Tag: 2026

  • Pune to Palakkad

    We had dropped my wife’s parents at Pune railway station the previous night and it was a little past midnight when we slept. We set the alarm for 4:30 in the morning for our road trip to Palakkad.

    Two weeks earlier, my parents had taken both of our kids to Palakkad for their summer vacation. This meant that it was only the two of us on this journey.

    Routes

    We usually take the Pune – Kolhapur – Davanagere – Chitradurga – Hosur – Salem – Erode – Coimbatore – Palakkad route. On our last road trip, we tried the Sathyamangalam route after Chitradurga, turning at Tumkur. This time, we wanted to try driving down NH 66 (what was the Panvel – Ernakulam Highway and then NH 17).

    I remembered a road trip that I went with my family from Mumbai and this was a scenic sea-side route along the Arabian Sea. That road had gone beside beaches, through towns and cities, and on coastal and ghat roads. I wanted to experience that again.

    I took Google Gemini’s help to decide where to stop on the route we were planning to take. It suggested that we stop somewhere between Murdeshwar and Udupi.

    Rakesh ettan shared notes on the Pune – Sawantwadi – Goa leg of the trip. It was a route they had taken for their vacation in Goa.After taking this route to hop from NH 48 to NH 66, we would follow NH 66 to Palakkad.

    Day 1

    We woke up at 4:30 am and left from home around 5:30 AM. Google Maps guided us through Sinhagad Road to meet NH48.

    We made good time in this early morning leg and stopped at what has become our usual Vithal Kamat stop just before riding up Khambatki Ghat.

    Good progress has been made on the bridge cutting out the Ghat from NH48. It looks like we may not have to traverse the ghat on our next road trip.

    We crossed Satara and around Kolhapur began a series of diversions for construction work on-going on the NH. It was sad to see many of the trees getting cut down for expansion work. Why can’t we move these trees like Singapore does?

    We crossed into Karnataka and after one more diversion at Nipani, we made the turn towards Goa at Hotel Goa Ves. We joined NH 548H at Uttur Phata after going back into Maharashtra at Bahirewadi. We realised a little late that we had taken an earlier turn than intended.

    We returned to the route we had intended towards Amboli Ghat on NH 548H. By the time I had crossed Amboli Ghat, I had already crossed a few smaller ghat roads, and was now beginning to tire.

    Dhanya and I at Amboli Ghat. Image: Pradeep Mohandas

    We really loved the scenes at Amboli Ghat. The trees were different at different heights. The smells were different. The soil seemed different.

    At the exit of Amboli Ghat we got tempted to follow a short cut route into Goa. But, we had to return after a few kilometers as work on the highway had created a traffic snarl. We returned back to NH 548H.

    We then set our sights on Sawantwadi and headed there on the main highway. Sawantwadi town had a Mall Road like the north and still had some colonial vestiges. My wife’s neck pain got severe at this point and she could not turn to look towards my side (which was the side that looked towards the sea).

    NH 548H reached NH 66 at the Insuli RTO checkpost. We crossed the Terekhol river and had a Goan fish based meal at Hotel Anandi at Banda.

    We then took a series of bridges in Goa that took us through but never let us be in Goa. It by-passed the whole state except parts of Madgaon. The bridge had high side-walls which meant that we didn’t even get to see Goa.

    I later realised that they had changed the alignment of the road.

    We got the first sight of the sea at Goa Velha at the New Zuari Bridge. Then, we passed through Karwar Ghat and into the new naval port area. We also saw a lot of signboards for beaches but the disappointment that was the Goa by-pass meant that we just wanted to get to Udupi.

    We entered Karwar around 3:30 PM. Udupi looked unreachable and so we wanted to at least target Murdeshwar to sleep at. At this point, Murdeshwar also felt unreachable.

    It was getting dark by the time we passed Ankola. A bit of a downpour made driving slower. We went past Gokarna, Kumta, and Honnavar after sunset. We pulled into our night stay at the RNS Highway Hotel at Murdeshwar.

