Category Archives: Musings

The Problem with Free: We Don’t Value It

Posted in Ideas, Life, Musings, User Experience by

“That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly.” — Thomas Paine

There is a fundamental quirk in human psychology: what is given too freely is almost always valued too cheaply. When the price tag of a commodity or a gesture drops to absolute zero, its perceived value often plummets with it.

We see this play out constantly, from macro-level government policies to corporate boardrooms, and even in our closest neighborhoods.

1. The State Government Dilemma: Welfare vs. Worth

Over the years, successive state governments have rolled out massive welfare schemes distributing free televisions, fans, mixers, and grinders. This isn’t a critique of social justice—welfare has its place. However, the execution exposes a flaw in how we perceive free items.

Walk into second-hand shops, and you will find piles of these pristine, government-issued appliances. Many recipients sold their free TVs immediately—some even packaged them off to student hostels in neighboring states for quick cash.

The psychological shift happens at the price point. If the government had charged even a token amount—say, ₹100—the public narrative would have changed. It would no longer be “free junk”; it would be a heavily subsidized asset worth protecting.

The Concept of ‘Skin in the Game’ through Civic Action
If charging a nominal financial fee is politically or logistically impractical for a welfare scheme, the state can introduce cost through a different currency: personal accountability. What if freebies or social security benefits were linked to conditional milestones?

For instance, to qualify for a government benefit, a citizen might need to demonstrate that they have bought a basic term insurance policy to insulate their family from sudden poverty, or drafted a legal will to eliminate generational property disputes. By introducing these nudges, the government transforms a passive handout into an active tool for social engineering. It forces the recipient to think about long-term stability, ensuring that while the benefit is free, the right to access it requires a meaningful commitment to their family’s future.

2. The Corporate Cafeteria: From Gratitude to Grievance

Step into the corporate world, and you see the exact same behavior. Many top-tier companies offer lavish, free buffet meals to keep their employees fueled and happy. Yet, day after day, you can hear employees cribbing about the menu options or the salt levels.

Constructive feedback is healthy, but habitual complaining about a premium, free benefit is a symptom of entitlement.

The reality is, nobody is forcing employees to eat at the office cafeteria. It is an entirely optional perk. If someone feels that the free meal doesn’t cater to their specific taste, they are well within their rights to bring food from home or eat elsewhere. Blaming the company for a voluntary benefit makes little sense.

Now, imagine if the company priced that exact same buffet at a nominal ₹5. Instantly, the psychological context flips. The narrative changes from “This free food is mediocre” to “Wow, where else on earth can I get a massive, delicious buffet for just five rupees?”

There is an old, wise saying that applies perfectly here: “Don’t tell the person carrying you up a hilltop that they smell bad. If you don’t like it, get down and walk.”

3. The Commute Complaint: Nodal Points vs. Entitlement

This psychological blind spot doesn’t stop at the cafeteria; it extends right into the office transport bay.

Consider a company that provides free, air-conditioned cabs for employee pickups and drops. To keep commute times efficient and fair for everyone, the transport department asks employees to walk a few meters to a designated “nodal point” on the main road. It makes logical sense: navigating narrow residential streets during peak-hour traffic delays the entire cab and inconveniences everyone else on board.

Yet, rather than walking those few short steps or choosing to commute using their own vehicles, many employees still crib about the service. They overlook the massive financial and logistical burden the company is lifting off their shoulders.

What makes the complaining even more unreasonable is that the company does provide doorstep drops during night shifts or pre-dawn pickups to ensure safety. But during normal hours, when the policy is optimized for the collective good, the concept of a “free ride” makes people focus entirely on their minor inconvenience rather than the major benefit.

Once again, when a premium service costs zero rupees, our expectations skyrocket to unreasonable heights.

4. The Neighborhood Lesson: When Charity Hurts Self-Esteem

Perhaps the most profound example of this happens at a deeply personal level, where giving freely can inadvertently hurt the very person you want to help.

In my village, a neighbor rented a small room to a daily wage laborer for ₹800 a month. When a member of the tenant’s family developed a severe kidney complication, the medical bills broke them. Seeing their struggle, the kind-hearted house owner waived their rent for two months to let them recover.

Instead of being relieved, the tenants abruptly packed their bags and vacated the house. The house owner was stunned. Why leave when someone is actively trying to support you?

What he later realized was a masterclass in human dignity: living entirely rent-free had severely bruised the tenant’s self-esteem. Furthermore, they carried the crushing anxiety that the neighbors would look down on them as objects of charity. By trying to eliminate their financial burden entirely, the house owner had inadvertently created a psychological one.

The Takeaway

Human beings are wired to equate cost with commitment. When we pay nothing, we invest nothing—neither our gratitude nor our respect. Whether you are running a state, managing a corporate team, or helping a neighbor, sometimes the best way to preserve someone’s dignity and value for what you offer is to ensure they have skin in the game. Sometimes that means charging a token financial price; other times, it means demanding a baseline of personal accountability and civic action. True value is never found in a passive handout; it is forged when we are asked to invest something of ourselves in return.

