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2 episodes with Kozhikode
3 episodes with Kozhikode
4 episodes with Kozhikode
2 episodes with Kozhikode
2 episodes with Kozhikode
2 episodes with Kozhikode
3 episodes with Kozhikode
2 episodes with Kozhikode
2 episodes with Kozhikode
19 episodes with Kozhikode
2 episodes with Kozhikode
2 episodes with Kozhikode
2 episodes with Kozhikode
2 episodes with Kozhikode
2 episodes with Kozhikode
2 episodes with Kozhikode
2 episodes with Kozhikode
A version of this essay was published by news18.com at https://www.news18.com/opinion/opinion-what-the-bjp-win-in-thiruvananthapuram-may-mean-or-may-not-9774658.htmlAs a native son, I believe the BJP's 50/101 seats in the Trivandrum Corporation in the recently concluded local body elections is an interesting outcome. But it must not be taken in isolation, and one must accept that this is neither a breakthrough for the BJP in the deep south, nor a mere footnote in the CPI(M)-Congress duopoly that has been the hallmark of Kerala politics. There are a lot of local factors, but yes, perhaps there is an underlying, nascent realignment.There is anti-incumbency: there used to be, like clockwork, one term for the UDF, one term for the LDF. But now, the CPI-M has been ruling for ten years in a row, and the voters may be fed up with them. In Trivandrum, for instance, the outgoing mayor, Arya Rajendran, who is in her 20s, has a well-deserved reputation for arrogance. Tellingly, she did not campaign in 2025.But there is more.There are at least four extraordinary factors at play here: One is the vanity that Kerala politics is somehow superior to politics elsewhere in (southern) India, because, you know, it is the 100% literate state. This is far from the truth. Mere literacy, that is, knowing the syntax of written language, does not guarantee you understand the semantics, that is, the ability to think critically rather than be gaslighted. The average Kerala voter is as easily manipulated as any other.Second, regional tensions. Kerala consists of three distinct regions: northern Malabar, which was under British rule, which meant it was plundered and underdeveloped. It also is Muslim-dominated. Central Kochi, which was a moderately dynamic dynasty, and is Christian-dominated. Southern Travancore, which was under a strong dynasty (but came under the sway of the British), and is Hindu majority.Third, the erstwhile consensus around ‘secularism' is fraying: it is now increasingly seen as merely a shibboleth meant to hypnotize the Hindu community into caste-based internecine conflict and keep it a permanent underclass, with fewer rights than those of other religions. Hindus are still fighting 19th century battles in the 21st century. The shocking neglect, occasional desecration of, and outright large-scale theft from, major temples such as Sabarimala may now be turning into a bit of an issue for the lay Hindu.Fourth, after half a century of left-wing politics, it is becoming increasingly clear to the average Keralite that it is being left behind in development and prosperity. At independence, Travancore in particular was far ahead of the rest of India in key metrics like infant mortality, female literacy, and infrastructure. But anti-business socialism has led to de-industrialization, forced migration of Keralites in search of jobs, and high inflation, while other states are passing Kerala by.On top of all this, there is the rampant politicization of everything (for example, government jobs do not go to those who have high ranks in the State Public Service Commission selection exams, but to party cadres). There is a truly bizarre situation where two parties, both in the INDI Alliance all over the country (CPI-M and Congress), pretend to be rivals in Kerala, and do charades and shadow-boxing, although they do tactical voting to prevent the BJP from winning.It startles me to hear that there is a Left (CPI-M) and a Right (Congress) in Kerala, according to pundits. In reality, they are an Extreme-Left party and a Far-Left party, respectively. Indeed, even the BJP, which is spoken of as Far-Right is a Center-Left party, so severely distorted is the discourse – the median is Far-Left.To an impartial observer, the only way the Congress in Kerala can be termed a Right-wing party is that it appeases its vote-bank, the Christians, although the FC Nairs also traditionally vote for them. The Communists, whose rank and file are mostly made up of the OBC Ezhavas, increasingly are dominated by the needs of their Malabar Muslim vote-bank. So in a twisted sort of way, both these Left parties pander to the Conservative sentiments of these religious groups.This has real-life consequences, which Travancore voters are seeing increasingly clearly. The last major investment in Trivandrum was the ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, which was required to be on the magnetic equator. After that, the National Institute of Technology went to Kozhikode (in Malabar). The Indian Institute of Management went to Kozhikode (in Malabar). The Indian Institute of Technology went to Palakkad (in Malabar). The AIIMS is also likely to go to Malabar or Kochi.A metro system was given to Kochi, even though Trivandrum has an equal or better claim in terms of population size and other metrics. Successive UDF and LDF governments have sat on the proposal for Trivandrum's metro (incidentally Kozhikode is also in the same boat). Trivandrum airport saw zero development for 40 years from 1960.Staggeringly, the Trivandrum port (Vizhinjam) was also delayed for 40 years, even though the deepwater container transhipment port there is now on track to handle a lot of India's container cargo, which now goes to Colombo. Instead, 4400 crores were spent on a container port at Kochi, which has only 8 meters draft and cannot compete with Colombo.Trivandrum/Vizhinjam has 24 meters in depth, which means literally the largest container ship in the world, MSC Irina, with 24,000 containers on board, can and in fact has called at this port.The LDF government twisted Adani Ports' arm and moved their logistics park for Vizhinjam, which Adani runs on contract, 200 km away to Kochi! In addition, the road and rail approaches to the port, which are necessary for ‘gateway' or upcountry containers from/to say Bangalore or Hyderabad, have been delayed for a long time over trivial land acquisition issues.These lapses are glaring, and add up to step-motherly treatment for Trivandrum. There must be a lot of resentment among the voters here about this, because their real estate values would go up quite a lot if Vizhinjam's business improves, and there will be jobs related to logistics, bunkering, cruise lines, and so on. Under the Sagarmala initiative, this is something that Trivandrum voters hope the Union Government will push forward, along with a proposed Tri-Services Maritime Command: thus both military and civil infrastructure may bring benefits.Finally, the excesses against Hindu temples, which are ruled by the Devaswom Board, packed with party cadres who may well be hostile atheists, are getting exposed broadly. There is a tradition prohibiting the entry of women between 10 and 60 years of age (ie. of childbearing age) into the shrine, which the women devotees in Kerala are broadly okay with, and don't feel particularly discriminated against. The Kerala government made a huge fuss over it, and attempted to smuggle in both non-believing women and non-Hindu women into the temple.This has troubled some of the CPI-M's traditional voters, for example the hitherto blase Ezhavas. As the attacks on Hindus continue, there is a bit of a counter-consolidation as well.There is no end: there is the huge current scandal of the theft of gold from the temple doors and dwarapalaka statues in Sabarimala (along with similar desecration in Guruvayur). There is an ongoing investigation, which ought to, if pursued properly, implicate highly connected political players. But recently, there have been instances of prosecutorial misconduct that mean likely criminals get away with, er, murder.Sowmya's alleged murderer Charlie Thomas aka Govindachamy was let off death row, because the prosecutor did not make a good enough case. An actor, Dileep, who allegedly took out a contract for a thug to rape an actress in a moving car, was let off. You guessed it, the prosecution did not make a good enough case.Incidentally, Christian churches with vast landholdings (a good bit of which was 99-year leases given during British days which has now, magically, turned into freehold), or Muslim mosques and other Waqf claimants rarely face the wrath of the State. Yes, there is a case wending its way through the courts about the peninsula of Munambam which is home to 600 families, mostly Christian fisherman, but is claimed in its entirety as a Waqf property.A net reflection of all this is that urban Hindus have begun to rethink their political views. There is a strong urban-rural divide as seen in the just-conducted local body polls. The urban, so to speak, constituencies have seen the vice-like grip of the LDF diminish a bit, but they remain strong in the rural areas. This is borne out by conversations with the rural poor, who talk about kshema pensions, NREGA, and so on as benefits they get from the State government.What this suggests is that anti-incumbency is playing its part; but the likely outcome is a return to the Tweedledum-Tweedledee “throw the rascals out every five years” syndrome of years past. The BJP is unlikely to make any quick inroads into this; they may not get many Assembly seats in 2026, and they are unlikely to get more than a couple of Lok Sabha seats in 2029.Yet, as for obvious reasons there is a Right-ward lurch in Europe, with the rise of AfD in Germany, Marine Le Pen's National Rally in France, and Nigel Farrage's Reform UK, and these parties are no longer easily put behind a cordon sanitaire, the BJP in Kerala is not any longer completely unelectable. The voters are beginning to see that it is not completely er… untouchable.It will be a long, painful journey, but maybe in a decade or two, the BJP can become a realistic opposition party in Kerala. To do this in the extreme South, in the very bastion of the Communists, as well as in a State with very large non-Hindu populations, would be quite an achievement for them. We shall have to wait and see if they have the stamina and the staying power for this grueling odyssey.Malayalam podcast of this essay by notebookLM: 1650 words, 15 Dec 2025 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe
In May 1498, the expedition reached the Indian city of Calicut (present-day Kozhikode) on the Malabar Coast. Da Gama met with the the local ruler, and attempted to establish a trading ...