    The RNS Highway Hotel has an attached restaurant which is not under the same management as the Hotel. When we went there, the restaurant was busy serving a party of 20 and had only two chefs. We had to wait 30 minutes to be served and the food was not great.

    After a long and tiring first day, we decided to leave at 6 AM on the next day.

    Day 2

    We started at 6 AM as planned. We decided to have breakfast at 8 AM at Udipi. On the way we saw the bit of a beach by the road at Maravanthe and decided to get down on the beach. This strip of road and beach has the Kolluru River on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other side.

    Dhanya had been disappointed that we didn’t get to go down on a beach in Goa. We might have to plan a trip just for that.

    Selfie at Maravanthe Beach.

    She enjoyed her time at this beach and was much more positive start to the drive that day.

    We then went into Udipi to have our breakfast at MTR 1924. We then drove out and made good time before we entered Kerala. The roads in Kerala were also good with elevated highways.

    We were driving at a nice clip in Kerala when the diversions began. There were several diversions which went into the towns as well. We took a diversion into Kannur just before lunch. It was a bit early for lunch and we enjoyed the drive by the beach. But, most of the diversions were onto the service roads with no or closed restaurants.

    We decided to have Thalassery Biriyani at Thalassery for lunch. Dhanya searched online and found Paris Restaurant in Thalassery to have the best Thalassery Biriyani.

    We went off the Highway into Thalassery to have biriyani. After a short drive where we missed the car parking place for Paris Restaurant, we parked. We were diverted to the newer AC restaurant. Another look at Google Maps pointed us to the traditional place.

    The traditional place was a house with a bunch of rooms serving as place to eat. With an efficient seating arrangement consisting of desks and benches with enough room for people to sit and move around. We got a corner seat and had a sumptuous lunch.

    Selfie in front of Paris Restaurant at Thalassery. Image: Pradeep Mohandas

    We then went back to the Highway on the same road that we came to the Restaurant. The roads got much better after we crossed Kozhikode. Dhanya had wanted to try Paragon Biriyani as well but we decided to go there on another trip.

    We turned towards Palakkad at Valanchery. On the road to Palakkad we stopped at a cafe in Cherpulassery for a coffee and snacks.

    We reached our home in Palakkad at 8 PM. It was great to be reunited with the kids after a long gap of 15 days.

  • Wrote a Chapter in a Space Book

    I am happy to announce that my chapter, “The second Space Age is here. Where is India’s place in it?” has been published in India and The Second Space Age, a new e-book released by The Hindu Group.


    For decades, India’s space program operated strictly under the Sarabhai doctrine, focusing on frugal engineering and immediate socio-economic utility. Today, however, we are navigating the complex transition from a state-led monopoly into a hybrid ecosystem. The book brilliantly captures the rockets, rivalries, and unfinished rules of this frontier, exploring everything from the nuances of dual-use technologies to the legal ambiguities of cross-border liabilities in orbit.

    In my chapter, I take a look at how India is engineering its position within this new global landscape. I unpack our strategy: the deliberate shift where ISRO transitions into a high-end R&D engine, handing over mature, operational technologies to a maturing private sector. I explore the geopolitical implications of India’s decision to sign the Artemis Accords. By choosing this commercially driven, decentralized framework over the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), India made a strategic choice. I don’t think we signed only an Accord; we pre-qualified our private startups to plug directly into a multi-billion-dollar global supply chain.

    The e-book is available for free to digital subscribers of The Hindu Group or can be purchased on Amazon. If you are interested in the strategic intersection of deep tech, global commerce, and national policy, I highly recommend checking out the entire collection. I would love to hear your thoughts on India’s trajectory in the comments!

    Thanks to Vasudevan Mukunth for the opportunity to write. I feel great to have contributed to a work with so many great space writers and thinkers.

    I also loved the cover!

  • Chintamani Temple, Theur

    After the trip to Ballaleshwar and Varadavinayak, we went to the Chintamani Temple in Theur on 11 April 2026. We had gone to Chintamani earlier before we realised the importance of visiting these places in a particular order.

