Monthly review: July 2026

July had days when the rains poured relentlessly, and there were days when the sun reminded us that summer hadn’t completely left yet. Living by myself made me pay a little more attention to the weather than before. There were afternoons when I had to rush to the terrace to collect my clothes before the rain caught me by surprise, and there were mornings when checking the weather forecast became part of my routine before deciding whether to go for a run, hit the gym, or plan to meet friends.

The weather was unpredictable throughout the month, but in a way, it also made July feel alive. Every day felt slightly different from the previous one. Amidst all these little adjustments, July turned out to be another month of movies, books, fitness, conversations, and discovering small joys in everyday life. So, let’s look back at how the month of July unfolded for me.

Cinema

Let’s get started with our usual template, beginning with movies. Surprisingly enough, I watched only one movie in theatres throughout the entire month of July. Considering I watched five or six films in June, I think it all balanced out. The only theatrical watch this month also happened to be my introduction to the Marvel universe and, more importantly, to Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

On the very last day of the month, 31st July, my friend Lavan booked tickets for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. For a long time now, he has been sending me Spider-Man reels with Oorum Blood playing in the background, hoping that one day I’d finally watch the films. Until this point, I had never watched a Spider-Man movie, nor had I watched a Marvel film. So this wasn’t just another movie for me; it was the beginning of an entirely new cinematic universe.

And honestly, I loved it. More than the spectacle or the superhero aspect of it, I found myself connecting with Peter Parker as a character. I liked how the film portrayed his loneliness in the beginning, how he tried to navigate life despite carrying that burden, and how he reacted to heartbreak and the situations that followed. Beneath all the action, I felt there was a very human journey, and that is what stayed with me after the credits rolled.

The action sequences were obviously a treat to watch on the big screen. Some of the slow-motion shots were beautifully staged, and the theatrical experience definitely elevated those moments. By the end of the film, I found myself understanding why Spider-Man has such a loyal fan base across generations.

I think this movie has opened a new door for me. I’m pretty sure I’ll now go back and watch all the Spider-Man films, irrespective of which actor played the character over the last two decades. Sometimes all it takes is one good film to make you curious about an entire franchise, and I think that’s exactly what happened to me this month.

Bumped into Spiderman

As I’m writing this, I’m still waiting to watch Odyssey. We’re already in the first week of August, but I’m holding out for the right seats at Prasads because that’s where I’d ideally like to experience the film. Hopefully, that happens soon.

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Coming to the movies that I watched in the comfort of my home, this month was all about revisiting films that I already loved. There wasn’t a single first-time watch in this list. Instead, I found myself going back to comfort films — the kind of movies that feel like meeting old friends. Altogether, I watched three Telugu films, one English film, and one Hindi film. Interestingly, every single one of them reminded me why I had fallen in love with them in the first place.

Anand

I started with Anand. At this point, I think revisiting Anand and Godavari has become a yearly ritual for me. Whenever I feel like watching something comforting or simply want to spend a couple of hours feeling happy, Anand is one of the first films that comes to my mind. This time, instead of just enjoying the story, I paid much more attention to the dialogues and the way the relationships evolve. I loved observing how naturally the ego clashes begin between the characters and how they behave like ordinary people rather than cinematic heroes. That realism, I believe, is what has made Anand timeless even after two decades. Every conversation feels authentic, every emotion feels earned, and of course, KM Radhakrishnan’s music continues to elevate the entire experience. It remains one of those films that I’ll probably keep revisiting for many years to come.

