Beware the Heat Wave

 India is a climate vulnerable hotspot. All studies points to Indian subcontinent to be the worst affected by heat wave region in the world. A heat wave in 2003 killed 70, 000 people in Europe. Imagine the scene with millions of extremely marginalized vulnerable impoverished populations with low health infrastructure access. It's a frightening scenario that has potential to be real. In the last few years intensity and frequency of heat has increased substantially, even temperate regions were experiencing heat domes. European Satellite Agency recorded 55*C land surface temperature in some regions of NW India, places even crossing 60*C. Last year regions in India faced heat waves in March itself which was unprecedented. And this year we are going to see impact of El Nino which will increase the temperature further with less rainfall predicted. So, take a moment to reflect on the enormity of what we are facing. 

Cities with congested vulnerable population will face serious crisis. While indolent greedy policy makers and semi-literate insolent richer section keep constructing glass heat trapped buildings with higher air conditioning load (that is replicated from regions with entirely different ecosystem) the heat island effect is going to make the matter worse. If they are living under the illusion that we can air-condition our way through climate crisis then they are woefully mistaken. Heat wave not only takes away lives but also livelihood and productivity. Environmental impact on economy will have a cascading effect. Hot region like India has tradition of heat resistant buildings and thermal comfort constructions which is being sidelined in the greed for spurious understanding of development that is meant to feed meaninglessness of GDP. Including heat resistance (mitigative action like cool roof) as building code is urgently needed in cities. Cities have 6*C more temperature than surrounding region while congested areas have 6*C more than the city while indoor heat in low ventilated homes can be 8*C more. Imagine the scene how the highly vulnerable millions of people are existing in big cities. Take the example of Delhi the heat wave days in the city was 3 in 2021 which increased to 17 in 2022.  The Ministry for the Future (by Stanly Robinson) is a futuristic fiction book that opens with description of heat waves that kills 20 million people in India. People are running around for cool space (‘moving into sunlight was like pushing into bonfire’) while others cry for help and die of exhaustion. There are power cuts while generators spew toxic air, even limited water is warm, while dirty lake, where hoards went to cool their body, is ‘warmer than blood’. I can easily relate to these scenes. First two years of my stay in Delhi was worse before I decided to take action and earn substantially (mostly con acting with clear advantage of English in pathetic place with mostly despicable people -always abusing and cursing), ofcourse careful not to fall into meaningless wage slavery of 9-5 routine. Congested places with small rooms with no trees or open space but noisy polluting traffic snarls were heat traps. Water was limited and that too was warm from the sun, the building heated up and floor of the roof burned if you try to sleep on terrace. Food gets spoiled easily and one has to be wary of restaurants, sticking to bananas or so, while substantial investment went for bottled water. There was no electricity for most part of the day hence they switched to smoke spewing generators. Search to cooler spaces was beginning of spending times in library. Even in my mid-20s my reading habits were embarrassingly confined to comics and ofcourse encyclopedia (since people rarely opened these huge books it also smelled different) and within two-three years gobbled up best of international literary works. I finished all the books of Dostoevsky, Chekov, Kafka and Naipaul in one summer itself…to cut the story short heat waves are going to severely impact already vulnerable population. 

Not that government is not doing anything. NDMA has come out with Heat Action Plans (HAP), and more than 100 cities/districts have HAP. But as is the case these are just guidelines while actionable HAP are limited. Hindutva must come out of Castetva value system of complacency and blessedness -a constant carefully laid pitfall that they will eventually fall into. Squatting and espousing higher morals with minimal actions or even intent is a tradition that is being inculcated into institution. Power is defined as how many people are under your control or influence which is exhibited by giving misery (“paaklam” was once commonly used word of Tamil in bureaucratic circles of Delhi, euphemism for delay it or not be bothered, while in Kerala the common Hindi word they use to connect to migrant hindi worker is “jaldi karo bhai”). Reaching late for an appointment, meeting or gathering, is daily act of showcasing power which is then emulated by herd seeking power. Delaying decision, not sharing information so on, is an extension of showcasing power and lessons on fate. This blessedness will not work when situation is dire. Hindutva must get its act together and propose new work culture and value system (unfortunately they too are trapped in udan katola and gau mutra defeatist values of exceptionalism and spurious self-importance lacking intellectual vigor or gravitas).

Another issue is lack of dynamic data. Data is important for evidence-based actions. Heat waves are complex and micro vary with local ecosystem, even the definition changes with plains, hills and coastal. Heat index is dependent on dynamic factors like humidity, diurnal variation, wind movement, persistence so on. IOT and latest sensor-based data becomes crucial. It helps in early warning systems, as also creating effective prediction models with AI. All government data must be made accessible to anyone. This includes SAFAR (System of AirQuality and weather Forecasting And Research) data. Why are these being kept secret? There is no space for these kinds of mindsets. Tackling challenges like Heat Waves needs collaborative effort. It has multidimensional cascading impact including food security. Millions of people’s life and livelihoods are at stake. 

Amor fati 

Winged seeds of mahogany

Spirals in delight of miracle

Free to pulse the beat of earth

Dance to the joyest silence

The moment it breaks from the tree

And floats to the ground

In these two realities

The past

The future

It brims in probable and improbable

Possibilities and impossibilities

Yet in retrospect trace the trail

As was meant to be

A particle in double slit of eternal occurrences and recurrences

A fractal in infinite loop within and without 

A burden only a Sisyphus could fathom

Not a low hanging fruit

 

There is nothing wrong with anyone making any documentary against or in favor for any event or anyone. Truth is always made subjective by powerful entities, and in this case of high stakes of power, money and connections, manipulated to the need. Despite lots of shortcomings India is not a banana republic where anything goes. Indian courts have investigated, Indian media has eviscerated it in whatever ways they wanted, and crucially the investigation agencies were under the arch adversary -hell bend on politically decimating opponent. Nothing came out of it. The highest court of the land found no case. As a common person these references are enough for me to evaluate. Meanwhile note that some high functionaries were prosecuted for communal violence that broke out after ordinary people -in this case hindu pilgrims, were burned alive in train. Days that followed saw mobs killing people -mostly muslims, while police forces were overwhelmed. This blogger was keenly observing the scene, and even wrote a short story. Even then -almost two decades back, I was quite clear on not mentioning any religion, and not even seeing this as a human act but madness of fringe -that was encapsulated in the act of a mad man not in control of his faculties (short story collection is available at Amazon). It’s impossible for normal human to kill another human, it needs madness, and religion is fertile ground for madness that segregates and dehumanizes. Hence although religions instigate the madness to kill, the killers are all same. So, in effect systems that dehumanize creates the same type of dangerous people across the divide of religions. Religion creates herd, market creates similar herd, they can easily switch sides. They lack basic human qualities of critical thinking or self-reflection or awareness. They can easily be manipulated.

