​
How you age is how your parents age

I turned 44 last week.
I am not into celebrating birthdays, so most years, it is a simple and quiet affair with family.
As was this year.
We went for a nice high-tea affair: Ruchi, the kids, Ma, Papa, my sister, and brother-in-law.

As I was dropping Ma and Papa back home, my mom wished me happy birthday again and then asked a cute question.
"Kitne saal ka ho gaya hai tu?" (How old are you now?)
"44," I replied.

I think that hit her.

That morning, Ma sent a WhatsApp message to me, which said that she still remembers the day she gave birth to me.
As the first child, that experience is etched in her memory as fresh as the present moment.
I believe her when she says so.

I can imagine what she might have felt when I told her I had turned 44.
You know your child is growing, is married and has two kids, but it's another thing to hear a number.
44 years!
Because at that moment, you know you are old!
The child you gave birth to, the memory of which is still fresh, is today 44 years old!

That got me thinking.
How do parents, especially retired parents, think of their life?
My parents have had a very normal life - struggled their way out of a village, studied, got to a big city, spent their entire life looking for stability, and finally, found it in their old age.

For them, and millions of parents like them, I think the best gift in life is to see their kids age well.
To see their kids healthy and fit; without diseases.
To see their kids in a stable and happy relationship.
To see their kids respected and spoken well of in society.
To see their kids happy.

That is frankly all that there is to it, no?

They are waiting to pass away, but in their heart, they know that all their effort, their struggle, and their hardship have amounted to a life that they are proud of.

The best gift you can give your parents is to make them feel "That's how I would have liked to live my life" when they look at you.
​(Share on X)​
​

​
As a family, we love travelling.
It is our way to experience a new culture, a new landscape, a new cuisine, and a new understanding.
Last week, we were in Kazakhstan.
Stunning country - absolutely incredible experience.
There was a small challenge though - the language barrier.

Kazakh/Russian are the official languages, and English isn't that popular.
I had SO MANY QUESTIONS as we walked the streets and drove the roads of the country.
I turned to my newest friend - Perplexity.
Perplexity has become my default search engine in the past 6 months - it gives me answers and not weblinks, provides sources, doesn't make random things up, and it understands my instructions.​
"Why were Kazakhs historically nomads?"
"What is the main source of revenue for Kazakhstan?"
"What are the best local cuisine restaurants in Almaty?"​
Curated, well-structured responses.

Try for yourself:
​"What are the 7 best ways to earn online for someone in their 20s, based out of India?"​
​"Share a 30-day detailed plan on how to beat procrastination, using daily tasks, reminders and lessons."​
​"What are 3 signs of a toxic relationship? How do I get out of one?"​

​Check out Perplexity​
​

Book I am reading this week

This week I started reading Four Thousand Weeks (Time Management for Mortals) by Oliver Burkeman.

It is a nice, powerful book - part self-help, part technical - on how to conquer your time.
I like reading such productivity books every now and then, and this one is certainly not disappointing.
Oh btw, quiz question - what do you think the 4 thousand weeks refer to, in the title of the book?

​

My 3rd book, Make Epic Money, has sold 1,20,000+ copies in India with a 4.4+ rating. You can buy it in Hindi, English, Marathi, Audio, and Kindle here.
The book has also been converted into a video course (in Hindi and English) - that you can read about here.
​
Here is an alphabetical list of all books I have shared in this newsletter so far.

Question of the week

If someone paid you Rs. 2 lakhs per month (increasing every year, adjusted for inflation) absolutely free - without doing any work, which of these statements would you pick?

• I will stop working/studying - I will just chill
• I will continue working/studying what I am right now, but will stop feeling any pressure
• I will pick something else to work/study
• I will not take the money

(and see the results of others, too)

​

Results of last week's question

Office + higher pay has an appeal to younger folks (I can imagine why), but as you grow older, you see the benefits of working from home - even if it comes at lower pay.

My response?​
Definitely work from home at lower pay. Love my freedom and space :))
​

3-2-1
​

3 pics from last week

It is always lovely to enter a hotel and see sweets personalized for you :)))

Gift from the kids :))
Made from paper.

Ma and me :))

​
2 quotes I wish to share

The single biggest impact on how the world functions is driven by how parents function as parents!

​

Not all success is hard work. Not all failure is laziness.

​

1 new thing I learnt this week

Our Brain is Mostly Fat:

The human brain is the fattiest organ in the body, consisting of about 60% fat. This high-fat content is crucial for the brain's function, as it plays a key role in maintaining the structure of brain cells and facilitating communication between them.
So the next time you want to lose fat, think twice, lol!
​

​
🎙️ My top content from last week
​

📹 YouTube:​ Single parent financial planning​

📱 Instagram: Long-distance​ relationships​

🐥 Twitter: Role of money​

🎧 Podcast: 7 questions​
​

​

You can, of course, always write to me by simply replying to this newsletter.

I love reading all your emails, even though I may not be able to reply to them all.
Yes! I READ ALL MY EMAILS. ALL OF THEM.​
​(Baarishon mein hari hari ghaas ki kasam)

​