The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 38 – The tigers in the midst of us
SS, in her 50's from Aurangabad, India, never went to school for a medical degree. Yet, a few years ago, she managed to deliver a baby girl in the middle of the night in a moving train. Last month, when we found ourselves face to face for the first time, she told me...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 37 – Diamonds on her one hand and dirt on the other
CB, originally from Iran, invites me into her home in Los Angeles one evening. She seems to have kept her roots alive because the home feels like a modern house version of a small Persian empire. The rugs, the carpets, the tea cups and even the pillow cases have an...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 36 – Joining the Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison club
PK, was two days away from her 27th birthday when I met her. "I'm entering the Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison club," she says as I wished her. She had come to the States as a 12 year old girl from South Korea in 2002. She talks about her love for reading and writing,...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 35 – Conspiring with the Universe
SD, in her 40's, has a goal of removing money from the world. She is a meditation teacher and a Consciousness Creator. She lives in India with her husband and daughter and is working on her life's goal of raising the level of human consciousness in the world. She is...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 34 – The original Vietnamese Boat People
KH, in her 60’s, fled Vietnam after South Vietnam fell to the Communists in 1975. Her journey to America is not only filled with the horrors of daily terror but also the remarkable kindness of strangers. It took her family 3 years before they could escape out of...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 33 – On your tomb stone only the ‘–’ matters
AN, in her 40's, from small town, Alabama, is a restaurant worker with a heart of gold. She is raising 5 children, 2 hers and 3 her sister's. Two of the 5 children are autistic and one has a gifted level IQ. We discuss her philosophy, "On your tombstone you've your...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 32 – Having nothing to lose at 32
JJ, 32, never took music lessons a single day in his life and now writes his own songs and performs all around the world. His goal as he puts it, is to "move your soul". A two time cancer survivor, JJ has not been afraid to readjust his dreams based on how his health...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 31 – Connecting Science and Religion at 13
SP, 13, from Georgia, talks about life as she enters into high school. She talks about her passion for Science and Religion, and how one day she hopes to have all answers for religion based on Science. When you read her responses, its difficult not to wonder if she's...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 30 – On being a United States Navy Seal and living on the side walk
UR, 60, looks years older than his real age. As you read along you'll know what his name is, but I think in his case, its really cool to know his real name. He's a United States Navy Seal and he's homeless in Atlanta. At the cross section of Peachtree street and 10th...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 29 – Leaving the light on for those on their last leg
DP, 69, originally from India is a retired Medical Oncologist who writes poetry in Hindi in his leisure time. He talks about his childhood trips to the nearest big town, which would take his family from dawn to dusk in bullock carts and two trains. He talks...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 28 – Making America home
KP, in her 60’s, had just returned from a trip to India 12 hours ago when I ambushed her for an interview. She lives in a small town in Alabama with her husband who's a retired Medical Oncologist. She talks about her childhood in India and her journey to becoming a...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 27 – A wild child from Fiji rewires her mind in America
MV, in her 40's, was born in the Fiji islands to Indian parents and moved to the States when she was 16. She talks about her beautiful childhood on the island, her move to America in her teens and her quest for becoming the best version of herself while helping others...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 26 – A French woman’s muse: Food and Photography
AA, 37, invites me into her house in Johns Creek, Georgia, on the day of our meeting where there's a Carrom board to the wall in the living room. The living room and the adjacent dining room have a sparse yet cozy European feel to it owing to the fact that AA's family...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 25 – Meditations on the Mind, Intellect and Values
PS, 70, is a life long student of Spirituality. She has studied the Bhagavad Gita for 45 years and talks about the importance of realizing our 7 original divine qualities, the relationship between Anger and Desire, and how our happiness doesn't have to depend on...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 24 – Beating loneliness, mistakes, and kids into shape
SHVM, 25, is a quintessential village boy whose name fits the stereotypical multi-syllable name all of us Indians are accused of having. Inspite of living in America for just 3 years, he already has tips for us on how to beat loneliness and live communally, how making...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 23 – Traveling far enough to meet himself
CW, 33, has German ancestry and has plans to visit atleast 50 countries before he turns 40. He tells me about his childhood after his parents divorced when he was 7, the poverty and instability that followed, his strained relationship with his mother owing her extreme...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 22 – She has Einstein for a pet :)
AG, 13, lives with her family and her dog Einstein in Atlanta. Her father is from Mexico and her mother is from Peru. I ask her about her her favorite foods, her idea about church and her social media life. You’ve to read every word of hers fully keeping her...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 21 – Cosmos, Kimchi and a no U-turn policy
SS, 57, is a Korean American and a serial entrepreneur. He talks about his grandmother, his many, many thoughtful and kind lessons for his children (and for humanity) and why he can't manage to take a U turn even when he knows he is driving in the wrong direction....
