The day got flooded with news on election results and breathless debates on the outcomes. As it looks, election outcomes and political futures are more important than miscellaneous matters of a pandemic raging through the county. Switched to reading all day. Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes on Vaccine Darwinism - India has always been a tough … Continue reading Pandemic, politics and realities
May Day, 2021: The long road home
May Day of 2021 is unique in its context at least for Indian workers, if not for those around the world. Never in the history of independent India have we had such a large scale pauperisation, destruction of livelihoods and repeated displacement under distress. This was triggered by the two waves of Covid-19 pandemic. But … Continue reading May Day, 2021: The long road home
Day 411: Numbers
Source: Press Information Bureau of India 29/04/2021 Day 411: Numbers These days life is back to the same rhythm of early days of the pandemic. In between reading, writing, cooking and work calls there is a stream of situations and news updates. There is a constant need to keep a tab on how people and … Continue reading Day 411: Numbers
What does scientific evidence mean in the Covid-19 pandemic?
In a rush to comment on SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19, many experts have erred. Throughout the course of this pandemic there have been several prescriptive pieces based on scientific research, typically on the lines of ‘what must the government do’. This piece Majority Indians have natural immunity. Vaccinating the entire population can cause great harm is … Continue reading What does scientific evidence mean in the Covid-19 pandemic?
Many Lives in a Life: Ambedkar and legacy of ideas
People and their ideas take on different meanings as time passes. This process (of changing meanings) has struck me as crucial to understanding ideas and individuals. A person’s work and intellectual legacy takes on a new journey when they are no more and when the work is continued by others. There onward begins interpretation and … Continue reading Many Lives in a Life: Ambedkar and legacy of ideas
Day 407: Overwhelmed
Data Dashboard of India. Source: news.google.com 25/04/2021 Day 407: Overwhelmed This morning, on the 407th day of the pandemic in India, the numbers look as though Covid-19 has just begun showing its potential and possibilities of what it can do to a population. The lockdowns are back. The central government has made it clear that … Continue reading Day 407: Overwhelmed
Day 400: Second Wave
18/04/2021 It is the 400th day since the first lockdown and official pandemic response began in India. Where are we today? In the depths of an intense second wave of Covid-19! India has reported more than 200,000 positive cases and about 1185 deaths today. Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh … Continue reading Day 400: Second Wave
A Winter Mountaineering Expedition – Part 3
Breaking trail. March, 2021 The following is an account of a winter mountaineering expedition to Friendship Peak, 5289 meters, from 20 – 24 March, 2021. The account is published in parts. This is the last in the series. Part 1. Part 2. 23/03/2021 ~12 Noon, Basecamp, Day 4 After the snowing stopped last evening it was … Continue reading A Winter Mountaineering Expedition – Part 3
A Winter Mountaineering Expedition – Part 2
The following is an account of a winter mountaineering expedition to Friendship Peak, 5289 meters, from 20 – 24 March, 2021. The account is published in parts. This is Part 2. Part 1. Part 3. Basecamp at Bakarthatch. Day 3. March, 2021 View to the East. Basecamp. March, 2021 22/03/20201 7 AM Basecamp, Day 3 … Continue reading A Winter Mountaineering Expedition – Part 2
A Winter Mountaineering Expedition – Part 1
Road head to Bakarthatch. Manali-Leh Highway. March, 2021 The following is an account of a winter mountaineering expedition to Friendship Peak, 5289 meters, from 20 - 24 March, 2021. The account is published in parts. This is part 1. Part 2. 20/03/2021 Day 1 We set out on a winter climb to Friendship Peak (5289m) … Continue reading A Winter Mountaineering Expedition – Part 1