This week on The Beat, CTSNet Editor-in-Chief Joel Dunning speaks with Dr. Dibin Mohammed, a consultant at Government Medical College, Kozhikode, Kerala, India, about his WhatsApp group, Young CVTS Surgeons Kerala. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:22 CTSNet Updates 03:44 Dr. Mohammed Guest 05:20 Allogeneic Mitral Valve Transplant 08:45 Multiple vs Single Arterial Grafting 11:50 AI & Machine Learning in CT Surgery 17:57 3-Port vs 4-Port Robotic Lobectomy 21:28 Redo Pulm Valve Replacement w RAA 24:32 Mitral Ann Disjunction Presentation 27:09 How-To LVOTE & CABG 29:22 Dr. Mohammed, Academic Group Chat 42:30 Upcoming Events 43:43 Closing They discuss the group's goal and the topics its covers, such as recent academic papers and innovative surgical solutions, as well as the reasons Dr. Mohammed created it. Dr. Mohammed also shares insights into working in India and the training systems for residents in the country. Joel also highlights recent JANS articles on allogeneic mitral valve transplants, survival outcomes after multiple vs single arterial grafting among patients with reduced ejection fraction, artificial intelligence and machine learning in cardiothoracic surgery, and a comparative study of three-port vs. four-port robotic-assisted lobectomy for NSCLC. In addition, Joel explores redo pulmonary valve replacement with right atrial appendage, how to perform a left ventricular outflow tract enlargement and CABG, and reviews a presentation from the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland Annual Meeting on mitral annular disjunction and mitral valve repair. JANS Items Mentioned 1.) Allogeneic Mitral Valve Transplant: Historical Precedent, Current Considerations, and Future Implementation 2.) Survival Outcomes After Multiple vs Single Arterial Grafting Among Patients With Reduced Ejection Fraction 3.) Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Cardiothoracic Surgery: Future Prospects and Ethical Issues 4.) Optimizing Surgical Precision: A Comparative Study of Three-Port vs. Four-Port Robotic-Assisted Lobectomy for NSCLC CTSNET Content Mentioned 1.) Redo Pulmonary Valve Replacement With Right Atrial Appendage 2.) SCTS 2025 | Mitral Annular Disjunction and Mitral Valve Repair 3.) How to Perform a Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Enlargement and CABG Other Items Mentioned 1.) Aortic Valve Replacement Series 2.) Career Center 3.) CTSNet Events Calendar Disclaimer The information and views presented on CTSNet.org represent the views of the authors and contributors of the material and not of CTSNet. Please review our full disclaimer page here.
In this insightful episode of The Brand Called You (TBCY), host Ashutosh Garg welcomes Professor Anjana Karumathil, Associate Professor of Practice at IIM Kozhikode and an expert on the gig economy, organizational behavior, and the future of work.Professor Anjana shares her unique journey from industry to academia, highlighting how her experiences across the US, Australia, UK, and Qatar have shaped her perspectives on leadership and learning. She discusses key misconceptions about the future of work, the evolving role of organizational behavior in the age of AI, and the real opportunities and challenges of India's rapidly growing gig economy.Tune in to hear about:The differences between gig and traditional work motivationsHow HR policies need to adapt for remote and flexible workThe vital importance of emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and creativity in the AI-powered workplaceHer actionable recommendations for making the gig economy more equitable, including algorithmic transparency, portable benefits, and giving gig workers a meaningful voice
This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.Today is the 20th of February and here are the headlines.First-time MLA Rekha Gupta was sworn in as Delhi's new Chief Minister today, along with her Council of Ministers, at a grand ceremony held at Ramlila Maidan. This marks the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) return to power in the capital after a gap of 27 years. Besides Gupta, six newly elected MLAs were also administered the oath as ministers. The event witnessed the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior BJP leaders, and allies from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The newly formed Council of Ministers, under Gupta's leadership, is expected to hold its first meeting at the Delhi Secretariat around 7 PM. Among the key proposals to be discussed is the implementation of the Mahila Samriddhi Yojna, which will provide eligible women with a monthly allowance of ₹2,500.In a strongly-worded letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin Thursday sought urgent intervention to release Rs 2,152 crores under the Samagra Shiksha scheme. The letter, expressing deep concern over the Union Government's insistence on linking the funds to the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, reiterated Tamil Nadu's unwavering commitment to its two-language policy, described the move as a “blatant violation of cooperative federalism.” Launched in 2018, the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan is a Centrally Sponsored integrated scheme for school education that subsumed the schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).The Supreme Court today stayed the 27the of January Lokpal order which said that it has the power to look into complaints against sitting high court judges, terming it as “something very very disturbing”. The top court had taken suo motu cognizance of the January 27 order and listed it for hearing before the bench headed by Justice B R Gavai and also comprising Justices Surya Kant and A S Oka. The Supreme Court directed its registrar judicial “to mask the identity of the complainant and serve him through the Registrar Judicial of the High Court where the complainant resides”.A young teacher with a Catholic-run school in Kerala has ended her life after she was allegedly denied her salary for the last six years. The victim was a teacher at St Joseph's lower primary school at Kodenchery in Kozhikode district. She was found dead at her home on Wednesday afternoon. The Catholic diocese of Thamarassery runs the government-aided school. Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty said the director general of education has been asked to look into the incident. “It is unfortunate. Once I get the report from the DG, we will take action,” he told the media.Amid US President Donald Trump's onslaught on illegal immigration, several deportees, including Indians, have been sent to a hotel in Panama, where they are being held till they can be repatriated to their origin countries. As many as 299 migrants, belonging to countries like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, and Iran, among others, were sent to Panama last week. Some of these have been shifted to a remote facility near the Darien jungle. The Indian Embassy in Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica said today that they have gained “consular access” to the group of Indians sent to Panama.This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by the Indian Express
In this enlightening conversation, Debashis Chatterjee shares his journey from a diverse academic background to becoming the director of IIM Kozhikode. He discusses the unique aspects of IIM Kozhikode, the evolution of leadership over the past century, and the challenges faced by business schools today. Professor Chatterjee emphasizes the importance of compassion in leadership and the need for management education to adapt to the changing landscape, including the rise of AI and digital transformation. He also reflects on his childhood experiences and their influence on his leadership philosophy, culminating in a call for students to stay awake, competent, and compassionate.Connect with UsMohua Chinappa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohua-chinappa/The Mohua Show: https://www.themohuashow.com/Connect with the GuestDebashis Chatterjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debashischatterjee1/ Follow UsInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/litlounge_pod/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMohuaShowLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/themohuashow/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themohuashowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/themohuashow/For any other queries EMAILhello@themohuashow.comChapters:00:00 - Highlights01:19 - Introduction to Debashis Chatterjee02:50 - The Journey to Leadership and Management Education05:22 - What Sets IIM Kozhikode Apart07:40 - Defining Leadership Beyond Transactional Values11:44 - The Evolution of Leadership Over the Last Century15:44 - Navigating the Age of AI and Digital Transformation18:23 - Challenges Facing Business Schools Today20:05 - Success Stories from IIM Kozhikode22:55 - Towards Inclusive Excellence in Management Education26:00 - Reflections on Leadership Chronicles and Personal Insights28:39 - Globalizing Indian Thought: The Fifth International Conclave31:10 - Childhood Memories and Their Impact on Leadership35:11 - Key Takeaways on Leadership and CompassionDisclaimerThe views expressed by our guests are their own. We do not endorse and are not responsible for any views expressed by our guests on our podcast and its associated platforms.#TheMohuaShow #MohuaChinappa #DebashisChatterjee #IIMKozhikode #Leadership #Management #AI #BusinessSchools #Compassion #Podcast #PodcastEpisode Thanks for Listening!
Do you have neanderthal DNA? Is your body your identity? What makes the knowledge of death possible when no one alive has experienced it first hand? How does dying feel? What are your schemas for understanding death? Is death the default, & it is life that happens occasionally? Does a cell know when it ought to die? When is an organism dead? When can we not dream? Can (certain) tissues and organs regenerate? What are the biochemical reactions a response to? What does oxygen do? Does the concept of death make control over others possible? Can we reverse death itself? What is the 'location' of a person? Do all cells come from other living cells? Or, can cells be created artificially from scratch? Is the body inferior to atman? Intrinsically, is everything conscious? Why do we see matter around if it's all one consciousness? Is Higg's boson dead? Do the cells need to divide to avoid death? Is dying like falling in deep sleep, & do we therefore die everyday? How does structure and order reproduce? What did you inherit from your mother at birth? Can dead mammoths be resurrected? &, will we have the power to create varied artificial life in the future with genome writing? SynTalk thinks about these & more questions using ideas from philosophy of science (Prof. G. Nagarjuna, IISER, Pune), theology (Swami Narasimhananda, Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Kozhikode), & genomic sciences (Prof. Binay Panda, JNU, New Delhi).
