A few days ago something strange happened. I can’t say that it has jolted me, but it definitely has affected me. I just can't stop thinking about it, so I’m writing about it.

It was a dull afternoon, and I was writing code on my laptop. Earphones were plugged in and Royals by Lorde was playing, and I was oblivious to the world. A few minutes or hours later, I don’t know — I really was immersed, the computer warned me about low battery and I got up to get the charger. And since I had gotten up anyway, I went into the kitchen to eat. I saw out the window and realized it was a beautiful evening, so I decided to take a break.

Dad was watching TV and typing hurriedly on his phone.

“Dad, wanna go play Table Tennis (AKA Ping Pong)?”, I asked.

“Can’t. Sending this important email.”

It must be important, I convinced myself. But it probably wasn’t.

I went to my caring, nurturing mother.

“The weather’s so good today, wanna go for a walk?”

“The group is planning a party, and we’re discussing it on Whatsapp. Let’s go later.”

Ok.

My sweet young sister perhaps. But she too was busy playing some new game on the iPad.

So I called a few friends, asked if they would want to go to a park, or go for a run, things like that. And you know what, none of them wanted to do it. I’m not saying they didn’t want to hang out. They wanted to go to malls or movies or bars or cafes or parties. One of them invited me to play Xbox after I told her about the great weather. Another acted weirdly after I called, so I asked what was bothering him and he said, “You called me to ask if I want to hang out! What’s wrong with you man? Nobody calls anymore. Just text me. I thought you were dying or something.” Graham Bell would be devastated.

I thought — screw them all and walked out. I didn’t go to the gym. I didn’t meditate. I didn’t listen to my favorite podcast. I walked through parks, streets, and boulevards (yes, Bangalore has beautiful boulevards). I finally went to my building’s helipad, which is on the rooftop.

I saw the sun set for the first time. Don’t get me wrong — I’ve seen the sun set before, I just didn’t pay attention. I would click photos, post on Instagram or Twitter and hashtag it. That day I didn’t even take my phone out of my pocket. I felt the sun and the wind on my face. (Bangalore is no New York or Hong Kong for skyscrapers, but I live in a pretty tall building.) After the sun set, I lay down. The sky was clear, and the stars twinkled.

You might think of this as a waste of time, that is the general perspective. It’s not futile, it’s thoughtful. There is a difference. Thoughtfulness is like fuel for the soul. Some might counter argue with, “Music is food for the soul.” And I agree. But that quote is quite old. They probably didn’t have rap, pop or hip-hop then. (For the record, I love rap, pop, and hip-hop.) But we can all agree, today’s music is junk food for the soul. It does more harm than good.

“today’s music is junk food for the soul.”

Since then, I'm doing this more and more. And I actually enjoy it. Not in a thrilling way, but in a calming one.