Society

Patriotism

Rabindranath Tagore said, “Patriotism cannot be our final spiritual shelter; my refuge is humanity.” And George Bernard Shaw said, “You’ll never have a quiet world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race.” And Bertrand Russell said: “Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons.”

When India wants our love, what does it mean, practically? We are among the most corrupt nations, our air is poisonous in many cities, our roads are congested, this is one of most unsafe places on earth for women, our quality of life is among the worst, and, according to the World Happiness Report, the average Indian is among the most unhappy people on earth. This is a country bereft of street joy—but we are expected to love it.

Without patriotism, a person is in the limbo of cultural orphanhood. Most people are patriots—including the new upper-middle-class and affluent Indians—because they do not belong outside India. Many are uncomfortable outside India. Everything about places outside India tends to make them suffer, probably after an initial one week of excitement. Even the chaos of India comforts them more than the tranquillity of a rich-world town.


Source: Manu Joseph: Why we must love the nation—are there other options?

December 3, 2025 by From Articles 0

Inevitable people

The Graveyard is full of inevitable people ಯಾರೋ ಅಂದರು. ಸ್ಮಶಾನದ ತುಂಬ ನಾನು ತುಂಬ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯ ಅಂದುಕೊಂಡವರ ಸಮಾಧಿ. ನಾವು ದುಡಿಯದೇ ಹೋದರೆ ಏನೇನೋ ಆಗುತ್ತದೆ ಅಂದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತೇವೆ. ತಾನು ನಟಿಸದೇ ಹೋದರೆ ಜನರಿಗೆ ಮನರಂಜನೆಯೇ ಸಿಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ ಸೂಪರ್ ಸ್ಟಾರ್ ಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ತಾನು ಹಾಡದೇ ಹೋದರೆ ಜನಗಣಮನ ಮೌನವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದು ಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಹಾಗೆ ಏನೇನೋ ಅಂದುಕೊಂಡು ದುಡಿಯುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಹಣಕ್ಕೆ, ಹೆಸರಿಗೆ, ಸುಮ್ಮನಿರಲಾಗದ್ದಕ್ಕೆ. ಯಾವ ಪುರುಷಾರ್ಥಕ್ಕೆ ಅಂತ ಕೇಳಿದರೆ ಸಾಕು ಭಗವದ್ಗೀತೆ ಹಾಜರಾಗುತ್ತದೆ; ಕರ್ಮಣ್ಯವಾಧಿಕಾರಸ್ತೇ. ಇದ್ಯಾವ ಕರ್ಮದ ರಸ್ತೆ!

– Saavu (Girish Rao Jogi)

January 3, 2025 by Book Highlights Quotes 0

Politics

Politics, too, is an arena that has engulfed us and miniaturized us into labels that brook no deviation. Once we embrace a label, we are trapped in it and perform our duties as mandated. We must slant our views on all sensitive subjects, shut out evidence to the contrary, celebrate victories on our side with disproportionate glee, and spin our defeats expertly. It is our solemn duty to fight against a contrary opinion and to seek refuge in the banality of like-mindedness. We are convinced we are right, and that can be an exacting burden to carry.

From article : An Ode to Indifference by Santhosh Desai

September 4, 2024 by Confirmation bias From Articles 0

(Un)Certainity

Pic courtesy: Ramnath

We often encounter individuals who suggest or advise something with such strong conviction and confidence that we never bother to inquire about the source of their powerful argument. For instance, the promotion of ghee, coconut oil, and jaggery as being beneficial for health. Observe how twisted this logic is. While these may be better compared to alternatives like palm oil and sugar, that does not necessarily make them inherently good for health. Frequently, these “knowledgeable” people acquire such information from highly biased and unreliable sources, and then they build their narrative upon it. Over time, this story gets embellished, and they come to firmly believe in the legitimacy of their argument. Confirmation Bias plays a huge role here.

August 29, 2024 by Confirmation bias Psychology Society 0

Obsession with Sports and Dance

The mature humans’ ability to indulge so crazily in sports like cricket, football, and the like often amuses me. While playing a game requires physical and mental engagement, the sheer craziness with which they watch and enjoy these sports is simply unexplainable.

Similarly, the idea of watching dance as a form of entertainment is something that only humans seem to be capable of. Dance is essentially a rhythmic, systematic movement of the body parts, either to an external tune or, in some cases, an inner musical rhythm. It must bring joy to the one who performs it, but the human tendency to derive pleasure from merely observing this activity is quite fascinating.

August 29, 2024 by Psychology Society Uncategorized 0

101 Dalmatians effect

I remember there was an animated series named 101 Dalmatians in Cartoon Network which I personally didn’t get connected too much.

101 Dalmatians effect refers to the phenomenon when the animated and live version of the film named 101 Dalmatian was released during 80s and 90s in America. Fascinated by the cuteness and trendiness of owning the one, demand for the Dalmatian dogs surged to the peak. Breeding of this particular breed of dog got spiked, decreasing the numbers of other breeds. But soon after, the buzz of the movie went down, harsh reality of petting sensitive breed of dogs hit hard, more and more orphan animal shelters began to get filled with these helpless animals.

Recent popularity of the series, ‘Game of Thrones’ had the same effect on the breed Siberian Husky. It’s utter impractical to pet an animal native to the region with the temperature below zero degree, in the tropical countries like India. Yes, it does look cool when you take the poor animal for an evening walk, but definite hard on the natural ways the animal is supposed to live.

Imagine cruising down the pothole-ridden roads of India in a sleek supercar, its low ground clearance scraping against every bump. Or donning a full-sleeve formal ensemble, complete with an overcoat and tie, while battling the sweltering heat of southern India. And what of the humble ‘cutting chai’ and Vada Pav of Mumbai, once the domain of the working class, now gracing the tables of the well-to-do (Of course for the price which has no relevance to their original purpose.)

August 8, 2024 by Society 0
February 2026
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
232425262728