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 was published in theWire.in on 14 January 2017. Here is the link. Below is an extract: In the 1918 speech, Bhandarkar expressed exasperation over “persons who find in the Rgveda allusions to X-rays, railways and what not.” While he urges us not to consider the great epics and the Puranas etc. as strict historical… Continue reading How the Grand Old Bhandarkar Urged Indian Historians to Rein in Their ‘Glorious Past’ Fantasies
Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze are vehement advocates for universal health coverage. In their fine 2012 book An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions, they devote an entire chapter to ‘India’s Health Care Crisis’. One of the important topics they discuss is the proliferation of govt-sponsored insurance schemes (relying on private insurance companies) over the past… Continue reading ‘The Private Insurance Trap’ – Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze
As an Indian citizen, the present times give me much cause for worry. Just when we thought Indian society is on the way to getting more mature in terms of prioritizing issues, there has been an unfortunate rise of low-level politics and intolerant societal attitudes. The ‘idea of India’ has suffered from numerous setbacks. It is… Continue reading Ram Guha and the Idea of India
“… being civilized mean[s] making and liking beautiful things, thinking freely, and living rightly and maintaining justice equally between man and man. Man has a better chance today to do these things than he ever had before.” CEM Joad’s The Story of Civilization is one of the best examples of the cliche that awesome things come in small… Continue reading ‘The Story of Civilization’ by C.E.M. Joad – A Sweet Short Profound Book
This is my review of the important book ‘Dissenting Diagnosis’, which was released some weeks back. Published in India Medical Times on 17 May 2016. Here is an excerpt: There are two specific myths that this book deftly busts. First, the token defence invariably used by the likes of IMA: ‘Yes there are “black sheep”… Continue reading ‘Dissenting Diagnosis’: A Must-read Book for Medicos and Citizens Alike
I wrote this article to honor the magnificent work being done by my friend Aneel Brar in the field of maternal health. It appeared in HuffPost India on March 13, 2016. Here is the link. Following is an extract: “It’s a much better life there” is what the lead character opined about America in the… Continue reading Harvard Student Working For India’s Rural Women and Maternal Health