The Intern

Next came The Intern. I watched this film for the first time only last year, but somehow it has already become another comfort watch for me. It all started because I stumbled upon a YouTube Short featuring one of the scenes, and before I knew it, I was watching the entire film again from the opening scene till the end. What stood out this time was Anne Hathaway’s performance. During my first watch, I appreciated the warmth of the film more than the acting. But this time, I found myself paying closer attention to her expressions and the little details in her performance. The hotel room scene, where Jules confesses that her husband has been cheating on her, hit me much harder this time. The vulnerability she brings to that moment is beautiful. And when Ben reassures her by saying that he has a place beside his wife in the cemetery where Jules could one day be buried, the warmth of that friendship shines through. I also noticed several small mannerisms and expressions by Anne Hathaway throughout the film that I had completely missed earlier. Maybe I’ve started paying more attention to acting than I used to.

Happy

Another film I revisited was Happy, starring Allu Arjun, Genelia, and Manoj Bajpayee. I don’t think I watched this film properly after my childhood. What made me revisit it was a random Instagram reel featuring Manoj Bajpayee. One reel turned into one scene, and one scene turned into rewatching the entire film. It was such a fun experience. Allu Arjun is absolutely unhinged in this film in the best possible way. His carefree energy, comic timing, and effortless charm make the film incredibly entertaining even today. Manoj Bajpayee, too, was wonderful. Watching Happy again reminded me why it was such a memorable film growing up.

Piku

Finally, I went back to another one of my comfort films — Piku. At this point, I don’t even know how many times I’ve watched it. Yet, every single time, I come away thinking, “What a beautiful film.” This time, once again, I appreciated the performances more than anything else. Irrfan Khan’s understated acting and his simple, witty dialogues never fail to make me smile. There is something magical about Piku. It doesn’t rely on grand drama or elaborate twists. It simply tells a small, heartfelt story with honesty, humour, and warmth. And somehow, every time I revisit it, it feels just as fresh as it did the first time. That’s probably why it continues to remain one of my favourite comfort films.

Mask (Mugamoodi)

Another film that I revisited this month was Mugamoodi (Telugu title: Mask), directed by Mysskin. Interestingly, this rewatch happened because of Spider-Man. After watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theatres, I was riding back home thinking about superhero films in general. One question kept lingering in my mind — why haven’t we, in India, managed to build a truly successful superhero franchise of our own?

That thought immediately reminded me of films like Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, Minnal Murali, and Mugamoodi. I had already watched Bhavesh Joshi and Minnal Murali, and I genuinely admire both of them. But Mugamoodi was a film I had watched during my childhood, long before I knew who Mysskin was or understood his filmmaking style. So I decided to revisit it, this time not just as a viewer but as someone trying to understand the filmmaker’s choices.

Watching it now, I could clearly notice many of Mysskin’s signatures. His preference for night sequences because crime naturally unfolds after dark, his fascination with stylish and intelligent villains who maintain respectable public identities while committing crimes underneath, and the way he builds his protagonists. The hero doesn’t enter the story as a larger-than-life figure. He begins as an ordinary man, someone who struggles, fails, and simply wants to live up to his master’s expectations. That grounded beginning makes the eventual transformation feel believable.

I also appreciated how the action sequences never felt like isolated set pieces inserted just for excitement. Every fight emerged organically from the story, and more importantly, Mysskin gave the protagonist a logical reason to possess those fighting abilities. Even the staging of the action and the camera angles reflected his unique visual language. While I do feel the climax didn’t quite reach the emotional and dramatic highs that the rest of the film promised, I still came away appreciating the attempt much more than I did during my first watch. Most of the filmmaking style he showcased in this film extended to Thupparivalan too.

In fact, I found myself wishing people hadn’t been so harsh on the film when it originally released. Just like Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, Mugamoodi may not have succeeded commercially, but both were sincere attempts at creating grounded Indian superhero films.

That entire experience also left me with a much bigger question. What actually makes a superhero film work in India?

Even today, I’m still thinking about it. Spider-Man: Brand New Day reportedly crossed ₹100 crore in India during its opening weekend alone. That’s a number many homegrown commercial films struggle to achieve. Clearly, Indian audiences love superhero films. But when we make our own, very few seem to resonate.

