According to Heraclitus, “the only constant in life is ‘change’.” Our world has been changing constantly. So have been our lives. Recently the pace of such changes has been faster, and the resultant chaos left many of us trapped and bewildered. The political economies of most countries in the world have changed as oligarchies have taken firm roots in such[Read More…]
When India closed its alcohol outlets during the recent pandemic-driven lockdown, many western countries such as Canada did not take a similar step on liquor sales. Alcohol was easily available in these countries just like any other grocery item in the market. Why did India’s state governments decide to stop the sale of liquor while it continued selling all other[Read More…]
I am tempted to write this after seeing a report in a vernacular newspaper today. It was about someone named V Bright Saigal who died recently in a rented room in Delhi as a lonely man with no significant social contacts. It was his landlord who brought him dead to Delhi’s Safdar Jung Hospital. Saigal originally belonged to Kakkanadu in[Read More…]
Someone I know very well has just completed his engineering course and joined an IT company. He was selected by the company after a rigorous online selection test. Many of his friends have also taken the selection test in other renowned companies. I have seen him taking online selection tests on behalf of his friends and all of his friends[Read More…]
People migrate from one place to the other for different reasons though migrants generally seek better economic opportunities. People also migrate to join their kith and kin in other places, to escape conflicts or persecution, or to respond to adverse impacts on their current living environment. Some people migrate just for a change or for the fun of getting a[Read More…]
Eating food is not just a mechanical activity to fill our stomach. It has emotions, values, and beliefs shaped by our tradition, religion, and family associated with it. While we travel, we are often tempted by restaurants that claim to be serving ‘homely’ food. In Delhi, there is a restaurant named ‘Mother’s Kitchen’ which attracts a good crowd on weekends.[Read More…]
Freebies vs. Welfare Freebies are goods and services given free without any charge to the users. It is alleged that some state governments in India have confusion between ‘freebies and welfare. There is only a thin line between the two. Those who are against ‘freebies’ are generally against ‘welfare’ provisions too. The ‘freebies’ question has finally reached the Supreme Court[Read More…]
Kerala has given birth to many women achievers in the last century. This is a quick analysis based on case studies of three women achievers, from the areas of science, politics, and law. Though these three achievers are selected purposively and there could be some possibility of a selection bias, this analysis offers some key insights. ANNA MANI (23 August[Read More…]
Unpacking Social Disruption Social disruption is a radical change, and it will result in a breakdown of social life. Often it happens suddenly. An example of a change that is not social disruption is the transition of ‘family’ from ‘joint family system’ to ‘nuclear family system’. Since it is a gradual change, people get sufficient time to adapt and continue their lives[Read More…]
An MoU signed between a US company and the Government of Kerala has become a major pre-election controversy in Kerala. The plan under this MoU included deep-sea fishing through hundreds of deep-sea fishing trawlers and several mother vessels in the sea around the Kerala coast. This project is not only against the existing fisheries policy but also has a tremendous[Read More…]
Truth as Interpretation There can be different versions of truth from what has been already accepted as truth. In 1951, renowned Japanese moviemaker Akira Kurosawa made one of the greatest movies in history, titled Rashomon. No other movie must have better investigated the philosophy of truth and justice than this movie. Rashomon establishes that it is possible for us to[Read More…]
The largest residential house (40,000 SFT) in India’s Kerala state is in Wayanad district. It is owned by a businessman named Arackal Joy. Hailing from a farmer’s family, he made his fortunes through sheer hard work and of course with some luck. He has refineries in Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah in the UAE and supplied lubricants to ships and[Read More…]
It seems Kerala state in India has successfully controlled the spread of COVID 19 virus in its geographical limits. Global community is now wondering whether this success model can be replicated in other parts of the planet. This article examines whether there is any such possibility through a socio-epidemiological lens. Kerala Model – Version 1 Historical moorings of Kerala model[Read More…]
Last night, I got a call from my cousin sister. She is a Nurse in a big hospital in NY. She was calling me after a long time. In fact, I started getting many such phone calls from several other friends and relatives after the current pandemic driven global lockdown. Glad that people are finding more time to interact as[Read More…]
In 1896 a ‘plague’ pandemic arrived in the Indian city of Mumbai from Hongkong. Within a few days, strict quarantines have been imposed against Indian vessels at Suez and at many ports of Europe. Subsequently, strict quarantine measures were introduced in the city which included evacuation and burning of huts inhabited by the poor. There was an all-round clearance and[Read More…]
The response to the Corona virus epidemic in India seems to be taking the same trajectory of HIV/AIDS control in which fear, stigmatisation of victims and confusion was the rule in the initial years. One message I just got in whatsaap says someone found a vaccine for Corona infection. Some other message talks about discovery of some combination drugs[Read More…]
On 10th July 2019, India woke up to see the tragic image of a 70-year old man named Kasi falling at the feet of some Tamil Nadu district government officials, begging them to rescue him from a work site where he was kept as a ‘slave’. This image soon became viral in the social media and disturbed the conscience of[Read More…]
What happened in Unnao? Latest reports from the Unnao town in the Uttar Pradesh state of India narrate a shocking story of gang rape of a minor girl and the subsequent horrific murder of her father who tried to get justice to his daughter through India’s public justice system. Though the case is under investigation and only the investigating agencies[Read More…]
Ensuring Citizen Safety through Law Enforcement and thereby ending Everyday Violence is a Prerequisite to End Poverty in India Violence in society at macro level is manifested in multiple forms such as genocide, wars, ethnic cleansing, attacks prompted by religious bigotry, and heinous acts of terrorism.Some thinkers include state led violence against civil resistance also in this category. Such[Read More…]
Trafficking[1] of humans for the purpose of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation is an organized crime. Currently, India does not have a comprehensive and strong anti-human-trafficking law. As a result, the Indian police sometimes depends onImmoral Traffic Prevention Act, sometimes Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and some other times a few existing labor lawsto deal with the[Read More…]
Recent reports of criminal activities committed by some clergies of the Kerala Church have shaken many of its faithful followers. These reports have become favourite themes of the social media,not only among the Malayalam speaking community in Kerala but also among people from other states too[1]. It is a grave situation and has precipitated a crisis within the Catholic[Read More…]
Kerala becomes 60 years old on 1st November. Over the past 60 years, this Indian state has witnessed phenomenal changes in politics, economy and ecology. Such changes may be true for other Indian states too. Individuals, groups, and communities everywhere in Indiaare indeed changing. But the trajectory of change for the women in Keralais different – both as ‘change makers’[Read More…]
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Our beloved K.P.Sasi is no more. Filmmaker, cartoonist, writer, mentor, friend and above all tireless activist championing the cause of every underdog, Sasi breathed his last, mid-afternoon this Christmas day – after battling a medical condition for months. I remember the last time I met him, almost exactly a month before he passed away, at the ayurvedic healing center in[Read More…]
