Santosh

  • Some flowers for Shri Ganesha

    Some flowers for Shri Ganesha (Auroville 2025)

  • The Founder’s Grind: Why 70-Hour Weeks Don’t Work for Everyone

    Recent statements by prominent business leaders about working 70-90 hours per week have sparked strong reactions. While I believe these founders and senior leaders genuinely see this workload as normal, they miss a crucial point: working for oneself and one’s dream is vastly different from working for someone else’s.

    Founders and senior leaders reap the long-term rewards of their intense efforts. They own the business or have compensation packages that grant them a share of the value they create. This motivates them to go above and beyond.

    However, most companies lack compensation structures that incentivize and reward employees for their long-term contributions. This misalignment is key. Junior colleagues simply don’t have the same ownership or financial upside. Asking them to consistently work 70-90 hours is unreasonable and unsustainable.

    Interestingly, I’ve observed a shift when employees who once resisted long hours become founders or co-founders themselves. Suddenly, 80-90 hour weeks become the norm. Why? Because the game has changed. They now have a direct stake in the company’s success.

    This highlights the need for companies to rethink their compensation models. By offering employees a greater share in the value they create – through equity, profit-sharing, or other long-term incentives – businesses can foster a culture of shared ownership and commitment.

  • Why I am loving BlueSky and why you should join as well.

    I’m loving Bluesky as a social media platform. Recently, the X, insta others have become almost ineffective as a meaningful engagement platform on the topics I care for because of their algorithm, commercial interest and their ‘influencer’ centric business model. BlueSky is emerging as the go to platform for many people like me.

    Here’s why I think you should check it out:

    – No algorithms: Bluesky is all about community and connection, not clicks and engagement. You see what you choose to see, not what some algorithm thinks you want to see.

    – It’s attracting scientists, academics, and people who are passionate about ideas.

    – Meaningful conversations: The quality of engagement is high. People are having thoughtful discussions and connecting with like-minded individuals.

    – No trolls (yet!): The community is still small and relatively troll-free. And there are good safeguards against abusive behavior.

    I’m creating a starter pack (a compilation of profiles on a particular theme that can be followed in one go) of people working on climate action in the global south. If you’re interested in joining the conversation, drop your Bluesky link in the comments!

    Here is my BlueSky profile. Connect me there if you are there already.

    https://bsky.app/profile/sksingh.santoshsingh.net

  • Sweet Bean Paste – The Meaning of Life?

    “Is a life worth living even if it doesn’t seem to offer any value to anyone? This beautiful book by Durian Sukegawa (real name Tetsuya Akikawa) offers an answer in this heartwarming story of an old lady who decides to work for a dorayaki (a Japanese dessert) seller. The answer is, ‘There is meaning in every life.’

    P.S. The bookmark in the picture is made by my little daughter who is in love with bookmarks and books.”

  • Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

    Dystopian fiction has become a difficult read for me at this stage of my life. The hopelessness and suffering depicted in these stories trigger a visceral reaction that’s hard to shake off. It’s particularly difficult when my own work exposes me to a future that feels all too dystopian for many people I connect with and care for: underprivileged individuals and people with no agency.

    Paul Lynch’s  Prophet Song  is one such book. It’s a chilling narrative that forced me to pause, take a deep breath, and remind myself that I’m reading fiction. Lynch’s Ireland is a near-future dystopia where a mother of four is left reeling after her trade unionist husband is taken by a totalitarian regime. His writing, devoid of paragraph breaks or traditional dialogue presentation, creates an immersive experience that places you directly beside the protagonist as she faces her harrowing reality.

    The story begins with the arrest of Larry Stack, a teacher and union leader. His wife, Eilish, is left to cope with the increasingly dire situation as his colleagues and friends vanish one by one. Despite each day growing darker, Eilish clings to the hope that things will return to normal – that Larry will come home and her children will go back to school.

    Lynch’s prose is unflinching, mirroring the protagonist’s escalating fear and despair. It’s a testament to his skill that the story resonates so deeply and the future it paints feels uncomfortably imminent.