The Arguments within

विश्व ने अब आने वाली आपदाओं को स्वीकार कर लिया है

2026-10-12T06:14:59.110+05:30

जलवायु परिवर्तन किस हद तक वास्तविक है और किस हद तक नहीं, यह आम जनता अपने आसपास के वातावरण में स्वयं महसूस कर रही होगी। पूर्व में, इसके प्रभाव को कम करने और रोकथाम के लिए विश्वभर के नेता प्रयास भी कर रहे थे।

किंतु, पिछले एक दशक में स्थिति में बड़ा बदलाव आया है। डोनाल्ड ट्रंप द्वारा अमेरिका को 'पेरिस समझौते' (Paris Agreement) से अलग करने के निर्णय के साथ ही इसकी शुरुआत हो गई थी। दरअसल, कुछ देश जलवायु परिवर्तन को रोकने के आवश्यक लक्ष्यों को प्राप्त करने हेतु निश्छल भाव से त्याग करने के लिए तत्पर थे। वहीं दूसरी ओर, अन्य देशों के लिए यह अपनी हठधर्मिता और स्वार्थ के बल पर अनुचित लाभ उठाने का एक अवसर बन गया।

ऐसी स्थिति में, यदि कोई देश अकेले जलवायु परिवर्तन की रोकथाम का प्रयास करता, तो वह राष्ट्रहित और आत्महित की बलि देकर स्वयं को नुकसान ही पहुँचा रहा होता। दगाबाज़ देशों की सूची में रूस, तुर्की और यहाँ तक कि भारत जैसे देश भी शामिल होते दिखे। याद करिये प्रधानमंत्री मोदी का वह कथन, जिसमें उन्होंने कहा था, "जलवायु नहीं बदली है, बल्कि हमारी आदतें बदल गई हैं।"

जलवायु परिवर्तन से निपटने के वैश्विक उद्देश्य केवल राष्ट्रों के बीच परस्पर विश्वास के आधार पर ही हासिल किए जा सकते थे, क्योंकि प्रत्येक देश को स्वयं को संवेदनशील स्थिति में रखकर सामूहिक प्रयास करने थे। परंतु, जब कुछ राष्ट्र पीठ में छुरा घोंपने और अपनी प्रतिबद्धताओं से पीछे हटने में लगे रहे, तो इस संपूर्ण साझा उद्देश्य को ही त्याग दिया गया।

अब स्थिति यह बन चुकी है कि सभी देशों ने व्यावहारिक रूप से हाथ खड़े कर दिए हैं। वैसे भी वैश्विक जनसंख्या अपनी सीमाओं को पार कर चुकी है और पृथ्वी अब इतने अधिक मानवीय दबाव को सहन करने में असमर्थ दिखती है। ऐसा प्रतीत होता है कि विश्व ने अब आने वाली आपदाओं को स्वीकार कर लिया है।

When the Ship’s Gangway couldn’t reach the jetty

2026-10-06T03:58:10.928+05:30

On tankers, during the SIRE 1.0 regime (in the days when I was sailing):

There was a debate around who should bear the responsibility for providing safe access—the ship or the terminal?

Earlier, the laws regulated that the responsibility was on the ships. But SIRE laid down that ships should carry a gangway of 10 mtrs, while it remained doubtful whether this was the maximum or the minimum prescribed!

So, it once happened in New York, USA, that my ship had only a 10-mtr gangway, which couldn't reach the terminal (Bayonne Terminal, just close to the Statue of Liberty).

As an alternative, the basket had to be used. But the baskets were forbidden for use—at least by the Indian administration; the reasons were then not known exactly.

Our owners were Japanese. I complained to the owners through the Master about the use of the basket. The Japanese owners—the master shipbuilders they are, renowned all over for their shipbuilding yards of great quality—accepted my plea.

I had submitted a hand-made sketch to explain the situation. 🙂

I don't know why they accepted the plea, but they gave us a hired launch to use, so we could reach the jetty from the ship's overside gangway.

That's how we worked. The owners spent money, as a matter of fact, to do it.

I felt thankful to them.

Much later, the reason for not allowing the use of baskets was revealed elsewhere by an M-Notice of the Indian Administration (DG Shipping): the cranes were not designed for man-handling; they were hose-handling cranes.

