The Night I Met Savarkar

It’s 9:45 pm. I am on a walk around my neighborhood.

Walking helps me clear my head, almost like a “clear cookies and cache” version for your brain’s browser tabs.

I’m walking through a narrow street I’ve never explored before.

That’s when I notice a face staring back at me from a memorial plaque, illuminated by dim street lamps. The face looks eerily familiar. The hat and eyeglasses are distinct.

I've seen it countless times in the history books most Indians never read, the ones that tell the stories our schools conveniently skip.

I walk closer. It’s Vinayak “Veer” Savarkar.

I had read books about him and the violent freedom struggle that led to India's independence. This is the man who advocated for armed resistance when Gandhi preached non-violence. The revolutionary who spent more years in the brutal “Kaala Pani” colonial jail of Andaman than I have been alive. The man who understood that independence is taken, not given. The man who inspired countless other brave men like Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose.

I read the inscription, and the words hit me like a stack of bricks: "Vinayak Damodar Savarkar lived in this house..."

My eyes scan the building, and I’m struggling to take this in. I've been walking past this spot for two whole years, completely oblivious to the fact that one of India's most controversial and influential revolutionaries once called this place home.

I speak to the security guard, and he confirms my suspicion. Savarkar lived here during and after the freedom struggle; he died in this house in 1966.

The ground feels shaky below me, I realize Savarkar must’ve once stood exactly where I stand. As someone who’s read the unexplored parts of modern Indian history, this moment was especially surreal for me.

The point I’m trying to make with this story is that there are such golden moments all around us. Moments that help you feel connected to a world you only read in books, stories of people that have shaped the world around us — hidden in plain sight! All you have to do is look.

You don’t need a flight ✈️

With travel becoming cheaper, easier, and more accessible than ever, we’ve started outsourcing our sense of awe.

Bucket-list destinations trend on Instagram. The mountains “out there” call louder than the streets we pass every day. People plan weekend getaways with more attention than they give to the corners of their own neighborhood.

Travel has become consumptive. Something to tick off, to document, to display. While there is value in seeing the world, don’t also forget to open your eyes and look at your city, your neighborhood, your own street.

You don’t need a flight to have a profound experience. You could sit by a tree, speak to a taxi driver, or strike up a conversation with an old man on a park bench.

There are beautiful stories everywhere.

Sometimes you don’t have to go far, you just have to go deep.

It reminds me of what Marcus Aurelius wrote in Meditations:

Men seek for seclusion in the wilderness, by the seashore, or in the mountains — a dream you have cherished only too fondly yourself.

But such fancies are wholly unworthy of a philosopher, since at any moment you choose you can retire within yourself.

Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.

I’m not asking you to skip your Europe trip, I’m asking you to learn to retire within your city.

You’d be surprised what it can show you. The extraordinary is sometimes next door.

Every street has a story

Among friends and colleagues, I’ve earned a bit of a reputation: I’m the one who starts quoting local history at random.

Someone mentions “I live here”, and I’ll explain why their suburb is named that. We’ll pass a park and I’ll casually mention who built it. Even oddly named intersections get their moment in the spotlight.

I don’t know why, but I’ve always been naturally obsessed with local geography and history since I was a kid. Something about it was always alluring to me — the stories behind cities, the logic of names, the invisible footprints of those who came before us.

I don’t want this to be a purely philosophical blog, so I want to share a tactical list of things you can do to “find gold” around you:

1 — Research the origin story of your city

Most cities have surprisingly rich histories just a Wikipedia search away. Look up how yours was founded. Who ruled it? What decisions shaped it?

For instance, the Maratha Empire raiding Surat in the 1660s (which was a big industrial hub back then), basically forced the British to look for an alternate coastal hub.

They were gifted the islands of Mumbai by the Portuguese, and decided to make Mumbai their business hub.

Mumbai was essentially a collection of seven island villages that were largely ignored; there was no reason to focus here. If the Marathas had never raided Surat, we might never have Mumbai as it is. Isn’t that crazy to think about?

There are stories like this behind almost every city. You just have to follow the thread.

2 — Google street names

I always ask: why is this place called that?

You’ll find fascinating roots in the most everyday labels. “Singapore,” for example, comes from the Sanskrit “Simha Pura” — meaning City of the Lion. “Mumbai” traces back to the local deity “Mumba Aai,” literally meaning Mother Mumba in Marathi.

You will learn about the history of a place by going deeper into its etymology. Every name has a clue!

3 — Find stories behind local monuments

See a statue, roundabout, or obscure memorial? Don’t ignore it. Read the inscription, then Google deeper. You’ll be surprised how often major national movements or forgotten heroes trace back to that very spot.

That mini-monument you drive by every day might be tied to a protest that changed the country.

For instance, Hutatma Chowk in Mumbai has an interesting protest behind it and is linked to the creation of Maharashtra state itself! I'll leave you to the research if you're curious 😉

4 — Ask who the airport is named after

Touch down in a new city and check the airport’s name. Then look them up.

If you land in Bangalore, you’ll notice that the airport is called “Kempegowda International”.

Turns out, Kempe Gowda was a 16th-century chieftain under the Vijayanagara Empire. He envisioned the city during a hunting trip. That decision, made centuries ago, eventually laid the foundation for India’s tech capital.

Another interesting link between an army chief from the 1500s and India’s tech hub!

5 — Take the boat tour

If your city has a lake, river, or coastline, consider taking a boat tour. I did this when I was in London.

The guides often drop little-known stories and hyperlocal facts you won’t find on Google.

Beyond the trivia, there’s something powerful about realizing most cities and all of civilization began with nothing but someone’s idea.

Streets, skylines, ports… all imagined and built by people like YOU.

This reminds me of the Steve Jobs quote:

“Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.”

This gives you the power to shape the world around. If you don’t like something or want a thing to exist, you can will it into existence.

Conclusion: Look closer at the beauty around you

The more you explore your city, the more you will realize this one thing.

History isn’t locked away in textbooks or far-off ruins in Italy. It’s etched into street signs, hiding behind monuments, and living in the names we use every day but casually overlook. The more you start to notice, the more the world opens up.

Cultivate that curiosity. Ask questions. Follow strange names down Wikipedia rabbit holes. Talk to the people who’ve been here longer than you. Learn how the city evolved.

Because once you start paying attention, you’ll see it: every street has a story. And some of the most profound journeys begin just a few steps from your front door.

यथा पिण्डे, तथा ब्रह्माण्डे.

as is the individual, so is the universe.

All that is outside is within you.

PS: If you want to learn more about India’s actual (violent) struggle for freedom, check out this book called Revolutionaries. It presents a good summary of key events that shaped India’s freedom struggle.

If you are a GenZ movie type, I highly recommend watching this movie about Savarkar’s life. It’s very well made, with great attention to nuance and historical detail.

I genuinely believe that Savarkar and Ambedkar were true revolutionaries — both in action and in thought. While political parties have now hijacked their personalities on either side of the spectrum, it is still worth studying Savarkar’s Life and the reforms he proposed across topics of religion, nation, and society. Email me if you want more recommendations!