    This temple had lovely woodwork and a Portuguese bell kept here after the Maratha conquest of the fort where it was initially hung. There were many sparrows in the temple courtyard. Some parts of the temple was undergoing renovation. I have found the temples managed by the Chinchwad Trust to be better maintained and cleaner than other temples.

    This is relatively closer to Pune and hence, the drive to and from the temple was more leisurely for us. We drove without stops.

  • Ballaleshwar and Varadavinayak

    It had been a long time since we left our Ashtavinayak Pilgrimage. I have written here about our trips to Mayureshwar and Siddhivinayak temples. We had done these in January 2026.

    Personal illness, kids exams, etc led to a delay in the next trip. We headed for Ballaleshwar on 28 March 2026. A day earlier we met Rakesh ettan and family the previous day during our weekly run to Kerala Stores. He suggested that both Ballaleshwar and Varadavinayak were close by and hence could be covered in the same trip. They had done the Ashtavinayak circuit in 3 days.

    Ballaleshwar Temple, Pali

    We left home around 7:30 am. We took the route through Nigdi out towards the Mumbai Pune Expressway. I was happy to see the conditions of the road had improved at Ravet. We made a pitstop at the Hindustan Petroleum bunker which hosted a German Bakery for a bathroom break for us and a refuel for our Logan.

    We headed back onto the Expressway. We took the exit at Khopoli and went down to Pali to reach there around 11 am.

    I parked the vehicle a bit farther than usual thanks to a Mandir security guard he wanted the vehicle in the free parking spot provided by the Temple Trust. This was farther and left our vehicle exposed to the harsh March Sun. It also robbed us of a shaded pay and park provided right outside the temple entrance.

    We went directly into the Ballaleshwar temple right past the Dhundi Vinayaka shrine. We prayed at the Ballaleshwar Temple quite peacefully. We didn’t experience the usual pushing and shoving one has gotten used to in Hindu temples.

    When we left the temple, we saw a sign that said that one usually prays at Dhundi Vinayaka before one prays at Ballaleshwar. So, we prayed at the Dhundi Vinayak shrine and then took a route from within that temple into the Ballaleshwar temple.

    I loved the atmosphere in the Ballaleshwar temple. One could play a big drum placed on one side, ring the bell, and we sat for a while in a wooden outer sanctum for a while before we left the temple a second time.

    Ballaleshwar temple’s legend was narrated by Sharath A Haridasan in his series on Ganesh Puran. My wife and I had heard it together. So, when I mentioned it to her she remembered it easily. This shrine is associated with children and we related it to our daughter as well. Our son was more interested in the animal figurine toys along the two sides of the path leading to the temple.

    We had food at Hotel Sukh Sagar. When I searched for the Varadavinayak temple, I found out that it was only less than an hour away from Ballaleshwar. After a light meal we headed off to Varadavinayak temple.

    Varadavinayak Temple, Mahad

    Google Maps acted weird on the way here. We had to drive around a little to figure out the entrance to the temple. This place had parking with some tree cover but with the Sun directly above us, the trees offered little to no shade. My wife carried my son all the way up the hill.

    The temple had a very unassuming modern structure unlike the other Ashtavinayak temples we had been to so far. It was on top of a hillock. We were allowed to do puja ourselves – which was an offering of coconuts, some hibiscus flowers, and some peda. Our son didn’t have the patience to offer the peda to the God and so took it away before we had the chance to offer it.

    The legend related to this temple can also be found both on Wikipedia or the playlist on the Ganesh Puran by Sharath A Haridasan. This story is more related to the Gods compared to other Ashtavinayaka shrines.

    It was 3 pm by the time we left the temple and headed back home. Google Maps took us through the old Highway and I enjoyed driving up the big upward curves on the ghat roads before we entered the flattish Expressway.

    We stopped at the McDonald’s after the Talegaon Toll Plaza for a bathroom break and some cold coffee for a respite from the heat.