Perhaps Minnal Murali worked because it wasn’t trying too hard to imitate Western superhero films. The superpower arrives naturally through an unexpected event, the humour keeps the film rooted, and both the hero and the villain receive the same powers, making the conflict more personal than spectacular. Maybe that’s one of the answers.

I’m not sure yet. But this month definitely sparked my curiosity. I think I’ll spend some more time thinking about it and probably write a separate blog post exploring why superhero films work so well in the West, what Indian audiences expect from the genre, and what it might take for an Indian superhero franchise to truly succeed.

Books

I think I’m finally getting back into the rhythm of reading again, and that makes me really happy. Looking back, the last time I had a good reading streak was before my Japan trip. After coming back in May, I don’t think I read much at all. June was about getting started again, where I finished Katha Keli by Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy. And in July, I felt like I had regained the momentum. I finished one book completely and almost finished another one, which I eventually completed just before publishing this blog post. Technically, that second book spilled over into August by a day or two, but since most of the reading happened in July, I’m counting it as part of this month’s journey.

Nannaku Prema Kopam Maryadatho by Manikanth Gelli

The first book I finished was Nannaku Prema Kopam Maryadatho, written by Manikanth Gelli. He also happens to be a filmmaker, having directed Thellavarithe Guruvaram and Vidya Vasula Aham. I’ve known Manikanth for about a year now. We first met at a film screening, and over time we’ve met a few more times to discuss stories and cinema. Interestingly, I had received the draft version of this book before it was officially published. But around the same time, I was preparing for my trip to Japan trip. Since the book had a few references connected to Japan, I thought I’d read it after coming back. By the time I returned, I received a WhatsApp invitation from him for the book launch itself. I was genuinely happy because, in what felt like no time, he had gone from sharing a draft manuscript to publishing the complete book. He’s incredibly productive in that regard.

Coming to the book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Even the title made me pause and think for a while. The language is simple and accessible, making it a very comfortable read. At its heart, it’s the story of a son reflecting on his relationship with his father. It moves between the father’s childhood, the son’s own childhood, and the different phases through which their relationship evolves. More than the events themselves, I loved watching how the father’s character transforms over the course of the narrative and how the son’s understanding of him changes with time.

One thing I particularly enjoyed was the structure of the book. The chapters are neatly organized, and there is a clear narrative flow. There’s a running joke between us that every story Manikanth writes has two timelines, and this novel continues that pattern. He effortlessly moves between different time periods, and because he’s a filmmaker, you can almost visualize the novel as a film while reading it. There is a clear first-half and second-half feel to it, with character arcs and emotional shifts that would translate beautifully onto the screen. I genuinely loved reading it, and if you’re someone who reads Telugu or wants to begin reading Telugu literature, I think this is a wonderful place to start. Here’s the link to purchase this book.

Duppatlo Minnagu by Yandamoori

The second book I picked up was Duppatlo Minnagu, written by one of my all-time favourite authors, Yandamoori Veerendranath. This wasn’t my first time reading it. In fact, I think this is my third visit to the book. Yet, I never seem to get bored of it. Every time I revisit it, I discover something I hadn’t noticed before. What I admire most is the way Yandamoori builds suspense. The novel isn’t just one mystery; it weaves together multiple stories, each carrying its own layer of intrigue, before eventually tying everything together into one larger narrative. Watching him pull that off is a learning experience in itself.

Interestingly, this was also the book I had initially picked up in June when I was trying to overcome my reading slump. I couldn’t immediately continue with it because I ended up reading two other books first, but eventually I came back to it and finished almost the entire book during July. So even though I technically turned the final page in August, it still feels like a July read to me.

One small habit that I’m consciously trying to build now is this: the moment I finish one book, I immediately pick up another. I don’t want to lose the momentum. Looking forward to more stories choosing me in August.

Songs

Coming to the songs I’ve been listening to this month, July wasn’t really about discovering a lot of new music. Instead, it was about going back to albums and performances that I’ve been enjoying for a while now. There are some playlists that simply become a part of your routine, and this month felt exactly like that.

