How Can We Matter

A spaceship landed on earth and the commander sent out his little green men to investigate the creatures that humans referred to as 'doctors'. A few days later the aliens reported back to the spaceship. 'So, what do you think?' asked the commander. 'From our study of the activities of the specimens called "doctors", they declared, 'this is our conclusion. Most Doctors are men who put medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of whom they know nothing.' Criticism of Medical Practice This quote, often attributed to the French philosopher Voltaire, criticizes the medical practice of doctors prescribing medications with limited understanding, to treat illnesses about which they have even less knowledge, in patients whose individual complexities they may not fully grasp; essentially highlighting a potential gap between medical knowledge and its application in real patients.  Though the quote reflects ...

Given the historical context of civil code implementations in the region, why has India still not adopted a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) ? Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru passed a Hindu Civil Code in 1950s, Pakistan Military Chief Ayub Khan passed a Muslim Civil Code in 1961, and Justice Muhammad Carim Chagla proposed a Muslim Civil Code in 1964:  Hindu Civil Code of 1950s:  Traditional Hindu laws that prevailed in India prior to the Independence movement often discriminated against women in matters of property, marriage, and inheritance.  The diversity of Hindu customs across different regions of the country created a need for a unified legal framework. Realizing the demand for uniformity, B.R. Ambedkar , architect of the Indian Constitution, drafted the Hindu Code Bills championing women's rights.  Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru supported the reforms and played a crucial role in their passage during the 1950s, immediately after Independence.  Muslim Civil Code o...

We are all busy with the " struggle for existence " that refers to the competition for resources needed to survive, which can occur in human society or in nature. This survival process is best elaborated through a story. The Cow and the Tiger Once upon a time, a cow went to graze in the jungle. Suddenly, she saw a tiger racing towards her. Terrified, she fled, fearing the tiger would catch her at any moment. Desperately searching for a way to escape, she spotted a shallow pond. Just barely evading the tiger’s reach, she jumped into the pond, and in the heat of the chase, the tiger blindly followed her and fell into the pond. To their dismay, the pond where they landed was filled with deep mud. After tumbling over each other, the cow and the tiger found themselves stuck in the deep mud up to their necks, unable to free themselves despite their struggles. The tiger snarled at the cow, roaring, “I will enjoy crunching your bones between my teeth!” Do you have a master? Furiously...

In what follows, I am making an attempt to analyze the political landscapes of two large democracies, situated on diametrically opposite sides of the globe, to understand how polarization of the government manifests in different contexts and disadvantageously affects their respective populace.  Polarized World I'll analyze the two large democracies without naming either of them or their leaders. Yet, the readers can easily understand which countries and which leaders I am referring to.  The Rhetoric "He is a Hitler, he is a Fascist, he is a threat to Democracy". These epithets are employed to deride two world leaders by their political opponents. "One country, one constitution, one destiny". What is ironical is that these rhetorics are used by the opposition parties against leaders who are democratically elected by the majority populace of the respective countries - one already ruling his country for a third time, and one about to rule his country for a second t...

The term Kanyadaan  signifying a Hindu wedding ceremony, translates to "giving away one's daughter". It is also known as Mahadaan , meaning "the biggest donation".  Nita Ambani, Image Credit: The Web During the Kanyadaan ceremony, the bride's father takes her hand and offers it to the groom, symbolically giving her away. The father then places her hand over the groom's, signifying his embrace of her as a bride. He also asks the groom to promise to treat his daughter as an equal partner.  Radhika Merchant and Anant Kanyadaan Please listen to  Nita Ambani's explanation of the broader significance of the Kanyadaan ritual in the context of her son Anant's wedding with Radhika Merchant. Speaking just before the Kanyadaan ceremony, she says it is a union where two families come together, one gaining a daughter and the other a son.  She also reminds the audience that Hinduism is Nitya Nutan (ever new or fresh) - that is, capable of constant self-re...

Donald Trump's instantaneous duck to the floor for cover behind the podium saved him from certain death.  Image Credit: The Web It was Trump's solitary and instinctive act that saved him and not any assistance from the US Security Service staff. The SS team, which uses long-range binoculars and sniper rifles, could not spot the shooter standing with a rifle astonishingly close (120 meters) to the stage where the former president was speaking. Sad Day for America Saturday, 13 July 2024 is a sad day for America and the whole world. The shooter came within millimeters of assassinating a presidential candidate. It is a despicable assassination attempt on the former President Donald Trump.   There is a news video clipping that indicated eyewitnesses had raised the alarm about a ‘suspicious’ man with a rifle on a roof. Witnesses have seen the gunman with a rifle, 20 minutes before the shooting, moving from roof to roof during the rally for a perfect place to shoot. A witness wa...

