Category Archives: Op-eds
Disappointing persons of the year 2021
I’m starting to think that in this day and age, you will but err when you pick individuals for traditionally ‘prestigious’ awards, prizes, recognitions, etc., probably because the sort of people who can stand out by themselves have to have … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Science, Tech
Tagged Balram Bhargava, Elon Musk, Indian Council of Medical Research, persons of the year, SpaceX, Tesla, The Week, TIME Magazine
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Don’t donate bad food and call it ‘dharma’
There’s a troubling pattern among some people who give food away to homeless people and beggars. I have seen this happen first-hand with my folks, my extended family and their wider group of neighbours and acquaintances. All of them are … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Op-eds
Tagged Brahmins, Chocos, circular economy, dharma, junk food, noncommunicable diseases, street dogs
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The ‘one billion doses’ hype
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed India’s people 10 times during the country’s COVID-19 epidemic. This is fairly regular but also not frequent – that is, Modi’s addresses are something of special occasions, especially since it’s one of the few … Continue reading
He is never wrong
Akshay Deshmane reported for The Morning Context on October 20 that the Union environment ministry has reversed two important decisions it made earlier this year: (a) to invite private law firms to help amend the Indian Forest Act 1927 and … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds
Tagged Bhupender Yadav, Delhi high court, draft EIA notification 2020, ex post facto, Harsh Vardhan, Indian Forest Act 1927, Mansukh Mandaviya, MoEFCC, Prakash Javadekar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
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NCBS retraction – addenda
My take on the NCBS paper being retracted, and the polarised conversation that has erupted around the incident, is here. The following are some points I’d like to add. a. Why didn’t the editorial and peer-review teams at Nature Chemical … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Science
Tagged Arati Ramesh, Elisabeth Bik, image manipulation, journal paywall, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Nature Chemical Biology, research misconduct, riboswitches
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The problems with one-shot Covishield
NDTV quoted unnamed sources in the Indian government saying it will be conducting a study to assess the feasibility of deploying the Covishield vaccine in a single-dose regimen instead of continuing the extant double-dose regimen. At any other time, such … Continue reading
Posted in Analysis, Op-eds
Tagged B.1.1.7 variant, B.1.617.2 variant, COVID-19 pandemic, Covishield, Government of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Public Health England, Serum Institute of India, vaccine effectiveness, vaccine efficacy, Vishwaguru
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The political theatre of Vardhan v. Ramdev
Last week, Baba Ramdev made offensive remarks against allopathic medicine and against people desperately looking for oxygen for their loved ones hospitalised with COVID-19. On Sunday, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan sent a letter to Ramdev asking him to withdraw … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds
Tagged Baba Ramdev, Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, Harsh Vardhan, Indian Medical Association, Manmohan Singh, political theatre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whataboutery
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On the PSA’s new COVID-19 advisory
The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, K. VijayRaghavan, has issued a new advisory emphasising the roles of “masks, distance, sanitation and ventilation” to end the country’s COVID-19 epidemic. Over the last few weeks, … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Scicomm
Tagged airborne transmission, behavioural economics, COVID-19 advisory, K VijayRaghavan, principal scientific advisor, vaccination centres, ventilation
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Melinda, Bill and Jeffrey (Epstein)
I’m not sure what to make of Bill Gates as he features in the New York Times‘s report on his divorce with Melinda French Gates, although it’s tempting to see hints of that attitude so often on display when the … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds
Tagged Arizona State University, Bill Gates, George Church, Jean-François Gariépy, Jeffrey Epstein, John Brockman, Joi Ito, Lawrence Krauss, Melinda French Gates, MIT, Seth Lloyd
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Courts and COVID
India’s courts have played a prominent in helping (or not) the country manage its COVID-19 epidemic, especially during the second wave this year – from asking the government to explain which proofs of identity will be accepted at vaccination centres … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds
Tagged B.1.1.7, B.1.617, COVID-19 pandemic, Indian judiciary, oxygen shortage, Supreme Court of India
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