Maybe, I think, the Japanese already knew the reason. They are master shipbuilders, after all.

🙂

The most complex kind of Discrimination

2026-09-28T14:44:37.901+05:30

#SahilWakode #IIT-Bombay

The most complex kind of discrimination FOR EVALUATION of its occurence

IS When the oppressed person- the victim -has actually done a wrong.

Because the perpetrator can NOW give differential treatment to two persons, selecting it on irrational basis such as the CASTE , both having commissioned a similar level of offence

And yet the perpetrator may most comfortably escape detection of having done a discrimination.

The irrational basis could also be ,

The political inclination of the wrongdoers

For example, the goons who support a political group, - the one in power- may be let off by the police authorities

Whereas the goons who are supporters of the opposition, are "encounterd" or demonised in the public space.

Neeraj met Santa in London

2026-08-10T15:51:00.661+05:30

10 August 2026

😂 Neeraj met Santa in London.

Santa: “Oye Neeraj! Tu London mein? Kaise?”

Neeraj: “Pehle aap batao Santa ji… aap yahan kaise?”

Santa: “Banta UK se India aaya tha, mere ghar mehmaan banke. Maine full hospitality ki… lekin banda jaane ka naam hi nahi le raha tha.”

“Toh maine usko chase karke seedha London tak chhod diya… bola, ab wapas mat aana!” 😂

Santa then asked, “Chal, ab tu bata… tu London mein kaise?”

Neeraj smiled and said:

*“Mere forefathers bhi India mein British ko bhaga rahe the… _Quit India Movement_ mein*

*…aur* *bhagaate-bhagaate London tak aa gaye…*

*…bas check karne ki Angrez wapas toh nahi laut aaye!”* 🤣🤣🤣

How do we warn Seafarers to stay away from sanctioned vessels or Cargo or Countries ❓

2026-06-22T17:33:36.918+05:30

Good morning.This is not the point of discussion at this stage. We need to find out who will bail him out of jail & who will stand his guarantee.

Is anyone in communication with his family ❓Is anyone in communication with his employers ❓

As a Mariner this case is very important & interesting to know what is the meaning of sanctioned vessel or Sanctioned Cargo. ❓

Is there any list of International Sanctioned vessels or how do we warn Seafarers to stay away from sanctioned vessels or Cargo or Countries ❓

The moot question is this:

How does a Master Mariner know which ship and which cargo is "sanctioned", when such sanctions are imposed, by whom, and by which country, et al.?

This question, still awaiting a definitive answer, should compel all stakeholders — the holders of Certificates of Competency (CoC), the issuing authorities, lawyers, and the courts — to return to the drawing board and rethink the fundamental relationship between a professional (the holder of a "licence") and the company (the owner and/or operator of a ship).

The fundamental principle is that every person must act through his own intelligence, judgement, and professional competence. This applies particularly to a Master Mariner. Over-reliance on external sources, without independent assessment, is fundamentally flawed.

The Mariner's Handbook itself recognises this principle when it places caveats on the sources of information provided through Notices to Mariners, explaining the origins and nature of the two categories of notices — the "Permanent" notices and the "Temporary & Preliminary (T&P)" notices.

The Government of India, through the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping), may never be in a position to issue notices or circulars covering every such "sanction" or restriction (often carrying an element of intimidation) issued from various sources.

In the present case, the source was the United States, and therefore one may reasonably ask: "Why not recognise it?" However, consider a situation where such sanctions originate from sources such as Boko Haram or an indistinct Somali warlord. Would a Government Authority be expected to rely upon such declarations and issue Notifications or Circulars directing all its mariners to comply with such information?

Effectively, this means that no source can be blindly relied upon. Even a source that may generally be considered trustworthy (for example, DG Shipping) may not be all-encompassing. DG Shipping may not issue circulars relating to sanctions imposed by illegitimate sources, or even those which it may choose not to recognise due to diplomatic or legal considerations.

So, what then is the remedy?

The Mariner's Handbook states that the Master's own knowledge, experience, and professional judgement remain the most reliable grounds for decision-making, because there may always exist dangers to navigation which have not yet come to the attention of publishers or authorities.

In the present era, where fake news and propaganda have become widespread, this principle becomes even more significant. The above statement reminds us that, while making professional decisions, we must also consider even the most questionable modern sources — including social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and others — which, in today's environment, may suddenly emerge and yet possess sufficient influence to cross the threshold of information that may otherwise not be considered reliable.

