The Buddha’s birthday is coming up soon. It is on the day of the full moon in May. This time around it is on 27th May. So let’s just all draw a Buddha. Since my drawing skills are somewhat primitive, I will go hi-tech. I post this picture — one that I had taken years ago in California. Now if someone would please start a Facebook page for “Everybody Draw a Buddha Day” — just to keep abreast of the competition here.

“The progress of civilization can be measured by how many people are available to not do any work. The trend has been that of an increasing number of (as well as a larger percentage of) people that don’t have to work. The lower the percentage of people in it that work, the better off the civilization.”

How society actually functions depends on how people expect it to function. Which means that if you could change expectations you could change society. Which requires will and wisdom.

Life is also about the paradox of choice. Economists obsess about choice because at the heart of it all, we have to choose among competing wants since we are bound by limits. Being able to choose freely is a good thing but even with choice, you could have too much of a good thing.

Recently I was reminded of General Patton’s speech to his troops. I have been pondering the matter of urban educated Indians and their apparent apathy towards participating in the political process that fundamentally affects the way India is and how it is going to be. India lacks effective leadership.

Would you believe it that there are newspapers that report total bs without an apology? Here’s one from the newpaper DNA with the rather puzzling slogan “Read the world” : a yogi has gone without food or water for 65 years. That’s an extraordinary claim. But it does not stop there. There are “scientists” who are seriously investigating the claim. That the more extraordinary bit.

Sorry for not keeping in touch. I have been traveling places, meeting people, doing stuff. Very busy by my (admittedly low) standards Anyway, I am fine and thanks for asking. Here’s what I am thinking about

My Dear Abhishek,
It gives me great joy to write a letter to you which you will understand – although you may still have to ask your mom or dad to read it out to you, and explain some bits. My previous letters to you will have to wait till you grow up a bit more.

My friend Rajan Parrikar’s recent photo shoot in the Mojave Desert. He calls it Light and Shadow at the Trona Pinnacles.. “During a recent visit to Death Valley in California’s Mojave Desert, I overnighted in the desert town of Ridgecrest to shoot at the nearby Trona Pinnacles. This atmospheric locale has served as a setting for several well-known sci-fi movies and commercials. The basin with its Trona Pinnacles, the adjacent Searles Lake salt pan serviced by an unlikely railroad, and flanked by the Slate Range to the east and the …

In a comment to a previous post Ketan wrote that the “total number of people required to produce all the goods & services needed to fulfill all the needs of Indian population is less than the available workforce.” I explore that point here.

It is generally true that most of the problems humanity suffers are created by humans. It is also generally true that humans eventually figure out solutions to those problems. However it is important to note that the two sets of humans — the problem-creators and problem-solvers — are disjoint sets. We can paraphrase Einstein’s astute observation: Problems cannot be solved by the same set of institutions and organizations that created them. India’s myriad modern problems have their genesis in one institution alone, the Congress party. In this post, …

I.
The drive to the airport last week in Mumbai was no different from most drives in Mumbai. It was congested and progress was excruciatingly slow much of the way. The line at the security check was long. Only two of the five machines scanning the carry-on bags were working and progress was slow. That was the cause of the congestion at the security check. When the boarding time came — and went — I asked at the gate when will boarding start. At the check-in counter, I had been …

Today I am reminded of a fragment of a poem that I had learned in high school. It is by the Scottish poet — Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). It is from his narrative poem, “The Lay of the Last Minstrel” (1805). It is worth memorizing. Here it is:

A lot of the people who read a bestselling novel, for example, do not read much other fiction. By contrast, the audience for an obscure novel is largely composed of people who read a lot. That means the least popular books are judged by people who have the highest standards, while the most popular are judged by people who literally do not know any better. An American who read just one book this year was disproportionately likely to have read ‘The Lost Symbol’, by Dan Brown. He almost certainly liked …

I believe the answer is yes. This may surprise some of my readers. I am speaking FOR the motion that “Most investments in technology for schools are wasted” at an Oxford style Education Technology debate in Delhi on 21st of April. The debate is under the aegis of Infodev of the World Bank. Details below.

Sorry people, I have been distracted with things — traveling places, meeting important people, thinking deep thoughts — you know the drill So do write what’s on your mind in the comments. It’s been a while since the last open thread. Say what you will. Also, here are a few random things that I have come across recently.

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal reported how the US is pressuring India to (what effectively is) surrender its interests to Pakistan’s whims. “U.S. Aims to Ease India-Pakistan Tension“. Why? Because Pakistan presented to the US administration “a litany of accusations against the Indian government,” and suggested “the U.S. intercede on Pakistan’s behalf.” Which the US is in essence doing.

I got my own supply of Google Gulp yesterday. It does not come for free though.