Blogging about Society, individual and collective behaviour/herd mentality, nudges,economics,business,politics,sports and spirituality and on all the other subjects about which I know very little !!
"All animal are equal, but some animals are more equal than others," wrote George Orwell in his allegorical novel Animal Farm. the stody in short conveys the meaning that the absolute power corrupts absolutely.
His novel 1984 which is a classic dystopian novel, also wrote about Thought Police to persecute individuality and independent thinking . This novel and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" rank as two of the best dystopian novels of twentieth century. Huxley's novel describes a world where people are born and raised through engineered artificial wombs and childhood indoctrination into predetermined classes or castes based on intelligence and labour.
In all these novels, a world covered by intelligence which gives it an order and discipline predetermined by its rulers, is a dire prediction.
Coming to Covid 19 driven world of today, our ways and methods are directed by rulers assisted by doctors, epidemiologists and virologists , and we are not at liberty to do and act on our own. The overarching societal welfare notion constrains individual liberty and movements. Since it is viewed as a temporary measure many have been living with it.
But once Vaccine is made available, this may give way to more individual liberties and rights.
However there is a lingering question: "who will get Vaccine first".
Pl. read the opening sentence now again. Some people are considered more equal than others and they are the powers that be and those close to them.
But this notion is against the principles of natural justice and would not hold waters in a democratic society in a free world. The Vaccine adminstration should have a free protocol without any strings of power, money, position pulling it. This is very very important for the society or any country to think they are still democratic and free.Only then future is secure and people can look forward to prosperity guided by a truly compassionate Govts.
Sri. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor to Central Govt,yesterday, has gone on record saying that further demand stimulus measures will be announced after vaccine becomes available. Why should we link stimulus to vaccine availability is not clear. What kind of vaccine he is expecting and if the vaccine falls short of his expectations whether he would not allow roll out of stimulus?
It may become too late to wait till then.Why because, the common man has started saving his meagre earnings due to his fear about his future earnings and not due to Covid pandemic per se.In order to allay his fear about his employment and future earnings, Govt must sacrifice some near term revenue and announce some economic incentives for kick starting the economy.What better place to start than with Indirect Tax cuts. Auto sector is the biggest in manufacturing in terms of GDP and reducing GST on it from 28% and converge it with Revenue Neutral Rate(RNR) of 18% will give a huge boost to demand, and thereby to the generation of employment.The multiplier effect will be huge on the rest of the economy with ripple effects cascading throughout the economy.Difficult times demand drastic steps in terms of revenue sacrifice by Govt in the near term.The Govt.will get back more than half its sacrificed revenue by way of huge jump in volumes of goods and services produced.The feel good factor this can generate will negative the fear over the pandemic and will give a greater fillip to PM's call for "Atma nirbhar Bharat" and "Make in India" initiatives.So, one should not wait for Vaccines to announce this.We must do it on war footing. We have anecdotal examples at hand. Like Mr.Mukesh Ambani bringing in huge FDI even during Covid without waiting for it to end, the Govt. must take a cue from his proactive action and give this relief to the economy.Thiruvalluvar also says "தூங்குக தூங்கிச் செயற்பால் தூங்கற்க தூங்காது செய்யும் வினை."(Sleep over such actions as may be slept over, but not over such actions which require quick actions) This calls for immediate action on the ground to kickstart demand and to restore the confidence of common man in his future earnings, income, and employment.
Many scientists who have worked on studying Greek's antikythera mechanism which was found in a shipwreck in early twentieth century, to be precise 1901, is considered as the world's first analogue computer..
This was used to predict the astronomical events, transits, eclipses and other planetary positions well ahead of their occurences and used for astrological purposes even decades in advance.
There are some confusions as to whether it used Greek astronomy, Egypt astronomy or Rhodes' astronomy where Archimedes lived. The twelve months given in that machine carry the Greek names but has equivalent Egyptian names also. The research on this first computer has not yet concluded, even though the machine itself has disintegrated over a period of time from the time it was discovered under the sea.
But in India from time immemorial , astronomy has been studied by great sages and used for astrological purposes. The Hindu priest class developed an almanac listing all the planetary positions including eclipses etc. with great accuracy and their effects on human lives as part of Jyotisha i.e Astrology.
I have with great amusement found that the Gregorian calendar(1582 ACE) correspond with the seven days given in ancient hindu astronomical texts and some of the 12 months are taken in their Sanskrit names. Sunday in India correspond to Bhanuvara, Monday is Somavara etc. Thirugnanasambandar of 8th century ACE, in his Kolarupathikam also mentions the same order Sun, Moon, Mars etc. which has been imported into the Gregorian calendar order of weekdays.(link)This link's gives an idea of how week days have evolved scientifically/methodically in India.
The months of September (Sapthama), October(Astama), November (Navama), December (Dasama) were originally the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th months and when Julius Caesar and Augustus added their names , these months became 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th months in Gregorian calendar.
As an Indian even though I know that these month names are Sanskrit, many western scholars say that these are Latin names and some say both Latin and Sanskrit are from a common Proto Indo-European group and the jury is still out.
The time system used today based on 60 minutes for an hour is also from India. Indian time system is always based on 60s. A day is divided into 60 ghatis and one ghati has 60 vinadis/vighatis and one vighati has 60 liptas etc. Even India has a system of cycle of 60 years at the longer end. There may be more to look at multiples of 60 to understand the time cycle methods used in India.
There are many such words like Geometry is Jamiti in Sanskrit, Tigonometry is Trikonamiti in S, smart is samarth in S etc. to name a few.