Ultimately, the modern maritime environment demands true leadership — leadership built upon the timeless qualities expected of a Master Mariner: superior knowledge, awareness, critical thinking, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the ability to make sound professional judgements.

Only such leadership enables a Master Mariner to protect the ship, safeguard the crew, prevent potential losses, and ultimately preserve his own life and the lives entrusted to him.

The price of Overstepping the lines of Morality in pursuit of Realpolitik

2026-05-06T10:10:54.160+05:30

India has a history,

That the people have never been able to recognise the imminent danger IN RIGHT TIME, and have never succeeded in putting aside their mutual differences to make joint efforts to save the nation from that danger.

Such bad has been our actions and it's affect on our MUTUAL TRUST in times of peace.

History has amply shown that

TRUST that was destroyed while doing petty politics to annihilate the opposition rivals when it was peace in the nation,

Could never be built when the enemy came to take us over by inflicting a war.

This has always been the price of Overstepping the lines of Morality and Ethics while indulging in realpolitik and going extra length to annihilate the opposition.

The Normalization of Dishonesty in Contemporary International Diplomacy

2026-04-11T21:57:00.001+05:30

The worst thing that has happened to the field of international diplomacy in recent times is the arrival of right-wing groups into governance in many countries across the world.

Right-wing leaders have contributed to making international diplomacy more casual and inconsistent. It has become increasingly normal for leaders to say, conduct, and present one position on international platforms, while expressing something entirely different to their domestic audiences on the same issue.

In short, they have normalized dishonesty in international diplomacy.

Right-wing groups across the world are often fringe elements within their respective societies. Their existence and survival have largely depended on portraying themselves as being on the winning or dominant side at all times. To achieve this, they have frequently resorted to unethical practices such as spreading falsehoods and staging large-scale narratives to influence public perception.

This has led to a significant portion of the population being misled, resulting in the acceptance of policies and decisions that may pose serious risks to global security.

घृणा कैसे आती है, और क्या करती है आपके भीतर में

2026-03-26T16:47:00.001+05:30

घृणा की भावना अतार्किक और अंधी होती है। घृणा मस्तिष्क के बौद्ध को क्षय कर के उत्पत्ति होती है।

घृणा न्याय और समानता की बौद्धिक कौशल का नाश करके प्रकट होती है।

घृणा आईना देखना बिल्कुल भी पसंद नहीं करती है।

घृणा प्रवेश करती है कुछ हल्के फुल्के , लुभावने हास्य-परिहास में लिपट कर, जब व्यक्ति बेसुध हो, सजग-सचेत न हो घृणा की प्रवेश करने के फ़िराक के प्रति।

घृणा कभी तोकोई joke बन कर, कभी कुछ अर्धसत्य तथ्य , ज्ञान जानकारी बन कर, या दोस्तों की मधुर बतकही बन कर प्रवेश का लेती है।

घृणा किसी के भी प्रति उत्पन्न हो सकती है।

घृणा की औषधि होती है दया, न्याय, समानता, संपूर्ण ज्ञान और आत्मसाक्षात्कार।

Nine quotes about Time

2026-03-19T04:04:00.001+05:30

Nine quotes about Time

ये अनुशासन क्या चीज़ है ? भारतीय समाज और संस्कृति में अनुशासन के क्या वास्तविक मायने होते हैं ?

2026-02-25T07:19:00.000+05:30

ये अनुशासन क्या चीज़ है ? भारतीय समाज और संस्कृति में अनुशासन के क्या वास्तविक मायने होते हैं ?

-- अंग्रेज़ों ने जब भारत में अपनी फ़ौज़ें भारत वासियों को ही भर्ती करके बनाना शुरू किया था , तब उन्होंने भारतीयों को सुधार करके एक दूसरे के संग तालमेल में कार्य सकने के क़ाबिल बनाने के लिए जो कुछ कार्यवाहियां करते थे, उसे अंग्रेज़ लोग "अनुशासन" करके पुकारते थे !

