Ideas We Believe

There are obvious downsides to democracy. When we look at the distribution of opinion on a particular issue, it generally follows a normal distribution. This implies that to achieve the majority, it's theoretically advised to stick to the centre. And this love for mediocrity makes democracy allergic to politically solid decisions.  Along with it, democracies tend to be the rooster for sweet talkers. And that is an outcome rather than a voluntary trait. Primarily because most voters need to be equipped to deal with the complexities of the field. For example, it could be more practical for an electrical engineer to comprehend medical patterns and the pandemic's effect on production. Thus, democratic institutions need people managers who have two keywords to watch out for - sweet talking and status quo. However, democracies have been hugely popular. And people have reported being happier. Whether this is induced, indoctrinated or influenced is another question. But history has cho

The preamble of Indian Constitution does a good job of describing how people of India welcomed this land in the mid 20th century. Except it's a mouthful for s-worded adjectives, something every writer despises. But in its defence, it was only sometimes the case. As the early snaps would agree, there were days when the only adjective was 'sovereign'. The other, secular and socialist, were added using several amendments culminating in 1975. And needless to say, these terms have guided the political compass throughout the later part of the century.  Now that we are as old to the amendments as they were to the constitution, a question on its impact remains. The Idea of secularity, which commands a independence of the state and the religion, seems a streched affair in India. We are a country where even the minority hold pious beliefs close to their heart. So, in India the, unbiasedness is maintained by an equal involvement of the state in all religions. And, thus has there been

While speaking about the ideal path for the saffron party, Dr S. Swamy casually mentioned the unspoken truth. The 2019 elections could be won just on the lines of communal conservatism, striking an image of glorified India and the role of Hindus in it. But, putting his political acumen into context, he added that 2024 candidates, however, will have to account for the promised economy, governance and development. And so did the cards unfold; the BJP manifesto, which fueled the long-standing demands of and unified Hindu Rastra, seemed to land the party in a landslide majority. But, as incumbency keeps knocking on the door, leaders must find new successes to celebrate. And here we come to another famous slogan "Jai jawan, Jai Kisan". Military mavericks and agriculture agendas have the potential to persuade public opinion in favour of the party when put rightly. Therefore reforms must be more appealing than revolutionising. That brings into the picture primarily non-liberalised a

  “Death is a certainty for all of us, both you and me.” Does this offend you??? how about this “you b***** mo***, I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU DEAD.” This does hurt. So, Is right to offend an indispensable part of the freedom of expression and speech ? I would gladly say NO. Let’s start with the major stakeholders, the offender and the offended. It’s not natural for us to step out of our comfort zone and hurt someone else. Then why do we do so? The answer is psychological … Its the repressed emotions of anger, jealousy and pride that seek expression inform of hate-speech, misinformation and condescending remarks . Thus every example of offence is a sign of spreading emotional malice in the society. If you have ever been on the side of the offended,(given the rates of cyber-bullying, you are under threat), our body initiates a defence mechanism every time we are offended. That could be resistance or denial. Resistance is when we reciprocate offence with another offence and needless to say

One way to put a banner on the course of human civilization is to call it an escape from uncertainty ( most of which would have led us to death). Why do we live in societies? To save ourselves from the uncertainty of getting attacked... Why do we build houses? To mitigate the uncertainty of getting our food washed away in the rain... Why do we rear children? So that we don't fast ourselves to death in old age. So in all these cases, the sheer uncertainty in the future has made us make expensive investments in the present. And those who didn't give in to these fears took a risk.  The pay-off of that risk is, however, independent of the past. In some cases, the risk turned out to be a golden gamble. Just like a flood washing away houses of people...the ones who hadn't built their houses were a little less sad. Risk can give an unexpected reward, but the higher the risk, the greater the return.  But at times, the risk is otherwise. Instead of choice for the individual, it beco

