Inconsistencies and Contradictions

  Kiran Limaye, Himank Kavathekar -----------             On 8 November 2020, it will be four years to an announcement of policy of withdrawal and reissuance of high denomination currency notes, or what we popularly call ‘demonetization’. One of the stated objectives of the policy was encouraging the use of non-cash payment modes. It is generally considered that non-cash payment modes, debit and credit cards, mobile based payment mechanisms like UPI and prepaid payment instruments like mobile wallets are better than cash, for individual as well as for a society. These non-cash alternatives have less risk of theft and both ends of transactions are traced unlike cash which can be used without trace. But these non-cash modes require higher consumer involvement (for example, knowing pins and maintaining their secrecy and ability to operate smartphone beyond routine call receipt and dial) which are not acquired by section of popul...

 Contempt is a notion defined with pre-existence of sense of self. If I do not possess ego, a sense of self, then I will not get offended by any contempt thrown at me. Yet, contempt plays a role in society in terms of a signal. We learn by experiences, but we chose through signals. I decide to buy based on reviews, which are signals. I decide to choose a path of education based on signals. Contempt can change the nature of signals about a person, an organization and an institution and change in signals can bring change in response of clients. This is the logic of reaction of supreme court, that if nature of perception of Supreme court changes due to contemptuous statements about supreme court then it will lead to  harm of the nation as Indians will use the institution of Supreme court in sub-optimal manner. It is a kind of utilitarian or consequential logic. The objection of Prashant Bhushan (PB) remark is not out of the nature of remarks per say, but due to the consequences....

 Freedom of expression (henceforth, FoE in this blog post) is our favorite shrine to pay the lip service. This time, it is the incidence of Bloomsbury publication withdrawing a book on Delhi riots. It is book written by Hindutva activists, to put forward their explanation of riots that took place in Delhi in February 2020. Publication company has decided to withdraw or 'pulp' the book after an event prior to official launch of book attracted criticism from anti-right camp. Pulping of the book has been met with accusation of selective application of FoE from dry and sundry of the Hindutva camp.  As much I understand, lamenting of the Hindutva camp over selecting application of FoE is completely misplaced. Private agents can act which involves curtailing the expression of other agents. It is part of the freedom guaranteed to them as long as it falls under legal framework guarding two parties. For example, employers have right to fire their employees as per their discretion and s...

I listen to podcasts almost daily. I discovered them in my compulsion to feel ‘utilizing’ about the time. I feel that when I exercise, prepare food, wash utensils, go for a run (in pre Covid-19 life!), I also have to make use of that time, since my ability to pay attention is free during these activities. I first used to listen to audios of lectures, but I understood that too much is lost in consuming only audio of a product which is meant to be video. Then I discovered podcasts.             In lockdown, podcasts are regular feature of life. I end up listening to 1 or 2 podcasts in the day, listening of around 2 hours. I use ‘ Podcast Addict ’ app which allows me to follow updates of all the podcasts I intend to follow, updates me about new episodes and has download facility as well.             In this blogpost, I am planning to talk about one of the podcasts specifically a...

I thank Milind Watve for a thought-provoking blogpost ‘ Covid 19: We need neither vaccine nor herd immunity ’ (dated 27 th May 2020). The key argument of blogpost is death rate of Covid19 is declining and in future it will be like seasonal flu.             The argument has been presented with the help of certain graph which I am reproducing here. The graph represents Case Fatality Rate, ratio of deaths due to diseases to infection due to diseases  https://milindwatve.home.blog/2020/05/27/covid-19-we-need-neither-vaccine-nor-herd-immunity/?fbclid=IwAR1D0wMndXAMT5p41H5yyfklETgEEpnzzB72kOWNn1UykOx5nk8oaelD-ZY It is based on this graph that blogger concludes that there is a downward trend in CFR. He further states, that after certain number of days (35 as per his prediction, though he has expressed caveats about it), ‘Covid 19 will remain only as dangerous as any seasonal flu’ ( emphasis mine ). I would like to note that blogger...

फैज अहमद फैजची ‘हम देखेंगे’ ही कविता हिंदूविरोधी आहे का अशा आशयाचा वाद सुरू आहे. ही कविता शोषितांचा आवाज आहे , जुलुमी राजवट संपून समतेचे राज्य येईल असा आशय व्यक्त करणारी कविता आहे असा जनरल समज आहे. मी ही कविता पहिल्यांदा कोक स्टुडीओमध्ये ऐकली होती. कवितेची सर्वात अपिलिंग बाब आहे तो म्हणजे त्यातला विश्वास, ‘हम देखेंगे ’ . पण अगदी पहिल्या वेळेला ऐकतानाही त्यातल्या इस्लामिक संदर्भांनी मला प्रश्न पाडले होते. म्हणजे वर्गसंघर्षाचे , विषमता आणि समता ह्यांच्या संघर्षाचे चित्रण करणाऱ्या कवितेत धार्मिक संदर्भ का असावेत? आणि हे धार्मिक संदर्भ कविबद्दल , त्याच्या हेतूबद्दल काय सांगतात ? कवितेत धार्मिक संदर्भ आहेत ही निर्विवाद गोष्ट आहे. पण कवितेत धार्मिक संदर्भ धार्मिक हेतूंसाठीच आहेत का हे निर्विवाद नाही. कवितेतले धार्मिक संदर्भ हे रूपकात्मक आहेत असं मला वाटतं. म्हणजे इस्लामच्या नावाखाली स्वार्थ साधणारे दांभिक व्यक्तिकेंद्री राज्यकर्ते जातील आणि इस्लामला अभिप्रेत खरी समता येईल अशा पद्धतीने हे रूपक असावं. कविता इस्लामचा उदोउदो करणारी नसून इस्लामला रूपकात्मक वापरणारी आहे असं वाटण्य...