I continued listening to the Lagaan album quite a lot. Ever since I watched the film on the big screen in June, the songs have stayed with me. I keep going back to tracks like Ghanan Ghanan, Mitwa, and a few others from the album. Watching the film gave those songs a completely new context, and I appreciate them much more now than I ever did before.

Apart from Lagaan, I’ve also been listening to a couple of Berklee College of Music’s tribute medleys to A.R. Rahman. I’ll add the links below because they’re absolutely worth listening to. Every time I revisit those performances, I’m reminded of how timeless Rahman’s compositions are. Listening to musicians from across the world reinterpret his work with so much respect and creativity is always a joy. Those medleys have been on loop for most of July.

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Interestingly, there’s one album that I consciously stayed away from this month. The songs from DC, directed by Arun Matheswaran, starring Lokesh Kanagaraj and Wamiqa Gabbi, with music composed by Anirudh, are already out. But I haven’t listened to even a single song yet. That’s intentional. I wanted to experience the music for the first time while watching the film rather than hearing the songs beforehand. I’ve heard that the album incorporates a lot of classical influences, which makes me even more curious. So, maybe I’m missing out for now, but it’s something I’m genuinely looking forward to discovering in August after watching the film.

Exploring Hyderabad

One of the resolutions I made for 2026 was to explore at least one new place in Hyderabad every month. July turned out to be a good month in that regard because I visited a couple of places that had been on my list for a while, and each of them left me with a different kind of memory.

The highlight was definitely Gudimalkapur Flower Market. My friend Meghana and I had been planning this visit for a couple of months. Somewhere along the way, one of us came across a reel about the flower market and shared it with the other. Ever since then, we kept saying, “We’ll go next weekend,” but somehow it never happened. Then, sometime in June, Meghana sent me another reel mentioning that the government was planning to shift the Gudimalkapur Flower Market to the outskirts of Hyderabad. We weren’t sure when that would happen, but it gave us the push we needed. We decided not to postpone it any further.

Flowers everywhere :)

So, on an early Sunday morning, even before 7 a.m., we reached the flower market. I had already realized over the past few months that flowers have a strange effect on me. They simply make me smile. There isn’t any profound reason behind it. I just enjoy being around them. Walking through rows of lilies, roses in every possible colour, marigolds, and countless other flowers brought an instant sense of happiness. We didn’t really buy much, just one sunflower but we spent a lot of time simply walking around, admiring the colours, taking photographs, and soaking in the atmosphere. It was one of those mornings where you begin your day with a genuine smile, and I came back feeling refreshed. It also quietly checked off another month of my “one new place in Hyderabad” resolution.

Since we were already there and had worked up an appetite, we decided to have breakfast at Lingaiah Tiffin Centre, a place quite close to the flower market that is apparently famous for its idli and vada. We had heard quite a bit about it, so we gave it a try. Honestly, it was decent. The food was good, but it wasn’t something that felt dramatically different from the idli and vada we usually eat elsewhere. I think if we had travelled all the way only for breakfast, we might have been disappointed. But since we were already nearby because of the flower market, it worked out well. Good breakfast, good company, and a lovely morning overall.

Another memorable outing this month was my first visit to Broadway in Hyderabad. The occasion was special. Neha and Tejas were celebrating the milestone of reaching 500,000 followers on their Instagram page, smilesandpostcards and I received a call from Neha asking what my plans were for Saturday. I didn’t have anything scheduled, so she invited me to join the celebration. I happily went there, spent time with them, recorded a few videos, met some of their friends and followers, and simply enjoyed being part of the event. Every time I get an opportunity to spend time with Neha and Tejas, I come back with a smile. They bring a very positive energy wherever they go, and this celebration was no different. It was a day well spent, and I’ll link the vlog they made for the event below if you’d like to see how it all unfolded.

