March, 2020 Bengaluru 25/03/2020 Day 1 Looking out from the balcony there’s complete absence of the usual noise. The stillness at 6 AM is unusual in the neighbourhood. This is a typical residential area with the usual mix of people, places and performance. I recollect a distant memory - of a morning four days back. … Continue reading Lockdown Diary: Day 1
Problem of small holdings in Indian agriculture & Ambedkar
April 2022. In some of Ambedkar’s lesser known writings lies a remarkably detailed paper on ‘small holdings in India and their remedies’. It is a detailed examination of what ails Indian agriculture and how can the identified problems be addressed. Ambedkar asks if the small holdings are also 'compact' holdings? 'Unfortunately they are not. A … Continue reading Problem of small holdings in Indian agriculture & Ambedkar
On labour’s role
It is not just today’s governments and businesses who think that production or economic growth must precede any consideration along the lines of labour welfare. This thought has remained unchanged since independence. Here’s an excerpt from Nehru’s address at the Nagpur session of Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC). It was most likely delivered at … Continue reading On labour’s role
Lockdown Diary: Last Entry
Bengaluru 25/04/2022 Covid- 19 and ending the Lockdown Diary When the Covid-19 lockdowns began in March 2020, I began writing notes everyday as a lockdown diary. I wrote continuously for a year and then intermittently thereafter. It went on for 572 days and as cities, travel and workplaces opened up after the second wave, writing … Continue reading Lockdown Diary: Last Entry
Values: A policy problem
Down the road from our farm, a couple of farms were bought, the land use category was changed and there’s a ‘water theme park’ under construction. This small 5-6 KM long valley flanked by low rise hills has a reservoir occupying the lower trough. It was constructed as a minor irrigation project for the region’s … Continue reading Values: A policy problem
The real conflict in gig work – Marx, Sen and Technology
I have been reading Sen's excellent memoir 'Home in the World' published recently. His reflections on Marx, Adam Smith and Srafa are a valuable reading to explore the long arc of key ideas in economics. One of those ideas is the idea of value. Taking a leap from there, the following is a reflection on … Continue reading The real conflict in gig work – Marx, Sen and Technology
Race to the bottom for gig workers
A few weeks back, Mohan Mani and I wrote in The Hindu about a few aspects of work in the gig economy from our research at the Centre for Labour Studies. The article is here . Our study estimated that the net earnings for the worker was only around 40% of the total gross earnings … Continue reading Race to the bottom for gig workers
Notes on farming – 2
Notes on farming and mechanization began with part 1 here. April, 2022 It has been a busy few months with lots to understand, process and write about. Contrary to the general impression, the pace and intensity of activities are faster on the farm than work in the city. Farm work can get quite intense, physically … Continue reading Notes on farming – 2
Russia and Ukraine
Few thoughts on the Russia - Ukraine war that is going on. Some of the most generous and affable people I have met in my travels were Ukrainians. A poetry collection of Wislawa Szymborska sits on my bookshelf as I think of Ukraine. A friend pulled it out from her shelf as I spoke of … Continue reading Russia and Ukraine
Roundup 2021
Leh. December, 2021 It was a productive year on several counts. It was also a year when the pandemic became a fixture and most of life and work kept getting rearranged around it. I can’t recollect a single decision taken in 2021 that wasn’t adjusted for Covid-19. There were daily realizations of how uncertain and … Continue reading Roundup 2021
Day 572: Choices
Surathkal. September, 2021. 20/10/2021 Day 572 Choices and articulations It has been 571 days or eighteen months since the beginning of the pandemic. When it tipped a year mark, it felt as though the end was near. I often thought about how this would end. What would I observe in the last days of normalcy … Continue reading Day 572: Choices
Contested Realities 