Beypore Sultan, The Dark Majesty inside me; Tread into the path of him, The Mystic Vlogger. Once you are in, you cannot step back. He will enchant you with his conspiracy theories... Chill you to the bone with his horror stories... Haunt you through the night... Making you wonder about what is real or unreal and intrigue you in the world of the "Illuminati". Unleashing the power of truth to unhide the hidden. It may be worse, not worse than any evil; fears nothing, sees everything. Hunger for more! The mystery travels to the unseen world; retrieving the dark truth hidden within destruction. Wait! That's not all! He will use his magical spell to pull you closer to his kingdom. You cannot resist the temptation. So, are you game? This Video Link: https://youtu.be/qx6VidWUElA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyporesultanonline Youtube: https://youtu.be/tT3LRAnBbhg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyporesultanonline Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/beyporesultan --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beyporesultan/support
Welcome to Top of the Morning by Mint, your weekday newscast that brings you five major stories from the world of business. It's Friday, 30 August 2024. My name is Nelson John. Let's get started. The Indian equity markets touched record highs on Thursday. The Sensex rose by 0.43 percent, while the Nifty was up by 0.33 percent. Messaging app Telegram's founder Pavel Durov was recently arrested in France. He is accused of not acting against harmful content on the app. Allegations include drug trafficking, fraud, cyberbullying, and generating fake images. Earlier, John McAfee and Julian Assange have been arrested on similar grounds. Shelley Singh explains the reasons for the arrest, which might have more to do with politics and diplomacy than crimes.Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest man, announced ambitious plans for Reliance Industries during the company's 47th annual general meeting. He revealed a strategy to double the income of Reliance's digital and retail branches under the brands Jio and Reliance Retail in the next 3-4 years. Ambani envisions RIL's new energy venture to match the size of its oil-to-chemical business, which generated ₹5.64 trillion in FY24, in just five years. Ambani highlighted the transformative plans for Reliance Industries, detailing initiatives across five key business areas: O2C, retail, Jio, media, and green energy, Mint's Anirudh Laskar reports. Ambani is betting big on a future where Reliance isn't just a heavyweight in traditional sectors but also leads in green energy and tech. The plan includes a massive green energy complex in Jamnagar, envisioned as a future global energy hub. Up until a few years ago, you could only take an international flight from one of India's major airports. Flying outside India meant you'd first have to go to either New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or Bengaluru to hail a long-distance flight. But that changed when many non-metro airports secured the rights to fly internationally. Anu Sharma reports that airports such as Amritsar, Bhubaneswar, Lucknow and Kozhikode are seeing robust growth in international travel. Travellers from these regions usually go to Southeast Asia and the Middle East, Anu writes. Millions of students pursue an engineering degree every year in hopes of getting a job offer from India's top IT companies. Last year's graduates were caught in the midst of a storm as many IT firms refused to go for campus placements. This year, Wipro has decided to come back for this exercise. A student might be excited to see that they have been placed in the “elite” category at Wipro, but the salary comes in at only 3.5 lakh rupees per annum. Jas Bardia reports that while Wipro will be going to recruit in a couple of weeks, they will only be rolling out their lowest packages to students. In previous hiring cycles, packages for freshers went as high as 10.5 lakh rupees. Last year's struggles continue for IT sector aspirants. In India, companies are now required to have a certain number of women on their boards, but this often just ticks a box rather than ensuring their voices are truly heard in decision-making. Speaking to Mint's Devina Sengupta, Aparna Mittal from the Samāna Centre for Gender, Policy and Law pointed out that it's not just about having women on boards but whether they're genuinely independent and their opinions valued. Despite this, there's a silver lining as pay for women directors has seen a significant boost, doubling over the last five years due to their increased responsibilities. Wipro to up fresher hiring, but at lowest pay grade of Rs 3.5 lakh per yearReliance to double Jio, retail biz in 3-4 yearsOverseas travel picks up at non-metrosWomen independent directors' pay doubles in 5 yearsPavel Durov: Why tech and global geeks worry govts
A version of this essay has been published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/climate-tragedy-of-wayanad-and-the-vulnerability-of-western-ghats-13808331.htmlAfter days of intense coverage of the landslides in Wayanad, the news cycle has moved on to other calamities. But the problems remain, and things cannot be left to benign neglect as is usually the case. For example there was a strange thundering noise from deep underground that alarmed people in the area. This is ominous, as it may presage a tectonic movement, although there have been no big quakes here for centuries.A dramatic before-and-after report from Reuters, using satellite images from Planet Labs, Google, Maxar Technologies and Airbus, shows how the landslide left a giant scar on the surface of the earth, washing away hundreds of houses, leading to widespread fatalities and destruction.Prime Minister Modi visited the afflicted area. Better governance, both by Center and State, is sorely needed to tackle the problem, because it is not simple: there are proximate, preponderant and root causes. A lot of it is anthropogenic based on local factors, but climate change is also a major factor, as the local climate and rainfall patterns have shifted dramatically in the recent past. There was a drought in 2015, followed by the Ockhi cyclone in 2017, and then landslides and floods in 2018 and 2019.As a resident of Kerala, who has visited Wayanad only twice (once in 2018 and the second time in April this year), both the problems and the possible solutions are of immediate importance to me, because the very same issues are likely to crop up all over the State, and unless remedial measures are taken now, we can expect further tragedies and endless suffering. Proximate Cause: Excess RainThe proximate cause is La Nina-enhanced rainfall, which has been higher this year along the west coast. In Wayanad itself, it rained 572mm in 48 hours before the landslide: about 1.8 feet, an enormous amount. Before the Wayanad landslide, there had been another in Shirur on the Karnataka coast near Ankola, where a number of people were swept away. The story of Arjun, a Kerala trucker whose truck full of lumber disappeared, was all over the news, and after a weeks-long search, there was no sign of him or the truck. The total rainfall since June 1 was of the order of 3000mm in Wayanad, which is unusually high, creating vulnerability to landslides. In a recent interview, environmental expert Madhav Gadgil mentioned that quarrying may have added to the intensity of the rainfall, because the fine dust from the mining and explosions forms aerosols, on which water molecules condense, leading to excessive precipitation. The intense rainfall saturated the soil, and in the absence of sufficient old-growth vegetation that might have held it together, the hillside simply collapsed. Preponderant Cause: Population Pressure, Over-Tourism, EcocideThe preponderant causes of the problems in Wayanad are obvious: population pressure, over-tourism and environmental destruction. The forest has basically ceased to exist due to human exploitation. According to India Today, 62% of the green cover in the district disappeared between 1950 and 2018 while plantation cover rose by around 1,800%. Fully 85% of the total area of Wayanad was under forest cover until the 1950s.Overpopulation, settlement and habitat lossMy first visit to Wayanad was in 2018, when we drove to Kerala from Karnataka: from the Nagarhole/Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuaries to the contiguous Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, all forming a Project Tiger ecosphere along with neighboring Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. Together they form the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Bandipur/Nagarhole actually looks like a forest. But I was astonished when we drove into Wayanad, because it does not look like a forest any more: it is full of human habitation. It looks like any of the other districts in Kerala: thickly populated, with settlements all over the place. It appeared to be only notionally a wildlife sanctuary.Habitat loss, especially that of forest cover, is true of all of Kerala, as highlighted in a study by IISc scientists. It is startling to see how much of this has happened in just a few decades. But it is the culmination of a process that started at least a century ago. Wayanad, according to myth and legend, was once a lovely, lush forest inhabited by a small number of tribals. There were fierce Kurichya archers (it is possible they were warriors banished to the forest after losing a war) who, with Pazhassi Raja, carried on a guerilla war against the British colonials in the 19th century until the Raja was captured and executed. I visited the Pazhassi Museum in Mananthavady this May, on my second visit to Wayanad. There were artifacts there from the tribal settlements.Then, in the 20th century, there was a large migration of lowland people, mostly Christians from Central Travancore, to the Wayanad highlands (and the Western Ghats uplands in general). They encroached on public/forest lands, cleared the forests, and created plantations and agricultural settlements. Their struggles against malaria, wild animals and the land itself was the subject of Jnanpith winner S K Pottekkat's renowned novel Vishakanyaka (Poison Maiden).The public land thus captured eventually made some people rich, but the whole process also in effect enslaved the tribals, who became an exploited underclass: the very same story as of Native Americans, who are still struggling for social justice after centuries of being untermenschen.Since most of the settlers were Christians, the Church became a powerful spokesman for them. Successive governments gave a lot of the settlers title to the land they had illegally captured. So there is a class of rich planters, and on the other hand, miserable plantation workers, often migrants especially from Tamil Nadu. The green deserts need to be turned back into forestsKerala's highlands, over time, became ‘green deserts', rather than ‘tropical rainforests'. The monoculture of tea, rubber, coffee, and especially invasive species such as acacia and eucalyptus is destructive. They crowd out native species, ravage the water table, do not put down deep roots, and offer almost no sustenance to wild animals. It may look deceptively green, but it is no forest. An expert committee, the Madhav Gadgil Commission, recommended in 2011 that the entire Western Ghats was ecologically sensitive (ESA or Ecologically Sensitive Area) and 75% of it must be preserved intact with minimal human presence. The report was scathing about quarrying, including blasting with dynamite, which upset the already fragile ecosystem, ravaged as it was by the removal of old growth forest and the root system that held the soil together. At the time, Gadgil did say that the calamity would not take a 100 years, but it would happen in ten to twenty years. He was right, but he was ignored as though he were Cassandra. The Church opposed the Gadgil report tooth and nail, and the Government of Kerala pushed back on it. So the Central government created the Kasturirangan Commission (2013), which reduced the proposed ESA to 37%. It classified 60% of the Western Ghats as a ‘cultural landscape' with human settlements, plantations and agriculture. But that too was not acceptable. In fact, Jayanthi Natarajan claimed that she was forced to resign as Environment Minister because she actually notified the order on protection of the Western Ghats the day before she was removed. Her successor duly put the order on hold.Sitting Congress MP in nearby Idukki, P T Thomas, says he was dropped in the 2014 elections because he supported the Gadgil report against “encroachments… illegal constructions, quarrying, timber smuggling, sand mining from the rivers and ganja cultivation…My stand upset the Idukki dioceses of the Syro Malabar Catholic Church. The Idukki Bishop had openly opposed my candidature.”The GoK convened a third committee, the Oommen Commission (2014), which was specific to Kerala, and it recommended keeping all inhabited areas and plantations out of the ESA altogether. Mission accomplished. No more restrictions on land use.Over-tourism and carrying capacity of the landThis is one reason for the proliferation of resorts and homestays in Wayanad. Every second house caters to tourists, as can be seen from a Google Map (of the area around Kalpetta). The environmental pressure from this (what about solid waste disposal? Do they dump liquid wastes into rivers?) is horrific and increasing. Trash lines the area near the Thamarassery Pass.As a tourist myself, I did not choose a plantation resort, but instead a homestay which has a working farm. Perhaps I made a wrong choice, because a plantation has a lot of space to absorb the tourist impact. The homestay had many youngsters from Bangalore over the weekend, and it was perfectly nice, but I wonder how much I contributed to the human toll on the environment. I had gone to Wayanad to