| Sunday, 25 August 2024 |
A community-powered Sunday newsletter on mental models, self-reflection, learning, growth, photos, books, and more Subscribe here
Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],
Dear reader, good morning. I’m so wedded to the concept of writing to you on a Sunday morning that I find it hard to accept that most of you read it at a different time. And, as our subscriber community has gotten more global, we aren’t just inhabiting different time zones, but also climate and weather zones.
This makes it harder for me to write. For instance, the last week in Bengaluru has seen some of the brightest and clearest skies, with the sun just shining down on you, literally.
I took this photo on Friday morning. I cannot describe how blue the skies were, how cool the air, how calming the sun’s rays, or how magnificent the airplane’s trail.
Yet, I also realise that most of you will be in different places, times, and seasons. I know this, but I also struggle to visualise or imagine it. If you have 30 seconds, tell me when you read First Principles.
Some of you might remember the mama-son dog duo I took to feeding some months ago. The pair has been inseparable since the time she had her last litter. I think she had three puppies, of which the two stronger ones went off on their own. The third was the runt of the litter, as they say.
One of his rear legs is smaller and less developed than the others, giving him a limp. Maybe that’s what prevented him from striking out on his own. Or maybe it’s because his mama decided to be around to help him survive.
Whatever the reason, the pair have been inseparable for the last 9–10 months. Here are the two of them from a few weeks ago (the white one is the mama).
Well, the mama got pregnant again, and she hasn’t been around for the last few days. I have a hunch she’s gone off somewhere nearby and safe, in the post-rain undergrowth, to give birth. And so the cycle starts again.
Meanwhile, her kid is now lonely for the first time in his life. The guy who’d quickly polish off his own bowl of food before trying to also eat out of his mama’s bowl, isn’t hungry enough to finish his own bowl.
I enjoy reading The Ken because it is informative, the articles are well researched, well written, without the spin and bias. I admire The Ken team for their dedication to getting closer to the true picture.
Hari Buggana
Chairman and MD, InvAscent
Transparent, Honest, Detailed. To me, The Ken has been this since the day I subscribed to them. The research that they put into each story and the way it is presented is thoroughly interesting. Personally, I’ve always had a great time interacting with the publication and reading the stories.
Harshil Mathur
CEO and Co-Founder, Razorpay
The Ken has proven naysayers wrong by successfully running a digital news publication on a pure-subscription business model in India. They have shown that discerning readers are willing to pay for well-researched, well-written, in-dept news articles.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Executive Chairperson, Biocon Limited
As a designer, it’s easy to get lost in the craft of building products. As a business owner however, keeping up with a rapidly changing landscape is key to saying relevant. The Ken doesn’t just help me stay on top of what’s happening in India(and beyond), but makes it fun to do so.
Rahul Gonsalves
Co-founder and CEO, Obvious Ventures