CURRENT MISSION

Allow my vital force to achieve its full, unbridled, uninhibited expression

ABOUT ME

Play, spontaneity, unknown, wonder, connection, awkwardness, truth, and mystery are some words I live by.

For the last year, I have taken time off work to pursue sports, dance and movement, breathwork, spiritual practices, and the creative arts.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I remember the first time I came across CS - somewhere in late 2000s - I was filled with awe and wonder that something idealistic like this actually existed in this messy world. The community here felt like "my kind of people".

It turns our world into a magical playground of a place that we are all visiting temporarily, as we cross paths, take shelter in the warmth of each other's campfire, and tell stories.

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have hosted travellers while in Oxford, and participated in CS meetings and hangouts in Thailand and Singapore.

The first time I surfed was in Berlin, during the pandemic in 2020. Surprisingly, even in that time of social distancing and paranoia of strangers and travellers, a whole lot of people accepted my request! Says something about the Couchsurfing spirit.

I'd like to host more in my place in Cambridge in future.

Interests

I love thinking about the history and shape of ideas, philosophy, and mathematics.

I am really into tennis. Its really entertaining to watch, and has some of the best individual sporting stories. I've been to Wimbledon several times. I recently started playing recreationally as well.

• writing
• walking
• politics
• movies
• reading
• camping
• tennis
• economics
• mathematics
• philosophy
• road trips
• startups

Music, Movies, and Books

Hard-pressed to find a discernible pattern in the music I like, yet every piece or song I like feels very distinctive to me. Some of the artists I like are Simon and Garfunkel, The Shins, The National, Bill Callahan, Lucky Ali, Imogen Heap, Courtney Barnett, Shania Twain, Alanis Morisette, and Joni Mitchell.

Music from the 90s reminds me of a simpler, carefree, time: my childhood and the dawn of the Internet age. And I love classical music from the Baroque era (Bach, Vivaldi etc.)

Books: Writings of David Foster Wallace and P.G. Wodehouse; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune, The Great Gatsby, Guns, Germs and Steel, and Godel Escher Bach.

I am a huge cinephile. I often re-watch movies I like multiple times.

I enjoy movies directed by Wes Anderson and Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli). I like movies that are thought-provoking, have a feeling of openness and expansiveness, or a fresh perspective on old motifs.

Some of my other favorite movies: Contact, Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind, Carol, Finding Forrester, The Truman Show, Proof, Blade Runner, The Matrix, The Social Network, Starter For Ten, Taare Zameen Par, Lakshya

I once sat down and listed all the movies I like, and found some patterns. It seems I might have a soft spot for the following themes:

• coming-of-age (Brooklyn, Lakshya, An Education, Starter For Ten)
• authentic middle-class family relationships (An Education, Almost Famous, A Separation, Taare Zameen Par, Fantastic Mr. Fox)
• meritocratic rise of an underdog (Contact, Finding Forrester, Forrest Gump, La La Land, Proof, A Beautiful Mind, Goal).
• space travel (Contact, Interstellar, Gravity)
• death and the human condition (The Fountain, The Man From Earth)

I would love any recommendations based on this list!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

There are several

• Lived in a beautiful Clocktower for one year (in Oxford)
• Climbed Krakatoa just weeks before it erupted in 2012 (the volcanic island collapsed in 2018 and is no more!)
• Built a solar water bath for a monastery while spending two weeks trekking to different villages and staying in homestays in the Himalayas
• Watched Roger Federer play at Centre Court in Wimbledon, including his final grand slam match
• Celebrated Hogamanay (Scottish New Year) in Edinburgh in 2015
• Featured in Quiz shows on Indian television on several occasions
• On a week-long road trip in Iceland: bathed in a geothermal pool, walked on a glacier and a glacial lagoon, explored spaces behind a waterfall, saw erupting baby geysers, and caught sight of the Auroras

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to :

• navigate the night sky through star hopping
• navigate using natural signs if you're lost in the woods
• the general principles behind cooking North Indian cuisine (e.g. Chicken Tikka Masala)

What I Can Share with Hosts

We can play some Improv games. They're really good for injecting some good-natured absurdity, realness, comedy and awkwardness into small talk and stale conversation.

Apart from that, I can share my stories, long conversations about love and life, my knowledge of the cities I've lived in (Oxford, London, Cambridge, Delhi, Singapore),

I have some training in philosophy, psychology, and spirituality: maybe we can slice and dice various ways of looking at life. Or discuss any challenges you face in this mad and absurd world.

Countries I’ve Visited

England, Iceland, Indonesia, Malaysia, Scotland, Singapore, Thailand, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, Singapore, United Kingdom