It took 5 decades! I had never been to the Sabarimala Temple. A couple of months back, one of my friends suggested that we should go to the Ayyappa Temple, and finally he booked the darshan online. Along with the darshan booking, prasadam tickets can also be booked. As planned, …

Back in 2020 and 2021, the world sounded different. The pandemic had humbled humanity. Cities fell silent. Roads were empty. Skies looked cleaner. For a brief moment, modern civilization appeared helpless before nature. A common belief began to circulate: the post-COVID world would not be the same. People would become …

What is the first thing an individual taxpayer looks for in the Budget? Tax reduction! Don’t lecture me, just tell me one thing “will I be paying less tax next year?” The short answer is: NO. There is no proposal to reduce income-tax rates. The slab rates remain exactly the …

Happy Republic Day to one and all Today, I felt like writing something about cinema. More specifically, about Malayalam cinema and its actors, for which I have developed a deep admiration over the years. Let me try to put down the reasons for this fondness. Nature I was raised in …

Wishing all my readers a very Happy New Year 2026. As we step into a new year, I wanted to begin with a simple, feel-good thought, one that requires no resolutions, no targets, and no grand plans! Just a gentle reminder about how the smallest things in life often shape …

Namaskara Today, for the first time, I personally and single-handedly prepared Ashtadravya Prasada for our office pooja (for about 100 people). This prasada, made with eight sacred ingredients, carries deep significance and blessings, and I am delighted to share it with you. What is Ashtadravya? “Ashta” means eight, and “dravya” …

Today, India ushers in one of the most significant tax reforms since the launch of GST in 2017. Popularly called GST 2.0, this reform trims the complex four-slab structure into just two: 5% for essentials and 18% for most goods and services, with a higher “sin tax” reserved for luxury …

Have you heard of Jāgrata Panchakam? If not, you are not too late. It was written nearly 1200 years ago by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, the great saint and philosopher who revived Advaita Vedānta. Like his other practical works such as Bhaja Govindam, this set of verses is a reminder to stay …

Let me begin with the basics. All resident individual taxpayers must link their PAN with Aadhaar. If this is not done, the PAN becomes “inoperative” although technically still active; it results in serious consequences. One such consequence is that TDS must be deducted at 20% instead of the applicable lower …

Those of us who step out each day for work often carry ourselves like heroes of the household. The family looks up to the earning member as the breadwinner, the provider, the saviour and rightly so. There is nothing wrong with this perspective. Anyone who understands the challenges of earning …