Posts on Saransh Agarwal

Why the Art of Living Happiness Program Felt Like a Reset Button?

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 12:05:14 +0000

The Vishalakshi Mantap at the Art of Living International Center in Bangalore

A few weeks ago, I signed up for something I’d been hearing about for years - the Happiness Program by the Art of Living. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I just knew I needed a pause, a break from the constant hustle, and maybe a way to clear my head.

Life had thrown a few curveballs my way recently, leaving me with a lot of restlessness and a feeling that I was carrying around more emotional weight than I realized. So, when I came across the program at the Art of Living International Center in Bangalore, I thought- why not give myself this time?

I took a Quantic leap

Sat, 21 Aug 2021 08:36:44 +0000

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Last year, I made a list of goals that I wanted to achieve by 2021. One of the ’nice to haves’ was to get another degree- possibly an MBA. Little did I know that the pandemic would shut the world down and most things, including education, would go online. After searching for the best, affordable and flexible courses, I had a chat with one of my former batchmates from Dublin about the online MBA he was doing, which is when I made the decision to apply for Quantic’s mobile-first MBA.

Life lessons learnt in living alone.

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 08:09:03 +0000

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Living alone was never part of the plan. Although, it sounds like a great idea to live all by yourself in your late 20’s when faced the decision to live solo? NO.

So, I moved to Bangalore in early 2017 for work and was looking to live somewhere near my office (there’s a valid reason for this, traffic sucks!). A few of my friends were living far-off and I never understood the PG (paying guests) facilities- tiny rooms, terrible food, unhygienic. Yikes!

Twenty-seven things I believe in

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 12:07:13 +0000

Photo by Ran Berkovich on Unsplash

Last month I turned twenty-seven. It’s been a unique year- not only I’ve changed three flats in the last year and broke a few bones in my left arm, but I’ve also moved my workplaces thrice while changing my career (with the same employer), the strange reason is why I moved thrice within the same city! Amidst all this chaos, I’ve survived half of my quarter-life crisis.

Quotes from ‘Turtles all the way down’ 🐢

Sat, 17 Feb 2018 19:10:24 +0000

Last week, I binged on John Green’s book ‘Turtles all the way down’. I’ve read three other book by John Green and absolutely loved this one. It is a remarkable piece of work, which portrays the life of a sixteen year old girl named Aza, who lives in Indianapolis and struggles to keep with her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety.

The book also throws light on a good and lasting friendship with her friend Daisy, who is an avid Star Wars fan!

5 things my Mum taught me.

Sat, 13 May 2017 18:31:00 +0000

Photo by Jenny Paige on Unsplash

Many people had an impact on my life and the approach towards it. The chief of them is our parents. My mum has always been a source of motivation for me. She has been through my thick and thin even when I was 8000 kilometres away from home (thanks to VoIP/ Skype, that let me learn how to cook). Here are five key things that my mum taught me:

The craziest airport experience!

Sun, 12 Mar 2017 10:36:03 +0000

Well, I almost missed my flight at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

I was returning from Dublin, Ireland to New Delhi, India and had to change flights at Abu Dhabi, UAE. It’s a long journey of around 15 hours, approx 8 hours from Dublin to Abu Dhabi and a further 4 hours from Abu Dhabi to Delhi with around two hours to change flights (and terminals). I hadn’t slept from past 2 days as my flight was to depart from Dublin at 8 am on 27th September, so the agony of missing my flight kept me awake. Moreover, I was travelling non- stop across the parts of Wild Atlantic Way with my housemates for three days just before I left Ireland, so my whole body was aching badly (travel + hangover + jet- lag) and I can’t sleep on the flight.

[Next Play]: We move forward.

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 19:28:54 +0000

K, this was the reply from one of my (best) friend when I told him that I’d have to move to India.

As I started to think about what comes next, I travelled to India during Christmas break of 2015. As soon as I returned back, I felt an emptiness. Something was not going right, I just couldn’t figure out what was it. I increased my visits to Indian restaurants, my phone calls to friends and family increased. Rang de Basanti and Swades became a regular watch. While in India, the country was brimming with fresh energy, a kind of optimism. A startup wave was blowing. Top college graduates were joining months of old startups. Investors from across the world were pouring funds and the government was providing a platform through brand new ‘Make in India’ campaign.

This ride ends here.

Tue, 27 Sep 2016 07:04:22 +0000

Dear Dublin,

This is a tough one to write! How are ye keepin’? I still remember the rainy August afternoon in 2014 when I landed, jet-lagged from my first fifteen-hour journey. How can I forget the warmth and kindness that your people showed me during my initial days in a strange country, which was never visited by anyone even in my extended family back home? I still remember my first hike at picturesque locations of Howth, Dún Laoghaire and Killiney hill; my first kayaking in Liffey, overlooking you from a different perspective and yeah! my first pint of Guinness, which tastes best in its home.