visit the Thirunelli temple and the Edakkal caves, which have petroglyphs and drawings reliably dated back to 8000 Before the Present, making them second only to the Bhimbetka caves in Madhya Pradesh, whose rock art dates back to 10,000 BP and earlier. So this area, despite the geological fault lines, has indeed been inhabited for a very long time. The carrying capacity of the land was sufficient in those prehistoric times and even up until recently; now the land can no longer sustain the population. It is also host to another recent influx. Muslims from nearby lowland Kozhikode and Malappuram districts have come up the Thamarassery Pass and settled in Wayanad in numbers. They have added to the population pressure in Wayanad. Incidentally this is one reason Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency (which includes areas from nearby Kozhikode and Malappuram districts that are heavily Muslim) is so dependably a Congress citadel. When I made my trip in April, just before elections, I asked several people who would win there: the candidates were Rahul Gandhi (Congress), Annie Raja (CPI), K Surendran (BJP). All of them said “Rahul Gandhi”. One man told me “Rahul Gandhi is going to become the PM”. Another laughed and said, “Are you joking? We all know the answer”. It was, pun intended, a landslide win for the Congress candidate. Root Cause: Geology and Errant RainfallThe root cause of the problems in Kerala is the increasingly unstable landscape. It is remarkable that Kerala has such a high number of landslides and vulnerable spots. India Today reports that Kerala has recorded the largest number of landslides in the country, 2,239 out of 3,782 that occurred between 2015 and 2022. The “Landslide Atlas of India 2023” from ISRO lists 13 out of 14 Kerala districts among the top 50 landslide-prone areas of the country.This is surprising, because the more obvious fault lines must be in the North, where the Indian Plate continues to grind up against the Eurasian Plate, and the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau continue to gain a few centimeters in elevation every year. Indeed Arunachal, Himachal, J&K and Uttarakhand are landslide-prone. But why Kerala, at the other end of the land-mass?It must be the case that there have been severe tectonic movements in Kerala in the past: the Parasurama legend of the land coming up from the sea is based on a real event, presumably caused by an earthquake in a prehistoric time frame. More recently, the thriving Kerala port of Kodungalloor (aka Muziris), the principal West Coast port in historical times along with Bharuccha in Gujarat, was suddenly rendered bereft in 1341 CE after a severe flood in the River Periyar, and port activities shifted to nearby Kochi.More recently, old-timers talk about the Great Flood of ‘99, i.e. 1099 Malabar Era, or 1924 CE. Exactly 100 years ago there were torrential rains in July, and records suggest it was 3368mm or 1326 inches over three weeks, that is 11 feet of rain. Floodwaters rose up to 6 feet, rivers changed course, and at least 1,000 people died along with large numbers of livestock, and there was massive destruction of agricultural land and foodgrains. The Flood of ‘99 became etched in the collective memory of the area, but it mostly affected the lowland areas of Travancore and Cochin, leaving the highlands largely untouched. That has changed with deforestation, quarrying, construction, and denudation of hillsides.There were the floods of 2018, which affected the hills, especially in Munnar. A full mountainside fell 300 meters into a river there. Entire settlements were washed away. A total of 2,346mm of rain or 923 inches was recorded in July and August, almost 50% higher than the norm. 483 people were killed, with many more missing and unaccounted for. Infrastructure was wiped out, including roads and clean water supply. Dams had to be opened, wreaking havoc on those downstream. There is also the perennial threat of Mullaperiyar Dam overflowing or being breached, which is, among other things, a source of friction between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Other root causes include the following: * Climate Change: A study by the World Weather Attribution group indicated that climate change has intensified rainfall in the region by about 10%, contributing significantly to the severity of the disaster. The ongoing increase in global temperatures has led to more extreme weather patterns, including heavier monsoon rains.* Soil Characteristics: Wayanad's soils are loose and erodible, particularly in areas with steep gradients exceeding 20 degrees. When saturated, these soils lose their structural integrity, making them susceptible to landslides. The presence of large boulders and mud further complicates the stability of the slopes during heavy rains.* Soil piping: Previous landslides in the region, such as the 2019 Puthumala event, created conditions for soil piping, where voids form in the subsurface soil, increasing the risk of subsequent landslides during heavy rainfall.* Lack of Effective Land Management Policies: There is a notable absence of comprehensive land use and disaster management policies in Kerala, particularly in ecologically fragile areas. Despite previous disasters, there has been insufficient progress in implementing hazard mapping and community awareness programs to mitigate risks associated with landslides.Thus Kerala is vulnerable to a host of issues, especially climate change (which is also eating away at the coastline). Behind the tropical paradise facade of “God's Own Country”, there lie tremendous dangers related to excessive human exploitation, amounting to ecocide. What is the solution? Maybe Madhav Gadgil was right, after all, and strict controls should be imposed on human activity, especially denudation of forest, and quarrying. His report had included Vythiri, Mananthavady and Sulthanbathery taluks in Wayanad as Ecologically Sensitive Zone ESZ-1, which means no change whatsoever in land use is permissible there. Chooralmala, Mundakkai, and Meppadi, where the worst of the disasters happened, are all in Vythiri taluk. No effective disaster prevention or mitigation efforts have been put in place. The only solution is reforesting and restoring green cover, and stopping construction, quarrying, and tourism and the most contentious issue, relocating people away from the ESZ. Unfortunately the tropical rainforest may not restore itself if simply left alone (as temperate-zone forests do), and perhaps efforts such as Miyawaki foresting with native species may need to be pursued.It is to be hoped that we have not passed the point of no return. Kerala's population is shrinking (Total Fertility Rate is 1.80, well below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman), but there is no limit to human greed.What needs to be done There are no magic solutions, but comprehensive climate action and improved disaster management strategies can mitigate things to an extent. Experts emphasize the importance of:* Enhanced Communication and Coordination: There is a critical need for better intergovernmental communication regarding disaster preparedness. This includes timely warnings and efficient evacuation plans to mitigate the impact of natural disasters.* Land Use Policies: Implementing stringent land use regulations is essential to prevent construction in ecologically sensitive areas. The degradation of green cover due to unregulated development has significantly increased the risk of landslides.* Early Warning Systems: Developing robust early warning systems for landslides and floods can provide crucial alerts to communities at risk. These systems should be supported by regular community education and drills to ensure residents are prepared for emergencies.* Afforestation and Environmental Conservation: Massive afforestation and reforestation drives (especially with native species) are necessary to stabilize hillsides and reduce landslide risks. Protecting and restoring natural habitats can help mitigate the effects of climate change and enhance biodiversity. Collaborating with local communities for reforestation projects can also provide economic incentives and foster a sense of stewardship.* Community Engagement: Empowering local communities to participate in disaster preparedness and environmental conservation efforts is vital. Education on risks and proactive measures can significantly reduce the impact of disasters.* Tourism Management: Over-tourism can exacerbate environmental degradation. Developing a sustainable tourism strategy that limits visitor numbers, promotes eco-friendly practices, and educates tourists about environmental conservation is essential. Establishing eco-tourism zones and supporting community-based tourism initiatives can provide economic benefits while preserving the natural environment.* Regulation of Quarrying and Construction: Strict regulation and monitoring of quarrying and construction activities are necessary to prevent ecological damage. Implementing sustainable practices in these industries, such as controlled quarrying methods and responsible waste management, can mitigate their impact on the environment. Regular audits and penalties for non-compliance can enforce these regulations.* Surveillance and meteorological data collection: With modern technology like drones, continuous monitoring of the landscape is possible at a relatively low cost; and this can also be used for collecting large amounts of meteorological data to support early-warning systems. Satellite images from India's own as well as foreign sources can be used to warn of dangerous construction, quarrying, and loss of forest cover. Some of these are purely technical solutions, offering computerized forecasts and disaster warnings. The social and governance aspects are even more important: discipline, co-operation and awareness on the part of the residents, and the strict enforcement of land use rules and regulations. Dealing with powerful settlers, encroachers, and vested interests requires a delicate balance of enforcement and negotiation, carrot and stick. Government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and local communities must collaborate to develop and implement policies that address these challenges. Advocacy for stronger environmental laws and community involvement in decision-making processes can help align interests and foster co-operation.With all these in place, it may be possible to repair the damaged hills of the Western Ghats, one of the global hotspots of biodiversity. 2200 words, Aug 17, 2024 updated 3000 words, Aug 19 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com
കാതല് എന്ന ചിത്രത്തിലെ തങ്കന് എന്ന കഥാപാത്രത്തെ ഗംഭീരമാക്കിയിരിക്കുകയാണ് നടന് സുധി കോഴിക്കോട്. സിനിമ-നാടകങ്ങളില് വര്ഷങ്ങളായി പ്രവര്ത്തിക്കുന്ന സുധി കാതലിലെ കഥാപാത്രത്തിലേക്ക് എത്തിയതിനെക്കുറിച്ചും. ക്വിയര് കമ്മ്യൂണിറ്റിയെ മനസിലാക്കിയതിനെക്കുറിച്ചും സംസാരിക്കുന്നു.
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This is the Catch Up on 3 Things for the Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.It's the 23rd of May and here are today's headlines.Tensions flared in Nandigram in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district today. Hours after a woman worker of the BJP was killed and seven others were injured after being attacked on Wednesday night, days before the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in the state. As the BJP took to the streets in protest today by torching shops and blocking roads using trees and setting them on fire, security was beefed up with Rapid Action Force and central forces being deployed, apart from the police.A senior Kolkata police officer said that the initial probe into the “murder” of Bangladesh MP Anwarul Azim Anar revealed that one of his friends had paid around Rs 5 crore to kill the neighbouring country's parliamentarian. Anar, who went missing in Kolkata since 13th of May, was found murdered and three people have been arrested, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan had said on Wednesday. The West Bengal Police had said investigation of the case has been taken up by the state CID.Recent heavy showers have caused significant destruction in Kerala, and resulted in at least four deaths. The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for Ernakulam, Thrissur, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Wayanad districts today. With heavy rainfall forecast, the weather department has also issued a yellow alert for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Kannur and Kasargod districts. An ‘orange' alert is an indication to be prepared and warns of waterlogging and major traffic disruptions.Frontline equity index NSE Nifty 50 hit an all-time high of 22,880.55, going past the previous mark of 22,794. 30-share BSE Sensex, along similar lines, is trading 873.12 points, or 1.19 per cent higher, at 75,061.74 points.Among the Sensex firms, Asian Paints, Axis Bank, State Bank of India, Larsen & Toubro, Reliance Industries, Wipro, Titan and Bharti Airtel were the major gainers. On the other hand, Sun Pharma, JSW Steel, Power Grid, and Tata Steel were the laggards.Norway said it will further tighten its restrictions on the entry of people from Russia. It further stated that those with tourist visas issued by Norway before regulations were tightened in 2022 or issued by another European country will be barred from entering the Scandinavian country as of next week. Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said the tightening was a response to “Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.” Norway has a 198-kilometer (123-mile) -long border with Russia in the Arctic.This was the Catch-Up on the 3 Things by The Indian Express.
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In today's podcast I talk about: My 12k morning run. Visiting relatives at Kozhikode. Train journey. Watched movie Varshangalkeshesham. Lunch at Paragon in Calicut.