    We returned home happy to have completed half of the Ashtavinayak pilgrimage.

  • Weekly Notes 15/2026

    If you create a Wikipedia page, you’ll see many red links. Red links represent topics that should have pages but are not created yet. Nowadays, Wikipedia mainly links to existing pages, and there are not many red links.

    This week’s Weekly Notes will have a lot of red links today but will get filled in as the week goes by.

    We completed three Ashtavinayaks in the circuit after Siddhivinayak, that I had written about last here. These were Ballaleshwar, Varadavinayak, and Chintamani. We have now completed 5 out of the 8 temples that makeup the Ashtavinayak circuit.

    Cover of the book, India and the Second Space Age. Courtesy: The Hindu

    I contributed one chapter to an ebook that was put together by The Hindu, called India and the Second Space Age. If you are a digital subscriber to The Hindu, you get this and many such wonderful ebooks for free. You can also buy it from them here or from Amazon.

    I donated a bunch of books to the public library in Pune. These were fiction and non-fiction books that were read by my family members including my son.

    Major news from this week include NASA’s Artemis II mission around the Moon generated some interest and not a lot. People were definitely worried about the war in West Asia. ISRO also did the Integrated Air Drop Test. India achieved an important milestone with the criticality of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

    I asked, “How often can I write blog posts?” on social media. No one answered. So, I asked Gemini. Gemini said a post a week was professional and a post a day may make it look like you’re desperate for attention.

    Most blogs I follow have a lumpy posting schedule. Many posts around the time when they travel or when things happen and then several days of silence.

    As time has passed, I also notice this silence in their social media presence. I guess life happens during these periods of social media silence.

    I hope to write about these in the upcoming week while also celebrating Vishu, our New Year’s.

  • Weekly Notes 14/2026

    Many, many drafts have been sent to thrash before this one got published. Many incomplete unsent drafts of Weekly Notes of previous weeks. I do hope this one gets published.

    At work, I was completing a work project that turned out to be not so urgent. I kept the pace through this week so that my part of the work is complete.

    My 3.5 y.o. son started going to school for Nursery in a school bus. Like anxious parents, we went behind the school bus in a two-wheeler. He cried when he got into the bus but settled down after a while. We went on the second day as well.

    My daughter’s final exams are on. After this, she will move to the same school as my son.

    I did consume a lot of media, but I’ve put all of those on my link blog at pradeep.space.

  • Weekly Notes 08/2026

    The week started at a low. I read this blog post by Arun which picked me up. This is the second in a four-part blog post about his family trip to Kanazawa in Japan. I would call it a photoblog. The descriptions below the image are not about the image but the camera sittings he used to take the picture.

    I was trying to do a project at work but did not get around to doing it till the end of this week. I got a lot of work done, though.

    Rest of the week was consumed by recovering from the cold and cough last week and the intrigues surrounding my daughter and her friends.

  • Weekly Notes 6/2026

    This was a really weird week. I had a really bad case of bronchitis which the first line of medicines did not work well against. It required a second round of medicines to bring the issue under control including nebulisation.

    Cough medications made me really sleepy whereas the resultant cough did not let me sleep for a few nights this week.

    In this weird state, I read and shared a lot on my link blog. I now have some place public to share but the question is why not share this here? I don’t know.

    I have been sharing loads on Instagram stories and in WhatsApp status. This has seen more engagement than anything on my socials and on this blog.

    So, all I remember from this week is – coughing and not being able to sleep.

  • Weekly Notes 5/2026

    There is only a short introduction today. After our son had a Sports Day, I slept off most of the day today after having cold syrups. This Weekly Notes is a quickly put-together production to make sure that I don’t miss two Weekly Notes on a trot.

    My reading and watching has become slower and deeper. I am no longer trying to cover everything. I tried to go down many lists-inspired reading and ended up reading very little overall. I am now focussing and sharing stories with family.

    Reading

    Watching

    Ep 436 of the Seen and the Unseen podcast with Rukmini S.

