The document provides an overview of the author's journey understanding stoves and working to improve stove design. It discusses how the author was motivated to help after seeing the inefficient and harmful traditional stoves used in many rural Indian homes. The author realized there was no single good stove design and that designs needed to be adapted to local needs and conditions. The author studied diverse stove designs from around the world to begin understanding stoves and inform their own research and design efforts. The document also discusses how elements like fire, smoke, charcoal and ash can be seen as sanctifying in biomass stoves, even if smoke is also considered harmful.