When I was born, she was there with me. When she died, I wasn't. When I spoke the first time, she was there with me. When she spoke the last time, I wasn't. When I found the strength to walk, she was there with me. When she lost her strength to walk, I …
[Poetry] A window of thoughts
A prisoner looks through the narrow window of his prison cell and retrospects his past actions and life. This poem is a shadow of his thoughts. Opened my eyes to a window of thoughts; But failed to look up at the sun above. It is bright and shining; enlightened. I envy it, jealous a …
[Poetry] “Empty streets on a dark night”
Empty streets on a dark night, As the city goes to sleep tight Unknown, untold, unsought for; Yet there I was, awake and walking. It was meant to be liberating, To be alive, unchained and free; But I was a woman. Empty streets on a dark night, I didn't know if the …
[Public Policy] Understanding the Finnish basic income experiment
The concept of Universal Basic Income (UBI) as an alternative to the various social welfare schemes has been a part of academic discussion and deliberation for quite a long time. However its feasibility analysis by the Economic Survey 2016-17 and recent endorsement of a minimum income guarantee for every poor person in India by Rahul …
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Mathematics education in India
The whole idea of Science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking and mathematics lies at its roots. It would be hard to find a better tool to demonstrate and understand the working of the scientific intellect other than mathematics. India with its strong mathematical tradition , maybe expected to produce excellence in …
Society,State and Hindutva politics
Society is an association of individual beings which fulfill the needs of human life; while state fulfills human's need of political organization. State has often been termed as 'society politically organized'. Italian philosopher Machiavelli, to whom the contemporary concept of state owes its origin has called state as " the power which has authority over …
[Interview] Trash to toys: redefining science education
"Work while you play and play while you work". Arvind Gupta is an Indian toy inventor, science expert and science communicator. He gained popularity in the 90s for his show in Doordarshan's kid's programme "Tarang" , which went on to define childhood for most of us. He developed low-cost science teaching aids and scientific toys …
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Darkside of Social Media
#STANDPOINT 2 The draft Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Amendment Rules, 2018 to curb “unlawful content” on social media is a coherent step in sync with the Supreme court judgment in the Justice K. S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) and Anr. vs Union Of India And Ors case on right to privacy. Rule 3 of the draft highlights the importance …
DANGER OF PSEUDOSCIENCE
#STANDPOINT 1 In a speech at the 106th Indian Science Congress, Andhra University Vice Chancellor G. Nageshwar Rao said that the Kauravas of the Mahabharata were test tube babies,born due to stem cell technologies and that India possessed missile technology thousands of years ago. Such a statement is both historically as well as scientifically …
Demographic changes and illegal migration in Assam
Assam and parts of the Northeast India shut down on January 8, 2019 over the issue of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act of 1955, to grant citizenship to non Muslims including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who came to India on or before December 31, …
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