A Goal for the World

Capitalism and socialism fought it out in the Cold War and after the fall of Soviet Russia, it might seem that capitalism emerged as the one ideology that is truly successful. It is successful, yes, but only to some and in wildly differing degrees- concentration of wealth by a select few is a shining example. The richest 1% own 43% of the world’s wealth, says a Credit Suisse report.

An exception to the capitalistic spread is China, which follows what is called Chinese socialism, which is in some sense a mix of calibrated capitalism and state control. Though ideologically tagged as socialism, extremities of wealth and poverty are not unseen in China. And this is exactly what the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) seemingly wants to target. It advocates for an olive shaped societal income distribution, where lesser and lesser people are at the fringes of poverty and wealth. In other words, this means that the middle class outweigh the rich and the poor. Accordingly, Mr. Xi Jinping has renewed the CPC’s focus on “common prosperity”, envisioned to narrow the yawning gap between the different economic classes.

As the Tamil adage goes “Ore kallu la rendu maanga” or as does the alternative in English “To kill two birds with one stone”, “common prosperity” achieves more than one purpose. First, it provides a solution to the moderating economic growth of China. The Chinese engine, thriving on investment and export, is looking to shift towards consumption. A consumption based economy flourishes only when a majority of the population has sufficient spending power. Common prosperity might just hit the bulls eye here.

Second, it helps rein in larger than life private enterprise which is seen to have amassed a little too much of clout in the internet era. Xi has initiated a crackdown aimed at some of the most successful companies in China like Alibaba, Tencent and Meituan. He has also indicated that it is time for these mammoth companies to pay their share. Since then, Alibaba and Tencent have made announcements of plowing $15B each to further the “common prosperity” agenda.

It feels like a brilliant step in the right direction. Though the true intentions behind the second line of reasoning may be convoluted, no one wants all powerful tech companies. They already control half our mind share and more of our time share. On the other hand, if policies end up in wealth redistribution, yes, give me more!

The CPC does not run a democracy and has its share of controversy but some of its policies are worth noting. With income inequalities burgeoning after the COVID waves and the brunt of climate change being disproportionately borne by poorer countries, “common prosperity” should be a goal for the world, not just China.

My trip to Matrimandir, Auroville

Right off the bat, does it sound awfully like the “My trip to the zoo” essay you wrote in 3^rd grade (I honestly have no idea what grade that was, excuse me for growing up 😜 ) ?  To answer the question, it is a bit like that but it is also a grown up version of that. So, here it goes:

I reached the parking lot of Auroville where the guard was quite taken aback when I informed him that we had reserved a spot online. Rolling in to the lot, I see almost all the shady (I mean trees and shade, not crackheads) spots taken. I do a round, and another until I find one with reasonable tree cover. Why, you ask? It was hot out there, scorching hot.

A balancing act, at 300 kmph

There is no denying that motorsports and F1, specifically is dangerous prima facie. Hurtling through space at 250kmph-300kmph is no amateur feat. It requires immense physical and mental strength. The level of speed naturally brings in an element of risk. The risks involved are one of the main factors that draw drivers and fans alike to the sport.

But human life is paramount and F1 has seen numerous advances in driver safety over the years, regulations have also been moulded and re-moulded to penalize drivers who overstep limits. The modern monocoque is a true testament to advances on safety. Not just technology, F1 culture itself has evolved to prioritize driver safety from the Prost-Senna era.

Yesterday, Verstappen and Hamilton collided in the British GP, sending Verstappen scurrying towards the barriers. It was later known that Verstappen took a 51G impact as he hit the barriers. A big, big hit. Verstappen was understandably winded. Thankfully, Verstappen is alright now and hasn’t been injured, which is an immense relief.

Not Tomorrow’s War

Yes, the globe is warming up. No, don’t trust Trump on this.

Yes, there are multiple efforts to counter climate change. No, they aren’t doing enough. But at least there is widespread acknowledgement of the scale of disastrous effects of climate change and remedial steps are being purported.

