This piece was published in The Wire on Independence Day 2017. Here is the link, and below is an extract: “While some may argue that it is possible to be ‘proud and responsible at the same time’, pride is too personal and egoistical to allow for the nuance that responsible citizenship entails. Besides, when we… Continue reading We need to teach kids to feel responsible, not proud, to be Indian
[Original post June 2017, Updated June 2020] The recent book I am a Troll: Inside the secret world of the BJP’s Digital Army was instrumental in exposing a trend in India which had been going on for the past few years – that of the BJP (and its co-ideologists like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh – RSS)… Continue reading Saving yourself from govt propaganda and fake news in India
This was published in HuffPost India on May 22, 2017. Here is the link, and below is an extract: “As responsible digital citizens, we need to cautiously tread the maddeningly insane social media. Instead of jumping to conclusions about serious issues in a matter of seconds, we should make our conclusions only after weighing all… Continue reading How confirmation bias dictates our social media responses, and what to do about it
This piece was published on the platform ‘The Logical Indian’ on May 4 2017. Here is the link. Below is an excerpt: In his most crucial insight for our times, Dalrymple argues that many of modern India’s rich industrialists have amassed wealth in ways similar to Robert Clive’s, the EIC’s ruthless official who had won… Continue reading William Dalrymple explains how corporations today, with their powers, resemble the East India Company
This appeared in theWire.in on 15 March 2017. Here is the link. Below is an excerpt: While the medical community regularly (and rightfully) demands and expect protection from mob violence, is it morally justified that it looks the other way when other citizens are subjected to similar violence? Mob bullying and violence are among the most deplorable aspects… Continue reading Doctors, Academics, and Artists Bear the Brunt of Mob Violence in India: Here’s How They Can Help Each Other
This was published by theWire on March 5, 2017. Here is the link. Below is an extract. “To sum up, Mercier and Sperber claim that our faculty of reasoning is perfect for making, and accepting or rejecting, argumentive claims. They say this is its primary evolutionary function. But our reasoning faculty is imperfect – though not… Continue reading New Science on Why People Believe Fake News
This was published on Gandhi’s death anniversary this year, Jan 30 2017. Here is the link. Below is an extract: In a documentary on the making of the movie, Attenborough expressed phenomenal admiration for one of young Gandhi’s most profound insights: “It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honored… Continue reading Conversing With Gandhi in Digital India
This piece was published in TheWire.in on January 4 2016. Here is the link. Below is an excerpt: “While such absurd colonial arguments do not exist, the colonial attitude surely does, even today. It is this attitude that makes ‘digital India’ devalue the lives of those it refuses to empathise with – the millions of… Continue reading Black Money and White Violence: How 2016 India Brings Back Dark Memories of Colonized India
