From Boston to Madrid: A Personal Reflection on Art, Cultural Memory, and How Certain Artists Become Household Names Introduction On my recent trip to Madrid with a group of girlfriends, all of us trained in architecture and design, we had the pleasure of visiting two extraordinary museums: the Prado and the Reina Sofía. Both are…
From my grandmother’s handwritten Marathi journal to a letter for my sons, three generations bring the Mahabharata to life. Through unforgettable characters and questions about belonging, loyalty, courage, and the cost of winning, I explore what this ancient Indian epic can offer young people growing up between cultures today.
I went to MFA Boston expecting to see how Asian art had traveled west. Instead, an ivory Virgin and Child, two extraordinary folding screens, and Boston-made “japanned” furniture revealed a far richer story of artistic translation across oceans.
The most memorable public spaces are not simply designed to accommodate people. They are designed to bring people, ideas, and stories into conversation with one another. Introduction As an architecture student, I was taught to think about libraries in terms of plans, sections, circulation, daylight, acoustics, shelves, vaults and structure. These are, of course, the…
Introduction Some of the world’s most extraordinary stories begin with things we barely notice. Growing up in India, the checked ‘lungi’ or ‘dhoti’ was one of those things. That gloriously comfortable, breezy cotton cloth (like a sarong) worn by millions of Indian men (or at least it certainly was when I was growing up) while…
The Mahabharata is often remembered for its great war, but these chapters tell the story of the final days before it began. As the Pandavas complete their exile, Krishna makes one last appeal for peace, Karna faces an impossible choice between loyalty and blood, and Vidur quietly stands by Dharma. Together, these moments bring the kingdom to the threshold of Kurukshetra.
A Greek Dessert, an Indian Question, and a Silk Road Mystery Introduction A few weeks ago, I picked up several varieties of sesame halva (or halwa) from a local Greek grocery store, Sophia’s Greek Pantry. I had tasted halva before in Middle Eastern restaurants and markets, but this version felt different. It was made primarily…
Can art help us reconnect with the people we’ve lost? In this reflective blog, a personal encounter with Chinese calligraphy by Shanmao Wu leads to a powerful emotional rediscovery of a father’s artistic spirit, memory, and unfinished connection.
Introduction “Agile methodology taught us to embrace change. Now change shows up with an AI tag.” It’s been a while since I sat through a sprint planning meeting, post-it notes in hand, juggling user stories, technical debt, and ever-slipping timelines. These days, I’m no longer managing roadmaps or chasing down JIRA tickets. But once a…
Introduction This morning, an email from Academia.edu caught me off guard—in the best way. Apparently, their new AI tool had automatically reviewed my MIT graduate thesis—the one I wrote in 2005 as part of my Master’s program in Design and Computation. No request on my part, no heads-up. Just a simple notification:“An AI review has…