"Crafting a high-performance team demands more than talent—it's about strategic hiring, cultivating the right culture, and, above all, fostering skilled leadership. Leadership, a constantly evolving skill, eclipses talent's role, contributing 75-80% to the symphony of success."In this episode of The Shape of Work podcast, we are honored to welcome Hakim Badshah, the Managing Director, Talent at Deloitte. With a distinguished career spanning Accenture, Sify Limited, and Jasubhai Digital Media, Hakim brings extensive experience. Holding a Post Graduation in International Trade and Finance from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade and an Advanced Strategic Management Programme from the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, Hakim's insights at the intersection of talent management, international business, and strategic leadership promise a thought-provoking discussion for our audience.Hakim Badshah, Deputy Talent Service Leader at Deloitte, offers practical insights on leadership, adaptability, and aligning team performance with organizational goals in this podcast. Exploring evolving talent trends, the episode emphasizes prompt engineering and staying informed about technological advancements. Hakim's LinkedIn invitation reflects his commitment to ongoing professional growth, making this a valuable resource for leaders and HR professionals aiming to build resilient, high-performing teams.Episode HighlightEmphasis on leadership strategies in managing large teamsTrends in personal development plans for employeesExploration of specific skills gaining importanceLessons learned in the field of talent developmentFollow Hakim Badshah on LinkedinProduced by: Priya BhattPodcast Host: Riddhi AgarwalAbout Springworks:Springworks is a fully-distributed HR technology organisation building tools and products to simplify recruitment, onboarding, employee engagement, and retention. The product stack from Springworks includes:SpringVerify— B2B verification platformEngageWith— employee recognition and rewards platform that enriches company cultureTrivia — a suite of real-time, fun, and interactive games platforms for remote/hybrid team-buildingSpringRole — verified professional-profile platform backed by blockchain, andSpringRecruit — a forever-free applicant tracking system.Springworks pride&l
C dans l'air l'invitée, du 2 octobre avec Anne-Claude Crémieux, infectiologue, professeure en maladies infectieuses à l'hôpital Saint-Louis et membre de l'Académie de médecine. Une nouvelle campagne de rappel contre le Covid-19 démarre ce lundi. Elle vise en particulier les personnes les plus à risque d'être atteintes de forme grave et doit permettre d'anticiper le retour de virus pendant l'hiver. Initialement, cette campagne devait démarrer le mardi 17 octobre en même temps que la campagne de vaccination anti-grippale, mais elle a été avancée. Mi-septembre, le Comité de veille et d'anticipation des risques sanitaires (Covars) a recommandé au gouvernement d'avancer la date de 2 semaines, au vu d'une remontée des cas de Covid-19 plus précoce qu'attendue Dans le même temps, un autre virus s'est déclaré dans l'État du Kerala, au sud de l'Inde, dans le courant du mois de septembre. Il s'agit du Nipah. L'Inde a été contrainte de confiner une partie du sud de son territoire, dont la ville de Kozhikode qui a fermé les écoles. Les rassemblements publics sont interdits. Anne-Claude Crémieux, infectiologue, professeure en maladies infectieuses à l'hôpital Saint-Louis et membre de l'Académie de médecine, reviendra sur la nouvelle campagne de vaccination contre le Covid-19 qui a été anticipée et démarre ce lundi, et sur le virus Nipah qui s'est déclaré en Inde et qui a été classé, par l'OMS, parmi les maladies qui méritent une recherche prioritaire en raison de leur potentiel à provoquer une épidémie mondiale.
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Join us in this exciting episode of Misadventures of a Sneaker as we catch up with Niranjan Prabhakar (popularly known as Ninja or Ninjatalli) who recently embarked on a breath-taking cycling journey through the coastal paradise of Kerala. In this picturesque adventure, Ninja takes us on a virtual tour of Kerala's stunning landscapes, from tranquil backwaters to golden beaches, all framed by swaying banana and palm trees that seem to stretch on forever. Discover the rich cultural tapestry of Kerala through ancient temples, formidable forts, and majestic palaces, as our guest shares their encounters with these architectural gems. And, of course, no Kerala adventure is complete without savouring the mouth-watering local cuisine, from the delectable Sadhya to refreshing lemon juice found around every charming corner. Tune in to this episode and let your wanderlust be ignited by the beauty and flavours of coastal Kerala. Do check out our blog for Ninja's itinerary, trip notes, captivating photographs & many food and acco suggestions (& some tips from the hosts too). For some hilarious behind-the-scenes moments, head over to our Instagram page, where we've uploaded ROTFL-worthy video excerpts. Like our work? Follow, Like & Subscribe to our podcast from wherever you are listening in. We would also love to hear from you, so do write to us at: Email: misadventuresofasneaker@gmail.com Instagram: @misadventuresofasneaker Blog: misadventuresofasneaker.substack.com ---------------------------------------------------------- Want to know the guest better: Niranjan (Ninja) on LinkedIn / TeamBHP / Twitter ---------------------------------------------------------- A recommended itinerary based on Ninja's chat: Day 1: Mangalore to Payyanur (100 kms) - Stop over at Bekal fort - Stop over at Kasargod Day 2: Payyanur to Mahe (80 kms) - Stop over at Thalassery Day 3: Mahé to Kozhikode (85 kms) Day 4: Kozhikode to Guruvayur (80 kms) - Chill by the Ponnani river Day 5: Guruvayur to Kochi (85 kms) - Chill by Kuzhupilly beach enroute Day 6: Halt at Kochi - explore the city Day 7: Kochi to Kollam (120 kms) - Allapuza (or Alleppey enroute) - numerous waterways and canals Day 8: Kollam to Trivandrum (90 kms) - Stop over at Kollam - Stop over at Kappil beach - Stop over at Varkala beach Day 9: Trivandrum to Kanyakumari (90 kms) - Stop over at the Pamanabhapuram palace
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Nipah virus cases on the rise in Kerala, Friday prayers called off in Kozhikode, Anantnag encounter: Fresh firing, blasts in Kokernag forest on Day 3, Hours after Congress MLA's arrest, Haryana govt suspends mobile internet service in Nuh and other top news bulletin here.
Kashmir encounter: Two Lashkar militants ‘encircled' in Anantnag, Ghamandiya alliance wants to destroy Sanatana Dharma': PM Modi's fresh dig at INDIA bloc, Nipah outbreak in Kerala: Educational institutions in Kozhikode shut for 2 days and other top news bulletin here.
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As always during this visit also I went to my home town Kozhikode. Sharing some thoughts from that. If you have any questions email me at pahayanmedia@gmail.com. Connect on Social Media - @PahayanMedia on Instagram Telegram: https://t.me/+SYHDtmGQRv5lOTA1 Other Podcasts Penpositive Outclass English Podcast Agile Malayali Malayalam Podcast Vayanalokam Malayalam Book Podcast YouTube Channels Pahayan Media Youtube Channel Agile Malayali YouTube Channel Penpositive YouTube Channel Vinod Narayan YouTube Channel Scrum Positive --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pahayan/message
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ACING CAREER POST MATERNITY | TGV CORPORATE DIVA DEEPIKA RAJOR | #TGV318 All moms work full-time. Working moms work overtime.~UnknownTune into #TGV318 to get clarity on the above topic. Here are the timestamp-based pointers from Deepika's conversation with Naveen Samala on The Guiding Voice0:00:00 INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT SETTING 0:05:15 Deepika's PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY AND THE TOP 3 THINGS THAT HELPED IN her SUCCESS0:08:45 What motivated her to step up and become a leader in the organization?0:12:18 What kind of challenges did you face post-maternity?0:19:00 What actions did Deepika take to ace her career after the break0:28:00 What she thinks is the most significant barrier to female leadership?0:30:00 What's the most dangerous behavior/trait that you have seen derail female leaders' careers?0:35:00 WITTY ANSWERS TO THE RAPID-FIRE QUESTIONS0:41:00 ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO THOSE ASPIRING TO MAKE BIG IN THEIR CAREERS 0:45:30 TRIVIA ABOUT challenges that women leaders face…ABOUT THE GUEST:Our special guest today is, Deepika Rajor, who is not just a qualified Human Resource professional for 13 years now, but a doting mother of 2 beautiful daughters as well. She has beautifully integrated her personal & professional life, after facing some of the toughest times during her journey towards transitioning from Corporate to Motherhood and back. She is an Electronics & Communications engineer from Delhi College of Engineering & a management graduate from the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode. She is a doodler and an aspiring coach. Connect with Deepika on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepika-rajor-she-her-98683a21/CONNECT WITH THE HOST ON LINKEDIN:Naveen Samala: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naveensamalahttp://www.naveensamala.comIf you'd like to contribute to our mission, please donate (any amount of your choice) through Paypalhttps://paypal.me/NaveenSamlaorIf you are in India, you may PhonePe/Google Pay at +918978002290 (Naveen Samala)If you wish to become a productivity monk: enroll for this course: https://www.udemy.com/course/productivitymonk/TGV Inspiring Lives Volume 1 is available on Amazon for pre-orderKindle:https://amzn.eu/d/cKTKtyCPaperback:https://amzn.eu/d/4Y1HAXj#TGV is available in Hindi & Telugu:https://youtube.com/@tgvhindi https://youtube.com/@tgvtelugu Audio:https://open.spotify.com/show/2wyLNGG0tsHucmhRauh4o3 https://open.spotify.com/show/3fCfHwoFIiehHJSPcgoX4I FOLLOW ON TWITTER:@guidingvoice@naveensamala Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In this episode of the highly anniversaried #BallisBae NBA Podcast, we talk about the state of our early season predictions, and about TV shows that we felt will last till the end of time. We also take a look at the recently concluded Feasto All-India Basketball tournament and some things there that were undesirable. Lastly, we talk about our new year resolutions for Ball is Bae and what promising promises we hope to take on this year.
