I'm Niraj. Father, husband, engineering leader, runner in progress — and builder of small systems that compound over time.
I live in Bengaluru, India, originally from Mumbai. Most of my writing sits at the intersection of engineering leadership, AI-enabled software delivery, health, running, and the everyday discipline required to get better without burning out.
I’m Head of Engineering at Travelopia, working across web platforms, engineering systems, and AI-enabled delivery. My work spans web architecture, developer productivity, platform thinking, and AI-enabled delivery. I care deeply about how teams build software — not just the tools they use, but the systems, habits, reviews, and guardrails that help them move faster without losing quality.
Lately, I've been exploring how autonomous agents can support software teams — not by replacing engineers, but by improving the harness around planning, implementation, testing, and review.
- ai
- AI tools · agents · coding assistants
- code
- typescript · java · python
- cloud
- aws · cdk
- web
- nextjs · nestjs
- endurance
- running · cycling · strength
- keep it boring Simple systems survive longer.
- outcomes over hype AI is useful only when it changes delivery.
- systems Small habits beat big intentions.
- family first The real work is being present.
Outside work, I'm working on becoming healthier and more consistent. Running has become a big part of that journey. I'm not an elite athlete — I'm an endurance athlete in progress. That makes the lessons more useful: consistency beats intensity, recovery matters, and small disciplines compound.
A lot of what I learn from running also shows up in how I think about work — systems, feedback loops, patience, and showing up even when progress is slow.
- — engineering leadership
- — AI-enabled delivery
- — autonomous agents and engineering teams
- — running and health
- — habits, discipline, and personal systems
- — things I'm learning in public
This site is less about having all the answers and more about documenting the experiments.
"Consistency will take you there. Motivation won't."
— the line I keep coming back to
Outside of all that: food, anime, manga, gaming, progressive rock, and long conversations about technology, training, and life. One Piece still has a permanent place in my heart.