So, although anyone can make a documentary the fact here is that it was not made by Tumbaktu Broadcasting Corporation it was made by BBC -British Broadcasting Corporation. British carry colonial legacy that was carefully nurtured and indulged by castetva forces into narration of benevolence and competence deviously sidetracking history of plunder and brutalities of racist colonizers. It’s a symbiotic relation that eventually resulted in transfer of power -sold as independence. Foundation of Indian democracy was built on british legacy and caste cannibal's fantasy. It was meant to control common people. Castetva forces therefore set out to control narration into its brute ways to showcase proprietorship over common people. Since they were here to impress the West, they had no use of nationalism while patriotism was negotiable for bigger stakes carefully packed as higher moral ground that common people were deemed incapable to understand. So even though it created untold misery to common people they always took highest moral grounds of absurdities harming national interest – which essentially meant delegating ensuing misery to common people, while counting brownie points associating with West -who saw these as wonderful attributes of benign civilization -of mahatmas and pundits, nothing could be further from the truth. British exploitative elite therefore had embryonic influence and control over India through castetva forces -who saw same level of blessedness with racist feudals hence copied their mannerism as liberal. They also defined merit and competence, a frame not different from squatter value system, meant to keep common people afar but given leeway as achievable talent. This meaningless pursuit of rituals created a mediocre society seeking blessedness through any means and cringeworthy characteristics of sycophancy towards higher forces. Herd was trained to please to alter fate.   

To cut the long story short English gained definite credibility over common people. So, an English speaker is more credible than someone speaking their own language. Imagine the level of degradation. English is talent as it was not achievable by many (replacing Sanskrit, language as power to segregate and rule) -they even hinged merit to grammar and competence to pronunciation (even this was dealt through short story by this blogger!). British was cultivated by effete Indian elite as signifier of high standards. It seeped down to common people, through institutions and carefully orchestrated mass media and entertainment. It is this influence that is the concern here. It is this influence that is being used by castetva forces -and their hang around salivating for lost power. Entrenched castetva forces are plotting to push out hindutva even while harming the nation state. However hard they may try herd has moved out of them. Though I have little respect for herd but common people are not stupid. They can easily see through the games. By its very nature castetva had to evolve into hindutva and merge.  

BBC lacks credibility, and in the recent times there are serious allegation of corruption and nepotism at the highest level in this organization. BBC has lost precious credibility that came with years of sustained efforts, atleast that is what we were made to believe. They have history of manipulation hence cannot be standard of probity. Indeed, british systems are thriving on feudal values, nepotism and wanton greed while supplicating to status quo. Britain is not even a democracy in its humanistic definition of representation nor in collective values of care or concern. They are debating clubs run by feudal manipulators miming as leaders. It’s a society were words have lost meaning while sentences weave fantasies of high bearing to win the argument and celebrate at the nearest bar. British accent must be the new standard for incompetence and hypocrisy. Britishery is the real thuggery.       

Indian government is wrong to ban the BBC documentary. It’s a violation of freedom. Meanwhile concerned people and society at large must see that these do not seep through colonial mindset (nurtured by castetva forces to gain credibility). The very fact that discredited war mongers responsible for invasion of Iraq, massacring and maiming of hundreds and thousands of ordinary people, and the irresponsible incompetent facilitators of lie (i.e. british media) are posing as authority over former colony while undermining its democratic institutions and judicial system is a serious attempt to infringe and showcase superior bearing that common people in erstwhile colony are expected to be impressed. It’s an appalling show of strength. It's also an attempt at redeeming themselves in the eyes of mullahs (in the game of high stakes common people…in this case muslims, are expendable. So, you kill hundreds and thousands and then attempt to redeem by pleasing local mullah -as is the case with any religion head these are farthest from common people). Its an attempt to pander the club of influence so as to control narration. India is seen as low hanging fruit by these posers encouraged by castetva forces -in utmost blessed assurance as representor (the proprietary assuredness is astounding -a product of centuries of inbreeding and fantasy of exceptionalism).

Democratic values must be upheld but in the meantime those who take India to be a low hanging fruit must be dealt stringently. Despite serious upheavals in Indian subcontinent and in most part of the world India remains relative oasis of sanity (ofcourse there are problems). Vested interests shouldn’t be allowed to play mischief. It will be a challenge to deal with these powerful interests within the ambit of democracy and freedom of expression.            

    

Burn the Book

 Paper auto ignites at 451*F, atleast that is the reason Roy Bradbury titled his cult book. Books, which in effect means thoughts, are sought to be attacked, censored and silenced by authoritarian state. It’s a potent means to control ideas and differing views into streamlined narration by powerful interests. Controlling thoughts was what Nazis attempted which were then manipulated to create narrations of horror. It was a weapon used by invading forces during the medieval times -to burn books/libraries is to erase ideas, collective insights and memories of culture. That is what they did in Nalanda, it is said that books burned for weeks and months. Civilizational influence of Buddhism on the subcontinent was sought to be erased. You still see charred walls. Only brutes would do a such thing.  There is no doubt that censoring thoughts and banning books are serious threat to freedom and is an assault on humanity. It should concern every one of us.