    A part of this video blew up on X as a result of Elon Musk sharing it.

    I enjoyed listening to this episode.

    Three part series on pilgrimage tourism. I watched to try and get more insights there but ended up being more personal experiences.

    We definitely need more types of punk.

    This came out in December 2025 when I was in the hospital. I missed out because of that.

    This video starts quite innocently and gets dark very fast. Video is in Malayalam.

  • Weekly Notes 3/2026

    We’re well past half of January. We’re past Makar Sankranti. The days are getting warmer in Pune. Dhanya is loving her Neorah Accomplish Weekly Planner which I gave her in the start of the year.

    I got a lot of work on the scooter done this week. It was difficult to find space to get it serviced. I got the scooter serviced, the annual maintenance contract renewed, and refuelled it. It’s a much more better driving experience now.

    The week started with the disappointing news about the failure of the PSLV-C62 mission. I want to write about this but I want to be careful as the speculation around this mission has become crazy.

    I did not write the space newsletter for the second consecutive week. I might drop the idea of writing a newsletter altogether and write here instead. I am still thinking about it.

    Reading

    • On the banks of the Mayyazhi – M Mukundan (Transl. Gita Krishnankutty), I’ve just started with reading this.
    • The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron, I’m reading this but do not yet have much to say. I am reading this while writing the Morning Pages, an exercise that the book recommends. This is based on the recommendation of Tim Ferriss and the presence of an accountability WhatsApp group around this practice.
    • Be Wary of Digital Deskilling – Cal Newport.
      • “In his 1974 book, ​Labor and Monopoly Capital​, the influential Marxist political economist Harry Braverman argued that the expanding “science-technical revolution” was being exploited by companies to increasingly “deskill” workers; to leave them in “ignorance, incapacity, and thus in fitness for machine servitude.” The more employees outsource skilled activity to machines, the more controllable they become.”
      • “The only group that would unambiguously benefit from deskilling developers would be the technology companies themselves, which could minimize one of their biggest expenses: their employees.”
    • Our Algorithmic Grey-Beige World – Om Malik
      • “Today, open YouTube and every single thumbnail looks the same. Shocked faces, specific color contrasts, carefully positioned text overlays. Same voice. Same cadence and energy level. And videos have roughly the same lengths. The algorithm rewards these patterns with distribution and punishes deviation with obscurity.”
      • “My carefully curated list of creators has devolved into sameness. Whether pen reviewers, photographers, music bloggers, history tellers, or science bloggers—it is clear they are praying at the feet of the gods of algorithms.”
    • How to fix your entire life in 1 day – Dan Koe
      • Dan presents the theory on how to change your life and then presents practical way to do it by asking yourselves a few questions. A great insight into how asking good questions makes your life better even if does not change it.
      • An X user converted the questions into prompts that you can use to have a conversation about this with your AI agent of choice.
    • The X algorithm now promotes more longer content that it calls Articles. I noticed more people that I follow posting longer form content.

    Watching

    This Malayalam video starts with how Nizar Iltutmish started his journey running away from his Class XII board exams for 108 days. Some of the things he witnesses shapes his interests. He has written 4 books and talks about 2 of them in this video. What he describes are two terrifying practices practiced till this day in Tamil Nadu. This is his talk given at the recently held Kerala Legislature International Book Festival 2026.

    The game of your financial life is a lot like Monopoly. Alok Jain of Weekend Investing explains well drawing on the parallels between the board game and your financial life. I really liked this video and gave me a new framework to think about my financial life.

    If you don’t watch the full video, watch the parts about his morning and evening routine. He discusses how his morning routine is personal and designed to maximize creativity.

    Matt D’Avella convinces you with his cinematic video to ask you to take responsibility for things that are in your control.

    Writing

    I wrote one blog post about our visit to Katraj Zoo. I have to write about the PSLV-C62 mission failure and about our visit to the Siddhivinayak Temple at Siddhatek this Saturday.