Ideas and beliefs are abstract terms. In fact, the triumph of humans in the race of the intellectual has been attributed to our understanding of the abstract. No other animal in this world builds a society because it understands society as a concept. They merely do so to enhance their food and livelihood security. But for humans, some reasons arise out of understanding the abstract. If our knowledge is to be stripped down to bones, we might find that we are slaves to our abstraction. We revere value in paper notes, honour in metal medals and fear in stone statues. Ideas are what have made this imaginative creature the ruler of the planet. Our success as a species rests on the coherence and usefulness of the ideas we bear. So, the concepts passed upon to us or occur to us in episodes of creative hallucination can change the face of this earth. So, it is the most remarkable creation of humans and, thus, the origin of property. This blog aims to capture some of such thoughts. Believe, or

Diminishing Sexual Dimorphism and the Non-parental Nature of Human Future The tribe of Hominini dates back to the time when humans were beginning to diverge from apes in the path of evolution. Disocereved in the lands of Hadar (present-day Ethiopia) is a 40 per cent paleontological remains from a young female, affectionately called Lucy .  Unlike other hominids, her relatives were bipeds (walked on two feet). Thus it is the first time the other two of her limbs could have functioned as hands. Although a fully adult (with grown wisdom teeth) she was in no comparison to her male counterparts, who were taller and broad at shoulders. This legacy of lucy is important, as it brings up important discussions to the evolution table. Sexual dimorphism is a noticeable trait in the natural world, the mating call of and the glamourous plumage of the peacock are all elaborate rituals for the male to attract the female. But in humans, we are living in an age where dimorphism is eroding away. The pres

As tough times await us, it's frivolous to talk about theatres. But doesn't it look like theatres would go out of fashion before the pandemic ends( But would it ?? ) With the footfall on OTT platforms rising daily. Looking at a screen stuck to the chair, with no ability to pause or even play subtitles, sounds so technologically inferior. The blockbuster release has increasingly been  generously funded , mega-multi-starrer films, which keep running sequels until they go unprofitable . In fact, content is sometimes the second priority; the fan base and the festive season come first. Over the years, movie houses have mastered this art. Roping in top actors into characters that have gone synonymous with their name. The OTT platforms, however, are earmarked for the content. Their promise to give a shot to the aspiring director who doesn't have funds to compete against the mult-million movie releases. Thus i n its cast and crew shines the raw, untamed art which any critic would b

Since the news of Sushant Singh Rajput surfaced, the media houses have begun a trial. As with all media, trials are concerned; there are more conspiracies than concrete evidence. Although untold, Rhea Chakraborty is currently guilty until proven guilty.  Is the media legally correct about such conduct? Since India does not have a jury system, the sub-judice provision doesn't apply. So everyone is free to voice an opinion. But is it moral? India boasts of an inquisitorial jurisdiction, where a bench of justice seeks out the truth of the events. Which makes it only more pragmatic to wait for the inquiry outcome.  Sushant's growth in the industry was symbolic of an ordinary man's dream in Bollywood. Thus his death in itself is a setback to the millions he inspired. Naturally, a nepotism flavour would be added to this curry, in a country whose political decisions are based on shehzaada Vs chaiwala. Coming to politics, given the sour breakup of the Shiv Sena and BJP, it is an ex

There are two possible reasons for stopping by this post; you happened to be among those hard-working study-serious college-goer who lament not being perceived as fun by his/her peers. Or you have a soft spot for these people, striving to pay off the debt from when he single-handedly completed your group project. There could be a hundred other reasons, so let's jump into the matter. Let's construct a scenario with simplified assumptions. Suppose there are 5 students in your project team. Each of you has decided whether you want to work or not. If you decide to work, you must put in an effort of value "e". The project will be possible if at least 3 of the students participate. A successful project rewards everyone in the team "r", which is greater in value than "e". So what do you think will happen. Let's assume that each of you is rational (which secretly implies you will maximise your personal gain whenever possible). Will all five contribute

Superhero movies have been the talk of Hollywood town over the last decade. The resurgence of Marvel Movies is testimony to what extent the millennials have popularised the superhero concept. The franchise, struggling to keep up with its bread-winners like Spiderman and Hulk, has become a cult. Big theatre release, a massive ensemble of characters and whooping budgets that promise to win back the investment. It would be untrue to claim that superheroes have disappeared from the movie scene, but the extent to which they have captured the Hollywood market makes it a compelling case. So why not look deep into the invincible suits... There is a theory to makes a hero. The first part is the discovery, where you introduce your star as an average person struggling with mundane jobs, mostly away from attention. The journey unfolds his realisation of power and subsequent claim to fame. For a lot of the superhero movies, directors had kept their these lives distinct. In many films, the heroes ha