The third episode of History Zone podcast discusses how the rulers of Kozhikode usurped the right to preside over the legendary festival Mamangam. Valluvakonathiri, who was the ruler of Valluvanad, was the presiding ruler of Mamangam festival. However, Zamorins usurped that right. Sruthin Lal, cofounder of Archival Research Project, narrates this story. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fourth-news/message
SPEAKER:Prof. Stephen Dale is an Emeritus Professor of South Asian and Islamic History at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio USA. He has written books on Kerala (Islamic Society on the South Asian Frontier, The Mappilas of Malabar, 1498-1922 , Babur (The Garden of the Eight Paradises, Babur and the Culture of Empire in Centra Asia, Afghanistan and India, 1483-1530, ,The Muslim Empires of the Ottomans, Safavids and Mughals, The Orange Trees of Marrakesh, Ibn Khaldun and the Science of Man Babur, Timurid Prince and Mughal Emperor. He first came to India on a Fulbright Teaching grant in 1963, when he met Jawaharlal Nehru along with several other Fulbright grantees. Later he visited India many times, living in Kozhikode, Kerala and Chennai, and traveling in different parts of the country. He was most recently in India in 2020, with his wife, when he spoke on Babur at the Jaipur Literary Festival.EXPLORE MORE:Find out about upcoming sessions and learn how you can join them live and become a part of the conversation - https://www.argumentativeindians.comDISCLAIMER:We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians do not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in any way responsible for the stance, words, and comments of our guests.Explore More at - www.argumentativeindians.comDISCLAIMER:We invite thought leaders from across the ideological spectrum. The guests in our sessions express their independent views and opinions. Argumentative Indians does not profess to subscribe, agree or endorse the same or be in anyway responsible for the stance, words and comments of our guests.
The first episode is on the story of the birth of Kozhikode town. Around 1000 years ago, the last Cheraman Perumal who had ruled Kerala divided the land into several princely states. Vikkiran and Manichan who were the confidant warriors of Perumal were given a small port in the North part of Kerala. They had developed it into Kozhikode town. Historians MGS Narayanan and VV Haridas share their knowledge on this piece of history in the podcast produced and presented by Sruthin Lal, co-founder of Archival Research Project (ARPO) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fourth-news/message
In light of the ban by the government, TOI's Rajeev KR from Kozhikode explains why, despite its growth, the Popular Front of India remained on the fringes.
While justifying his arrest and prolonged detention, the UP government had told Supreme Court that Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan had deep links with terror funding organisations like Popular Front of India and its student wing, Campus Front of India. The claim was denied by Kappan and his counsel. Popular Front of India, or PFI as it is known in common parlance, is an outfit which has been in the eye of storm since its formation. What is PFI? Created in 2007, PFI describes itself as the “organisation that fights for the rights of minorities, Dalits, and marginalised communities”. The decision to form the organisation was made on November 22, 2006, in Kozhikode, Kerala. And it is headquartered in New Delhi. PFI was founded after merging three Islamic organisations in southern India, the National Democratic Front, the Karnataka Forum for Dignity, and the Manitha Neethi Pasarai. The organisation does not contest elections but carries on social and religious work among Muslims. Another outfit, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) emerged from PFI in 2009. It raises political issues for Muslims, Dalits, and other marginalised communities. PFI provides ground workers to SDPI. So why is PFI controversial? PFI has been repeatedly accused of riots, murders, and having links with terrorist organisations in the state. In 2012, then chief minister of Kerala Oommen Chandy told the High Court that PFI is “nothing but a resurrection of the banned outfit SIMI”. The Chandy government also filed an affidavit saying that PFI workers were involved in 27 murder cases. Most of those killed were from RSS and CPM. PFI vs RSS: A rivalry through the years But PFI workers are not the only ones accused of murders. The age-old rivalry between RSS and CPM has seen hundreds from both the sides losing their lives to violent attacks. PFI is the new entrant to this club. In April 2022, A Subair, PFI president of Elappully, was killed outside a mosque. The police said that the killer's vehicle was registered under the name of S Sanjith, a slain RSS worker. Sanjith was allegedly killed in November 2021, allegedly by the workers of PFI and SDPI. In April 2022, SK Sreenivasan, another RSS worker, was hacked to death in Palakkad. Abubakar Siddique, PFI secretary for Palakkad, was arrested in September on the charge of Sreenivasan's murder. Abubakr was also arrested in 2020 for inciting violence during the anti-CAA protests.
For the girls of Sree Gokulam Kerala FC - India's top women's football club - the 16th of August flight between Kozhikode and Tashkent was not just between two cities. It was between two different emotions - hope and despair. Soon after landing in Uzbekistan to play in the AFC Women's Club Championship – Asia's top women's club competition -- they were told about the news. FIFA had banned the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for “excessive interference by a third party.” This action meant that the Under 17 FIFA Women's World Cup, all set to be hosted by India in October, stands suspended. The move will also have larger, adverse implications for the game in the country. It meant that the national football teams cannot take part in FIFA tournaments, which include the qualification matches for Asia Cup and for World Cup. So why did FIFA take this extreme step? The AIFF's constitution and elections were at the centre of a dispute between FIFA and the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA). The CoA had prepared a draft constitution that was opposed by the state assembly bodies in the first place. It also decided to form an executive committee which would involve a 50-50 representation of players with voting rights and state assembly members. FIFA saw it as a violation of the rules and a deviation from what was agreed upon earlier. FIFA wants the AIFF administration to be put back in charge of day-to-day operations, a revision of the constitution and an independent electoral committee overseeing the elections. The Supreme Court told the government to take “proactive steps” with FIFA and set things right. The Under 17 Women's World Cup is scheduled to kick-off in mid-October and the ticket sales for the event has started earlier this month. Experts say even though it is difficult to put an exact number on the loss the AIFF might incur due to advertising, media and other deals, it will likely be minimal if the tournament eventually moves out of India. According to FIFA, the investment in the Under 17 FIFA World Cup tournament is budgeted at $21 million. If we look at the Under 17 Men's World Cup that India hosted, the global brand and India sponsors shelled out relatively small amounts on television advertising, while broadcaster Sony spent about Rs 50-60 crore. According to a FICCI report, the tournament recorded the highest attendance for a FIFA Youth World Cup in history and garnered the highest viewership among international football tournaments broadcasted in India. Currently, there are only global brands and no national brands associated with the Women's World Cup, but they might step in closer to the tournament. Viacom 18 is the broadcast partner for the upcoming Under-17 Women's World Cup. But more than the Women's world cup, experts say there will be bigger financial implications for the overall football ecosystem in India due to the ban. If the ban continues, AIFF will also be stripped of FIFA's funding, which could lead to stress on the finances of the federation. According to a Business Standard report, 40-50 per cent of football sponsorship money could be affected by the ban. Advertisers could also pull back some of their investments in football leagues such as the Indian Super League. After the successful hosting of the Chess Olympiad, the Under 17 Women's Football World Cup would have given another leg up to the non-cricketing sports in India, not only in terms of eyeballs but also private capital. It is unfortunate that the tournament is stuck in administrative slack.
In October 2019, Jolly Joseph from Koodathayi, a small town in Kerala, India, was arrested by local police for allegedly killing her husband, Roy Thomas. In time, it would be revealed that between 2002 to 2017, Jolly was allegedly responsible for the deaths of 6 members of her family. The victims included Jolly's mother-in-law Annamma Thomas (died in 2002), father-in-law Tom Thomas (2008), her husband Roy (2011), her husband's maternal uncle Mathew Manjadiyil (2014), her cousin-in-law Shaju's daughter Alphine (2014), and Shaju's former wife Sily (2016). In this time, Jolly inherited money and property from her in-laws and also went on to marry Shaju in 2017, less than a year after his wife passed away. After Roy Thomas' brother raised suspicion regarding the deaths and approached the police, a once-forgotten criminal complaint was re-visited by the Kozhikode police. This time, more charges were added, including death caused by the administering of cyanide, a poison, all in the pursuit of property and love. Jolly's involvement in all the cases gave way to a 12,000-page chargesheet, evidence list, and witness list to be submitted before a Kerala court. We are still awaiting the trial in this case, which is expected to begin momentarily. Till then Jolly languishes in jail, hoping that the evidence in the cases are not enough to put her away for life.Find out more at - https://ivmpodcasts.com/miss-conduct-blogYou can follow our hosts on Instagram.Miss Conduct: https://instagram.com/missconductpodRagavi: https://www.instagram.com/ragi.dosai/Nisha: https://www.instagram.com/just.nishful.thinking/You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app. You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featuredDo follow IVM Podcasts on social media.We are @IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.Follow the show across platforms:Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavan, Gaana, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music
This week, The Musafir Stories speaks to Ajay Kamalakaran, a writer and traveller as we explore the beautiful town of Calicut or Kozhikode, in the Malabar region of Kerala!!!Today's destination: Calicut or Kozhikode, KeralaNearest Airport: Calicut International Airport (CCJ)Nearest Railway Station: Kozhikode Railway Station (CLT)Prerequisites - N/APacking - Pack lightTime of the year - October to FebruaryLength of the itinerary: 2-3 daysItinerary Highlights: Ajay sets off on our virtual trip to Calicut by speaking about the historical significance of the place, the influence of the Zamorins or Samoothris as well as the conquest of the colonial powers starting with the arrival of Vasco da Gama on the shores of Calicut. Some of the first pit stops in the city include the famous Kuttichira, a heritage locality popular for some wonderful monuments like the Miskhal mosque and the Tali temple. Ajay discusses the history of the place, architecture, cultural influences of the Chinese as well as Arab merchants which forms a part of the popular culture. We also discuss the popular eateries in Calicut, including the influence of the Arab and Gulf cuisine. We talk about the busy SM Street and its specialities including Halwa and Banana chips. Ajay then takes us to some of the prominent beaches including the Calicut beach and Kappad beach, where Vasco Da Gama first landed in India. Ajay also shares the experience of walking about in SM Street area as well as watching a movie in an old single screen theatre - Radha talkies. Ajay speaks of the popular personalities of Calicut including the former Defense Minister, VK Krishna Menon, PT Usha and author Vaikom Basheer as well as his hometown of Beypore and its shipbuilding industry. We discuss short day trips that cna be done from Calicut - Kannur, Ponnani, Thalassery and other places nearby including Mahe. Finally Ajay shares his experience interacting with the locals from different communities - including the oldest woman freedom fighter, Parsi community Links:Ajay Kamalakaran's newsletter - https://ajaykamalakaran.substack.comAjay's Twitter - https://twitter.com/AjayKamalakaran Ajay's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajaykamalakaran/Ajay's episode on Sakhlin islands: https://themusafirstories.com/podcasts/explore-sakhalin-island-with-ajay-kamalakaran/Image Credit - Photo by Arun Geetha Viswanathan on Unsplash Battle music: Sota War (https://freesound.org/people/YleArkisto/sounds/258207/ ) by YleArkisto (https://freesound.org/people/YleArkisto/ ) is licensed under CC by 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ )Follow the Musafir stories on:Twitter : https://twitter.com/musafirstories?lang=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/themusafirstories/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musafirstoriespodcast/?hl=enwebsite: www.themusafirstories.comemail: themusafirstories@gmail.comYou can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/
