A Decade of Experiments: What I Tried, What I Learned

January 9th, 2016 — the day I stepped out of my comfort zone.

I still remember my very first food stall at a lake santhe. After spending years fascinated by food and nutrition, I finally decided to share that passion beyond my family. My menu was simple but heartfelt — fingermillet idlis, barnyard millet sweet pongal, and rajamudi rice savory pongal. Millets were far from “trendy” back then, but the joy I felt that day is still unmatched.

That experience pushed me to start a small home-based catering service for my apartment community. Every weekend, I’d brainstorm menus, shop for ingredients, and cook with full focus — that “in the zone” feeling I cherish. Orders were few initially, mostly from a couple of kind senior citizens. But I persisted. Over time, I added podis and thokkus, and slowly, appreciation grew. Of course, there were also the occasional digs — “Why would a BE/MBA do such menial work?” But honestly, those comments only made me more resilient.

2017 — the world of packaged foods opened up

Another passion took shape that year: writing about packaged foods and their ingredients. Every time I wrote a blog post, time just dissolved — 2–3 hours would feel like 10 minutes. Readers found value in the posts, and soon I was speaking at public forums and conducting workshops on how to read food labels.
I may not be actively doing this today, but even now people tell me they remember me from those posts. That’s a feeling hard to describe.

This same journey unexpectedly nudged me towards meme-making on packaged food brands using Tamil movie scenes as the backdrop in 2019. When I look back, I’m both amused and surprised that I did that. I even attempted a couple of stand-up comedy sets on packaged foods. Watching the recordings today is embarrassing, but my daughter insists it was brave.

2023 — the year of books and shlokas

I launched a book club called Sparks and Nuggets with an ambitious goal — one book a week. I’d create mind maps, share insights, and host discussions. I truly enjoyed the rhythm of reading, reflecting, and presenting. After nine months, enthusiasm from the group faded, and I had to wrap it up — but the journey was fulfilling while it lasted.

Around the same time, I started a Shloka chanting class for kids in my apartment. A small group joined, and the classes were delightful. We explored short shlokas, stories, symbolisms, and their curious questions made every session memorable. We managed it for over a year before schedules clashed and we had to pause.

2025 — growing deeper into spirituality and teaching

This year, I began online shloka chanting classes, and we have completed eight stotras so far. The behind-the-scenes effort — preparing PPTs, researching meanings, listening to discourses for more context — has been intense but deeply satisfying.

Continuous learning is my non-negotiable priority. To share what I learn, I started weekly “learning sessions” reviewing discourses, podcasts, and books. We completed 21 sessions in Season 1. For Season 2, I narrowed the focus to the Bhagavad Gita — and we’re already six sessions in.

As a certified Yoga teacher, I also started online yoga classes this year. A few students stayed committed, but many dropped out. Morning schedule clashes forced me to pause this initiative for now.

What I’ve understood after all these experiments

Across everything I tried, two truths have stood out clearly:

The Positive:
My passion, discipline, and consistency never waver. When I’m committed, I give my whole self to the process.

The Challenge:
My energy dips when audience interest drops. Sustaining momentum becomes difficult when impact seems uncertain.

But the Gita brings me back to balance. Krishna’s words — “karmanye vaadhikaraste” (Gita 2.47) — remind me that my choice is only to the action, never the fruits.

As I continue experimenting, learning, and teaching, I hope I can eventually shape these scattered attempts into something meaningful and dharmic — something that creates a larger impact, but rooted in the spirit of karma yoga.

Ideal time to begin engaging with scriptures

Is reading scriptures something to pick up only after retirement?

Are stotras and kirtans meant solely for the elderly?

Many of us unconsciously assume this, and that belief stops us from encouraging teenagers and young adults to explore spirituality early in life. The early working years are filled with pressure, deadlines, and expectations, leaving little time or mental space for inner work. And even when the desire is there, social norms often dictate what is considered “cool,” steering us away from practices that nourish the mind.

There is also a feeling that one needs life experience and emotional maturity to truly understand spiritual wisdom. That is true to an extent, but it shouldn’t become an excuse to postpone the journey.

Bhartrhari’s Vairagya Shatakam, a profound collection of 100 verses on detachment, offers a gentle yet powerful reminder on when this pursuit should actually begin. In Verse 75, he lays out the ideal time with striking clarity:

“As long as this body is free from disease and decrepitude,

as long as senility is far off,

as long as the powers of the senses are unaffected, and

life is not decaying, so long,

wise persons should put forth mighty exertions for the sake of their supreme good,

for when the house is on fire what avails setting about digging a well (for water)?”

The comparison is striking. If a house is already burning, digging a well becomes pointless. In the same way, when life confronts us with illness, old age, loss, loneliness, or financial instability, how equipped will we be to sit through a discourse and absorb deep teachings on impermanence?

Preparing oneself inwardly is not something to be postponed. Building psychological resilience and mental clarity is most effective when begun in our 20s—or at least by our 30s—while the mind is agile and receptive. When unexpected challenges arrive, as they inevitably do, we can then draw strength from within rather than be swept away by circumstances.

Spirituality isn’t a late-life activity. It’s a foundation we lay early, so that whatever life brings later, we stand firm rather than fall.

Source of the verse: Vairagya Shatakam - translation by Swami Madhavananda, Advaita Ashrama