Never in the history have the American citizens and the world shown such distress in watching the Presidential election proceedings and anxiety in the eventual outcome. Imagine, once elected, the individual is expected to address a range of formidable issues affecting both his country and the world such as healthcare, the economy, immigration, abortion policy, climate change, foreign policy, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Image credit NPR The world is closely observing another major democratic election following the turbulent exercises in half of the global population - India, Iran, Mexico, the UK, and France. In the USA, American citizens face a Hobson's choice in electing a President between two men who are well past the standard retirement age. (A Hobson's choice is a term often used to describe an illusion that multiple choices are available!). I wouldn't envy my American friends who have landed up in a situation essentially having to choose between two unappealing al...

Who knew I'd be sharing this unexpected health hurdle with a Bollywood celebrity? Looks like even Bollywood stars face similar challenges sometimes. Here's to hoping we both get through this soon! Photo Credit: Instagram What is the rare sensorineural deafness that singer Alka Yagnik has been diagnosed with? Alka Yagnik is a prominent Indian playback singer of 90s era Bollywood. She has received several accolades, including two National Film Awards , two Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards and a record seven Filmfare Awards for Best Female Playback Singer from a record of thirty-six nominations. My Encounter About 4.5 months back I too had encountered a similar sudden hearing loss. My experience along with the line of treatment is recounted here:  Hearing Only What You Want to Hear! After completing the steroid treatment of two weeks, I got an MRI scan of my brain on 21-02-2024 with contrast dye used. On the whole the scanning took about an hour. The contrast dye w...

Ishaara Restaurant Yesterday, we went to a unique restaurant by name Ishaara in Phoenix Marketcity, Bangalore. In order to understand what is exclusive about the restaurant you need to know the meaning of its name. Ishaara, a name steeped in Hindi heritage, means "signaling", "signs", and "symbols". Ishaara can also mean "hint", "clue", or "gesture" in Sanskrit. The Ishaara Menu From the outside, Ishaara appeared to be a fine-dining restaurant with elegant and alluring decor. When we sat down, we were presented with menu sheets of 11" x 17" size. At first glance it was a typical à la carte menu with separate prices for each item; an extensive list comprising dishes from across several regions of India. Ishaara Menu Initially I was concentrating on the different categories of food, several items under each category, their descriptions, and prices - in order to get a general idea about the value and quality of the off...

We have all seen countless sunrises and moonrises in our life and their beauty continues to enthrall us. These celestial spectacles have captivated poets for ages, their verses overflowing with the allure of the unknown and the whispers of the divine. One such acclaimed poet was Mewlana Jalaluddin Rumi, popularly known as just Rumi. He was a poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic, born on September 30, 1207. Almost 1200 years ago, Rumi observed moonrise and composed the fascinating poem, "At the Twilight", that transcends the physical realm, offering a glimpse of a mystical union. Pardon me for rephrasing Rumi's poem by interchanging the words 'moon' for 'earth', and vice versa, in the following lines:  "At the twilight, an earth appeared in the sky; Then it landed on moon to look at me. Like a hawk stealing a bird at the time of prey; That earth stole me and rushed back into the sky. I looked at myself, I did not see me anymore...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has many uses and potential misuses. This post presents some examples of how AI can be used, misused, and abused and its potential consequences. Seeing the World Through Our Lens It all started when my imagination was triggered by a cloud formation of an image in the azure sky that looked like a giant face peeking out from behind a building. Immediately I captured that image with my mobile phone camera on 31 May 2024 at 18:21hrs. It goes without saying that what we observe in the sky depends on the way the image is visualized, conceived, and interpreted by us. This in turn is shaped by our background and life experiences.  That is, our ability to see, hear, and become aware of the image, through the limits of human senses, creates different perceptions on different people. AI: A Creative Tool Inspired by what I visualized in the photo, I used an AI tool (Google Gemini) to generate ideas for a poem. Of course, the poem is not a verbatim reproduction of w...

Image Courtesy: Web A spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, India said that it took special note of the New York judge's decision on Monday to set an April 15 trial date for Donald Trump's criminal hush-money case . It observed with concern that the judge's decision will up the odds the former president will face at least one verdict that could complicate his bid to retake the White House on November 5.   The MEA spokesman emphasized: "In the case of Donald Trump, India wants to encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes which should not be objected by anyone." -------------------------------------------------------------------- This is what I wish is the Latest News, Breaking News, Top News Headlines ... today from India and around the world.  This is the pleasant dream I woke up from this morning!  Our dreams are about the yearnings that are held deep inside us. Blatant Interference During the last fortnight or so  I was reading about ...

In a landmark unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court on 15 Feb 2024 struck down as “ unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary ” the electoral bonds scheme, which provides blanket anonymity to political donors. The top court said the scheme violates the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression as well as the right to information . This judgment was delivered just ahead of the April-May 2024 Lok Sabha polls.  Electoral Bonds Scheme The election funding system called the Electoral Bonds Scheme , was introduced by the Government in 2017 to finance political parties. It allowed individuals and companies to make unlimited and anonymous donations to political parties through certificates bought from the State Bank of India (SBI). Any Indian citizen or organization registered in India can buy these bonds after meeting the KYC norms laid down by the Reserve Bank of India.  Each provision in the 2018 Electoral Bonds Scheme is designed: to ensure legitimacy in political f...