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One small thing that made me really happy last (June) month was getting to collaborate with them. Neha and Tejas were working on a collaboration with Emma Mattress, and I got an opportunity to write the script for the entire reel. It was a fun little creative exercise because writing for a short-form video is very different from writing blogs or stories.

The reel was published in July, and watching something that started as words on my laptop eventually turned into a finished video felt quite satisfying. I’m sharing the reel here — let me know how it is 🙂

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZt_UIhske-/

Towards the latter half of the month, I also found myself spending more time outdoors. I visited Indira Park a few times to walk or run.

Another first for me this month was visiting Ravindra Bharathi. Surprisingly, despite living in Hyderabad for years, I had never been there before. More specifically, I visited the Paidi Jairaj Preview Theatre to attend the screening of a short film called Rutupavanam, produced by my school friend Vamsi and directed by his brother, Teja.

The preview happened on a weekend evening, and it was lovely catching up with a few friends while also getting to watch the film before its release. The short film runs for about 30–35 minutes, and I genuinely had a good time watching it. After the screening, I shared my thoughts with both Vamsi and Teja. While watching it, I could notice a few influences of filmmakers like Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Mani Ratnam, especially in the staging of certain scenes and the emotional beats. At the same time, Teja’s own strengths stood out as well. I particularly liked his sense of visual storytelling and the way he uses music to elevate emotions on screen. There are some beautifully composed shots that stayed with me even after the screening ended.

I’m sharing the trailer below. Do check it out whenever the film is released. It’s always exciting to see friends creating stories and bringing them to life, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Teja makes next.

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One unexpected way in which I explored Hyderabad this month was while simply trying to get from one place to another. One evening, I had to travel from my home in Vidyanagar to Rajapushpa in Narsingi. Coincidentally, it was the day of the Jagannath Rath Yatra, and because of the procession, Google Maps suggested a completely different route than usual. Instead of taking the regular roads, I found myself driving through parts of the Old City, passing through Dhoolpet and a few other localities alongside the Musi River before eventually reaching Mehdipatnam.

It was my first time travelling through many of these areas. Although the journey took a little longer than expected and there was a slight drizzle throughout, I didn’t mind it at all. In fact, I felt quite happy because I had accidentally discovered another part of Hyderabad without planning for it. Sometimes the city surprises you when you’re least expecting it, and this happened to be one of those evenings.

From Mehdipatnam, I joined the Hyderabad–Shankarpally road towards Narsingi, and I absolutely loved that stretch. Since much of the road passes alongside military land, the traffic was minimal, making it one of the most peaceful drives I’ve had in Hyderabad. The roads were wide, smooth, and a pleasure to ride on. I remember thinking that this was one of those routes where the journey itself felt more enjoyable than the destination.

Interestingly, I ended up taking the same route again later in the month. This time, it started raining heavily just after I left home. Although I generally avoid riding in the rain and wouldn’t recommend it either, I had somewhere I needed to be. So I put on my rain gear and continued. Looking back, I don’t remember the destination as much as I remember the drive itself — the rain, the empty roads, and the feeling of discovering another side of Hyderabad. Even though I didn’t stop anywhere along the way, it still felt like I had explored a new part of the city.

Travel

Travel-wise, July was relatively simple, but both trips were connected to people and moments that stayed with me. In the first week of the month, I travelled to Bangalore for work and stayed there for a few days. Like most of my Bangalore work trips, it was a mix of spending time at the office, meeting colleagues, visiting my sister, and squeezing in some fun whenever possible.

I also went to my colleague Anand’s wedding reception on 5th July. A few of our colleagues came over as well, and we all met at the Shankara Foundation in Bangalore to celebrate with the couple. It was a relatively intimate gathering, which made the evening feel warm and relaxed. We spent our time chatting, catching up with each other, having dinner together, taking pictures, and, of course, wishing Anand and his partner as they began this new phase of their lives.

