to my daughter in another room as if …

Amit Gawande

No End to Content Overload

There was a time when I listened to podcasts. Then I stopped doing that. There was a time when I scrolled through Twitter and Facebook, and we all know that story. Eventually, I also stopped watching YouTube videos. I detached myself from every form of passive consumption. I came to this …

Amit Gawande

Not a natural blogger

I no longer am the prolific blogger that I once was. I won’t comment on everything that I read these days. Or post every thought I have. I read what a few people write and realize maybe I am not as natural a blogger as I thought at one point. Writing doesn’t come naturally to me. Knowing …

Amit Gawande

A Healthy Challenge

With many avenues of tracking and improving my well-being already around me, I have decided to make the best use of them. I know I am not good at maintaining a healthy routine for any meaningful duration. Yet, I want to give myself another chance to succeed at forming one by constant nudges and …

Amit Gawande

A Familiar Routine

This week saw the schools and offices welcoming the students and employees in-person, and I realised I have entered the post-lockdown phase of the pandemic now. For a body and mind that has gotten used to the sluggish at-home routine, the rush-filled days are exhausting. I haven’t gotten used to …

Amit Gawande

Satisfaction that’s one minute more

Whenever I wake my daughter up in the morning (thankfully, I don’t have to do it every day), she has this habit of pushing her face further deep into her pillow and just raising her one finger. It conveys just one more minute, Dad! It’s so adorable, and freshens me up every time she does that. And I …

Amit Gawande

A Lesson in Staying Positive

Last week was about hope and shattered dreams. It was a lesson in staying positive amidst all the roadblocks and pushbacks. It began with, on the personal front, hopes for a better, different tomorrow — but as the week drew closer to the end, I was made aware that there’s still a lot of work to do. …