I am an educator and trainer at Pebble Creek Life School in Secunderabad (outskirts of Hyderabad). I teach History, Political Science, Economics, English, and facilitate life skills through Expressive Arts and Theatre . In the past I've worked in media, book publishing, the development sector and experiential education travel.

I try to, to whatever extent possible, live a sustainable lifestyle. I value simplicity and diversity of being.

Did I also mention that I love food? Ah! I love cooking and feeding people, and exploring cultures through its food. Anthony Bourdain...sigh...

IMPORTANT; MY BOUNDARIES:
1) Please don't send me hangout requests; I will decline.
2) Don't send me friend's requests just to know me or chat, because I am NOT interested.
3) Contact me ONLY if you need a couch for the night or a few days.
4) I don't communicate with people who have no profile picture.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My experience with Couch surfing began in 2007 and remained active till 2012. After that due to various circumstances, I remained inactive for several years.

Today, as I am reactivating my CS account as I am ready once again to host, and willing to explore surfing a couch in my travels (after a hiatus). I am in a good position to share some of my encounters which I have valued a lot.

Lambert; a German couchsurfer who I met in Delhi and ended up being great pals. We have a great time together even when we meet after ages!

Robert; a Brizillian couchsurfer who I had co-hosted with my then partner. We explored music together in Delhi through lots of incredible conversations.

Sehrat from Morocco was hosted again jointly with my then partner. He is a big basket of knowledge, especially about food and we had a great time together. He is such a gentle and peaceful soul.

Kat from the US was one person I could never forget. She introduced me to Burning Man festival(which she has been religiously attending for over a decade now) and she is a hoola hoop artists, a trash artist and a lot more...I think totally hippie at heart but externally you couldn't say! That's her beauty and I follow her regularly on FB, though I am hardly regular on FB myself.

Ramki from Chennai hosted me for a night and gave me incredible food and introduced me to amazing art. He is a genius, though we've lost touch now, I remember his hospitality with utmost fondness and almost to my bemusement!

Anna Puhaka is one person I never hosted but met through common CS meets and we instantly clicked! We follow each other regularly on FB and she is a person who is always ready to learn and share and so quick to shower praises selflessly at you. So grateful!

Adam from Canada has to be my most special of all my CS encounters because he not only became my Manager later (because he tempted me to apply for the job during a CS meet in Delhi!) and needless to say we've become lifelong friends. We write to each other many times a year and he is one human being whose intelligence i admire, and world view I share wholeheartedly. He gave me a new lease of life and made me understand what great leadership could be. I love him to the core, value his presence in my life, and can do anything for him.

There are many more people who I met, who made a deep impression on me. But I'd not name each one of them here.

Interests

Experiential education, exploring new cultures, travel, philosophy, art, music, history, anthropology, books, politics, poetry, nature, working with children.

Music, Movies, and Books

The music that you are most likely to hear in my house these days - blues, jazz, old rock and some house.

J.J. Cale, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band, The Doors, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, Tinariwen, Dave Brubeck, Johnny Cash, David Bowie, Sufi music and Indian classical music - sometimes Hindustani and sometimes Carnatic, depending on my mood that day...the list is endless.

My partner and I are music junkies and love exploring and listening to various kinds of music. So anyone with music as an interest is always welcome.

Books play an extremely important part in my life and I love reading...it's impossible to choose favourite books, but of late I have been reading a lot of non-fiction especially related to philosophy, education and child development. Andrew Solomon's Far from the Tree is spectacular and rebellious at the same time.

I have been a student of cinema and world cinema - crisp, well scripted, evocative films move me. Sometimes I like movies that are outright crazy. Some of my favourite films of all times are Everything is Illuminated (Liev Schreiber), Offside (Zafar Panahi), The Circle (Zafar Panahi), Blackboards (Samira Makhmalbaf), Bicycle Thief (Vittoria De Sica), Cheluvi (Girish Karnad), Hotel Rwanda (Terri George), Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Bastards (Quentin Tarantino), Pather Panchali (Satyajit Ray), Taste of Cherry (Abbas Kiarostami), The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin), The Goat (Buster Keaton)...you get the drift?

I also love documentaries, and my partner and I watch documentaries about a wide range of subjects like wildlife (David Attenborough...gosh!), art, politics and environment.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Perhaps whale watching in Boston (though thinking about the oil spillage by the boats, I feel not so good about it now).

What I Can Share with Hosts

1) Books to read (not take away)
2) No judgment
3) An evening of chatter over good music and good food

Countries I’ve Visited

Bhutan, China, Egypt, Mauritius, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

India

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