Month: September 2013

Home Thoughts from Leuven

Atanu Dey2 Comments

Jet777 The Jet Airways Mumbai to Brussels flight is not too bad as far as timing goes for flights to Europe out of India. It leaves at a reasonable 2 AM (compared to flights that depart at 4 or 5 AM) and gets to Brussels at 8 AM local time (11:30 AM IST.) I caught that flight yesterday morning. A few thoughts on that flight in particular and a few on what the experience says about the Indian economy in general.
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Alan Watts on Living in the Present

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Today’s quote is from Alan Watts. Born in England in 1915, he moved to the US in 1938. He lived in the San Francisco Bay area, around Berkeley. I would have loved to meet him but he passed away in 1973, full 10 years before I got to the SF Bay area.

The wiki says, “Watts wrote more than 25 books and articles on subjects important to Eastern and Western religion, introducing the then-burgeoning youth culture to The Way of Zen (1957), one of the first bestselling books on Buddhism. In Psychotherapy East and West (1961), Watts proposed that Buddhism could be thought of as a form of psychotherapy and not a religion. He also explored human consciousness, in the essay “The New Alchemy” (1958), and in the book The Joyous Cosmology (1962).” Here’s Alan Watts on the importance of living in the present.
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A Short List of Riots under Congress Rule

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1947
Bengal….5,000 to 10,000 dead …CONGRESS RULE.

1967
Ranchi….200 DEAD……….CONGRESS RULE.

1969
Ahmedabad…512 DEAD……..CONGRESS RULE.

1970
Bhiwandi….80 DEAD………….CONGRESS RULE.

1979
Jamshedpur..125 DEAD……CPIM RULE (COMMUNIST PARTY)

1980
Moradabad…2,000 DEAD…CONGRESS RULE.

1983
Nellie Assam…..5,000 DEAD…CONGRESS RULE.

1984
anti-Sikh Delhi…2,733 DEAD…CONGRESS RULE

1984
Bhiwandi….146 DEAD….CONGRESS RULE

1985
Gujarat…..300 DEAD..CONGRESS RULE

1986
Ahmedabad……59 DEAD…..CONGRESS RULE

1987
Meerut….81 DEAD…CONGRESS RULE

1989
Bhagalpur……1,070 DEAD……CONGRESS RULE

1990
Hyderabad……300 PLUS DEAD….CONGRESS RULE

1992
Mumbai….900 TO 2000 DEAD….CONGRESS RULE

1992
Aligarh….176 DEAD…..CONGRESS RULE

Essay: External Shocks and Transformative Change

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External Shock

External shocks — the type that bring about radical change in large, complex systems — is the focus of my recent piece on Niti Central. When things are at their worst, what’s needed is a push to put matters on a different trajectory. I believe that the next general elections has the potential to deliver that for India.

Here’s the text of my piece, for the record. I should also add that in the last paragraph of the piece, I made up an “old Indian adage” just to make it sound profound. Have fun.
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Open Thread: Changes to the Blog

Atanu Dey4 Comments

The Typewriter Monkey Brigade The typewriter monkeys in the basement have been slacking off too much. But the riot act has been read out to them. It seems that their pace will likely pick up — and if it doesn’t, they will be fired. However they need to be paid. So if you wish to help out with the bananas and peanuts the monkeys relish, you could mail them in. But it may be easier for you to just click on the shiny new “Donate” button (conveniently placed on the right hand side column) and I will buy the provisions. OK?

Alright. Now if you have anything on your mind, please feel free to say it in the comments. Bouquets, brickbats, kudos and criticisms welcome.