Rhyme & Reason

SILOS OF COMPROMISE

High scores in limited subjects, opportunities in limited domains, awareness restricted to social media without application of the sense of verification, reading confined to trends, ideas tied to narrow identities, learning shackled to popular opinion, are all the signs of humanity leading life in silos of compromise. Though the world around appears to be buzzing with activity, serious lack of well-calibrated purpose is only adding to the noise in which saner voices and those engaged in meaningful ..

HISTORY, CALLED TRADITION

ON R H Y M E & By KARTIK LOKHANDE TRUE CHAMPION T HE United Nations recognising the noted ecologist Dr Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil with the coveted ‘Champions of the Earth’ award is a matter of pride for all the Indians. Already, many Indians are aware of the seminal work this field naturalist has done. But, a vast majority lost in the information explosion is still untouched by the significance of the work done by this eminent scientist. Probably, that significance will be recognised by generations ..

The Gender Crisis

There is a difference between freedom and licentiousness. While freedom comes with responsibilities, licentiousness treats all kinds of responsibilities as a burden -- or even coercion. Those trying to create an atmosphere wherein a boy or a girl feels ‘unsure’ about own gender, and wherein a male or a female is made to feel insecure about identifying as a male or a female as per the natural biological arrangement, are practising licentiousness. Preaching of ‘genderfluidity’ and ‘genderflux’ is aimed ..

Content Obesity

* India is spending 78% of its time on mobile phone apps on media and entertainment. * India’s Media & Entertainment industry is expected to grow to Rs 3.08 trillion by 2026 at 10-12% CAGR, led by OTT, Gaming, Animation, and VFX. * Indians spent 13 Bn+ hours on online sports, among the most time spent in the world. THESE are just a few pointers from the official Government data relating to investments in India, with specific reference to media and entertainment industry. For any country, growth of ..

Grammar Of Anarchy@75

It is sad that the people of India, that is, Bharat, need to be reminded of holding fast to the Constitutional methods of achieving their social and economic objectives. Many Indians, including those claiming to be the ardent followers of ‘Bharat Ratna’ Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s thoughts, have forgotten what he had said 75 years ago. He had cautioned against the use of unconstitutional methods, hero worship in politics, and had called castes as anti-national. The most unfortunate part of today’s discourse ..

Don’t ‘Caste’ Your Vote!

Associating the dividing line of ‘caste’ with the unifying process of Parliamentary democracy tantamounts to subverting the spirit of unity and fraternity enshrined in the Constitution of India. Politicians have been using ‘caste’ as a tool to extract emotional ransom from gullible voters. Sadly, a segment of voters has been blindly falling prey to this divisive emotional tactic of certain parties...

The Great Surrender-4

THESE days, there is stark polarisation of political viewpoints, with no room for grey areas. Everything is either black or white, with no other shade in picture. “If you are not with us, you are against us,” is the sentiment ruling the minds of the so-called ‘loyal’ workers of various political parties. But, what many are glorifying as ‘loyalty’ is actually ‘surrender’ -- a political surrender. The political surrender has far greater evil ramifications that have seeds of disrupting social harmony ..

THE GREAT SURRENDER-3

The lure of fast bucks is the basic driving force behind the economic surrender. In the process, a lot of values get demolished, systems get subverted, rules get tweaked, risks are presented in attractive packaging, loans are glorified, and savings are disincentivised. Risky trading, hefty profits, little caution make a recipe for disaster. In contrast, Indian wisdom advocated a blend of savings and thoughtful spending so that everyone including the State exchequer had enough in store for rainy days...

The Great Surrender-2

A COLLECTION of good individual practices forms societal norms that aim at larger collective interest. However, a growing collection of undesirable individual practices forms a trend that eventually takes the shape of social surrender. Just as cultural surrender has far-reaching consequences, the social surrender has ugly potential to lead the society towards anarchist behaviour that threatens the interests of everyone in the country. Social and technological surrender poses the risk of destabilising ..

The Great Surrender-1

NOT all surrenders are made in the battlefield. Some surrenders are made to make peace with the trends, and such surrenders have the potential to seriously compromise the social, cultural, political, and economic interests of a society. Gradually, such surrenders pave the way to destruction of rich fabric of a nation. Among all these surrenders, cultural surrender is the most damaging one. For, it has far-reaching consequences. Unfortunately, a big chunk of the Indian population has been making these ..

THE UNHOLY ‘AUCTION’

THE news of ‘auction’ of the position of Sarpanch in various villages in Gurdaspur, Sri Muktsar Sahib, and Bathinda districts in Punjab have triggered a row in the country about the legal and ethical outcomes of such a step taken by villagers there. But, there is more to the story. Legitimate and illegitimate ‘auctions’ are becoming a norm in the country, which has a rich tradition of democratic, social, and cultural values. One may ask if ‘auctions’ are really becoming a norm in India? Though the ..

STORM STOOPERS

By KARTIK LOKHANDE :Since the invasion of social media on the public sense and sensibilities, it has become easier for controversy-mongers to give political overtones to each and every debate. The social-media-verse is always hungry for new controve..

CASE FOR INDIAN RATINGS

OFTEN, one comes across various indices and ratings that project India in poor light. Suddenly, some indices change the tone and place India among the fastest growing economies. Soon, such a good rating in the sphere of economy is followed by a poor rating of India in terms of freedom, democracy, social equality etc. The keen readers of such ratings realise that the countries placed above India in some of the ratings have failed miserably, but India has been shining like a bright star. But, new ratings ..

OROPOLITICS

T HE world often talks about the Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield in the world. Some even question the need for India to deploy her troops in the most challenging terrain. Some even suggest a ‘solution’ that the Siachen Glacier should be converted into a ‘Peace Park’. However, not many realise that the need for occupying the mad heights was forced upon India. Had India not acted in time, Pakistan would have secured a perch by way of scoring a brownie point in what is today known as ‘Oropolitics’. ..

GREY ZONE STRATEGY

By KARTIK LOKHANDE : People firmly rooted in commitment to the cause of India will never fall prey to attempts of the adversaries to create social, political, ideological, cultural, educational, economic, and belief dysphoria. They will never ..