अनुशासन कार्यवाहियां क्या और कैसे होती थी ?
-- सज़ा या दंड देना , अलग थलग कर देना , सभी के सामने ज़लील करना, विशेष कार्यों से दूर करके महत्त्व कम करना, "स्व-सम्मान" निम्न होने की अनुभूति देना।
self respect या आत्मसम्मान को चोटिल करने के लिए जो आवशयक विधि थी वह ये थी कि-
1) पहले तो कुछ कार्य ऐसे कराया जाए जो की कुछ विशेष या महत्त्व वाले होने का आभास जागृत करें।
2) अब, दूसरे कदम में, उस महत्वपूर्ण से दिखने अथवा आभास देने वाले कार्य से उन "दुष्ट" लोगों को अलग थलग कर के निकाल दो जिन्हे की "जलील" करने का target रखना हो। इससे वह target व्यक्ति खुद की आत्म ग्लानि को महसूस करने लगेगा जब वह देखेगा कि उसके आसपास के समाज में सभी व्यक्ति तो तालमेल में मिल कर एक विशेष महत्व वाले कार्य को करने में लगे हुए हैं , मगर वह उस समूह का हिस्सा नहीं है।

ये सब विधियां ही "अनुशासनात्मक कार्यवाहियां" कहलाती थी।

तो फिर आधुनिक समाज में , आज़ादी के उपरांत के समाज में , 'अनुशासनात्मक कार्यवाहियां' का क्या अभिप्राय होता है ?
आधुनिक भारत के समाज में जो "VVIP Culture " वाली समस्या है , वह वास्तव में इसी colonial era के सदमे *trauma ' की देन हैं। लोग में किसी अतिथि के आगमन को VVIP होने का आभास कराने की सांस्कृतिक परिपाठी आजतक बचाये रखी गयी है। ऐसा करना मनोवैज्ञानिक संरक्षण है उस संस्कृति का जो मूलतः चालू हुई थी अंग्रेज़ों के समय से।
इससे आधुनिक समाज में "सामंती" सोच को पुनः जागृत करने के गुप्त मनोवैज्ञानिक प्रयास या चेष्टा करि जा रही है।

तो फिर आधुनिक भारत के समाज में अनुशासन के नाम पर चल क्या रहा है ?
अनुशासन के मूल उद्देश्य होता है -- तालमेल में कार्य करना। एक team के रूप में। मगर आजकल समाज जब बहुत सारे आधार पर विभाजित हो चूका है -- धार्मिक विषयों की बातों को ले कर, आरक्षण जैसे ज्वलंत मुद्दों को ले कर , राजनैतिक मुद्दों के सही गलत को ले कर , तब ऐसे में लोगों के समूह में तालमेल और अधिक निम्म होता जा रहा है।
ऐसे में एक गुट का व्यक्ति , यदि वह नेतृत्व के पद में हो, तब दूसरे गुट के व्यक्ति को समूह (Team ) से जब अलग थलग करने की कार्यवाही करता है, तब उसे "अनुशासनात्मक कार्यवाही" यानि discipline का चौंगा पहना देता है।

a Manual of how to destroy a nation

2026-02-15T04:28:00.000+05:30

Formula on how to Mother Fu#k a nation :
1) Don't have to change any law or the Constitution
2) Simply position Cho#tiya persons in top chairs, IAS, IPS, IFS, etc, someone who is incapable and incompetent to be able to identify the real gold from the glittering pieces
3) Such persons will do the rest. all while singing the National Song/Anthem

the M@* Govt is working hard to wash away all the signs of colonial thinking that was cultured within the Indian society by the British -- the colonial, outdated laws, the names of cities, the superiority of English speaking,

EXCEPT the legacy of the Laat Sahabi Bureaucracy !
--

Anecdotal recall : The Contra playing incident

2025-12-16T09:17:00.001+05:30

Ages and echelons have passed since this anecdotal incident, but it still lives fresh in my memory. I think it was around 1992, during the summer holidays, when Gaurav @⁨Gaurav Khandelwal⁩ and I made a secret getaway to the Mina Market near B Block of Indira Nagar to have some fun playing the erstwhile superhit video game "Contra".

Life's fun quotient in those times, as we may all recall, was just about sneaking into video gaming parlours. We'd sit before a big belly picturetube TV, holding a remote, perched on a leg-height pedestal stool. It cost a small fortune—Rs 5 per hour—to play. The game, being as absorbing as it was, went on for a couple of hours, maybe two or three.

