| Sunday, 19 November 2023 |
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 dear reader. I hope you had a warm, safe, and happy Deepavali. I’m back with a new edition of First Principles, and it is a wonderful read!
Do you know which song I associate with Deepavali each year? You’re not going to believe this.
November Rain by Guns N’ Roses!
It’s because every year, after I put out the festive lights on our balconies, it inevitably rains in Bengaluru. Often, it leaves behind busted lights that need replacing.
And I remind myself, “November Rain!”
Here’s what we have for you today.
I. Regret Minimisation
II. Books
III. Silent Sunday
IV. Habits
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I. Regret Minimisation
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Wednesdays are “Deep Work” WFH days at The Ken. People are allowed to reject all meetings and calls so they can spend quality, undisturbed time on things they consider important. Without the pressure of the morning office commute, those are the days I allow myself a bit of time to linger around post a morning workout, reading the day’s newspapers a bit more slowly.
Which is why I’m caught by surprise when my watch alerts me to a Zoom call with Srikanth Velamakanni, the co-founder and CEO of Fractal Analytics, which is due in five minutes. I do not have to change from my workout clothes.
On the other end of the line, Srikanth is dressed in a crisp white shirt and already on the call from a standing desk at his sprawling office in Mumbai, with sweeping and beautiful views of the Aarey forest.
I feel under-dressed, and hence (even though it makes no sense), under-prepared. Perhaps it’s because I’ve known Srikanth to always be the opposite—well-prepared.
Thankfully, he is also very polite (almost to a fault) and disarming, so my awkwardness quickly disappears as we start talking mental models while drinking our respective coffees.
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