Dattatray Dagale

The Money Books That Actually Changed How Indians Think Before 30

It was 11:47 PM on a Tuesday. I was on the Kalyan-bound Central Line, squeezed between a guy eating samosas and a woman watching Instagram Reels at full volume. My phone was at 6% battery. And I was reading about the concept of "mental accounting" on my Kindle — the idea that we treat money differently depending on where it came from. The samosa g…

The Finance News Trap That Costs Indians Their Peace of Mind

I used to check my phone the moment I woke up. Before brushing my teeth, before chai, before anything—I'd scroll through Moneycontrol, refresh ET Markets, check what's happening on X (Twitter). By the time I reached Kalyan station for my commute to Mumbai, I'd already read 47 different takes on why the Nifty fell 0.3% or why some fund manager chan…

Can Anime Teach You More About Life Than a Self-Help Book?

Dear younger me (and anyone reading this from Kalyan or beyond), I need to tell you something that would've seemed absolutely ridiculous to me five years ago: anime has changed how I think about money, ambition, failure , and what actually matters in life . Not anime in the stereotypical sense — the stuff with oversized eyes and dramatic screaming. I…

5 Ways I Killed My Doom-Scrolling Habit (Without Going Off-Grid)

It was 11:47 PM on a Tuesday, and I was still lying in bed, thumb scrolling through Instagram Reels. Not because I wanted to. Because I couldn't stop . My alarm was set for 5:45 AM. I had a Zerodha portfolio to track before the market opened. A presentation to finish for work. Three unread emails about mutual fund SIPs. And yet—there I was, watching the 4…

Stop Wasting 2 Hours Daily on Random YouTube Shorts. Listen to This Instead

Dear friend, I'm writing this at 7:47 AM from the Kalyan station platform, waiting for the 8:15 local train to Dadar. My phone is in my pocket — not my hand. And honestly? That's the win I want to talk about today. Two years ago, I was exactly like you probably are right now. Scrolling through Instagram reels about "10 Habits of Billionaires,&qu…

High Performers Don't Work Harder. They Work Differently.

It was 6:47 AM on a Tuesday when I realized I'd been doing everything wrong . I was sitting in the Kalyan local, squeezed between a man reading *Marathi Pragati* and a woman balancing a tiffin box on her lap. My phone buzzed. A Slack message from someone at work—let's call him Vikram—asking if I'd seen his analysis on emerging market mutual funds.…