One small additional info with regard to Vaccination for small pox. Today I read from a book link "Pharmacology: Drug Actions and Reactions, Seventh Edition by R.R. Levine, C.T. Walsh, Rochelle D. Schwartz-Bloom" clearly says in Page 3 that Dhanwantri in his writings clearly mentions about vaccination for small pox. In their analysis "Smallpox and Vaccinia-Donald A. HendersonandBernard Moss" (Chapter 6) it is clearly mentioned that vaccination for smallpox was developed by Indians before 1000 AD and this went from India to China, Arabia etc.link From the book of another British physician Dr. Ainslie on Small-Pox and Inoculation in Eastern Countries (pages 66-67)link , I am giving his exact quote verbatim "To substantiate the fact that the inoculation of the "
cow-pox was known in remote times to the Vaidyas, it is only necessary "
to refer to the Sacteya Grantha, attributed to Dhanwantari, and there "
fore undoubtedly an ancient composition. In one part of the work, after "
describing nine several kinds of small-pox, of which three (one alabi, "
being the confluent) are declared incurable, the author proceeds to lay "
down the rules for the practice of inoculation. From this part the following
" two excerpts are made; of the first of which the original is given in
the " English character, and with it a literal translation: of the second
the original is not given, but merely the translation.
Excerpt First, from the Sacteya Grantha. " D'henu
stanya ma' suchiva naranancha, ma suchica, " Tajjalam bahu mulachcha
sastrantena gnhitavan, " Bahu mule cha sastrani ract'otpatti cariini cha,
" Tajjalam racta militam sphotaca jwara sambhavah." Translation of
the above. " Take the fluid of the cow-pox on the udder of a cow, or on
the arm " between the shoulder and the elbow of a human subject, on the
point of " a lancet, and lance with it the arms between the shoulder and
elbow " until the blood appears; then mixing the fluid with the blood, the
fever " of the small-pox will be produced.". Excerpt Second, the
Sanscrit Text being omitted. " The small-pox produced from the udder of a
cow will be of the same " gentle nature as the original disease, not
attended by fever nor requiring " medicine. The diet may be according to
the pleasure of the patient, " who may be inoculated once only, or two,
three, four, five, or six " times. The pock, when perfect, should be of a
good colour, filled with " a clear liquid, and surrounded with a circle of
red. There will then be " no fear of the small-pox so long as life
endures. When inoculated from " the udder of a cowr, some will have a
slight fever for one day, or two " or three days, and with this there will
sometimes be a slight degree of " cold fit; the fever will also be
attended by a round swelling in the arm " pit and the other symptoms of
the small-pox, but all of a very mild " nature. There will be no danger,
and the whole will disappear. (Signed) " Calvi Virambam." " Madras,
January 2d, 1819."
Many Chinese doctors in 19th and 20th century have also mentioned that this procedure might have gone from India to China, to Arabia and to Europe. But not all western scholars still do not believe or subscribe to this view.Many of them still say that either this could have gone from China or from Arabia to India and not the other way around!!
Finally one word about Al-Khwarizmi of Persia(from whose name the word " Algorithm" is derived),who has been credited as the founder of Algebra. What he started writing was"kitab al-jam' wa'l-tafriq al-ḥisāb al-hindī ('Addition and subtraction in Indian arithmetic')", actually learning it from India and he acknowledged it, but Western world is still not convinced ,even after Brahmagupta's phenomenal work became known. Has Ramanujam's contribution to modern maths and even to Banking(?)(ATM machines) been fully acknowledged. Experts can inform me about this.
Only Voltaire clearly said "I am convinced that everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganges, – astronomy, astrology, metempsychosis, etc... It is very important to note that some 2,500 years ago at the least Pythagoras went from Samos to the Ganges to learn geometry...But he would certainly not have undertaken such a strange journey had the reputation of the Indians' science not been long established in Europe."
In 1896, Ernest Hanbury Hankin, a British Bacteriologist, Chemist, came out with a finding that the Indian rivers, Ganges and Jamuna could actually restrict the outbreak of cholera and in fact the waters could destroy the Cholera bacteria. He was the first to detect the bacteriophage activity and its presence in the river waters of Ganges and Jamuna. A startling discovery when the whole world was saying the river waters of Ganges were the most polluted.link. In his own words "It is seen that the unboiled water of the Ganges kills the cholera germ in less than 3 hours. The same water, when boiled, does not have the same effect. On the other hand, well water is a good medium for this microbe, whether boiled or filtered." This was mentioned even by Mark Twain in his More Tramps Abroad. Recently microbiology researchers from Chandigarh's Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), studied the healing properties of Ganges water at its upper reaches and found bacteriophage activity which destroys the disease causing bacteria. The bacteriophage is a type of virus that eats up bacteria.link. Recently MIT came up with a study on fasting by humans and its beneficial impact on human health.link "Fasting boosts stem cell regenerative capacity"- the MIT article says,
"As people age, their intestinal stem cells begin to lose their ability to regenerate. These stem cells are the source for all new intestinal cells, so this decline can make it more difficult to recover from gastrointestinal infections or other conditions that affect the intestine.
This age-related loss of stem cell function can be reversed by a 24-hour fast, according to a new study from MIT biologists. The researchers found that fasting dramatically improves stem cells’ ability to regenerate, in both aged and young mice."
Indians practice this 24-hour fasting once in 15 days on the Ekadasi day from time immemorial.
The human body is an intelligent machine with recuperative and regenerative capacity and given the right metabolic switch , it can mend itself when disease strikes.
All the Siddhars of India emphasized that "உணவே மருந்து"(Food is medicine) when taken in the right quantity at the right time intervals. Thiruvalluvar has also emphasized this in his kural chapter "மருந்து".
India is a land possessing all the keys to the world's problems, if only you explored.
