Disease Eradication vs. Strengthening Health Systems
I’ve always been enamored of the power of modern medicine to stamp out diseases from the face of the earth. But when you think of it, we’ve only done that with one disease: smallpox. And therein lies a...
View ArticleThe First Convict-Voyage to Australia
Australia today has a population of 27 million and a GDP of $1.7 Trillion. Around 8 million people visit it annually and it’s also a highly sought after destination for skilled migrants. Australia...
View ArticleThe Flip Side of Therapy
It’s fashionable to be in therapy these days. Unlike the previous generation, youngsters and adults alike have no qualms in reaching out for help and the stigma around mental health is also on the...
View ArticleAshoka and the Mahabharata
Patrick Olivelle’s ‘Ashoka’ is the first volume of the ‘Indian Lives’ series of Harper Collins, edited and put together by Ramchandra Guha. The work adopts a scholarly approach towards the man and his...
View ArticleThe Pacific Theatre in WWII
Kyoto was the first choice as the target for the atomic bomb during World War II. It was an industrial center, had production capabilities of close to four hundred aircraft engines a month, and was an...
View ArticleHerron’s Slough House
When le Carré died in 2020, he was believed to have been the greatest spy novelist of all time. Writing in the heydays of the Cold War, realism was his forte and all his works were marked by a sense of...
View ArticleLucknow’s Shiite Influence
Last year, I spent a long weekend in Lucknow. While the cuisine was the main draw, the Shiite influence over the city is unmissable. Large and small Imambaras dot the city and remind us of the...
View ArticleComplex Adaptive Systems
While reading Brian Klaas’ Fluke, I came across the fascinating mental model of ‘Complex Adaptive Systems’. This post is going to be slightly jargon heavy. Please bear with me. A watch is a complicated...
View ArticleSandeep Narayan’s concert at Chinmaya Mission, Delhi
I heard Sandeep perform in Delhi this evening, after almost a decade. It was a short 90-minute concert and hence, had a hurried feel overall. Bantureeti in Hamsanadam Thyagaraja Yoga Vaibhavam in...
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