April 29, 2009
by Atanu Dey
1 Comment
Good work is not done by ‘humble’ men. It is one of the first duties of a professor, for example, in any subject, to exaggerate a little both the importance of his subject and his own importance in it. A … Continue reading
April 29, 2009
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
Endgadget reports that “India bids mythical $10 laptop adieu, turns to OLPC.”
April 29, 2009
by Atanu Dey
0 comments
Just got to know that Iqbal Bano passed away on 21st April in Lahore, Pakistan. She was born and brought up in Delhi. Listening to her sing Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry is deeply moving. Among many well loved songs by … Continue reading
April 28, 2009
by Atanu Dey
3 Comments
In an opinion piece in the Financial Times of April 15th (hat tip: Sudipta), Razeen Sally writes that “the Congress deserves to lose the elections”. Right up front, Sally wrote about “the do-nothing, zero-reform record of Manmohan Singh, prime minister, … Continue reading
April 28, 2009
by Atanu Dey
4 Comments
The topic of the Taliban gaining control of Pakistan is hot this summer. Newspaper editors are busy with lots of serious hand-wringing and mopping of sweaty foreheads. An editorial writer at the New York Times is obviously worried to distraction, … Continue reading
April 25, 2009
by Atanu Dey
0 comments
I was wondering about something the other day. For people who are stupid, we say that they lack a brain. Figuratively, we associate a condition with an organ and say that that organ is missing. So if someone is weak … Continue reading
April 24, 2009
by Atanu Dey
0 comments
It is widely reported and generally held as a fact that the appointed prime minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, is weak and ineffective. He was appointed in 2004 and has dutifully followed the orders that were given to him. … Continue reading
April 22, 2009
by Atanu Dey
4 Comments
I have maintained for a while that the reason that Pakistan gets propped up by the US and its allies is that India and Pakistan are engaged in a dollar auction game and therefore anytime Pakistan is about to go … Continue reading
April 20, 2009
by Atanu Dey
0 comments
One of the consistent themes of this blog has been that India should think big. My favorite quote in this context is from Daniel Burnham, the fabled Chicago architect who said that we should think big: Make no little plans. … Continue reading
April 20, 2009
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
For 55 years, the Congress has been the party in government of India. India has been a command and control socialist economy, which implies that politicians who controlled the license-permit-quota-control raj had the opportunity and the means to collect rents … Continue reading
April 19, 2009
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
“One of the lessons of history is that nothing is often a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say.” Thus spoke Will Durant, the celebrated American historian and philosopher, the author of the 11-volume The Story … Continue reading
April 16, 2009
by Atanu Dey
3 Comments
April is the National Poetry Month in the US. “Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together … Continue reading
April 15, 2009
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
In the previous post, “The Future of Education and Technology,” I wrote that technology will have a disruptive influence on the present education system. But that is par for the course since the influence of technology on education has always … Continue reading
April 15, 2009
by Atanu Dey
3 Comments
Shubho Noboborsho!
April 14, 2009
by Atanu Dey
7 Comments
In what is to follow, I will focus on what is a core concern of this blog: education and related matters. One thing is certain in a world of uncertainty: the system will change. So I would like to ponder … Continue reading
April 14, 2009
by Atanu Dey
6 Comments
I think the biggest clown in the circus must be Mulayan Singh Yadav — affectionately known among his followers as Mullah Singh Yadav — of the Samajwadi Party. He has figured out that computers lie at the root of the … Continue reading
April 12, 2009
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
Perhaps most humans are congenitally belligerent and can be reasonably expected to get into fights. But it takes institutionalized big businesses to create a war machine that raises ordinary human belligerence to levels of superhuman insanity. The war machine — … Continue reading
April 10, 2009
by Atanu Dey
3 Comments
There was a young lady who could sing so beautifully that she would enchant every listener. Her songs could be heard everywhere. She was very good for the music lovers. She became rich and famous. Lots of people wanted her … Continue reading
April 10, 2009
by Atanu Dey
1 Comment
In a few days, Indians will vote in a general election. The result of the elections will determine who gets to make the policies for India. The Congress-led UPA performed dismally over the last five years. No surprise there. The … Continue reading
April 10, 2009
by Atanu Dey
4 Comments
Development inclusive of people in rural areas is not really distinct from development in general. Indeed it is not possible to have real development while excluding the majority of the people — the majority of Indians are rural. Generally speaking, … Continue reading