Hari Shanker

I’m doing something I’ve not done in a long time, or perhaps, EVER before – reviewing music. It’s Onam today (Happy Onam, malayalees all over the world!) – what better occasion than today to celebrate an amazing song by a Malayali musician? Unless you’ve been living under a rock, surely you’ve heard (of) Hanumankind’s Big Dawgs ft. Kalmi. It’s been quite THE RAGE worldwide. 🔥 At the time of…

Bloganuary writing promptWhat’s the thing you’re most scared to do? What would it take to get you to do it?View all responses Oh, I have an entire laundry list of these things – Things I have been scared of, but how I ended up doing. So this is not exactly a hypothetical question for me, it is a very real thing. Looking back, the approach that worked for me can be summarized as such: If you…

Bloganuary writing promptWhat do you complain about the most?View all responses In the 1999 Malayalam Movie Ustaad, the character Parameshwaran (Played by Mohanlal) is often seen quipping to his sister Padmaja (played by Divyaa Unni): “Enthaa choodu coimbatore?” (How hot it is in the city of Coimbatore). The clincher here is that Mohanlal’s character who adorns the persona of a real-estate…

Bloganuary writing promptWhat are your favorite sports to watch and play?View all responses Moment of truth here, I am not a sporty person. There I’ve said it. I have not always been this way, you know? There was a time when I used to actively partake in, and enjoy sports. Cricket, football, and badminton were my favorite games. Gradually, as I grew up, I lost interest in both, even though I…

Bloganuary writing promptWhat would you do if you won the lottery?View all responses I have always pondered over this question. In fact, I answered a version of this for the last bloganuary as well. It has also been a thought exercise I have indulged myself in quite a bit. My wife is a big fan of lotteries. She purchases lottery tickets whenever possible. In Kochi, you find folks selling…

Bloganuary writing promptWhat books do you want to read?View all responses What an excellent prompt! As I am religiously embracing my reading hobby this year and making some solid progress in my TBR (To Be Read) list, I can definitely pick and name a few excellent books that I really want to read in 2024. Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes by Morgan HouselI loved Morgan’s psychology of…

Bloganuary writing promptWrite about a few of your favorite family traditions.View all responses My family actually does not have a ton of traditions. We live in the moment, mostly. We make plans as we go – it is a fun life. With that said, we do maintain a couple of light traditions. Those are celebrating Vishu and Onam, when all of us are home. Vishu marks the beginning of the new year in…

Bloganuary writing promptWhat do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?View all responses Until recently, I used to chastise myself for “wasting time”, for using time that could very well be used for a productive task to do something unproductive. In fact, this is often the textbook definition of procrastination – you end up doing irrelevant things as you put off important, but difficult,…

Bloganuary writing promptName an attraction or town close to home that you still haven’t got around to visiting.View all responses My wife and I moved to Kochi in 2016, I love this city and want to stay here for the foreseeable future. This year, we would have spent eight glorious years in the city, and by now, we have explored every nook and corner of it. Well, almost. It is hard to believe…

Bloganuary writing promptList five things you do for fun.View all responses Who doesn’t love having fun? As I have shared earlier in this blog, I am a big fan of the idea of NOT taking life too seriously, something I’m embracing more and more in life. In this context, I am getting more and more enamored of doing fun things. Or even finding fun in the things around me. For the sake of today’s…

Bloganuary writing promptIf you could make your pet understand one thing, what would it be?View all responses As I had shared in this blog a few days back, and at other times, we have three cats. Every single day either (or all) of our three cats wake us up early in the morning, anytime between 6.30 to 8 AM, it is time that we usually are sound asleep. If there is one thing that I would make…

Bloganuary writing promptWrite about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc. View all responses My first name is “Hari”, and let’s be honest, I love my name. It means a lot of things. It is mostly associated with the Hindu God Vishnu and his avatar Krishna. Hari is usually attributed as one of the many names of both Gods. Additionally, the name has many meanings in…

Bloganuary writing promptWhat’s your dream job?View all responses Yes, you read that right. I am currently doing my dream job. I’m currently an Open Source Program Manager at Automattic. I work full time on open source software (WordPress) – my focus is on making its contributor experience the best it could be. I am working on building and improving programs such as mentorship programs and Five…

Bloganuary writing promptWhat makes a good leader?View all responses This is such a relevant question for me, as I myself am currently pursuing a career in leadership. What I am sharing below are my unfiltered, instinctive thoughts on good leadership – take them with a pinch of salt, if you will. In my opinion, a good leader empowers their team to do their best work while leading from the…

Bloganuary writing promptIf you could un-invent something, what would it be? View all responses I would like to un-invent single-use plastics if I could. While convenient, single-use plastics such as Plastic bags, straws, and other disposable items cause immense waste and pollution. They harm wildlife, clog landfills, and pollute oceans. Their short lifespan and negative environmental impact…

Bloganuary writing promptCan you share a positive example of where you’ve felt loved?View all responses There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved. George Sand I will be honest, however much I crib about life, I have actually had a good run thus far. I have been very privileged, and one of my biggest blessings is the gift of love, especially being on the receiving end of…