At Anand’s wedding reception

One evening, we all went to a gaming arena where we tried bowling and a few other games. I managed to score more than 100 in bowling for a couple of rounds, which I was quite happy about. It was a fun evening with colleagues outside the usual setting of meetings, laptops, and work.

Another evening after dinner, Vaishnavi, Kartikey and I were chatting about life and other things until late night sitting in the hotel lobby. We were totally into the conversation that we didn’t check the time! The next evening, there was a fun banter about Lassi and Chass between Kirti and Drashti!

The Bangalore trip itself became my small starting point towards cooking. When I went to my sister’s place, I helped her and my brother in law in the kitchen by chopping vegetables. We prepared lunch, and I went to deliver her lunchbox at work. Later in the evening, once she was done with the office, I went back and picked her up. And unknowingly, chopping those vegetables was probably the beginning of my cooking experiments that followed after I returned home.

Of course, since we were in Bangalore, some of our regular rituals had to happen too. Drashti, Kartikey, Kirti, and I went to Meghana’s for biryani, followed by ice cream at Naturals. At this point, I think this has become an unofficial tradition whenever we meet in Bangalore once every three months. Work trips and roadmap planning may change, but Meghana’s followed by Naturals somehow remains constant. It’s one of those small routines that I now associate with my Bangalore visits and with this group of people.

Kartikey, Dinni, Kirti, and Drashti (L-R)

One of the more memorable parts of the Bangalore trip was visiting my colleague Meeha’s place for lunch. She had recently moved from Delhi to Bangalore and invited Drashti and me over. Since I had also recently moved into a place of my own, I was naturally curious about how she had set up her house and, more importantly, how she was managing food and cooking. She told me that she had learned almost everything about cooking only after moving to Bangalore a couple of months ago. Seeing her comfortably prepare her own meals after figuring things out from scratch was strangely inspiring for me. I came away thinking, okay, maybe this is the sign that I should stop postponing it and finally start cooking too.

Another colleague, Jishnav, has been asking me to start cooking since last year. Whenever our conversations move towards living independently, food, or staying alone, we end up talking about cooking. My friend Pranav, who lives by himself in Hyderabad and genuinely enjoys cooking, was another example right in front of me. Seeing people around my age, living independently and comfortably cooking for themselves, slowly removed whatever mental barrier I had around entering the kitchen.

While I was there, Ashwin also invited us over for dinner at his new home near Whitefield. Kamalini, Hemanth, and I went to visit the newly-wed couple, Ashwin and Swetha. We spent some time walking around a park near their house, talking about random things, and later Ashwin gave us a tour of their new home. They had cooked paneer curry and, if I remember correctly, something similar to biryani for dinner. Everything tasted really good, and it was a lovely evening spent talking, eating, and seeing friends settle into a completely new phase of their lives.

From Bangalore, I travelled to my hometown, Gadwal, for another important family occasion, my father’s retirement celebration. Although he officially retired on 30th June after his long career, we had a more informal celebration with family in July. A few relatives and family members graced the event. After the emotional retirement ceremony at his workplace in June, this one felt more relaxed and celebratory. We were simply together as a family, marking the beginning of this new phase of his life.

A picture from retirement event

After spending a couple of days in Gadwal, I returned to Hyderabad and settled back into my new home. And that’s when the cooking experiments properly began.

Cooking

One of the most exciting things I did this month was something I had been looking forward to ever since I moved into my new home. I finally started cooking for myself.

I had mentioned in my June blog that after moving to Vidyanagar, one of my goals was to become comfortable in the kitchen and learn how to cook my own meals. July was the month where that actually happened. It began with something very simple: tomato dal. Looking back now, it was far from perfect. I had read somewhere that pressure cookers shouldn’t be run without enough water because of safety reasons, so I went completely overboard and added way too much water. The result was a dal that looked more like soup. It was a little saltier than it should have been too. But you know what? I still enjoyed it because it was something I had cooked.

