Three steps to unlock climate finance for developing nations:

1. Strengthen institutions: Help developing countries build capacity to manage funds effectively. 

2. Attract private investment: De-risk projects & create incentives to bring in private capital. 

3. Proactive focus on adaptation: Ensure funding reaches those most vulnerable to climate impacts. 

Let's invest in a more sustainable future, together! #ClimateAction #ClimateFinance #GreenInvestment 

Two decades can have a transfigurative impact on our memories. Trivial moments morph into bittersweet nostalgia, while monumental events fade into relics of the past. Starting this blog was one of those seemingly trivial acts back in 2004, but reflecting on its origins and the occasional old posts reveals a montage of life events that now feel both incredulous and utterly random.

I first used a computer and the internet in 1998-99. As a young person in a small town in Bihar, this felt like winning the lottery. At the time, I had no idea how privileged I was or how this access would reshape my entire life. Cursed with an insatiable curiosity, I made the internet my playground of discovery – a window to a world far beyond my imagination. I immersed myself in emerging web and internet technologies and the thrilling tech-pop culture blossoming across Europe and the US.

My early days on the internet were all about personal blogs and forums. While the golden era of blogging spanned 2000-2010, the first blog was published as early as 1993. Justin Hall, who started posting on his personal website that year, is regarded as the first personal blogger. He was already known in tech circles through bulletin boards and chat forums like mIRC. By 2000, personal blogging exploded, connecting like-minded strangers worldwide. Personal blogs had a very effective discoverability mechanism: links to other blogs. Roaming around, I stumbled upon pioneering bloggers and tech influencers like Kevin Kelly (the most interesting man alive and perhaps my biggest blogging inspiration), Ben Trott (TypePad founder), Matt Mullenweg (WordPress co-founder), and later, economists like Tyler Cowen (Marginal Revolution) and Tim Ferriss. The list goes on!

By 2003-04, the Indian blogosphere was booming. My inbox buzzed with emails – friends, acquaintances, even strangers – excitedly sharing their new blogs or latest posts. It was a wave of creativity and connection, and I was swept up in it. My own blog started as a jumble of personal updates and reflections, lacking any clear purpose. Perhaps a mix of homesickness and a desire to connect with my growing online social circle (from forums and websites) fueled its creation. Soon, I added a separate blog just for sharing IIFM campus updates and became part of b-school blogging groups. Many well-known figures today were blogging from various campuses across India. This era also saw bloggers banding together to challenge figures like Arindham Chaudhuri of IIPM (Fury over a blog | Latest News India – Hindustan Times: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/fury-over-a-blog/story-SGKxCQJzF65KdA1XwZOIjJ.html). It was a moment when bloggers like Rashmi Bansal and Gaurav Sabnis brought mainstream media attention to the Indian blogosphere.

My own blog went through many existential crises and transformations as life progressed. The private section of the blog became more active than the public posts. Irrepressible personal opinions, reflections, and rants were relegated to drafts or the private section, while sanitized, politically correct updates were published to keep the public page alive. It was no longer a personal blog but rather a space for sharing updates about professional life and keeping track of the books I was reading.

Now, as this blog turns twenty, it has become a treasure trove of nostalgia, a witness to a journey that began with the insecurities of a middle-class youth figuring out his future to frustrations of a middle-aged man grappling with the future his child (and other children) will inherit in this fragile, almost post-truth world.

#Delhi has air pollution.. #Bengaluru has water scarcity.. #Chennai has flood problem.. urban development and our policies need some revisit.

Meet this colorful animal made of junk and recycled plastic.. 

IIFMights in Nairobi! 

She sneakily made herself snug next to me.

I picked up Samsung Galaxy S24 to replace my backup phone. The phone is quite snappy but the AI integration could have been more comprehensive.

Currently reading: Wanting by Luke Burgis 📚

The smog and bad air quality is no longer confined to North India. We travelled from Pondichéry to Chennai on 14th January almost in zero visibility. Bhogi Pongal, Lohri, Makar Sankranti all have some rituals that result in burning of the old and getting ready for new. Unfortunately with growing population, destruction of our trees and forest, and changing weather pattern, many of our cultural celebrations have become a challenge. We did not respect our culture of protecting the nature and celebrating the nature.. the ramifications are now more visible and horrible. #smog #airquality

The luxury of clean air and sunlight.

Finished reading: Doppelganger by Naomi Klein 📚

Here are the books I finished reading in 2023.

A last moment plan change and we ended up in Pondichéry, away from the smogy and gloomy Delhi. And, in Pondichéry we have our favourite place for celebratory dinner: favourite more for its memories than its food. Also its favourite of our daughter as she likes the icecreams here!

For the last 5-6 years, my backpain emerges just before the year end and makes me bedridden for 5-10 days ruining all the plans of reflections, pending todos that I want to take care in the year-end break. This year is no different. Hope to get better and then I am taking care of this backpain for good.

Seems that with the cap on the number of notes in the Evernote Free plan, Evernote is going to be history soon. Unless the Bending Spoon guys have something so exciting that can force everyone to pay for the premium plans. Unfortunately, the last two years of developments do not give much hope. I have been a user since 2008, with more than 4000 notes. Still paying for it, but not counting on it anymore.

At #CoP28 with the tag line of my previous employer that still drives what I do in the new role. #cliamtechange #climateaction

Every year at CoP I look for its evolution beyond the negotiation of countries and world leaders. The civic participation and engagement are critical for enforcing an effective action plan. And it’s a delight to see our young generation’s increased participation in this event. #COP28  #COP28UAE