That being said banning books or censoring by state is not same as protest by individuals or group. An individual or a group anywhere has the right to burn books or texts or scriptures as they feel the need for it. The reference of holy doesn’t stand the scrutiny. Your holy is my non holy, vice versa. The book is not being banned or censored just that I don’t like it or better still I feel like burning it -ofcourse in confined space so as to not harm anyone or property. It is a choice that defines individual right and freedom. Any attempt to curtail it is an assault on egalitarian space. I should have the right to buy any book, and need be toss into nearest dustbin or burn it if I feel like it (the argument against is air pollution as also burning book is not an aesthetic response nevertheless choice of that response matters). You cannot control my action of burning book because it seems to “hurt your sentiments”. Burning a book doesn’t ban the book nor censor the idea. Not allowing to burn a book does serious damage to humanity. Burning a book is contextual to individual action which is different from burning books. Burning a book is a counter idea, a protest, a revolt, while burning books is vandalism. We are not living in the framework of last century hence the semantics or narration doesn’t hold. Any attempt otherwise is devious control. Further, in today’s interconnected world nobody can ban or censor books or ideas. We should have website containing all the books, ideas, movies, documentaries, articles, that is banned anywhere in the world, with sponsors ready to distribute it free anywhere across the world for common people to access or private libraries to store.

Most importantly these holy books/scriptures/texts that are used by powerful forces to control is trapped in time and carry notions of medieval primitive era -which ofcourse have right to exist, these anachronistic presences have caused immense misery to people. These are actively meant to dehumanize degrade humans into unthinking herds. There are progressive ideas that have resisted these for centuries which cannot be undermined or silenced. There is an attempt by powerful forces in West (white man’s burden) to create and control narration to patronize regressive forces, essentially to redeem themselves. You cannot curtail individual right to pander regressive religions and violent herds. You cannot force sacredness on common people. Every life is sacred. Learn to value life and its diversity. That is more than enough. Burn Bible. Burn Koran. Burn Gita. Burn Holy Book of any religion. Burn the Book. As the mind evolves aesthetics will decide for the individual what is valued and society to treasure. 

*PS: personally i consider even marking with pen (and not pencil) on a book a crime! 

         

Let's celebrate

 

Why would someone ‘celebrate’ with noise, flash of intense light and loads of toxic fumes into the air? What will it take people to be aware and responsible? Why are most people compelled to mark passing of time with air, sound and light pollution, and all the ugly? Aren’t they aware how much dire air pollution is? Or that millions of species are being impacted with light as never before? Aren’t they aware that there are millions of other species too that we share this planet with who are being pushed out of existence? Is it decent way to celebrate? Is it necessary to create such ruckus as mark of celebration?

This lack of deeper connection is extension of utilitarian values and crass ways. It’s a crude way to inflate oneself to feel happy. It’s a collective expression of a deep flaw. There are aesthetics of life and there are effortless ways to attune to it. It’s what we are all made up of, and seeks connection with other life forms into intricate expressions. Everything in this world is deeply connected. This noise, flash light and toxic fumes is killing us. What kind of celebration is this? Isn’t there any quainter way to make one’s presence felt? Ways to celebrate that cares and embraces the surrounding to mark our insignificance in passing of time.    

So here we are in 2023. Let us get ready for another spin around sun with care and concern. Let us celebrate in ever diminishing time we are left with on this remarkable planet.           

Wow what a movie!

 

The world created through Avatar movie is enchanting and precious. The second part is equally compelling. I am in love with this virtual world they so meticulously lovingly created. Though I must add the story was bit jarring -the usual Hollywood cliché so on nevertheless the intent and compassion was well placed, but my god the colorful wonderful world they conceptualized. Some of the scenes are quaintly sublime in its aesthetics. Please watch and feel alive in this captivating quaint world. Well done. As for James Cameron, ‘Terminator’ was one of my earliest English movies (most likely second English movie after James Bond), and just the right movie for my fertile early teen mind. I was blown away.

Footnote: meanwhile primitive Indians with big money are persistent to gate crash into Oscars. Crude despicable movie is being patronized by usual suspects as exotic and yes ‘representing’, the same old strategy to lower standards for mediocre to sneak in. Last I heard the third-rate crass movie is being shortlisted for song! An unintended gay moment. It would do well in LGBTQ festivals, nothing wrong just that it was unintended! And if they intended, they would mess it up. It’s a unique caliber. Please dump this appalling ‘work of art’ at the earliest. It’s an assault on sensibilities, an embarrassment. I as an Indian (unfortunately placed in same geographical entity) apologize for these mediocres and their lack of self-awareness. Or maybe give them a plastic replica of Oscars so that they can create PR narration back home for the herds to feel special brahmand blessing of unique talent that the world is incapable to comprehend. Nauseating.    

Unfolding the protein universe

 

As the year comes to an end the most significant event, if you really want to capsulate into timescale of a year and year end shenanigans, has to be DeepMind releasing structures of 200million proteins -all catalogued protein known to science. To put it into perspective before DeepMind only 17% of protein 3D structures were known that too after long and costly process. The decision to opensource AlphaFold is a momentous occasion. It will be Cambrian explosion of insights and innovations in multiple fields in the coming years and decades. Protein plays an important role in nearly every important activity that happens inside every living organism on earth. So, the possibility through this new awareness of three-dimensional structures of protein folds, hence its functions, is mindboggling and is set to profoundly impact understanding in fields ranging from fighting diseases to origin of life. AlphaFold is as significant as CRISPRcas9 in its broad span of impact.    

Meanwhile after ChatGPT -that has initiated some amusing online reactions, GPT-4 -OpenAI’s powerful language generative model, is to be released very soon. I read that it is going to make astonishing leaps in performance of memory -retain and refer back, and summarizing -distill essentialities in a text. The issue is Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPTs are running out of training data. There are lots of data generated online but very less is within acceptable quality threshold. They are moving towards transcription of spoken content of formal meetings. I find GPT progress exceedingly interesting. These started in 2017 with iterative machine learning transformers through neural network architecture. I find them very real in the way they acquire language. I got my frame on writing, and ofcourse keep updating, by iterative addition through constant reading. Better writers and incisive writings mean better frame to consolidate. Unlike GPT human brain takes years to work, particularly when there was no frame to begin with. Though I began choosing randomly very soon conscious part of the brain kicked in to evaluate and found the writings wanting in quality, nuance and span of idea. Indian writing -with rare exceptions, lacked the verve and vigor, mostly cosmetic and planted with word play. As also English classics like Austen were too boring and out of my reality or any reality I could fathom. Russian and Latin American writings were where things were happening. I was looking for contemporary writings -and that is how I bumped into Nobel prize writers which seems a definitive reference in a chaos filled world of writing. Ofcourse now I have moved out of fiction -it has become a luxury, into nonfiction -there is so much to catch up in the fast changing world. Without awareness of grammar (not that I didn’t try, I really couldn’t understand at all, as also it starts to intrude into writing and thinking hence I let it go) iterative consolidation is the only way out. I identify myself with GPT a lot. Like GPT I sometimes write fascinating stuff but also make silly embarrassing mistakes since I get into my own loop and brain gets tripped. But unlike GPT human mind has limitations but fascinating possibilities. You are not working on words from models of contexts and references alone but also through experiences and thinking. GPT at this stage is emulating third rate Indian writers who use superficial play of words to impress the system to make easy money and influence. Intermittently impressive but mostly mediocre. GPT can easily be better than most Indian writers (who can be safely taken as benchmark of mediocrity!).  