But the real drama, which still lingers in my memory, wasn't in the game, but in the aftermath. We parted ways, each heading home. As I entered mine, my mother was sitting, looking furious about where I'd been for so long. Unable to tell her the truth for fear of a worse scolding, I tried to get away with a simple lie—that I was at Gaurav's house. One sharp slap hit my face as she told me Gaurav's mother had come to our house, looking for him, and chatted with her for a couple of hours.

In my mind, my mother was just trying to outsmart me to justify her punishment, because our mothers hardly knew each other. Unable to prove her wrong, I took the pain of the slap and sat down quietly.

Later that evening, I met Gaurav during sports time. I took a somewhat humiliating step, telling him about the plight I faced at home after our video parlour adventure. Gaurav looked at me with great empathy and sorrow and said he'd received a slap too—when he told his mother he was at my house, and she countered that she'd visited my house and sat with my mother for over a couple of hours, both mothers waiting for their children to return!

😄

प्रत्येक समाज को अपना इतिहास क्यों लिखना जरूरी है

2025-10-26T22:01:00.001+05:30

हिटलर ने द्वितीय विश्वयुद्ध के दौरान अपनी फौजों को आदेश दिया था कि कोई भी शत्रु जिंदा नहीं छोड़ा जाएगा।

बूझिये क्या सोच कर हिटलर ने ऐसा आदेश दिया होगा?

चंगेज खान, तैमूर लंग, बाबर ये जितने भी बड़े नामचीन ऐतिहासिक विश्वविजेता रहे है, ये सब के सब बेहद क्रूर हुआ करते थे , यहां तक कि आक्रमण के दौरा स्त्रियों और छोटे बच्चों को भी नहीं बख़्शते थे, जिंदा नहीं छोड़ते थे।

फिर से वही सवाल, –बूझिये क्यों?

अंग्रेजी में कहावत है, dead men tell no tales , यानी मुर्दा आदमी कोई कहानी नहीं सुनाता है।

कुछ समझ आई hint?

ये , कि सांप के बच्चे को अगर जिंदा छोड़ दिया गया तो वह कल को बड़ा हो कर बदला लेगा अपने माँबाप का, और जब आप बूढ़े हो चुके होंगे !

पहले के ज़माने में सोच कुछ ऐसी हुआ करती थी, जिसके चलते अच्छे, सफल आक्रमणकारी को क्रूर और बर्बर होना जरूरी था।

अब यहां से एक बात निकलती है सोचने वाली – कि, इतिहास क्यों लिखना जरूरी है किसी भी समाज को, और किसी भी समाज को अपना इतिहास क्यों जरूरी है पढ़ना और जानना।

सोचिए और बताइए।

Kamasutra and the scam city Benaras

2025-10-17T07:30:00.000+05:30

In which city was Kamasutra written ? Whose work brought the book Kamasutra to limelight across the entire World ?
What was the orginal purpose of Kamasutra

Ancient Metropolis- Benaras

Metropolitan cities have few distinct identifying traits, which have remained same across all geographies and all epochs -- e,g, They have an underbelly , an underworld , where scandalous things happen

Common people don't really understand what happened there and why, but things are exciting . So the people often misread, misunderstand, become misinformed, And lastly, someone have has to come out and make efforts to bring out the right information, right knowledge (credit : Discovery Channel)

people begin to discuss and talk about exciting things around -- the gossiping -- That's when the misreading and misinformation start. This is a pattern.

The Legacy of Oil Industry Innovation: Lessons for Bureaucrats in Emerging Economies

2025-10-14T09:53:00.000+05:30

Long ago, seafaring was predominantly carried out by people who were convicts or those punished with excommunication from society for their crimes.

Australia, for instance, was initially settled by white people who had been sent there as exiled convicts. Many of these individuals participated in seafaring, often by rowing ships as a form of punishment or labor.

The landscape changed when oil was discovered and its vast potential as an energy source for machinery became clear. As a result, oil began to be traded across the world. Shipping became the primary method of transportation, leading to the formation of giant oil companies, which became some of the wealthiest entities in the world. These oil corporations dominated the global financial scene before modern tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Facebook displaced them.

