I code for a profession. I thrive on it because it requires a discipline that the rest of my life lackadaisically ignores. Because I seek truth in all its forms, I find it intoxicating that code only responds to logic and objectivity. This clarity (and paycheck—that Charlotte Tilbury Red Lipstick won’t materialize out of thin air) ensures that when I turn to the things I love, I can do so with purity, honesty, and immense joy.

It also helps keep my wildness in check. At my age, one cannot make cat noises in public or draw mental caricatures of the people in the room without being politely asked to leave “society.” Thank God I can do all of that when I write. It is also much safer to commit a few murders on the page than in the real world; the latter involves far too much paperwork and a very uncomfortable jail cell.

When I want my spirit to take over, I sing. And I dance too, whenever I feel like it.

I believe real asceticism is found in hard work and the quest for perfection. These are the some instances where the hermit in me meets the material world. – I won the Global Essay Writing Contest (TCS, 2014), served as a Brand Ambassador for Basic Embedded and Robotics, Hewlett Packard Education Services, and was recognized as a State Level Child Scientist, by National Children’s Science Congress (2006). My creative voice was validated early on, receiving praise from Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (2006) and seeing my first article published in a regional edition of The Times of India at just thirteen. Throughout my academic journey, I maintained a streak as a consistent class topper and all-rounder awardee

These were the moments where my heart and soul were funneled through the rigor of labor and distilled into material results. They remain my reservoir of inspiration.

But underneath it all, I am still an annoyingly immature soul, pining for salvation (and probably a snack).