Global warming is already upon us. News bulletins shout out “never before” droughts, rains and floods from time to time. There is something that is still in a nascent stage, that might have just as deleterious effects as global warming. Am talking about electronic waste.

E-waste is piling up, quite literally, in dump yards. The Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP), which counts the UN and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as founding members, predicts e-waste will reach 74 metric tonnes in ten years, double the number in 2014.

Raining hell, from up above

The backstory

About a week back, there was a drone attack on an Indian Air Force base in Jammu. Two drones dropped explosives and flew back. We do not yet know where the drones came from or if they had a specific target, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is conducting an enquiry. All we know so far is that the twin explosions did not damage any defense equipment nor did they cause loss of lives.

So what?

While the direct impact of the detonations does not seem to be high, there is cause to worry. Although the use of drones for disaster relief, mapping and surveillance is becoming commonplace, drone warfare is still new to India, especially on the contentious Jammu & Kashmir border. Disturbances on the Line of Control (LoC) have been either due to direct shelling from the Pakistani side or the disquiet created by proxies in the region, that is to say disturbances did not have an aerial angle to them.

Money, Money Everywhere- Not a Dollar to Tax

The law of the land is more often than not decades old. Many laws have been rewritten to accommodate the changing stride of the world like the laws pertaining to same sex marriage and individual privacy. One segment of laws that has not yet gotten a makeover is corporate taxation. From time immemorial, companies have been taxed based on their physical presence. In today’s globalized and digital world, that is an outdated concept.

Multinational corporations make a lot of money, a lot. A look at some of the revenue figures of top tech companies in 2020*:

• Amazon: $386 billion 
• Apple: $274 billion
• Facebook: $86 billion
• Google: $182 billion

Notwithstanding, they make use of an army of lawyers and ever present loopholes (call them provisions? Concessions?) in countries’ tax structures to take home as many dollars as possible, duly circumventing what is owed to the governments. Alas, we cannot blame the corporates entirely either, the demands of capitalism bear on their shoulders.

Controversy, off the coast of Kerala

When the East India Company started becoming more than just a trading company, the colonial overlords deemed themselves superior and felt it necessary to “uplift the backward”, although it is no secret who uplifted whom as we look back today.

While am sure the intensity and deviousness of the British colonial rulers is not what is being played out in the Lakshadweep, it is hard not to at least draw a parallel of the ill placed ideas driving these changes. The administration is defending all the changes being ushered in as those that will benefit the community, while the community itself, feels differently.

Rich get richer, Poor get poorer

 There is a popular dialogue from the Tamil movie Sivaji, starring Superstar Rajinikanth “Rich get richer, poor get poorer” {Thalaiva! 😎}. Without even drawing on the backdrop of black money that Rajini looks to portray through this dialogue, the line by itself cannot be more true.

Income inequality has been talked about for decades but the COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation much, much worse. White collared workers largely escaped the wrath of the lockdowns and restrictions which hit blue-collar workers manifold. Alas, if you earn your pay at the end of every day and you can’t show up, there is no pay to earn. Income is not unidimensional- it affects access to healthcare and formal education; things considered essential for societal wellbeing. Loss of income has a debilitating impact on lower income households, where there is barely any scope for savings that can be used to push through difficult times.

The Vaccine Conundrum

Just as a new COVID strain ravages Europe, the Indian drug regulator has approved two vaccine candidates for use in differing capacities. One is based on the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India, called Covishield. The second vaccine, Covaxin has been developed by homegrown company Bharat Biotech in association with ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research).

The tortoise doesn't win here

We might have come across reports about 5G rollout in "developed" countries in recent times. Popular YouTubers have also given their takes on the mind blowing speeds (albeit limited coverage) on mobile data using 5G technology. Notably, Qualcomm, Nokia and Ericsson already have 5G equipment up and running in multiple parts of the world and leading consumer electronic companies like Apple, Samsung and OnePlus have launched mobile phones that support this advancement.

Telecom giants in India like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have also promised roll outs of the cutting edge technology in different phases in 2021. Now, in sharp contrast to these developments is the recent announcement from the state run telecom enterprise- BSNL.