| Sunday, 30 November 2025 |
A community-powered Sunday newsletter on mental models, self-reflection, learning, growth, photos, books, and more Subscribe here
Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],
Good morning, it’s nice to have you back again this Sunday. In Bengaluru, “proper” winter has set in a few weeks earlier, thanks to some low-pressure weather around Sri Lanka, which has led to fog, light rains, and chilly weather for us temperate city folk.
Gabru refuses to sleep on the floor now, seeking out indoor foot mats around the house to cosy up on. Bribo has found himself a discarded cotton mattress on the periphery of the nearby lot for the nights.
As the weather gets cold, I keep thinking how he—and all the other street dogs—manage to survive on their own. They must find food, befriend humans, socialise with other dogs, navigate traffic, find water, safeguard their territories, nurse their injuries, and so much more. And yet, I’ve never seen Bribo be anything other than curious, happy, and animated.
It’s hard to reconcile your imagined, human view of what a street dog ought to be feeling versus how they actually seem to be doing at times. I keep struggling with it.
I wonder if I should get Bribo one of those sweaters or fleece jackets for dogs. I know Gabru would tear it off within minutes. Have any of you tried outfitting your community dogs against the winter?
Here’s everything we have for you in First Principles this week:
1. The infinite game and the player
2. The Albums Only Playlist 💿
3. The Christmas Playlist 🎄
4. Pick of the Month 📚
5. Ceilings of the wild 📸
1. The infinite game and the player
As opening lines of books go, this one made me sit up and do a double take.
“THERE ARE at least two kinds of games. One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play.”
These are the opening lines from the 1986 book, Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility.
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Chairman and MD, InvAscent
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CEO and Co-Founder, Razorpay
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Executive Chairperson, Biocon Limited
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Co-founder and CEO, Obvious Ventures