What are your thoughts on this? Have you ever noticed a situation where giving something away for free completely changed how people valued it? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

P.S. This post is purely a psychological observation on human behavior; it is not a critique of social justice schemes or the intentions of kind-hearted samaritans.

*This blog post was refined using Gemini.

The Scrapbook, The Bookshelf, and an Evolving Hobby

Posted in Life, Musings by

We’ve all been there: sitting in a classroom with a blank sheet of paper, tasked with the classic essay prompt, “What is your hobby?” In those days, the answers felt almost algorithmic. Most of my classmates would dutifully write about philately (stamp collecting) or numismatics (coin collecting). These were the “respectable” hobbies—activities that sounded structured, educational, and ready for an interview panel. But for many of us, the reality of our leisure time was much more fluid.

The Midnight Pep Talk: Defining “Leisure”

I remember a pivotal night in Class 9. My House Captain, fresh from a motivational trip to the National Defence Academy (NDA), gathered us outside his dorm for a marathon pep talk that stretched until midnight. As we fought off sleep, he challenged our rigid ideas of what a hobby actually was.

He told us about a junior who nurtured a talent for drawing cartoons post-school hours, and even a senior who told an SSB (Services Selection Board) panel that his hobby was experimenting with different hairstyles. His message was simple: A hobby is simply what you actually do with your time when no one is telling you what to do.

In a school schedule packed with classes and mandatory games, those quiet hours between lunch and tea were our only true “white space.” While others played “exam pad cricket” or watched TV, I found myself drawn to something else.

The Art of the Scrapbook

My home didn’t have a TV, and I never developed much of an interest in watching one at school either. Instead, I became a curator. I found myself armed with a pair of scissors and a stack of magazines. I would cut out anything that resonated: a clever joke, a poignant poem, a striking photograph, or—most frequently—motivational quotes.

Initially, these clippings migrated to my dorm walls and the inside of my cupboard. They were my “hooks,” the small anchors I used to steady myself while navigating the pressures of school. Eventually, I began pasting them into an old, unused diary. It was only later that I learned there was a formal name for this: Scrapbooking.

As my interests evolved toward quizzing and management, my scrapbooks transformed too. The clippings became more specialized, reflecting my growing curiosity about the world and my future career.

From Paper Clippings to “Tsundoku”

That habit of physical curation eventually manifested in a new form: a love for books. Over the years, I began accumulating motivational and self-help titles. My collection grew faster than my reading pace, leading to a bookshelf filled with both well-loved pages and “yet-to-be-reads.”
Nassim Taleb’s “Anti-Library” Habit: Why Your Unread Books Are More Important Than Your Read Ones

I recently discovered a beautiful Japanese term that perfectly describes this stage of my journey: Tsundoku (積ん読). It refers to the act of acquiring reading materials and letting them pile up without necessarily reading them all. For me, it isn’t just about the “unread” pile; it’s an extension of that original scrapbooking impulse—the desire to gather and surround myself with ideas that inspire growth.

Tsundoku
Image courtesy: https://sketchplanations.com

The Digital Pivot

Today, my “scissors and glue” have been replaced by the digital “Pin.” My collection of articles and interests has migrated to Pinterest boards, allowing me to curate ideas with a speed my ninth-grade self couldn’t have imagined.

Looking back, those “part-time hobbies” were never just filler. Whether it’s a physical scrapbook, a shelf of books, or a digital board, the act of collecting is really an act of self-discovery. It’s about identifying what speaks to you and keeping it close.

So, if you’re still trying to define your hobby, don’t worry about whether it sounds “official” enough for an essay. Look at what you do when the world leaves you to your own devices. That—whatever it is—is where your story begins.

Additional Refs:
Winston Churchill used to lay 200 bricks per day to keep his mind busy when feeling down. Depression hates a moving target.
https://x.com/george__mack/status/2051334328303669498

What was your “exam pad cricket”? Did you have a hobby that didn’t quite fit the standard essay template? Let me know in the comments!

*This blog post has been refined using Gemini.

Why I linked December with Dessert?

Posted in Life, Musings, My Learning by

When we end the meal with a dessert, the sweetness lingers on our tongue, for some more time. It feels satisfying. I had a terrible 2024 and wanted to end the last month of 2024, doing/learning something for the sake of fun. Somethings feel like therapy. I intentionally visited sweet shops & cafes to lift my mood. My wife learnt home baking of cakes & cookies and I feel thankful for that. Taking inspiration from this blog, casually clicked and shared random beautiful pics. Decided to watch one TED video on photography daily in the evening. Some were pleasing and some showed the difficulties/realities, as shared by photo journalists. The compilation of the talks are below. Also, below are a lot many resources, I found on the internet, which I plan watch later, at leisure. Happy video watching at leisure 🙂

nb: TED encourages sharing the talks, under Creative Commons license. Please refer TED Talks Usage Policy

A wealth of resources on photography, from the internet.