I found myself in a rare situation this April. Had things stuck to their schedule, I would have completed my graduation curriculum and would have been ticking off any college goer's dream check-list, which did include a few travel and adventure. But, the situation as of 2020 has a different story to tell. With no end to this quarantine insight, the check-list became an impossibility.  So I took the Coursera COVID offer for colleges and started my odyssey to various areas of studies, my mechanical engineering syllabi had prevented me from. So without much ado, here are the "Gems" on the courses platform, each one must give a shot at.  Model Thinking This course gives an unusual approach to what we have accepted as complex socio-political phenomena. With simple logical and mathematical principle, Prof. Scott E. Page recreates results which have puzzled global leaders. He argues that this approach to reality is a must for all in this 21st century, and I could not agree mo

What if a large part of your life was determined when it started. I am not talking of something random as fate. This is a socially enforced stigma that comes with your gender. Doesn't your blood boil at such a designed mal-conduct? You can not wake up one fine morning and say it's over. Let's all be equal over the land these sunrays reach, and so shall it be. We must dig deep into the circumstances that have brought us here and decide how to proceed. History : Like all arguments stretched, let's find some history with our ancestors. Although many hunters made the probability of a fulfilling dinner higher, at one point in time, our ancestors decided to specialise. One part of the head was to be a "hunter" and the other "gatherer". This is where biology played an important role. Mainly because one of the sexes was far too necessary for continuing the human race, later months of pregnancy and natal care forced half of the population to have a sedentary

The worst thing that can happen to you in an exam hall is the sudden realisation that you have forgotten to get your watch. And it is more than dreadful because you must force your already occupied little brain with another vital decision. You should get up from the seat and fetch that watch from your dorm. As you run through the daunting logistics of the process, you slowly give in to the laziness borrowed from the intense session of fast study and the sleepless previous night. That may be your biggest mistake. Even though you easily convince yourself that there are always other instruments that will keep a check on the time you have in hand, nothing indeed does so. You can only ask the invigilator once, owing to the public nuisance you could become. Although if you are "the extroverted" who does not care much about the issue, you realise that there is only a certain number of times you can ask someone time. If the odds are in your favour, the sweet person sitting beside you

The service sector has embraced its long waiting armour, "work from home". As tech-powered solutions to avoid social gatherings continue to rise, I was concerned about the long-lasting ripples it might leave behind in the modern work culture. In fact, there could be other changes that this phenomena of working from home might trigger. The push for using technology to create a virtual presence rather than a physical one was booming over the past few years thanks to better communication architecture. The coronavirus pandemic, only served to coerce it. But there is hardly any way of getting back from this. Infact, its better in two aspects one that if something could be done more comfortably from home there is apparently no point in forcing a culture. In fact, large corporates like google were actively working to make employees feel home at their offices. Now they have to feel official at their homes. Which can be done by simply having a soundproof conferencing room (or may

Crisis and Conflicts are moments of truth for any society. Not only because it deconstructs the secondary paraphrasings like the economy, but because also puts to test the social machinery. Modern emergencies have explored a new non-natural side to calamities, like nuclear meltdown and bio-hazards amongst others. For a common man, the question often strips down to survival, and decisions become too personal. However, for the larger social institutions, namely the government, the question is more pressing and answers quite unclear. A crisis is the points where wealth proves to be blubber of protection. The rich are inevitably the fortunate. They have access to services and getaways, a poor can never fathom of. Adding to the misery is that as the focus shits to the exigency, the common welfare services too take a hit. However, for the rich, most of the affairs are generally from their pocket. Because the untrained human response to panic is mostly the same, the rich tend to even go ou

