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Update
I am trying something new. I needed an outlet to write non-science pieces, so opened a Substack account. Here is my first post on the small mercies of performative patriotism. As usual, comments and feedback welcome. Continue reading
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Why woodpeckers don’t need helmets but we do
While running downhill at full speed, I suddenly felt dizzy – not from exhaustion or lack of oxygen, but from being off balance. I realized it was my head bobbing up and down that was throwing me off. Once I found my bearings, it struck me how difficult it is for the human body to Continue reading
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Escape
Someone is inside my headAt first they knockWanting to be let out.They try from the forehead endTo exit through the skull.They hammer on the other side.This time my brain jangles.There is a ringing somewhere,I can sense their desperation In my own desperationTo let them out.I hold my headTrying to squeeze them out.The carpet I lay Continue reading
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Choices
The hare or the tortoiseHoward Roark or Peter KeatingQuantity or qualitySpeed or precisionBreadth or depthJack of all tradesOr master of one?Choices, choices.Some we make,Some we escape.Some driven by circumstance.Some by deep-seated bias.If we didn’t have to makeWould it even endOr would we even beginFor fear of beingincomplete. Continue reading
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Dementia
They say, write anything.Anything.How do I write?When my brain is mush.I can’t rememberthe pastOr speak of a reliable future.I have forgottenThe books I readThe faces I lovedThe friends that were once special.They have all left,What seems like a prison.In which I am bound,of timelessness. Emptiness.A sea of loneliness.With waves of emotion hitting me. Who am Continue reading
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Does the presence of family improve or impede athlete performance?
Recently, the BCCI, the cricket governance body in India, issued a mandate to the Indian team restricting the presence of family during important tours and events. This comes on the back of some rather shocking results, and it seems like the cricketers’ families are having to pay for it. It is highly unlikely that the Continue reading
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The science and cringe of Baby Talk
While I was out on a walk one day, I noticed a woman talking to her baby in that slow, exaggerated, high-pitched voice we all use while talking to babies. Her exact words were “oh… are you feeling co-o-o-o-o-o-l-d? Oh poor ba-a-a-a-b-y! Mommy is sorry!”. A few minutes later, I observed a man playing with Continue reading
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Why are we so uncomfortable being alone with our thoughts?
As I sat in the darkness unable to sleep, I reached for my phone. I could not bear the internal monologue of my brain, and needed some noise to drown it out. It dawned on me that I would much rather do something that is harmful to my eyes, than be alone with my thoughts. Continue reading
Sheetal Potdar 