There is also research going on to augment data through visual language or multimodal access afterall much of human speech is complemented by visual cues and representations. When I see something, I am acquiring data that is converting the experience through emotions which are then imprinted into memory. Many a times I find it difficult to convert into words, and even if I do, it doesn’t really carry the whole feeling of experience. It seems to be lacking and futile. Even in best of writers it is very much hinged to partial emotions it excites in readers. Ofcourse consensus is high on great writers (is there primal quantum entangling in human brains that aligns emotions? Crazy thought!), but it is never complete, and many a times it could even be readers limitations. It does create diversity of experience but doesn’t address the limitation of language. So, is the language lacking since it is in a linear time frame whereas experience encompass linearity and has input from past and future -oscillating in time, to add to the richness of memory. AlphaZero has exhibited this ability to look deep into time and backforth for possible outcomes. It has accessed reality that human emotions are able to sense but brain is incapable to articulate. GPT is open ended, subjective frame, while AlphaZero is close ended system, clear objective, but the way AlphaZero experience time in limited frame holds lots of potential.                     

The Blessed Lords are on Holiday!!

 Such a fine tradition. Such fine legacy. Such nice people. You may even mistake India to be paradise of justice, and justice system.  

Epic !

Sports at its best

 

Aesthetics will save us

 

Aesthetics of deeper connection with nature and understanding of overwhelming presence in the miracle of life gives insight. Inquisitiveness is being alive to life force. The more we know more it matters, and more it doesn’t. It adds to richer valuation of unfolding meanings. As the body evolves to the chaos of life, mind valuates the patterns into connections and it grows to find more to share and integrate into tapestry of life. Aesthetics of life is aesthetics of matter. It makes us appreciate beautiful, the subtle and discern the valuable. It is in every sense an expression of our being. It will guide us. It will save us.

It is aesthetics that make us sense values and ideals that helps life to express itself. It finds expressions in freedom, goals in equality and meanings in liberty. It is these that nurture democratic institutions and liberal ways. It is these that equips us to face reality and prepare us for challenges. Science advances in this pursuit. Technology helps us to extend our senses into further connections into matter. It helps us refine our life, as also our aesthetics. Whatever prevents this nurturing of life is a threat to humanity and life itself. We must protest, react, respond and ridicule with all our being to any assault on aesthetics or valued space that nurtures. We must beware of systems that dehumanizes and blunt our sensibilities. Ugliness is presented as an assault. We are asked to tolerate ugliness so as to lull us into routine and sap our energy.  It will eventually bleed us of our humanity into isolated exploited miserable life. We will be controlled into fancies of crass. We must be therefore vigilant to devious psychopaths scheming for power, money, prestige and ego as they entrap humans into herds through semantics of concern and meaningless word jugglery. They get brazen in desperation.

There is sanctity of life. There is sanctity of space we live in. There is a sanctity in every action and inaction of us. Sanctity has aesthetics that is connected and expressed through matter. As a human being we are part of that expression. If we lose our aesthetic sensibilities, we lose ourself.  We lose all that we cherish.                    

3rd book on podcast

 https://depalan.podbean.com/

Book discussed is Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment authored by Daniel Kahneman Cass R. Sunstein, and Olivier Sibony

Some questions need answers

 

We live in a world that is quite brutal but infinitely better than what it was even a century back. Socially and individually we are in a better place. Technology has immensely helped to spread egalitarian ideas. More number of people now enjoy freedom and liberty than anytime in the history of humanity. More number of people can aspire to express their will. More and more number of people are walking into the path of equality and freedom. It was only a few decades back that some were deemed less than equal. Such a situation still exists in many parts of the world where fellow humans even now struggle to be recognized as humans with free will and aspirations. The difference now is that we know subjugating and denying other human being equal right and liberty is wrong. The systems, individuals and circumstances which perpetuates subjugation of fellow human being are criticized and severely dealt in international forums by conscientious voices and on streets by ordinary people. We recognize what is wrong. We share ideas of right. Each human is aware that they are as equal as anyone else despite the circumstances and location. Most societies have codified these ideals into rule of law, and those that haven’t face relentless wrath of people. Education and constant interaction with the world through latest gadgets have awakened people across the world. They demand equality, liberty and freedom that they know is indelible part of being a human. They demand nothing less.

Despite severely dented by social media the mainstream media and powerful people still control most of the narrations and institutions. Though there was a vehemence in granting equal rights and liberty to people, and were safeguarded through democratic institutions, the same seems to be lacking in confronting feudal structures. Structures that nurture some as more equal than others. Structures that value ascriptive status. Exceptionalism of few as more equal than others. These narrations of exceptionalism carry the primitiveness of feudal ways, deceit of religion and meaninglessness of traditions. This exceptionalism is not so subtle hint at supremacism, at racism, of some born as special than others. It carries all that is appalling of human dealing frozen in time. It contradicts all that is cherished, all the ideas and thoughts gained through progressive involvement with society by best of human beings. What makes it sinister is the display of aplomb without any signs of regret or embarrassment.     

The Nobel prize week is underway it also coincides with Human Rights Day that commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1948. ‘Human Rights Day focuses on the fundamental rights and liberties to which all people worldwide are entitled to simply by virtue of their humanity’. Scientists are not expected to have social historical sensibilities. They spent their whole life in narrow frame. Admirable as it is the lack of context can be dangerous as was proved by Nazis so on. Economists work to serve certain purpose within framework of the system. So, the question is for Nobel Peace prize and Literature prize laureates -who are expected to be sensitive to tribulation of humanity and matters of society, how do they evaluate presence of monarchy with human rights? What does these structures of exceptionalism symbolize? When they bow to these is it just to be seen as matter of courtesy or that something much valuable is being compromised? What do us common people have to learn that we don’t yet understand? Is there something lacking in us that we are incapable to understand?