The younger generation may not know that the wealthiest companies of the 1970s were not the tech giants we recognize today, but oil companies such as British Petroleum, Shell, Exxon, Mobil, and Aramco. These oil giants, through their policies and operations, played a significant role in creating the myth of the "American Dream" and ushered in a paradigm shift, replacing the convict seafarers with highly educated, technologically skilled professionals.

To cut a long story short, oil companies established their own fleets to transport oil in large tanker ships from the Middle East to various parts of the world. Oil, a highly dangerous commodity to transport, required advanced technology, research, and safety systems. The bureaucratic story at the heart of these efforts can be summarized as follows:

The first thing these companies did was not wait for government orders or legislation to enforce safety measures. Instead, they formed a consortium to finance and invest in research institutes. These institutes conducted experiments and research to discover safer methods of oil transportation. This initiative led to the creation of the OCIMF (Oil Companies International Marine Forum), which still exists today and provides extensive safety guidelines for oil transportation. One such essential guide is the ISGOTT (International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals), a reference manual that is sold by specialized bookstores and the OCIMF itself, based in London, although it was originally formed in Bermuda.

The mechanical systems developed by the OCIMF necessitated highly trained personnel to operate these specialized oil tankers. The profession of seafaring thus evolved from a labor-intensive, convict-driven task to one requiring advanced training and expertise.

To fill the gaps in trained seafarers, the oil companies took proactive measures to meet this need. Once again, instead of waiting for government mandates, they developed their own training programs to educate college-educated young people to pursue careers in the maritime industry and handle oil tankers safely. They also raised salaries for seafarers to attract skilled professionals. In fact, such policies by these private oil companies contributed to what came to be known as the fabled American Dream.

Interestingly, these training modules later became the foundation for international maritime standards. The courses were eventually adopted by governments and formalized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under the STCW (Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) framework.

So, what key takeaway can be drawn from this history? This lesson is particularly relevant for bureaucrats in non-capitalist or socialist countries, where private companies often wait for government orders or regulations to compel them to act responsibly.

Bureaucrats in such countries should take note: private contractors should not be left unchecked when it comes to the use of public funds for service delivery. Take, for example, a government contract for operating car services. If the contractor is not properly monitored, they might exploit workers by offering low wages, hiring untrained staff, and frequently shifting employees. This would lead to poor service quality, a lack of safety, and inefficiency, ultimately defeating the very purpose of outsourcing services.

In countries like India, with its vast population and extreme poverty, contractors may exploit vulnerable workers to reduce costs. Without proper oversight, this exploitation can undermine the safety of workers and the effectiveness of the service, ultimately harming the public.

The lesson is clear: bureaucrats must ensure that private contractors are held accountable. By proactively creating and enforcing regulations, much like the oil companies did in the past, governments can ensure that private enterprises serve the public interest while maintaining high standards of safety, efficiency, and fairness.

Bureaucrats will have to take it upon themselves to build the Indian Dream, much like how American private capitalist companies acted in the past to build the American Dream.

The US was able to attract highly educated people from across the world to its land, based on such lucrative labor policies, during a time of great upheaval. While the world complained about the brain drain, the US and other oil giant home countries built their nations. In fact, in India too, entry into seafaring at that time was through the IIT entrance exams. Many brilliant students of Mathematics and Physics chose to pursue seafaring professions, working for these oil companies, because they offered much better remuneration and work environments compared to what the IIT graduates of those times could earn by acquiring a B.Tech degree and staying in India, rather than migrating abroad.

Disinformation का आधुनिक युग का अचूक हथियार

2025-10-08T21:22:00.001+05:30

Disinformation यानी झूठी जानकारी , झूठा ज्ञान वह आधुनिक हथियार है जिससे आधुनिक युग में अच्छे से अच्छे , स्थिर और सुसंचालित देश की व्यवस्था को अंदर से खोखला करके ध्वस्त किया जा सकता है।

और तो और, ये वाला अचूक हथियार, Disinformation, और अधिक कारगार बन जाता है जब किसी देश में प्रजातंत्र हो, और जहां स्वतंत्रता की अभिव्यक्ति को सर्वोपरि माना गया हो !