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 20 – Treating America’s PTSD, one human at a time
AC, 25, is currently doing her PhD in Clinical psychology. Her parents are from India and her family moved to the States when she was 5. She talks about her research work, why she enjoys what she does and the changing role of women in our society. She talks about her...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 19 – Woman, Millennial and Single
JB, 24, is a biomedical engineer and a second generation Italian American from Philadelphia. She talks about the golden rule that shines a light on her life's path, and talks about her recent breakup and her dreams for the future. Talking to her made me realize that...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 18 – Throwing pots, Taco Bell and a Touch of Humanity
HG, 40, is a First generation Indian American from a small town in Georgia. He talks about traveling to see the natural wonders of the world before they'll all disappear, and he explains his answers with a heavy dose of humanity. When you read out his answers, keep in...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 17 – In his own words – Rugged, handsome and charming
ME, 49, is at the cusp of leaving the corporate world and taking a small sabbatical without much thought about the future, but with a decade's worth of planning in the past that has led up to this moment. He talks about his work, his 4 aunts he wishes to see soon in...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 15 – Your world when you’re Generation Z
JC, 14, is a rising 10th grader at a high school in Johns Creek. You've to read every word of hers fully keeping her mischievous smile in mind. She talks about teenagers and their obsessions with their phones, and the extent of procrastination that's permeated in...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 14 – The 8 year old with NASA PhD goals
MS, 8, is full of imagination and usually says what's on his mind. And even if he's lecturing me on some aspects of life, like "One has to enjoy what they do for a living", he doesn't seem to realize that he's said something profound. Here’s the transcript of my face...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 13 – A patriot’s journey from serving flag officers to retirement
PR, 52, considers herself a patriot owing to her long service in the United States' defense industry. She talks about her picture perfect childhood in a strict Catholic upbringing in Virginia, her young adulthood as a member of Young Life, and her life as a working...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 12 – At the threshold of Princeton
SS, 17, was reading Ernest Hemingway's Farewell to arms, when I met him this past weekend in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He's just graduated at top of his class at a special public STEM school and will start pursuing his Computer science degree at Princeton this...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 11 – Breakfast of Boy Scouts of USA
Sunday morning, I made toast and scrambled eggs with onions and spinach for Ky, my 12 year old who was leaving for a week long camp at Blairsville, Georgia. His boy scouts troop plans to camp at the Woodruff camp grounds until noon next Sunday. As I looked down into...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 9 – Love and Kindness in a 4 year old’s world
AT met me at a park, where she readied herself for an interview in the hot sun. She told me what she thinks the words love and kind mean, and all the things she likes to do with her family. Her parents are from India. Here’s the transcript of my face to face interview...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 7 – From a North Carolina girl to a world traveler – II
Continued from Part I * Heart: That's awesome, you approached him? GD: I did. And he had never played tennis in his life. And he came and played it like he had been playing it all his life. (Laughs) So, that kind of started the relationship. * Heart: Tennis or...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 8 – A veteran, a sheltie and a Ford truck
SH, who drives a Ford Truck and has a "Veteran" license plate talks about his beloved dog, his opinion on Flint (From CNN: The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, was caused by cost-cutting measures leading to tainted drinking water containing lead and other toxins) and...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 7 – From a North Carolina girl to a world traveler – I
Early Tuesday morning, GD, 79 and a resident of Johns Creek, Georgia for 20 years, sat me on her cozy reading chair in a room that faces the road and excused herself to go check on the Chicken Tikka masala that was on the stove. While waiting, I looked at her yard and...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 6 – Thoughts on life from a middle schooler
KS, is a middle schooler and lives with his family in Johns Creek, Georgia. He shares his thoughts on his family, his middle school life and India - his parents' home country. He even has some tips for me as an interviewer. Here’s the transcript of my face to face...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 5 – A Finnish grandmother with a love for sport and independence
EJ, in her 70's is a Finnish grandmother, who invited me into her home and politely asked me to remove my shoes before we went into the living room. "No one wears shoes in the house." Surprising, I told her, both because Finland's a cold country and also...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 4 – The Indian Math teacher from Georgia
SG, 50 is from India and teaches high school Math in [redacted], Georgia, population 70,000. He tells me about life in small town USA, his passion for a mentally stressful job like teaching and the respect he gets and the prejudices he faces from people he interacts...
The Anonymous Manifesto™ – Ep. 3 – Rock band, Race cars and the Firebird mom – I
VR, in her mid 40's, is from Johnscreek, GA. She's mom to a girl and two boys from her husband's previous marriage. We talk about her Michigan militia childhood, what makes her laugh and inspires her to write among other things. Here's the transcript of my face to...
The Anonymous Manifesto™ – Ep. 2 – Have passion will golf
SG, 21 years old, born and raised in Richmond, Kentucky, has just finished her Professional Golf Management course at the Eastern Kentucky University. She told me about her future in golf and how to she plans to stick to her passion doing what she loves. Here’s the...
The Anonymous Manifesto – Ep. 1 – Single and Hopeful on Snapchat
* * * PM, 20 years old is from Waterloo, Ontario where she's doing her double major in Business and Psychology at the Wilfrid Laurier University. She is Canadian and her parents are Indian. Here's the transcript of my face to face interview with her. * Heart: Tell me...
The Anonymous Manifesto
Hi, everyone! I am starting a new feature on my blog called the The Anonymous Manifesto™, a series of interviews with people from all walks of life. * Can I sign up to be interviewed? Have a pulse? Get in touch here. * Wait, I am confused. Why interview people? Fair...