Each of the Nobel Prize laureate present and alive is being asked this question. Ofcourse, you do have the free will to ignore. Ignoring doesn’t make questions vanish.                 

Eliminate Ascriptive Status and Institutions

As soon as UN was created in 20th century it called for abolition of slavery and elimination of all forms of discrimination. Discrimination continues in 21^st century despite best efforts by egalitarian contexts and humanitarian concerns. There are many sources of discriminations and all have been securitized and brought under law-and-order machinery in civilized part of the world. Anachronistic religions constantly haggle for exceptions hence presents persistent threat to humanity as it nurtures primitive contexts and degrading values undermining progress made over centuries. Religion must be therefore urgently scrutinized, ridiculed and negated at every available opportunity by sane people and be aware of devious few manipulating to gain through herd savior status for power as also cleverly usurping humanitarian concerns like liberal values. There is also huge money and influence working to convert humans into herds for the ease of manipulation. 

Something, not entirely dissimilar, presents threat to humanity and all the progressive values accrued through centuries of immense effort and sacrifices by amazing people across the world. The issue is of ascriptive status and institutions that nurtures these. In many ways religion too claim humans through birth and seek to control them. Progressive benign societies, and families, must necessarily protect children from these sinister holds and bring them up as free-thinking human beings. Fate of humanity is hinged on it. Ascriptive status are nurtured through birth-based rights, through monarchy, feudal values, ideas of exceptionalism etc. These create unjust and unfair systems. It asks for exceptionalism for uncouth representations and provides space for ugly supremacism. It undermines democratic institutions and egalitarian values. Why are sane people silent on these matters while democratic values are being degraded and are not allowed to be institutionalized into the minds and attitudes of people? Democracy strengthens with grassroot involvement, it’s a bottom-up growth that assimilates in close contact with its surrounding. It cannot be imposed. It must start from families, and most importantly it must become an attitude and way of living. Education plays an important role. Ascriptive status and institutions that nurtures these works against democratic thinking and values. It prevents egalitarian ways and ideas to seep into society and acts to ensnare human being into primitive contexts and traps them in demeaning degrading traditions of absurdities. Such acts also necessarily carry deviance and primitive ways like racism, patriarchy, colonialism, feudal values, spurious entitlements so on, of the past. It also makes progressive efforts in poorer exploited discriminated societies difficult.                

Institutions no matter how efficient and well-arranged must be reformed or abolished if they are unjust, wrote John Rawl (who also happens to be one of my favorite philosopher. I have written about him five years back https://depalan.blogspot.com/2017/12/why-justice-as-consensual-social.html). Instead of writing it again I will just copy from my earlier blog:                                                                                          Unfairness perpetuated by systems is not taken seriously because of the vested interest who stand to gain from unjust. As Rawls points out “Rags to rich stories are rare and exaggerated” and “these stories were a deceit perpetuated by powerful forces from the necessary task of reforming society, and to take urgent steps to make it equitable”. But as the last few decades have shown inequity has accentuated drastically, and in countries like India these are severe, and with traditional deviant frameworks it is nothing but inhuman. Exploitation of people and nature goes on with same alacrity all across the world.  To understand the situation better Rawl comes out with a thought experiment. Imagine if you were not you. Rawl asks us to be in a ‘conscious intelligent’ state before birth but without any knowledge into the circumstance we are going to be born into. Our future is shrouded in ‘veil of ignorance’. We are hovering high above the planet earth (needs to add he was fascinated by Apollo mission). We do not know what kind of society we will be born into, to what sort of parents? What kind neighbourhood? What kind of schools, police, judiciary..? How is the world going to treat us? So on. And here he asks a significant question that forms the crux of his argument. If we knew nothing about where we would end up what sort of a society would it feel safe to enter? ‘Veil of ignorance’ will focus us to think about the appalling level of risks in entering a society. If the society is poverty ridden, unjust, corrupt, nepotistic, apathy driven will any sane birth lottery player really want to take the gamble of ending up in such a society? Ofcourse not. So, what will they do? They will fervently insist that the rule of the game be changed otherwise it’s too risky! And you very well know what need to be fixed, and urgently so. You will want an equitable society with good schools, excellent hospitals, fair justice system, decent housing so on to everyone, a society that gives you safety and assuredness to explore your potential as a human to the fullest without any fear. Our focus therefore would be what needed to be done to be adequately positioned in worst case scenario. Rawl concludes that we know we finally made our societies fair if we don’t mind being born under any circumstance in any place. The fact that we cannot take such a challenge is a measure of how deeply unfair society is. A society, ultimately, will have to be hinged on liberty and equality. Basic liberties and rights for all. Distributive justice on resources and privileges.   

An international effort is needed to remove these institutions of discriminations controlled by powerful entities and vested interests. UN must seek to Eliminate all forms of Ascriptive Status and Institutions that nurtures these. It’s an urgent call to abolish monarchy, and set standards for democratic institutions to thrive. Birth based claims, and institutions that thrive on these, have no place in civilized society, it shouldn’t be existing in 21^st century.    

The Blue Sky

 

When you look up the blue sky 

Do you see blue or the sky?

Do you see colors or the flower?

Do you see the thoughts or the human?

Or is it just the blue and the sky

Colors and the flower, thoughts and the human?

There are fractals that reach

Breaths that connect

Senses that jiggle

And embrace all that

Lady Hussey Tho Phassey!

 

Not really this is not the title of some third rate bollywood movie (or dubbed tollywood, or pollywood or whatever despicable wood) that is meant to titillate the herd to part with some money while the mediocres scramble in to pose as artists, the gateway to play for the market, it is a stampede into whatever goes in whatever matters except that they are only limited by their own limitations which ofcourse they are not aware of – a severe case of Dunning Kruger effect that is so spectacularly embodied by likes of Rajamoulis emerging from putrefying pit as a redemption for mediocre society and its delusionary claims of highest possible acclaim!  They could therefore be now actors, directors, singers, dancers, influencers, repository of culture, psychologists for all occasions, experts on all matters that herd joyously seek and what not. They exude positivest purest whitest energy while carrying crass as a precious legacy into wherever blessed fate take them in the perilous journey of entitlements. In these churning grandiosities, with them at the very center, they survey the world and also wonder on nature of universe while an inexplicable itch works into pus filled laceration that can only be remedied as moral overseers to the world. The -mahatma- to humanity. Incidentally this is how caste cannibals refer to gandhi in western media these days, creating an aura of purity through - -. They also migrate to West to appropriate and to play victim, as also to represent us with desultory ease among patronizing whites, monarchists and angst gatherers.   