Insider: What’s going on? (Jun- Aug ‘16)

Thu, 01 Sep 2016 14:56:26 +0000

Well, I’ve been MIA lately, maybe you haven’t noticed!

So, things have been working quite a downside for the past three months (in a row), that I’ve forgotten if there’s still a light at the end of the tunnel or someone turned the switch off! Although I aged a year this August, I didn’t saw a reason to celebrate.

Well, these three months have given me a time to explore myself, weight down a couple of options and enjoy being alone. I’ve been travelling around Ireland, particularly visiting places in Dublin that I haven’t seen for years and revisiting some of my favourite spots (Dún Laoghaire, Howth, Bray, Killiney, Phoenix Park). I’ve also travelled to Cork, visiting my friends over there (twice) and also made a journey to the Rings of Kerry, across the Wild Atlantic Way. Turns out that Dún Laoghaire (pictured) is my favourite place in Dublin.

[Un]employed and Frustrated.

Wed, 15 Jun 2016 12:46:49 +0000

Quite recently, I did something strange which led a friend to call me brave/ stupid/ crazy/ eejit. No, I didn’t jump off the cliff, nor had endless shots of vodka. Rather, I quit my job.

Having a master’s degree in Computer Science and doing manual tasks that can be easily automated didn’t make sense to me in the long run. Quite often I wonder the task would have been so easier if I used Database (further applying a few bits of use of my Data Analytics degree).

Saransh’s Year in Review

Fri, 18 Dec 2015 23:06:41 +0000

Well,

2015 is about to end and it’s been a 1 year and 3 months for me in Ireland and has been the most memorable time of my life. Its been a roller- coaster ride, being through tough phases as well!

Phase #1: Life @ UCD (contd…)

For the most part of the year 2015, I was (still) a student at University College Dublin, but I also got a took up a part-time task to teach first-year engineering students how to program a computer! It was a challenging task, though fun at times :) and gets me enough lunch money.

Hi, How are you?

Sat, 21 Mar 2015 19:54:14 +0000

Hawaya’ guys?

It’s been a semester and a half for me being a student at University College Dublin and much part of it seems to be great! Although, life at UCD is pretty nice, fun and there’s some gig going on- campus, but there are grey areas as well. Sometimes, you need a break from everything and just relax! Even Computer Science doesn’t sounds cool at that moment :-(

Now comes in action the people at ‘Welfare Crew’ and ‘Please Talk’ at UCD. These are angel like guys at UCD that will help you out during tough times. They organise one of the best events I’ve ever attended on campus and were the happiest days of my life in UCD. The good part, these events are free, full of fun and there’s plenty of food and tea around. I’ll describe few events that I attended (as well those I didn’t) over here-

Indian boy, Irish Life

Sat, 21 Feb 2015 20:08:28 +0000

Wow!

Its been nearly 6 months for me in Ireland and it seems like it has been just yesterday. I still remember the day when I arrived at Dublin Airport (and getting drenched in rain) In this blog post, I describe my time in Ireland and University College Dublin, meeting wonderful people along the way, having craic (pronounced as crack). Also, there’s a bit of advice for prospective students, who wish to come to UCD.

Steps to become Data Scientist

Mon, 01 Dec 2014 20:49:23 +0000

Image source: http://www.r-bloggers.com

To the land of saint and scholars

Sun, 24 Aug 2014 00:44:50 +0000

Hi All!

Its been a long time since I’ve blogged. I was busy with visa processing, bank transactions, my packing and collecting stuff as I’m going to IRELAND!!!

I’ve got an acceptance from University College Dublin my post graduation in Computer Sciences. I’m pretty excited/ nervous/ happy and lot more.

My offer letter :)

The last day at college

Wed, 14 May 2014 10:59:20 +0000

Dear college,

It was a roller coaster ride for the four years. I still remember my first day at college which was a bit strange!

However, all is well that ends well.

Signing off!

A new look for a new Bing!

Thu, 19 Sep 2013 16:34:43 +0000

The software giant’s search engine gets an entire new look along with new features.

Microsoft is giving its Bing search engine an overhaul to better compete with Google.

Like Yahoo earlier this month, Microsoft unveiled a redesigned logo for its search engine, along with a refreshed, modern homepage design. But Microsoft’s changes go beyond the cosmetic by introducing new features and tweaking existing ones.

One of the keys to Microsoft’s new approach is Page Zero, a new search function that aims to help users get a useful response to their query before they even see a traditional search results page. Building on to the traditional autofill suggestion that appears as users type their queries, Bing will also instantly provide relevant information and options for exploration as users input their query.

When LEFT Is RIGHT…

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 09:59:10 +0000

What do Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Bill Clinton, Barak Obama, Ratan Tata, Amitabh Bachchan, Prince Charles, Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey have in common?

If you answered “they are all left-handed,” right on, because these famous men and women are among the thousands of left-handed people who have left their mark on the world.
Right-handed people rarely think about which hand another person is using, but lefties are quick to spot.