The unusual thing about peace is that its true worth is realised only in times of war. As the horrors of the wars begin to fade away from the memoirs, people begin to actively devalue the efforts for peace. this is the true challenge to peace to convince people that war is the worst option. A look at the list of non-fiction booker prize for the last two decades shows a shift from topics of history to that of health and ecology. this brings up an important question. the generation which was apart of the greatest wars ( the military world wars and the strategic cold war) have begun to recede away from the limelight. the modern writers chose to adorn the more sophisticated needs of survivals. A shift from human emotions of anger, revenge and hatred to that of care, concern and altruism. The results of wars, namely democracy and globalism, have begun to wear away as the great wars move deeper in history textbooks. "democracy survives on the virtues of the defeated". As long

The one series that must be crowned the best-seller of best-sellers is the "Harry Potter series". What Rowling brought to the world nearly two decades ago, should probably be crowned the pop culture of the 00's and everyone who grew in this era knows the impact this masterpiece has had in the lives of little boys to young girls. The three major characters which build up over the storyline are necessarily Harry (Potter), Severus(Snape) and Albus(Dumbledore). Harry, does symbolise the classic hero, born in difficult circumstances, blessed with a legacy that made him the special one. In fact, the whole book idolises Harry, his values find plenty of words and his exploits come up as the title of the book. It is without a doubt that Harry was the hero build for new teens who were on the maiden voyage to the literature and novel reading. And in this Rowling did prove her skills, with the language, approach and unfolding of the story.  Severus, however, is a hidden part

Arvind Kejriwal does not perhaps have a charming prince image outside this Delhi crownship. He does not need to have one. Since he does an excellent job in defending his throne. A similar line would be scripted for Modi's win in 2019. The elections after the first term are essential in determining the due course of politics.As people are faced with the difficult choice of reordering the same dish. A timeless test for the caterer. The dismal performance of BJP, in Delhi's election, demands an introspective analysis. I believe a strong point here is the local leadership problem. On the one hand, a diminutive regional power has helped the Modi-Shah duo, to orchestrate one of India's most populist government. A fight against the age-old INC, so convincingly won that Congress stands on the verge of extinction. Although some credits are due to INC's own incompetent leadership, Anna'soutcry for corruption and 60-year-old perception. On the other hand, winning state ele

Yes, I am proudly a Hindu and also a Nationalist. But its a risk today, the risk being targeted as an Islamophobic and an intolerant. And to a large extent, the fear is genuine, just misdirected. Well, I may have sounded judgemental in the past few lines, so, I would love to present my case. Hinduism is, arguably, one of the most complicated religions, because of the lack of a single discourse, multiple narratives and the argumentative nature of the texts. This, however, has made things simple for the people of the subcontinent, allowing for customisations to rituals and traditions. An excellent example of this is the cultural influence on the religious practises, or even better the inclusion of Jains and Buddhists to the mass umbrella of Hindu dwellers. However, the story has an ugly face over the last decades, namely the partition of India. This has exposed so many fault lines over the years and needless to mention the crooked politics that exploits these frontiers. The appease

To ward off political correctness as an unnecessity would be a blunder in the part of a rational being. Power at hand must be used to protect the one who is the utmost need of it, be that any form of identity. However, here is a thing about power, people don't give it up that easy. I usually dive into feminism when I speak of this issue. The need for equal opportunities for women was morally a very strong argument, and by no means could have been defeated. Only that power was never given to females to put forth their demand. it was only when people saw it as a political obligation and of course some rebellion, the change began to happen. What was expected next was that the movement would spread itself empowering women all over, but sadly that was not achieved. The struggle for equality remained the same, and the additional attention, power and control was hijacked by certain pockets of the movement (the feminazi) thereby derailing the process. This has been true to most cases wh

How do you access a dictionary these days? The Internet, right. Well, let's talk about the English language today. Mostly the era of emerging words, when urban dictionary, gets more clicks than the oxford one. I remember of days when my dad, would always look with disbelief at the pocket dictionary, constantly cross-examining the words with his dusty reference book of the '80s. Not all languages have seen such a shift in their word usage, rather many are losing out in the battle, leaving certain words only to the dictionary, but English has. In fact, there is some historical connotation to this new sport. The world war had crowned the U.S as the new power centre of the globe, giving it a scope to spread its culture over the nations. But, the U.S. had killed its indigenous culture long back like Australia. It had become the assemblage of the Europeans who wanted to move out of the nation-states. With the lack of an indigenous language, the U.S. went with an unusual choice,