So, when the godmother (seriously, wtf is that?) of british monarchy turns out to be racist to the core there is masturbatory consternation among the audience -the ever charming witnesses to medieval theatre of absurdities. White men and women hanging onto grandiosities of entitlements as kings and princes while being indulged by decent intelligent adult human beings as if they are in some elaborate trance as they perform their part. Come on Mr. Charles stop this nonsense. Abdicate and abolish monarchy and ask them to elect a titular leader as they do it in India, ofcourse with less feudal pomp. Probably because you are surrounded with sycophants and knuckleheads that you don’t realize how embarrassing this whole charade is. Continuation of monarchy is detrimental to progressive egalitarian effort all across the world, it’s a glaring anachronism that acts to undermine democratic institutions. It’s a compromise that degrades as also allows leeway for other degrading systems to enter without scrutiny.

So, when an African origin (or black person) anywhere in West is asked pointedly about “where you come from” it’s an attempt at purposefully ignoring the horrible history of slavery and inhuman exploitations that brought them to West. It’s an attempt to establish proprietorial right as also to put ‘them’ in their place by reminding of their lowly status despite they having encroached into proposedly civilized space, now all these words are as understood from the point of racist West and perpetuated through narrative control. What is also implied in this racist scrutiny is the psychopathic sly. From your skin color we know where you came from. We know that despite your attempt to be like us you were (indeed, are) brainless slaves who were tied and bundled to West for our service. Don’t you ever forget that. You can claim to be british citizen but you will still be from somewhere in jungles of Africa. This is exactly what it is to be effortlessly racist, and it comes quite easy for someone nurtured in theatrics of monarchy. It will be shocking if it doesn’t.

This also brings into question the clever appropriation of black narration by Asians, specifically south Asians in West. These gross attempts to obfuscate black experience -intrinsically connected to the horrendous history that is not even a century old, must be stringently dealt. Most Asians are racist, it is part of most cultures, so primitive they don’t even realize. Even when they realize they don’t acknowledge. In case of caste cannibals, they deal it with inbred dexterity of myths and meaningless collections of words devoid of its original meaning and contexts that some in west are susceptible to and find compelling. Caste cannibals carry it in their name hence the question ‘where you from’ becomes meaningless, as everything is settled in order in the satisfying waft of putrefying pit (and yes if the stench is not as expected then sniffing mami will be activated into the scene!). In desperation to establish pecking order that satisfy primal urge of primitives they ask “where are you from” in uncouth big cities to classify your economic class so as to immediately estimate the worth (so if you are located in congested shitholes you will be dropped halfway through the conversation, as it is name depalan burned a deep hole in their pus filled soul).  Therefore these attempts to bracket black with ‘color’ people must be closely scrutinized. To put it in perspective most south Asian in West (particularly in UK) are byproduct of feudal values, caste cannibalism and yes corruption, greed and nepotism. They weren’t exploited at all, indeed during colonialism most of them were conduit to exploitation even those posturing as freedom fighters. They identified much with racist exploiters and strived to match with them, and were appalled to be equated with Africans. Hierarchical minded primitives sought pecking order from racist colonial masters, indeed that truly was their struggle. If you look at grainy videos of colonial atrocities against Indians it was mostly done by Indians. Britishers wouldn’t have controlled such vast land with large population without active support of Indians. The embryonic ties of racist colonizers with caste cannibals, and how it degraded society, as also how feudal values perpetuated by monarchy indelibly infected the foundation of fledgling democracy and sidelined egalitarian native values across the world is understandably not studied much. History is only used to control narration.

Importantly, monarchy degraded democracy, Christianity infected secularism, and feudal entrenched parliament, of Britain doesn’t really inspire much confidence on its deals with egalitarian intends and progressive paths to challenges of future. It is in this same context that juvenile debating club patronized ideas of religions as race finds traction hence must be resisted. Religion is not race, and can never be. Race cannot be ridiculed. Religion can be, and must be, ridiculed. Black African is a negroid race that faced centuries of brutal atrocities and discrimination that is difficult to even imagine, and cannot be compared or even attempted to be equated with anything else. Western monarchy actively captured Africa and committed heinous crimes (indeed the phrase 'crimes against humanity' originates from Belgium king Leopold II massacre of millions of people in Congo). This is recent history. Therefore these attempts at presenting monarchy as benign benevolent presence is a cruel joke on humanity.        

  

How the international community failed Iranians

Last many weeks the world is witnessing amazing acts of bravery from protesting people of Iran, particularly youngsters, against religion and its oppressive value system -in this case monster mullahs -the Ayatollahs, who have been constant threat to humanity (including hounding writers and artists -not to forget brazen attack on Rushdie after decades of threat to his life). Yesterday’s action against protesting women in Qatar is an extension of value system that stamps down protests. FIFA (capitalizing on popularity of football to amass money hence controlled by Machiavellian greedy psychopaths) has disgraced itself by choosing Qatar as a venue. The way they sided with Qatar to undermine evolved value systems like LGBTQ rights, women’s presence, labor rights (by extension racism, feudal slave mindset) …it’s quite clear that money doesn’t bring enlightened understanding nor compassion towards fellow humans, evidently it only works to fuel crass consumerism and clever showcasing as god’s blessing. As a football enthusiast I demand an apology. 

