Dr. Atul R Thakare

Thanks for the overwhelming response to my earlier article on Responsiveness . I hope you'll enjoy this one too. An employee-friendly manager once messaged his subordinate: "It's raining heavily in Pune. Come to the office only if you need a job." This message went viral on WhatsApp last week. A friend of mine reacted strongly to it because it reminded him of an incident with his manager at year-end. "I was about to resign in December 2025 when my boss rejected my Christmas leave, saying, 'I'll be on leave that week, so you need to be here to handle office affairs.' " "Oh really?" I reacted. "Yeah, I was shocked. I was about to reply, tumhaara khoon khoon aur hamaara khoon paani, but I controlled myself." "Good that you showed composure." "But the incident burned me out. I hadn’t taken any casual leave throughout the year, thinking I would take a vacation with my family at the end of the year. B...

🎶 “Appadi podu podu podu asathi podu kannalae…” — humming the tune, Irrfan walked into my study, which had now transformed into the buzzing office of our start-up. “Looks like you’re on cloud nine today,” I remarked with a smile. “Sanju sir, not just me — everyone who believes in democracy should be celebrating! After all, Thalapathy Vijay has become the Chief Minister now,” Irrfan declared with excitement. “But this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, AIADMK and the Telugu Desam Party had already set that precedent.” Amitabh, rising from his chair, added. “And let’s not forget the Asom Gana Parishad and the Aam Aadmi Party,” I chimed in. Ronjoy, who had just parked his bike in the courtyard, joined the conversation: “Exactly. They too gave us first-time Chief Ministers.” “But that doesn’t belittle the effort Vijay and TVK put in,” Irrfan insisted, unwilling to back down. I tried to mediate: “I agree. In today’s digital era of star...

  Hazaaron khwahishein aisi… Hazaaron khwahishein aisi ke har khwahish pe dam nikle, Bahut nikle mere armaan, Lekin phir bhi kam nikle! This timeless couplet by Mirza Ghalib beautifully captures the endless nature of human desires. It resonates deeply with many of my contemporaries, reminding us that no matter how many aspirations we fulfill, there will always be countless more waiting to be realized. Looking back at my life of over four decades and career spanning over twenty years, I often find myself caught between two feelings: there’s still so much left to achieve and I’ve already achieved more than I once imagined . Some milestones were within my control, and I reached them with determination. Yet many others were shaped by forces far beyond me—economic recessions, job market shifts, the pandemic, and even the way people perceived me. These external factors delayed certain goals. For instance, my MBA was postponed by six months after I fractured my leg in an accident....

Note: This blog was written for ARAI Spandan inaugural issue, published in Dec. 2024 As every year, our college friends also planned a monsoon trip this year. However, the location was the bone of contention. Most of the scenic locations in the western region of Maharashtra, such as Mahabaleshwar, Ganapatipule, Alibaug, and Bhandardara, were already explored in our previous trips. So, this time we decided to go to the east of Maharashtra and take the road not taken. And on the occasion of Friendship Day, a bunch of college friends embarked on the journey to explore Chikhaldara Hill Station, also known as the Mahabaleshwar of Vidarbha. Two of us took an overnight train to Badnera station, and friends from Nagpur picked us up from Amravati. It was another two hours journey by road to Chikhaldara, although the distance is only about 80 km. However, the road offered diverse landscapes and we immersed ourself in the visual treats that each viewpoint alongside the road had to offer. We had b...

Disclaimer: This is a free-flow conversation that does not intend to hurt the sentiments of any gender. Location: GoodLuck Café, Pune   Thanks a ton for your help, Ajju and Raj. Now, This report can be termed as complete.’ Sanjay thanked while taking a bite of the perfect Bun Maska. ‘No need for thanks and all, Guruji. In fact, it was our privilege to collaborate with you on this Project.’ Rajesh replied. ‘Now, you are pulling my leg by calling me Guruji. I am just a year senior to you’ Sanjay clarified. ‘But senior is senior, be it a year or 10 years. Also, you have a Doctorate, Sanju bhai, so for me and Raj, you are Guruji.’ Ajay joined in. ‘No, I mean seriously, IT folks like you come with an advanced mindset. You guys actually added a lot of perspective to this project report. Cheers!’ Sanjay lifted the cup of coffee in his hand. ‘Thanks. With Perspective, I recollected that our perspective about Police also changed today in that Kondhwa R*pe case.’ Ajay expressed. ‘Actually, y...

Around this time last year, a professor from a prestigious research institute reached out to me, seeking a speaker for an upcoming symposium at their institution. I approached a senior colleague to deliver the technical talk, and he said he would check his availability. However, a week passed without any response from him—neither a confirmation nor a decline—leaving me unable to update the professor about the speaking opportunity. The professor expressed his frustration, saying, “I understand your colleague might be tied up with important work, but he could have at least returned my call once. After all, I am also a distinguished scientist at a renowned institute, not a junior staff member.” His anguish resonated deeply, bringing to mind the timeless truth: "Nobody is too busy—it's always a matter of priorities." And what the professor wanted here was to feature in the priority list. But it couldn't happen in the given time. As a result, my credibility took a hit, and...