Yeah, money. Wealth is a reflection of specialisation in society. As the roles get complex, its often required for a common and standardised means of exchange; that correctly values the services given, and rewards to be received in return. For a long time in the history of humans, the unit of wealth was something valuable, collected farm produce, or special pottery or maybe even rare metals. Even our mythos, often speak of the horses and cows being used as a unit of wealth. All of these related to something that was physical, useful and limited. But the potential of wealth goes beyond the basics of security and exchange, relating to the abstract concept of power and dominance. Over time this soft control that comes along with wealth has gained more and more importance. And with power comes, the insatiable lust to remain powerful. Governments and kingdoms attempting to accumulate the methods of wealth generation, keeping it, out of reach for the public. And social hierarchies came in

To be fair, its a hard time for mass media these days; especially for broadcasted media. The print media, as of now, caters to a class of people, who have the patience and intent to scroll through, roughly ten pages of small letters (thanks to the need for advertisement and page 3 models). But thankfully its market is not dead yet. There are people who value opinions and literature of these old pioneers of information. The cable/satellite TV does not so. It faces a herculean task of getting the smartphone-addicted adolescents and office weary adults to the tv screen, and hold them together with a story both fascinating and useful. And this is where the fall begins, in the battle for fascinating and useful; useful is generally the suitable bride, but the difficult one to chase. And when the facebook and google clicks are reducing the viewers of the TV media with every new click, Fascinating is the easy optionṣ. The script for the death of TV news was written the day fancy stories ab

A powerful line from the character, Ra's al Ghul, in the Batman Begins; " With Gotham, we tried weapon of a new kind - Economics". The prowess of the tool called economics is perhaps unknown to most, even the best the field. Sometimes the Nobel memorial prize has been given to two directly conflicting theories, just to remind you how well we can measure the success of economics as a science.  So today, I would love to describe how is this tool being employed in modern warfare. Of the most significant consequence of globalisation, is the emergence of multi-national agglomerates and institutions. Since the barriers to trade and money flow (both technological and ideological) are being lifted off by the day, businesses have expanded beyond frontiers and developed a new sense of world identity. Although nationalism, is at its peak, there is a clear sense of transfer of control to businesses all over the world, as they have a say over one of the powerful resources of the

The entertainment industry in India is waiting for yet another disruptive innovation, with millions of young users equipped with gigabytes of data every day, there is a new untapped customer base. Not particularly untapped since it makes do with pirated movies and free web series. But, there is an apparent lack of entertainment streamed towards them. Also, the shift from television sets to mobile devices, sets the stage clear for a change in content. the spikes in porn consumption and adult web series do speak of this unattended guest. The popularity of two platforms, mostly youtube and TikTok, have also helped in developing a new class of actors. To name a few Sumeet Vyas, Jitendra, Bhuvan Bam and much more. It has become apparent that the arduous task of going from one to another production house seeking a side role in a daily soap or movie, is on a decline. Not that, people won't get their debut at soaps and movies, but it seems easier to get a web series and keep working tha

Plunged into the darkness, the golden valley of India has no routes of communication with the rest of the world. J&K is experiencing the worst curfew of all times, as we celebrate the independence day. With leaders promising of the changes that the move will usher in, and opposition dazzled by the sudden turn of events, the common media has no means to breach the incommunicado.  I feel I can bet with some certainty about how the world looks at the Kashmir issue. Much similar to how we see the Rohingya issue of Myanmar, or Palestine in Israel (I know I have just pulled in ears of FBI). But yes, Kashmir is the Achilles heel for India's global image. And probably the biggest burden of the Indian army. However, a mother cannot just cut-off a child just because, it is in trouble. Primarily because of two reasons; one that we have a responsibility to help people of the valley and second that if such fate draws upon another state of our country, we would do the same, help them recov