Ossifying humans into systems and fantastical notions that existed many centuries ago is a constant and persistent threat. That these are incapable, and incapacitated by devious people, to factor in contemporary reality and understanding makes it sinister. Garb of faith is a fig leaf that is unable to cover the monstrous forces that it unleashes to create untold miseries, particularly to common people. Religion based nations, society or organizations and even individuals are trapped in schizophrenic relation with reality. The more they try to consolidate more they loose touch with self. A simple test for Qatar would be whether it will allow Women’s Football world cup (this is a minor matter compared to basic right for some humans to live the way they want to and love the way they want to). That should be a test for each and every men’s team participating in such international events. If they don’t allow the same due to gender then it is discrimination, a gross violation, and such societies/nations have no right to host or be represented at international forum. It’s undermining all the egalitarian values that defines humanity and a threat to progress. Any idea, culture, tradition or value system that discriminates on the basis of race, gender or one’s presence is a grave threat to humanity. What is applicable to me should be applied to all and vice versa.  

West, particularly Britain -that has provided space for worst of religions to thrive and export misery across the world, have expectedly failed to understand existential urges and passion for life. Posing saviors and miming elevated values while ensconced in medieval monarchy theatrics and feudal ways in the luxury of colonial excesses and comforts does blunt sense and doesn’t prepare one to chaos of uncertainties that millions face. Debating club winning points is no substitute for involvement or concern. It makes one good speaker while attracting attention seeking overconfident psychopathic stone age pleasants. Attempts by British posers to take on France on face veil, in effect, deviously patting themselves for depraved ways must be ticked off. Ofcourse everyone has right to wear what they want. The problem starts when what one chooses represents devious system that nurtures patriarchy and feudal ways in the garb of faith (ofcourse this could be said of market driven ways too), understanding the context and enjoying freedom to choose is liberty of each individual. So, when medieval or any attire is preferred over all the options that life provides, one hopes they understand the context and enlighten themselves away from these anachronistic fantasies and use freedom and opportunities available to learn and enlighten oneself to be a better human. Ofcourse that means when society feels appropriate that such attire needn’t be allowed as it violates uniform or rules of organization then to assert choice is not freedom but being an instrument of system that makes you wear it. Choice is for humans not herds. Also, full veil cannot be allowed in any civilized society. It is negating the presence, acutely that too of woman, as also working against basic decency that is expected from anyone in a progressive society. Such attires are blot on humanity and has detrimental effect on society. Britain’s gangrene cannot be celebrated. Indeed, freedom for religions nor their expression is anything to be celebrated but tolerated -while fervently hoping that education will help to enlighten and move out of these oppressive anachronistic systems to find oneself as inquisitive lively humans alive to unfolding realities and miracles, since these necessarily undermine humanity and pose a threat to its progress.  

Understanding the context of protest in Iran why are women in West, who enjoy all the freedom, not coming out in full strength against the horrible atrocities being committed in Iran? (It’s only in Kerala I have seen muslim women protest by burning hijab in support of Iranian women). Why has West failed Iran has more to do with how Islam has been institutionalized under the garb of democracy as powerful devious forces haggle to benefit while simultaneously showcasing as protectors of freedom of beleaguered other. Posing cost nothing and if you pose well it has only benefits, some have made successful career out of these. The reason why fattened fluffs in West who feed caste cannibals, monster mullahs and all the regressive forces they could find to patronize and then classify themselves as benevolent overseers cannot fathom the passion of Iranians or anyone anywhere in the world who understand values of liberty and knows what it means to be free. To be a free human being is the biggest deal. For fattened fluffs it’s a debating point while for most people across the world it is life or death choice. And when you face daily deaths, misery, atrocities, poverty, isolation and uncertainties you very well know what it is to be free, what does freedom mean, precisely the way idealist people proposed and ask us to safeguard. Monarchist Britain and narrative zeal of its raconteurs doesn’t really measure up.   

Podcast: Second Book (part 1/2)

 https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-mq9gu-1318af5

Homo sapiens population crosses 8billion

Planet Earth today crossed the burden of carrying 8billion people. Next year India will overtake China as world’s most populous country. Millions of people exist in appalling conditions with dwindling resources. Some may have seen the pictures of hellholes in major cities across the world, but staying in these hellholes in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata etc. is different matter and calling it home is where desperation begins. The scene gets bleaker by the day. Meanwhile population increase is seen by politicians as voters, religion as followers, while market see only consumers and liberal posers see controversy -they are stuck in extreme narration of 21^st century that sought to eliminate vulnerable sections in the garb of population control. We have well passed all these, ofcourse that doesn’t mean past narration of authoritative control and elimination is being supported but those contexts and dynamics have changed in last century. It is therefore mischievous to use semantics of irrelevant (but learning lessons) contexts of last century to define and control contemporary realities and challenges. It is also an attempt to control narration by devious few to play benign arbitrators at the expense of millions of people, vanishing species and dwindling resources. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, identifies global population growth as one of the two biggest drivers of growing CO₂ emissions, “globally, GDP per capita and population growth remained the strongest drivers of CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel combustion in the last decade”. It also warned that if population continues to grow, “it will be much harder to limit warming to 1.5C”.  Billions of years ago population explosion of Cyanobacteria caused major extinction event that wiped out all the CO2 thriving lifeforms -ofcourse it gave lifegiving O2. Now once again one specie -that is human being, is responsible for unfolding extinction event.

Population AND per capita consumption both are equally problematic. India faces both, on the one side we have irresponsible elite section wantonly consuming -that equals the worst carbon footprint in the world, while on the other we have population bursting at seams. I only see more and more crowd wherever I go. People fight for water, food, air, land, seats and what not. For instance, though India has 16% of world’s population it has only 4% of water resources, and these too are controlled by few, contaminated, and now faces uncertainties of climate crisis. Water incidentally is also connected to primitive values of purity and segregation, while millions have very limited access to even dirty water, hundreds and thousands die due to water borne diseases. While politicians, religions, market forces and devious liberal pretenders can be silent on elephant in the room since it suits their narrative control and existential needs, the least we can do is to weaken this control and present the grim reality since these will impact the most vulnerable, whether humans or other species. This celebration of population as demographic dividend is a market sham fed to politicians, a compromise, a myopic vision of future. The debate of ageing population as dire consequence too is mischievous. As  societies progresses and evolves -strictly not as economic entities or consumers but as human beings, they will find futility in consumption driven value systems and will naturally reduce want and seek to contribute in meaningful way. With technological progress humans will be replaced by robots/automation to perform menial repeatable dehumanizing jobs. There will therefore be more space and time for other species and nature to regenerate and thrive. Evolved aging societies shouldn’t allow population influx from overpopulated regions/families unless it serves limited need as also are highly specialized. There shouldn’t be any incentives for breeders. Many societies are facing this mismatch of primitive value systems intruding and asserting into egalitarian intend. Societies shouldn’t pay for mistakes or arrogance of others. Children are not god’s gift they are planned by consenting partners. More than two progenies per couple/per person is indeed a crime, an insolent middle finger to humanity and other species. It intends to rob others of their space, air, water, food and all the precious. Meanwhile semantics of 21^st century shouldn’t be allowed to define contemporary problems.                