The funny part is that I didn’t let anything go to waste. The next day, I simply used the extra water from the dal and turned it into rasam. Obviously after my mom suggested it 😛

After that first attempt, I became much more confident. Over the course of the month, I ended up cooking a surprising variety of dishes. I made paneer curry, soya fried rice, egg fried rice, soya chunks curry, spinach dal, mushroom curry, baby corn curry, aloo fry, sambar, and a few more dishes in between. Looking back at the list, I was honestly surprised by how much I had managed to cook in just one month. It almost felt like I recreated the meals I grew up eating at home, one recipe at a time. The only major item still missing from my list is biryani, and I think that’s the next challenge I’m saving for myself.

My cooking routine has become surprisingly simple. Whenever I feel like eating something, I open YouTube, search for an easy recipe or a short video, follow it step by step, cook the dish, eat it, clean up, and go about my day. There is something deeply satisfying about that entire process. Every meal teaches me something new.

What surprised me the most wasn’t the cooking itself, it was how comfortable I became in the kitchen. There was even one day when I felt too lazy to chop a lot of vegetables, so instead of ordering food online, I simply made fried rice because it required less preparation. A few months ago, I would’ve opened a food delivery app without thinking twice. Now my first instinct is to see what I can make with the ingredients already lying in my kitchen. That feels like a meaningful change.

I think I’ll eventually write a separate blog post about learning to cook as a 27-year-old man living in India. There are many conversations around privilege, especially how many of us grow up never needing to enter the kitchen because someone else is always cooking for us. Only after moving into my own place did I realize how empowering and liberating it feels to prepare your own meals. Every evening now, I genuinely look forward to spending some time in the kitchen.

I even shared a few pictures of the dishes on Instagram, and quite a few friends jokingly asked when they were getting invited for dinner. My answer has been the same for everyone: let me first learn how to cook a proper biryani, and then you’re all invited.

This has been one of those habits that quietly changed my life. I had written “learn how to cook” as one of my resolutions for 2026, and I think I’m almost there. I can now comfortably cook enough dishes to feed myself every day. The next challenge isn’t learning more recipes; it’s optimizing them, making them taste better and cooking them faster. Right now, I spend quite a bit of time in the kitchen, but I’m sure that’ll improve with practice.

More than anything else, cooking has given me a strange sense of freedom. It genuinely feels like I’ve grown a new pair of wings.

Fitness

Fitness-wise, July was a good month for me, especially when it came to simply showing up consistently. After June being slightly irregular because of the half marathon, knee pain, travel, and the accident while shifting homes, July felt like getting back into a proper routine again. My friend Ravi and I started going to the gym together, mostly in the mornings, and we were quite punctual about it. Having someone to show up with also made it easier to stay consistent instead of finding reasons to skip a workout.

Location: Indira Park

Running also slowly became part of my weekly routine again. I made sure that I ran at least once every week, with most of those runs happening at Indira Park. More importantly, I was happy that I could get back to running regularly after giving my body some rest in June.

Another thing that added some motivation to my fitness routine towards the end of July was a health challenge started by my colleague Sahil. We used to have these health challenges within the company before our offsites, and although we don’t have those offsites anymore, Sahil decided to bring the challenge back. The goal is to complete a total of 1,000 minutes of physical activity over four weeks, with around 40 minutes counted per activity. The challenge started on 20th July and runs until 16th August.

By the time I’m writing this, I’ve already crossed around 600 minutes, through running, gym sessions, and other physical activities. So I’m more than halfway there, and hopefully I’ll manage to complete the full 1,000 minutes before the challenge ends. More than the number itself, I like how these small challenges give me another reason to show up and stay active.