With shortlists for most of the IIMs or Indian Institutes of Management out and the deadline for applications at management schools across the country approaching, students are in a fix over which b-school to choose. To simplify this process for prospective MBA students, Business Standard has come up with its annual B-School Survey. The survey ranks b-schools across different categories. The final ranking of the institutes that have participated this year has been obtained by arriving at a weighted composite score comprising the audit index and the perception index. The audit index is calculated on the basis of a self-audit, with suitable back-checks, by the B-schools on different parameters. The perception index is a weighted score arrived at by merging ratings obtained from the industry, such as those from alumni and HR professionals. Each parameter has been assigned a different weight based on the directions of an expert committee. Business schools in each category have been placed in an alphabetical order and don't follow their percentile scores. The top nine B-schools make up the Super League 1. The list includes The Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) under the University of Delhi, IIMs in Bengaluru, Kolkata, Indore, Kozhikode and Lucknow, Management Development Institute Gurgaon, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research Mumbai and XLRI Xavier School of Management Jamshedpur. The next is Super League 2. It has the Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi at the top. Followed by Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai. IMT Ghaziabad is ranked third in the category. Then comes the A1, A2, A3 and A4 Categories. Students who could make it to the top colleges can choose any of them. All of them have good placement records. To see the full list of rankings, visit business-standard.com. Based on three parameters (read them out), the survey has compiled the list of top colleges by return on investment. This include Department of Management Studies IIT Delhi, Faculty of Management Studies Delhi and Indian Instuitite of Management Bangalore among others. Business Standard also compiled a list of top 10 government and private colleges. While the top government colleges include the usual suspects, top private colleges are Great Lakes Institute of Management Chennai, Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, Institute of Rural Management Anand and K J Somaiya Institute of Management Mumbai among others. Indian companies, mostly the IT firms which are facing huge attrition, are hiring like never before. And it may go on for the next few years. For example, at Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, final placement ended within three days. . Of the 112 firms that registered, 57 had to be sent apology letters. Watch video
A version of this essay was published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/india/punjab-phenomenon-is-devastating-psychologically-but-is-it-just-reversion-to-the-mean-10254751.htmlPerhaps I am naive, but growing up in the South, I had a healthy respect for Sikhs, whom I viewed as men of honor and of principle. Later when I lived in California, I visited the Gadar Memorial Hall, and I wrote in 1996 (“Across a chasm of 75 years, the eyes of these dead mean speak to today’s Indian-American”) about the photographs of “glowering young men”, long-dead patriots, mostly Sikhs.I wrote of Kartar Singh Sarabha, the 19-year-old from the University of California, Berkeley, who was hanged by the British for ‘sedition’ in 1915. He inspired others like Bhagat Singh. And then there is the Komagata Maru incident; once again Sikhs were prominent. They were the ones who tried, as economic migrants, to move to Canada and the US, and were forced to return, and massacred on arrival.Thanks for reading Shadow Warrior! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Later, I read O V Vijayan’s under-appreciated masterpiece The Path of the Prophet, and he spoke of “the lament of the innocent first-borns”, and I learned from a colleague named Inderjeet Gujral how he literally was the first-born of a Hindu family who had become a Sikh.Vijayan wrote of the betrayal ordinary Sikhs felt when the Indian Army attacked the Golden Temple. I wrote about Jallianwallah Bagh (“Remember Jallianwallah Bagh!”) and the sacrifice of the Sikhs, quoting Vijayan (translation from the Malayalam is mine):As far as the eye can see, gallows, hundreds and thousands of them; and on them, smiling, hanged martyrs, Sikhs! Merchants, hedonists, yet they paid the price for freedom. They loved India deeply.In 2019, I went to Kala Pani, the infamous penitentiary in Port Blair, the Andamans. They broke our patriots there, in a Panopticon, as visualized by the famous British liberal Jeremy Bentham. I paid homage to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. And I read the plaques that had long lists of those incarcerated there: and they were disproportionately Sikhs and Bengalis.Thank you for reading Shadow Warrior. This post is public so feel free to share it.Therefore it is with personal anguish that I have followed the trajectory of the Khalistani movement, and the anti-India fervor espoused by them, including the Air India Kanishka bombing, followed by their infiltration into the farm-bill agitation. There is reason to believe that there are hostile entities’ fingerprints all over.Then there were the horrifying incidents of two lynchings, one in Amritsar and the other in Kapurthala. It is likely that both the victims were Hindus (the authorities have carefully refrained from naming them and the media has not produced tear-jerker stories about their grieving relatives, and by past experience this only happens when the murdered are Hindus). The likely implication is that there is a plan (now that Afghanistan is in the bag) by the ISI to escalate things back to the daily murders and mayhem in the pre-KPS Gill days in the 1990s.Worryingly, this is the same template that was used by the ISI to ethnically cleanse Hindus from Jammu & Kashmir in 1990. In Punjab, too, many Hindus were killed; but there was no exodus. Perhaps the idea now is to create enough terror and force a migration of Hindus out of Punjab.That fits the proposed map from “Sikhs for Justice” of ‘Khalistan’, which, notably, does not include any Pakistani territory, not even the Gurudwara Shri Kartarpur Sahib. That is telling. Also notice that J&K is not even in the map! This is reminiscent of similarly expansive ‘Eelam’ maps put out by LTTE, which included much of southern India. Therefore we can conclude that there is a clear political angle. But there is also a socio-economic angle to the troubles in Punjab.For one thing, there are serious caste fissures among Sikhs, and Jat Sikhs dominate and in some sense oppress SC Sikhs. And apparently Jat-ness transcends religion and even national boundaries: I was amused when a famous woman journalist bragged on Twitter that her half-Pakistani, out-of-wedlock son has classic Jat looks! Apparently this is also behind massive conversions to Christian churches in Punjab recently: what I gather is that the SC Sikhs are converting en masse perhaps in a rebuke to Jats.But I wonder if there are also some more mundane explanations. It may well be a reversion to the mean. Those parts of India that were ahead may well be now declining in relative terms. Similarly there’s the interesting idea of the “middle-income trap” that has caused some nations to stumble in their path to wealth.In addition to Punjab with its many freedom fighters (some of whom are alluded to above), Bengalis clearly led the flowering of a nationalist consensus, and there was a veritable constellation of greats: famous names like Bankim Chandra, Rash Behari Bose, Swami Vivekananda, Shri Aurobindo, Subhas Chandra Bose, all the way to unknowns like Bina Das.So what happened to West Bengal? Why is it benighted, and not the glittering center of Indian civilization? Have both Bengal and Punjab regressed to a mean, after having been outliers for a long time? Of course the two also bore the brunt of Partition.There is another reason to believe there is a reversion to the mean. Consider which states are well off and which states are poor. Look at the poverty rates in the graph.Remarkable, isn’t it? The least poor states are: Kerala, Sikkim, Goa, Delhi and Punjab. For the moment, let us ignore Sikkim, Goa and Delhi as they are small. (By the way, earlier data I found showed that J&K was by far the least poor territory. I am not sure what has changed.) So let us look at Kerala and Punjab.There is a simple reason for Kerala’s prosperity: it is a money-order economy, taking advantage of the superior indices of high school education and of healthcare, a legacy from the enlightened rulers of Travancore. This led to mass emigration, first to the rest of India, and later to many parts of the world: not only West Asia, but also rich white countries. Result: remittance money that props up creaking state finances.Take a look at the footnote in the graph: Kottayam district in Kerala has 0.0% poverty! Why is this? Kottayam (and nearby Ernakulam, also a winner) are the most Christian areas in Kerala, and produce the majority of the nurses who have become a major export: you can find Kerala-origin Christian nurses in large numbers in every part of the rich world. They emigrate, bring family members, and send good money back.More recently there has been a virtual invasion of oil-rich West Asia by Kerala people, leading to a windfall (most often from Muslim-dominated Kozhikode district, another winner). But that is coming to an end: I read that some 15 lakh emigres have returned, often after losing their jobs.Similarly, Punjab’s prosperity is easily explained. Punjabis are talented farmers (note the Sikh-Mexican Catholic farmers of California’s Central Valley who have become some of the biggest producers of almonds and so on there) and landowning castes (Jats in particular) benefited from the Green Revolution.These castes now do not want to share their prosperity with their landless laborer brethren; besides, they figured out how to make big bucks as intermediary arhatiyas who, among other things, ‘import’ lower-priced grain from other states and demand high support prices in Punjab. In other words, their prosperity now depends on looting the taxpayer and converting public property to private gain. Thus the opposition to the farm bills.Slowly but surely, this neat trick will cease to work, and Punjab’s gains will disappear.If I were a betting man, I’d bet on the laggard Gangetic Plain lands: yes, Bihar, UP, MP. All of them are low-hanging fruits, and within a decade, with good policies, leadership and a bit of luck, they will be the places to be. That would only be a reversion to what once was: the Gangetic Plain led the country with its empires: Mauryan, Gupta etc (of course, later there were the Cholas, Chalukyas and Vijayanagar as glittering imperial states).Thus regression to the mean may not be such a bad thing; and it is only in relative terms. In absolute terms, the entire nation will rise. And I suspect Punjabi separatism will subside, too. It is fairly clear that Sikhs are better off in India than in an imaginary ‘Khalistan’: they merely need to reflect on how they had to flee from Afghanistan with their sacred books as soon as the ISI won there.1350 words, 31 Dec 2021 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com
