On inequality

During pandemic one of the significant factors for rising inequity as elaborated by Thomas Piketty was in display for keen observers. As people suffered untold misery, hundreds and thousands of lives were being lost millions of livelihoods became untenable, the richest were getting richer. There is obviously flaw in the system (apart from ofcourse other major flaws that is pushing us to catastrophe) that seems to be favoring money over wellbeing. Even in India (rampant institutional inequity, rent seeking society) there was 35% increase in net worth of billionaires during pandemic while the economic growth was in negative! Piketty -French economist, has been explaining inequality for many years now and is indeed quite popular among wide range of audience across the world. Inequality is sharply rising and Piketty warns that it will become unsustainable when return of investment on capital is higher than rate of economic growth. Meaning a section is well placed while majority are in misery, and more the misery better for this richest section. And this not because of any divine providence or blessing just that the system is flawed or skewed to the richest. Piketty’s insights were proved correct during pandemic. This is akin to solar eclipse moment (worked by Arthur Eddington) for Einstein in 1919. Pandemic has been an eye opener in more than many ways, and with climate crisis looming it will be foolhardy to carry on with flawed systems. How IPCC meet at Glasgow -arguably the most significant meet ever for human race as also for the sake of other species, is going to point these out will be keenly observed.     

 

Update curriculum

 Climate change must be by now an important curriculum for study in schools and colleges. Its urgent that each subject taught at specialized level must have climate change as a framework for action. For instance, if you are teaching/studying civil engineering or architecture then there should be a core topic: Civil engineering and Climate Change or dealing Climate Change through Civil engineering. Similarly, for Commerce students: bringing Commerce to Climate Change, as absurd it may sound but every avenue must be explored to reduce the impact. The History of Climate Change and anthropogenic impact. Climate Management. The Science (Chemistry -acidification/bleaching/warming, Biology-biodiversity/species extinct/data, vulnerabilities so on) of climate change and how to deal with the crisis. The point being raised is that Climate Change crisis should be applied to every field of study. More than that there needs to be comprehensive approach that brings all the subjects together and removes these artificial barriers of studies to realities.

Shockingly school and college curriculums are not being updated, atleast the field of higher studies must be attuned and updated at the earliest. I have mentioned a decade back that when I cycled through coastal areas students were found to be lacking in basic knowledge of climate crisis. The other day I was interacting with students from premium technical educational institutes in the country about climate preparedness of their core competent areas and found them lacking. Their field of studies is not being updated for this existential crisis. It’s shocking the lackadaisical attitude of policy makers and educationists. They seemed to be immune to fast changing world wherein India with its vast population is distinctly vulnerable. There is a need for urgent attention in these areas of capacity building and expertise, and making younger generations equipped to the changing realities. Meanwhile this blogger in the last few months has added few YouTube channels in context to sustainable development through biomimicry with an attention on climate change as emerging threat. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rx9XaRsU5o   

Watch this masterpiece

...and see colors come alive

Morning walk at the beach

Every moment a wave thrash the beach and breaks into millions of bubbles, and as the wave retreat it creates interesting patterns before vanishing, and repeats. You can spent hours looking at these mesmerizing random pattern

When success becomes a failure

Kerala’s success in early controlling of spread of pandemic, in a cruel irony, is becoming a failure. Atleast that is what I am gathering from the experts in this field. The non-exposure to virus has left most population vulnerable. The fourth national sero survey by ICMR points to seroprevalence of Kerala at 44% while states like MP is 79%. While Kerala was able to not only control the pandemic but also death rates with efficient detection and isolation, despite having substantial aging population and high density, initially while the pandemic wave overwhelmed the weak health infrastructured regions around the country. People across the country died in hoards while the state literally collapsed. This strangely had the advantage of people being exposed to virus without really getting symptoms (not sure how it works). With seroprevalence of 44% and vaccination cover of 21% the infection is set to rise. Already the small state is contributing to more than 75% infection in the country, and we are told we have entered the third wave wherein children are expected to be vulnerable. Adding to the fact of politicians pandering to herd festivals that act as super spreaders – events like Eid and Onam. Death rate is still quite low at 0.5% compared to national average of 1.34% but there are allegations of covering up deaths into comorbidities in an attempt to salvage the image of the state – that has taken lots of beating in recent time. This blogger is not an admirer of much celebrated Kerala model – that surely peaked in 70s and 80s and is now a sham in the putrefying pit. Limited by the limitations of cannibalistic systems and competing herds. Literacy is incapable to become education. Health indicators produce opportunities but is limited by sick minds and regressive values. Grassroot involvements tends to work in the short run but gets entangled in devious political dealings and especially fragile egos primed in feudal values. Choices are taken in by consumerism and competition. Gender achievements are only statistics, rarely has any society experienced (maybe red necked Christian part of USA where women enthusiastically participate against abortion or monster mullahs barren land that spread with choices of under the tent modesty) that even women are enthusiastically entrenched in patriarchy. Herd women celebrating

degrading temple rituals spread through sanctum moral vacuum is extension of these regressive mindset thus diminishing humanity and any possibility of progress. These are defining attributes of primitive exploitative religions, despite opportunities of literacy and possibilities.  Meanwhile caste cannibals points to exploitative history of women with multiple partners trying to hold property as matriarchy – mediocre Indian sociologists worked the narration. There is rarely any appreciation of nature nor does education system create curiosity to verdant surrounding as the litters migrate to distant places as enthusiastic status quoist to multiply money or at the most incrementalists with greed as motivating factor -can do anything for money winner attitude, with compelling nostalgia for pit which becomes popular art.