PS: I don’t aspire to be a professional photographer, but like to click random beautiful things that are pleasing to my eyes, using mobile phone. Thanks to my friend Ravisuriya, my school senior Balaji man & Ram, whom I met at Kabini, whose photographic works, I admire.

As we end 2024, I whole heartedly thank my family, friends & relatives, for all the support in times of extreme distress.

Happy Teacher’s Day

Posted in Musings, Sainik School by

The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.
~ William Arthur Ward

Sincere gratitude to all my teachers, from primary school to college, who taught and inspired us.
Happy Teacher’s Day!

While at Sainik School, Class 12 cadets aka Premiers will assume the role of teachers, on teacher’s day (05-Sep.) The premiers will conduct the morning PT, followed by leading the assembly, where we get to sit on the dias in lieu of teachers, and also take classes in lieu of teachers. Some also got to receive “Best Student Teacher” award.

Also feel proud to share that my teachers who were recipients of best teacher awards. Irrespective of whether they received an award or not, my deep respects to all teachers!

Pleased to share some writings relevant to teachers, written by my school types:

http://kodaihills.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-was-very-fortunate-to-have-been-in.html

Guru Dakshina

I read the below letter, from a college magazine of my cousin. Found it very inspiring, had Xeroxed and pasted it on my hostel cupboard and gifted copies of it to my college professors during my final year at college.

Making higher education accessible to the underprivileged members of the society

Posted in Ideas, Musings by
India is capable of becoming a knowledge super-power. Why not help the under privileged too be a part of this? There are quotas and reservations, but still there are people who cannot afford the cost of education.
 
What can be done in addition to the reservations? Though the law prohibits educational institutions from taking capitation fee from students, most colleges do collect capitation fees and donations, which are kept unaccounted and in turn becomes black money. When the government is unable to curb this, why not pass a bill, legalize it and make it taxable. Some might argue, why sell education. Even otherwise, it is sold, illegally! Rather than letting go off tax revenue, why not proactively account those.
In return to taking capitation fees, the bill should mandate educational institutions to admit 5-10% of students without charging them in any form and for any purpose, through a single window system facilitated by the government.
Such an amendment will not only benefit the underprivileged to get quality education, but also the government in terms of tax revenue.
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Submitted this idea for a better a future, as part of the Leaders of Tomorrow contest conducted by ISB, where I went on to receive the Best Profile award.
 

Tracking and auditing donations made to government and non-governmental organisations

Posted in Ideas, Musings by
There are instances where authorities misuse donations or public funds. For example, when some one donates furniture to government schools and if it is not properly publicised, and the school also receives government funds, the school authorities can obtain fake bills and show that the furniture were purchased from the government fund and loot the money sanctioned by the government. Donor will be under the impression that his money was used for a certain purpose and the government will be under the impression that government funds were for the same purpose.
 
One way to make donations transparent would be to create and maintain a public repository where all the donations made to government and non-governmental organisations and how it was used are reported and maintained, and can be under the watch of the government auditors.
This will not only reduce the leakage of funds but also improve trust and confidence among donors and encourage more donations.
 
 
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Submitted this idea for a better a future, as part of the Leaders of Tomorrow contest conducted by ISB, where I went on to receive the Best Profile award.

Creating a better nation with well informed citizens

Posted in Ideas, Musings by
How to do this on a large scale? One way is by extending the scope of RTI act, so as to include mass media, which has an important role in nation building, such that, 25-30% of the first page of all regional and nationwide news papers, 20-30 secs of air-time of all regional and nationwide TV/Radio channels during prime time be handed over to the government for free usage or for an yearly fees based on the newspaper’s/channels’ readership.

This space/air-time, which can be shared between the state and central government proportionately on daily or weekly basis, can be used to impart moral education, educate people on social issues and create awareness on legal matters and government policies. The government can use this to proactively disclose information on issues of larger public interest, which in some cases can reduce the number of RTI applications and also avoid harassment of RTI applicants.

Also, this space/air-time can be used to sensitise people on various frauds/scams and the modus operandi of scamsters. Preventing people from getting cheated will spare a lot of liquid cash which can be a growth booster rather than that money getting converted as black money.

Moreover, the government and politicians, most times spend lavishly to inaugurate new schemes or infrastructure facilities. Availability of such newspaper space or air-time can also be used to declare open any new schemes/infrastructures, which in turn will save money for the government, prevent chaos and traffic jams and save time for a lot of people including the government.

The newspaper space can sometimes be used to publish large scale tenders, which to some extent can prevent corruption in allotting tenders.

Publications of all such kind will create better informed and educated citizens and over the long run will pave way for a peaceful and better society.
 
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Submitted this idea for a better a future, as part of the Leaders of Tomorrow contest conducted by ISB, where I went on to receive the Best Profile award.

Just a thought

Posted in Musings by

Look at life with eyes that see the best things,

Not the bad.

Cherish in your memory the good times,

Not the sad.

Choose bright side of the road where sun shines,

Not the dark.

Walk in the direction where the sky is blue,

Not the grey.