LEARNING FOR TODAY

Even the most illiterate one amongst us will know that India got independence from the British on 15th August 1947. But I wonder are we really as independent as we feel we are?. Did the British leave us in 1947 or are they still sitting in our heads holding the steering wheel and deciding what we like and what we don't. Today I analyse - 1. How deep is the colonial hangover in our society and what is the difference between colonialism and imperialism? 2. Why are the regiments in the Indian army named after religion ( eg. Sikh regiments ) or castes ( eg. Rajput regiments ) or region ( Madras regiments) ? 3. Is modernisation same as westernisation and how we blindly follow the western culture without even realising it's not rational. 4. How World Bank and IMF facilitate modern day imperialism? Analysis Let's us start with a basic question which will help us understand the modern situation well.  " What is the difference between colonialism and imperialism ? " Not g

This is probably the most debated issue in the Indian context ever since a child enters the world of competitive examinations post school. While largely there are contrasting views given by those who get reservation and those who don't , today i try to present the argument of those who receive the benefits of reservation to those who don't. Questions Addressed 1. Why  don't poor from general category get reservation? 2. Why do same people repeatedly get reservation?Why no creamy layer in SCs and STs? 3. Hasn't  Reservation has actually aggriviated sense of caste? 4. Has reservation actually benefitted the SCs? 5. What can be a solution out of this cycle? Analysis To address the first question we need to understand a bit of history about why was reservation  first introduced in India . Most of us have an impression that reservation is a type of poverty alleviation tool to give preference to those underprivileged groups who don't have access to resources. We believe t

  Karl Marx a man born in 1818 has probably become one of those few men who are relevant even after more than 200 years of their birth. His ideas are not limited to some specific countries and almost every decently aware citizen of the world has a vague idea about him. We must have come across terms like Marx, Marxism , Communism , the workers revolution etc. Or if you may have noticed the 'M' in CPI(M) party in India ( ruling in Kerala ). The M here refers to Marxist. So, is this only a political idea or it has applications in other spheres of life. Why do we need to bother about it?  It were these ideas which were the driving force behind the cold war which lasted 45 years.  So today we learn about an ideology which made empires fall , United people beyond national borders and helped us get many rights which we never acknowledge.  Marxism!! Issues addressed and topics covered 1. Basic principles of Marxism and their application on today's problems in Indian context. 2. H

The blog is based on several doubts that i encountered in reference of commonly used terminology in news such as left wing and right wing.  Why are  Narendra Modi and Donald Trump called right wing leaders and why are all communists termed leftists. This blog will address these questions from the origin of these terms to their present usage. Questions Addressed 1. What is left wing and right wing? Are nationalists right wingers? 2. How is someone classified as a left winger or a right winger? 3. Who are communists and socialists? Why are they called leftists? 4. How did it all originate? We shall address these questions in the reverse order. How did the concept of left wing and right wing originate? For that we need to have some context from the French Revolution who's premise was being laid in the 1740s - 1780s Context Year:  1740 - 1780 The British-French rivalry was at its peak with them competing in India , America and in Europe for supremacy. The constant wars among the 2 were

The following analysis is based on work of proffesor Louise Archer from Britain and it's extension to India. It is generally believed that a personal success is determined by a person's sheer ability and talent , we have been fed to believe that it is the individual's own strengths which makes a successful person out of him. In this blog I try to explain how factors other than individual abilities play a role in a person's success. Observations 1. It is believed that the upper class and the upper castes in Indian context are successful only because of their ability. There is also an acceptance amongst working class and the lower castes in Indian context that their economic situation is where they belong. 2. The business class disproportionately comes from a very limited section of people. 3. There are disproportionately very low number of females in STEM , especially Physics. 4. Even though Asians are considered to be very studious they

Proffesor Corlyn Jackson has come up with a book "Lad and Ladettes in higher education" Lads and Ladettes : We all have come across such people in our life as a student who tend to attract attention of the class with their activities generally not associated with studies in their endeavour to get ' social acclaim '. They have been termed as Lads and Ladettes for boys and girls respectively. They are often referred to as ' Class clowns ' or     ' wild girls '  and are not very often liked by teachers but are very popular among peers. This trend was initially observed in secondary education levels however off late it has gradually moved to higher education and presents itself in more extreme forms. Observations 1. Boys generally tend to under-perform in studies compared to girls. 2. Lad Culture is disproportionately more popular among boys than among girls. 3. There is a tendency especially among boys to not look studious and be involved in sports. 4. W