Prakash Kumar

The power of silence and solitude is not easily felt. For roughly one decade, I have been trying to experience this elusive state. I explored several manners of techniques and tools, yet it continues to elude me. I spent considerable time in the Himalayas, embarked on several long solo journeys both within country and abroad, read countless books and articles, and practiced meditation and yoga. Throughout this journey, I try to develop a non-reactive mindset while continuing to work. What amazes me in this process is that the murmuring self never allows you to rest in silence, even in the deep mountains where you are completely alone. What I come to understand is that the inner self is the primary obstacle to meaningful silence and solitude. I try to work on this realization, observing all sorts of communication with my inner self while trying not to be reactive or repetitive. It remains a work in progress, but the initial results are bit positive. In this process, I learned to mai...

For quite some time, I was thinking about writing on suffering to understand it better. The urge was persistent, living in my mind like an unfinished conversation. But whenever I sat down to write, the words wouldn't come. The picture wasn't clear enough, and I abandoned the attempt, leaving my thoughts scattered and unexpressed. I had a firm belief that suffering culminates in many other forms. When one cannot contain it, it transforms into anger—a volatile energy that hurts both the person venting and the person receiving it. Often, we remain clueless about its origin, watching as pain morphs into rage without understanding the journey between the two. What I came to understand is that most suffering which culminates in anger stems from our unmet desires in all their forms—emotional, physical, and material. The wound deepens when we suffer silently, refusing to reach out for help or support. False or inflated ego plays a larger role here, suppressing our desires until they ...

  A Valley of Voices: My Memoir from Kashmir With the recent ghastly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 27 lives, I found myself drawn back down memory lane—revisiting reflections from my journey through the Kashmir Valley. What follows is not analysis or opinion, but a deeply personal account of what I saw, heard, and felt. It’s an attempt to look beyond headlines and hashtags, and into the human stories that too often go unheard. Ten years ago, I travelled deep into the Kashmir Valley, from Baramulla to Anantnag, using local transport—trains, auto-rickshaws, shared taxis, minibuses, and motorcycles. Along the way, I interacted and mingled  with many people from all walks of life, including school and college students. At that time, even railway coaches/platform toilets were sealed to prevent their use by militants. I found that most people I met were simple and focused on their daily survival, working hard to meet basic needs. At the same time, I sensed a deep-rooted g...

Throughout history, civilizations, communities, and individuals have sought to uncover the true purpose of human existence. Rationalists, scientists, spiritualists, and religious leaders have all contributed their perspectives, resulting in a vast array of literature on the subject. Yet, a universally humane definition of the purpose of mortal human life remains elusive. Each entity endeavors to define it in its own unique way, varying widely across regions, communities, and individuals. Amid this diversity, a unifying thread has often been missing, leaving the multitude of definitions on the purpose of life seemingly disconnected. Recently, I came across the thoughts of Nick Cave, a multifaceted individual—a musician, songwriter, screenwriter, novelist, and actor—whose reflections seemed to serve as a connecting point, shedding light on the fundamental purpose and meaning of our existence. Cave delineates two essential pillars that lend meaning and purpose to our brief sojourn on this...

Reflections on the journey through 2023 have been a profound learning into the complexities of life, akin to navigating through a maze of professional, personal, emotional, sentimental and familial challenges. As I sit here in the final week of the year, the external facade of control belied the internal maelstrom that persisted, known only to the depths of my own being. At times I enjoyed this inner struggle to come out of the situation. Throughout this tumultuous but remarkable year, I endeavored to employ every learned life skill and experience to weather the storms, yet often found myself in the throes of inner turmoil, occasionally erupting into harsh external manifestations. While there were moments of brilliance, quietness, and remarkable events, the overarching narrative was one of enduring internal strife, conflict, and confusion.The solitude which I was used to was no where. In the midst of this chaos, I grappled with the struggle to exist in the present moment, wrestling wi...

Change Management for Hospital Information Management System (HIMS) The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress. Charles Kettering Health transformation through digital means is not about technology but about people, changing the mindset and embracing the change. In this context it is most important for any digitally enabled health transformation project to ensure that the change through HIMS implementation is sustainable across all user groups. Core users, such as doctors and nurses, need to understand why the change is happening, how it can benefit them individually, and how it will impact their day-to-day activities. Additionally, it is important to communicate how integrated HIMS will make their work easier. Clear communication and training can help ensure a successful implementation and adoption of the new system. The ADKAR model for change management is a widely used framework for managing change and can be effective in digital transform...