Solitude

One of the most important things happening in my life right now is living all by myself. July was probably the first complete month where I stayed almost entirely on my own in my 1BHK in Hyderabad. I’m cooking for myself, cleaning the house, washing clothes and dishes, working, reading, exercising, and figuring out everything else that comes with maintaining a home. To be very honest, I loved doing all of this in July. There is a certain peace that comes with living alone, but there is also a lot of control over my time and how I want my days to look. So far, I’ve genuinely enjoyed that freedom, and I look forward to continuing this phase of my life.

My weekends have also started looking very different from one another. On some weekends, I’m meeting friends and going out. On some, I’m travelling home to spend time with my family. And then there are weekends where I don’t really have anything planned. I stay home, read a book, cook something, clean the house, wash my clothes, finish whatever chores are pending, and sometimes simply sleep and relax. I’m learning that I don’t necessarily need to fill every empty hour with something. There are times when I keep myself occupied and there are times when I happily do nothing, and I’m slowly becoming comfortable with both.

I think the biggest thing living alone is giving me is an opportunity to observe myself. How do I react when something doesn’t go according to plan? How do I manage things when nobody else is around to immediately solve them? There was one morning when my father was supposed to visit, and I also had something planned for later in the day. I woke up only to discover that there was no electricity in the house and no water coming from the taps either. These are small inconveniences, but when you’re living alone, you’re the person who has to figure out what happened and what needs to be done next. The fact that I managed the situation without losing my temper was something I quietly appreciated about myself.

Even the most mundane household chores have started feeling different. Washing dishes, for example, has strangely become a way for me to slow down. When I’m standing there cleaning one plate after another, there isn’t much else I can do. For those few minutes, I’m simply focused on what’s in front of me rather than thinking about things happening at work, outside the house, or elsewhere in life that I cannot control. In an unexpected way, these chores are teaching me a little about mindfulness too.

There were also days when the weather tested how serious I was about the routines I wanted to build. One morning, it was raining when I wanted to go to the gym. Earlier, that probably would have been a perfectly valid excuse to stay home. Instead, I put on my raincoat and went anyway because I genuinely wanted to work out. It’s a very small incident, but it made me realize that I’m slowly building a life where I look forward to the routines I’ve created for myself rather than forcing myself to follow them.

I also recognize that being able to live alone like this is a privilege that not everyone gets to experience. For me, it has become an opportunity to discover parts of myself that I probably wouldn’t have noticed otherwise — how I manage my time, how I react to inconveniences, how I take care of my surroundings, how much social interaction I actually need, and how comfortable I am with my own company. It’s still very early in this journey, but so far, I’m having fun figuring it all out. I want to enjoy this phase for what it is and see what else it teaches me about myself.

Looking back, July felt like a mixture of many different kinds of days. There were bright, sunny days and there were days when it rained continuously. There were days when I travelled, met friends, went to work, watched movies, explored new places, cooked, ran, and hit the gym. And then there were lazy days when I stayed at home, read something, slept for a little longer, or simply did nothing. I think I enjoyed having both.

July felt like a month where I was slowly settling into this new phase of my life. Living by myself, learning to cook, taking care of my home, staying consistent with fitness, meeting people I love, and also becoming comfortable with spending time alone.

Until next time…

One interesting conversation happened on the very last day of the month, after Lavan and I finished watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day. We were talking about random things when the topic of my blog somehow came up. During the conversation, he casually mentioned that if someone wanted to understand me a little better — what I enjoy doing, what my habits are, what kind of person I am, they could simply read my monthly blog posts.

That sentence stayed with me for a while.

It made me wonder whether I’m revealing a little too much of myself on the internet. Every month, I sit down and document the things I did, the books I read, the movies I watched, the people I met, and sometimes even the thoughts running through my mind. I never really looked at it from someone else’s perspective until that conversation happened. For me, these blog posts have always been a way of remembering my own life. But perhaps, unknowingly, they’ve also become a window into who I am.

If you’ve been reading these posts regularly, thank you. Every message, every conversation, and every person who tells me they enjoyed reading them reminds me why I started writing in the first place. Maybe that’s reason enough to keep going.