The beating heart

The beating heart 

They came with words 

Then they came with sentences

Then they made fantastical stories of god and miracles

Then they segregate and unleashed hate.

They waited for stories to come alive

Sentences to unravel

Words to wound

And beseech for blood.

They gave them weapons

First stones, then knives, guns and bombs

They wrench out the beating heart

To weigh it against all the miracles.

Book suggestion: Drawdown

 

COP27 meeting starts at Sharm El Sheikh Egypt with low expectations and irresponsible ways. Meanwhile as they discuss and haggle this book is strongly recommended. Drawdown edited by Paul Hawken is something everyone should read and share. We are heading for some serious problems, and the impact is being taken by poor societies -who ironically have very low carbon footprint. Also, species numbers are getting reduced at an alarming rate while many are becoming extinct in an unprecedented scale. We are dying with them.       

COP27

COP27 starts tomorrow. Expectations are quite low. Nevertheless we will have to keep an eye open for these significant meetings. Think of threat to humanity. Think of millions of wonderful species, and how they are vanishing at an alarming rate. Also, FREE ALAA.    

 

The Chief Twit

 

Dangers of both sideism, and binary narration

 

There is no way this can ignored, it has reached a saturation point, and is having grievous consequences. It is fueling worst kind of people and ridiculous ideas to center. Social media, and access it provides to everyone to express into public space, has made the situation much bleak. It is easy for issues to fall into ossified fractures that is maintained and nurtured by manipulative forces and carried as a burden into present without any thought or concern. Diversity of opinion cannot be and shouldn’t be straitjacketed into binary narration for the easy of control of the few. It seeds authoritarianism and has complete disregard of nuances that define life. It is the same devious people who instigate both sideism into absurd valuation of situation for majority of hapless people. They mainstream dangerous nonsense as counter view and present themselves as benign liberal arbitrators. I think we also have had enough of this liberal posturing. The word liberal itself needs to be questioned. Liberal is now equated to lazy patronizing for benefits by well placed. If liberalism has to have any value, then it will have to fall in the ambit of progressive. Progressive has no confusion. It’s easy to understand and doesn’t really fall into semantic jugglery. Responsible people must use their intellect -logical thinking and knowledge, and compassion -maturity and awareness, to understand issues that plagues humanity and is cascading quite rapidly. They must encourage diversity of opinion but when it comes to verifiable truth, researched facts, peer reviewed findings, choices of compassion, they must assert. There isn’t any both sideism. There are no binary narrations that need to be debated and ossified into two sides of political bickering and then deviously into binary political party system. Binary politics is created by devious elite to play ping pong with common people’s tribulations as they neatly partition their turf and effectively divide people into this trap. Market media exaggerations and dehumanizing religions degrade it further. Both sideism is the most dangerous contemporary problem that is causing severe setbacks in dealing with emerging reality.          

Despicables at BBC

 

When the adipose of colonial excesses clog and accumulate it takes human form and assume grander view of the world. They also think themselves as exceptional beings while people wanting in their valuation or expectation are usable or disposable. Clearly, this valuation is not based on empathy, intellect or what defines a human. Nothing explains complete lack of application of mind or empathy for tribulations of common people across the world who are facing the cascading effects of climate change. Market media across the world are seen lacking in their response to the looming climate crisis despite the fact that millions face bleak future. They seem to have abdicated whatever little responsibility they have. Although they claim to represent fourth estate of democracy -a watchdog, they are mostly controlled by powerful interests. Few billionaires control influential outlets and they overwhelm the space, hence it’s difficult for concerned committed outlet to emerge -it also is dependent on nature of society too -a primitive society where herds can easily be controlled and kept excited through superficialities of politics, fantasies of religions, mediocre movies, wastrel’s games, it really becomes difficult to be responsible citizens. Herd has to be always kept distracted, otherwise lacking basic sense they turn into mob.

BBC has produced some excellent iconic documentaries on nature and environment over the years, and with David Attenborough it was nothing short of miracle. But these attempts by BBC News to play both sideism on the issue of climate crisis even in the year 2022 is telling. It also shows how much they are complicit in obfuscating the critical issue for the last many decades. It shows how much they value matter that will impact the fate of life on earth, all those amazing species. This is an existential crisis. It is NOT that ‘environmentalists are upset’ over UK PM not attending COP27 or that Sweden has removed Environment ministry (imagine a Scandinavian country has slipped into such a mess, it’s really unbelievable) any sane person will be, and should be, upset.

*western british media like BBC have serious impact on erstwhile colonies since the elite sections frame much of their worldview through these -ofcourse in the recent times democratization has happened through profusion of digital and social media. But many of these News channels carry reputation -not necessarily deservingly as BBC is persistently proving. When I was in my early teens I was asked to listen to BBC since it was supposed to carry authentic news, as also it would help me learn 'good English'. I first listened to BBC when Indira Gandhi got assassinated and there were reports of riots, there was no source of authentic news. Quite coincidently I had recently got a portable Japanese radio set, and would listen BBC with much keenness although I really couldn’t understand much of what they said and the accent made it worse. Fortunately for me they repeated the news every half an hour or so, and I would listen again and again. Slowly I could catch the words and search the meanings in the dictionary, thirteen-year-old me would be exhilarated. I even thought Punjab was actually Poonjab! Now as I look back, I feel violated that BBC is reduced to such crap, or maybe they were always manipulative and that I am no longer naïve.           

Podcast on contemporary non fiction books

 https://depalan.podbean.com/

Listen to the Second Podcast, we continue from where we left. There has been some changes since the earlier platform was not free. Even this one has limited space hence I will be making small capsules so as to not extend the MB limit. Anyway, I am grateful to these platforms for giving this opportunity