A version of this essay was published by Swarajya magazine at https://swarajyamag.com/ideas/all-those-anniversaries-but-they-all-may-boil-down-to-the-powerful-screwing-the-meekIs this a particularly momentous year? 2021 has important anniversaries, and everyone has heard about at least that of the 9/11/2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York. But there are other anniversaries too, and when I started looking at them, what struck me is a theme: so many of them end up with the strong taking advantage of the weak to loot or persecute the latter! That may be a coincidence, but it is intriguing.For instance, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Moplah Riot in Malabar, in which Muslims attacked, slaughtered, raped and forcibly converted thousands of their Hindu neighbors for no fault of theirs, but simply because Turkey had abolished its caliphate. This year is also the 30th anniversary of India’s economic reforms, wherein then-Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao began to dismantle the stifling dirigiste state that had condemned hundreds of millions of Indians to poverty. At least this case is positive: it marked the beginning of the end of the pauperization of India’s masses by malign forces. This is also the 20th anniversary of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization, which event has done so much for the Chinese economy, essentially helping it become the hub of global manufacturing, although a remarkable technological innovation helped it too, and more on that later.2021 is also the 50th anniversary of the US going off the gold standard under Richard Nixon. This led to the dollar becoming the unofficial reserve currency of the world, and that brought great economic clout, because the US could now print dollars at will, without having to hold an equivalent amount of the precious metal. Undoubtedly there are other anniversaries I am unaware of, but let’s just go with these. What is intriguing is the connections between them.On the anniversary of 9/11, we saw Biden’s debacle in Afghanistan. The question is why it took the US twenty long years to discover that they were in a no-win situation and that they were being led by the nose by Pakistan into things that were not in their interest.It was evident to observers that things were going wrong as early as the 2001 November siege of Kunduz. I wrote at the time What happened in Kunduz | Rediff.com that the US allowing Pakistan to airlift its soldiers to safety (quite a few brigadiers etc were masquerading as Taliban) was an unfathomable act. But the US Deep State apparently had other ideas. Even when the CIA station chief was blown up Khost massacre: A point of inflexion in Obama’s War | Rediff.com in 2009, and bin Laden captured in 2011, the Deep State maintained its steadfast romance with the ISI. Why? There are many possible reasons. One is that it was hubris leading to stupidity. Second, the $2-$3 trillion dollars spent was a windfall for the military industrial complex, so why would they stop the gravy train?Chances are that it was hubris and stupidity in play. The Deep State simply couldn’t imagine a situation in which the US was no longer the only game in town. They were sticking with an old playbook that had outlived its usefulness, wherein American money and overwhelming military power could solve all problems, but that world is long gone. If it ever existed. What they didn’t realize was that China’s accession to the WTO, and its insidious and steady deindustrialization of the US, had created a situation where it is essentially impossible to go back to a status quo ante where, as in the dialog from Top Gun, it was only “rubber dog-s**t from Hong Kong” that America needed to import, nothing of consequence. This is where the retreat from the gold standard becomes relevant. By printing dollars by the boatload, the US has now become the world’s biggest debtor, as Chinese savings flowed in and allowed the US to live beyond its means, by selling $3 trillion in treasury securities to the Chinese. That makes China and the US co-dependent in an uncomfortable way. If the Chinese were to dump US treasuries, the dollar would fall, and the value of their investments would collapse as well. On the other hand, if the US were to confiscate Chinese assets (as they have done to Afghan assets), they would have a war on their hands. Stalemate!But that’s not all. The dollar was a powerful weapon in the hands of US elites, especially their investment bankers, a few years ago. They were able to fend off the Japanese challenge in the 1980s via the magic of the Plaza Accord of 1985, which caused the dollar to depreciate, and eventually forced the Japanese economy into its lost decades of malaise.Unfortunately, that weapon is no longer available, because the investment bankers are now China’s best friends in the US China Has One Powerful Friend Left in the U.S.: Wall Street - WSJ. This is partly because investment banks have invested a lot there; they are not particularly tied to geography, and their clients, the big corporates, are also vested there. These clients are finding it difficult to extricate themselves from China, even if you assume that they wish to do so.There is one other aspect of the supply chain vassaldom that the US is facing now: the role of the humble shipping container. The standardization of the 20 foot or 40 foot container and the concomitant dramatic fall in the cost and elapsed time for trans-Pacific shipping were the initial impetus for the migration of manufacturing to then low-cost Asia. There was also a remarkable unintended consequence of the Vietnam war. The US Navy containerized early, according to a fascinating podcast titled Thinking inside the box—the story of the shipping container | The Economist. They were sending so many containers to the war front, it made no sense to return them empty, and so they started picking up shiploads of electronics goods from Japan, and that’s how the shift to importing manufactured goods from Asia began.It’s too soon to tell what the unintended consequences of the Afghan war will be. There is indeed the possibility that it will be China’s Waterloo, as it was for the Soviets and the Americans. It may well lead to the collapse of the Chinese empire, a desirable outcome.Let us now revisit the question of the Deep State benefiting from the Afghan war (at the expense of the US taxpayer). It was clearly a transfer of wealth from the public purse to private interests. There are other examples of extortion subtly presented as something noble, or at least something in which a player was helpless. An excellent recent example is the 1973 oil price shock. OPEC suddenly tripled oil prices, and it was extortionate, because all economies had become addicted to cheap oil.Thus it was impossible for most nations to reduce their oil consumption overnight, however much they tightened the belt. The result was a dramatic transfer of wealth from sovereign nations to OPEC’s coffers. Of course, rich countries including the US were affected, but they could afford it. The real burden fell on poor, emerging nations, and what they should have been spending on their people was instead transferred to OPEC.That was grand theft. Immoral too, as it literally took food from the mouths of the starving.But there was an interesting twist. Much of the money that OPEC grabbed from all of us ended up in the US by dint of massive arms purchases by Saudi Arabia et al. The Deep State won. The US had enough clout and enough weapons that they could probably have forced OPEC to reduce the price shock, but they didn’t. OPEC looked like nasty, mean, inhumane monsters, but the US looked like a victim, too.The US thus neatly covered up its role in the crime.There is another fascinating example of clever extortion, this time from India, in the case of Tipu Sultan’s attacks on Malabar in the 1780s, which were a combined religious war and a war for loot. He captured the Samoothiri’s kingdom of Kozhikode, and principalities such as Valluvanad, Ernad, and parts of Kochi. Until Travancore repulsed him in 1790 at its Nedumkotta fortification with the aid of a ‘river bomb’, he was successful in both his goals. Tipu was clear that temples were his target, along with religious conversion. He knew that, enriched by over two millennia of the spice trade, Kerala’s temples were storehouses of wealth -- and the reason is that temples were the centers of social activity, disaster relief, public works and culture, and so people donated generously to them.The British were also keenly aware of this, and so they devised a diabolical plan. They would allow, or even secretly encourage, Tipu to prosecute his jihad on Kerala. And once he had hauled all the wealth to Srirangapatnam, they would attack, and take all the loot in one go. Very efficient, and they would get none of the blame of desecrating temples, but be lionized as the saviors of southern India. And that is exactly what they did. In fact, it was worse. The Brits were allegedly treaty allies of Travancore, but stood by and did nothing when Tipu attacked; but they charged Travancore the entire cost of the Third Anglo-Mysore war, on the theory that their attack on Srirangapatnam forced Tipu to retreat. This paupered Travancore, and a powerful British Resident was installed, who dictated policy. One of the policies forced upon the kingdom was the commingling of temple properties and State properties, which in effect made most smaller temples unviable; furthermore, one Munro, a Resident, forced the reigning Queen to donate Rs. 10,000 to the church in 1819, a huge fortune then, which led to massive conversion drives. Within 100 years, according to the Travancore Manual, Christians went from 6% to 33% in the kingdom.But the newspapers then and historians now give full marks to the Brits for their compassion and wisdom; meanwhile they enjoy their ill-gotten gains.Tipu destroyed and desecrated scores of temples big and small, and converted thousands at the point of the sword. That is how there is a large Muslim population in Malabar. And it was these local Muslims who went on a jihad in 1921 on the flimsy excuse of the ban on the caliphate in distant Turkey.The story put about by communists is that this was either a) a ‘peasant revolt’ against rich Hindu landlords, or b) a ‘freedom struggle’ against the British. We can easily eliminate (b) because not a single Briton was attacked, but thousands of Hindus were. As for (a), it turns out that the vast majority of those killed, converted, raped etc. were lower-caste Hindu agricultural laborers and so that explanation is also a little wanting.In a new book, Beyond Rampage: West Asian Contacts of Malabar and the Khilafat, Dr Hari Shankar, an archaeologist and scholar, argues that the riot was instigated by wealthy Muslim traders looking to expand their monopoly over the sea-borne timber trade to the Middle East and Turkey from the Nilambur forests, where the lands were owned by the temples. This is an intriguing hypothesis: and once again economics may explain hidden motives.There is yet another anniversary that is not spoken of very much: Brahma Chellaney pointed out that September 19th is the 61st anniversary of the unbelievably one-sided Indus Water Treaty. Said he on Twitter:Thus the various anniversaries we have seen this year may be connected in subtle ways. Going forward, we may also see in the new AUKUS pact the genesis of a new white Anglosphere alliance, with the Quad being downgraded, and non-white, non-Anglo partners such as India, Japan and Indonesia being dumped by the West. And the EU as well, as France indicated with its furious reaction.Twenty years later, we might look back on 2021 as the time the West retreated into an atavistic shell. Alternatively, perhaps we will see it as the beginning of the dissolution of the Chinese empire, and its retreat back into its Han homeland on the eastern coast. It is too soon to tell now. But I do suspect 2021 will turn out to be the year of living dangerously. 2000 words, Sept 21, 2021. Updated Sept 28, 2021. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com
The Elephant in the podcast is now 40 episodes old/young, I am not fussed
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