आज भारत ऐसे कमजोर देशों की सूची में शामिल हुआ, ऐसे एक मोड़ पर खड़ा देश है जहां disinformation बहुत अधिक त्वरित हो रही है, Fake News के माध्यम से।

जब भी किसी देश में Disinformation का हथियार क्रियान्वित किया जा रहा हो, तब आपको इसका पता कैसे चलेगा?
जवाब— आप यदि जागरूक हो, तब आप गौर करना शुरू करिए कि क्या आसपास के समाज में Fake News बहुत अधिक मात्रा में प्रसारित होने की शिकायत हैं, देशवासियों में आपसी खींचा-तनाव बढ़ रहा है, और क्या लोगबाग हल्के और छोटे छोटे विषयों पर भी आपस में विभाजित होने लगा रहे है, जिन पर पहले लोग हंस मुस्कुरा कर आगे बढ़ जया करते थे।

दूसरा लक्षण है, यदि चुनावों में नेताओं का चुनाव बहुत बारीक margin से हो रहा है, यानी मुकाबला बार बार टक्कर का हो रहा है, और Fake News की शिकायतें चरम पर हो, तब भी समझ सकते है कि Disinformation का हथियार किसी गुप्त शक्ति ने देश में सक्रिय कर छोड़ा है ।

Disinformation का हथियार काम कैसे करता है?
आपसी सहमति , आपसी एकता, समाज में धर्म और मूल्य की स्थापना जिनके इर्दगिर्द लोगों में संपर्क और सहयोग कर सके किसी भी जटिल सैनिकीय हालातों में, वहां पर बांधा आ जाती है। लोग अलग अलग जानकारी के चलते आपसी विश्वास नहीं बना पाते है, और वह भी, तुरंत, जो कि परम आवश्यक होता है हालात के मद्देनजर।

ये है Disinformation का आधुनिक युग का अचूक हथियार।

Difference between DECISION and DISCRETION

2025-10-03T20:23:00.000+05:30

The Post-Modernity and the Post-truth world !

2025-08-03T21:34:00.000+05:30

Science can become a big time nuisance in a highly polarized and politically charged landscape. Instead of revealing the truth, science can be put to use for manipulation; to create waves of public opinion, causing trust to fluctuate between "yeses" and "noes" with each new development.

Scientists understand that science comes in different forms, broadly classified as imperfect and perfect science. Perfect science is typically applied in fields like space rocketry, whereas imperfect science is more prevalent in areas like forensics, archaeology, and medicine.

The issue is that this nuance is not widely understood beyond academic circles. Many people, despite valuing science, and having huge devotion towards it, may still not be aware of its complexities and limitations. Shrewd politicians can exploit this knowledge gap by tactfully presenting new "data" (often misconstrued as "facts") to manipulate public opinion, leveraging the imperfections in certain scientific fields.

The post above is one living example of how the science, which is of imperfect nature, is being abused and exploited, to swing the opinions.

_____xxxx_________
The current epoch in politics is no longer referred to as "modern" by scholars of Cultural Studies and Philosophy. According to them, the "modern" period spanned from the Industrial Revolution to the emergence of the internet. The term "modernity" describes the era when scientific seeds began to sprout, eradicating ignorance, practises of occultism and superstitions that had long plagued humanity. The humanity was struggling to make its survival in the "dark ages". And, with "modernity" came the sciences, when that era of superstitions and ignorance began to fade away as a the lamp of knowledge was lit to lead the progress of humanity. The Sciences brought with them the understanding of truth in a new way.

During modernity, science brought about a new understanding of truth, dispelling darkness and guiding human progress. However, cultural studies scholars argue that this "modernity" period has now ended with the rise of the internet and AI, ushering in the "post-modernity" era. In this era, science is often used not to reveal truth but to create "alternate truths."

In the vocabulary of "modernity", these 'alternate truth's would have been labeled as "lies". Yet, in the current era, scientific advancements have already outsmarted the mind of most the humanity, and made it increasingly convenient to craft "undefeatable" proofs and evidences which can be used to manipulate the previously existing evidence and proofs with extreme ease. This situation has made blurring the lines between truth and falsehood. As a result, the concept of "lie" has given way to "alternate truth," where the act of presenting false information is no longer considered wrong but rather a necessity and convenience.

This phenomenon is particularly evident in politics, where scientific evidence can be manipulated to support conflicting narratives. For instance, a gunshot incident could be proven to be either an attack by a particular group or a staged event, depending on the narrative being promoted. With the tools of AI and the internet, this process can be repeated virtually infinite times.

This sub-genre era of post-modernity, characterized by the unsteadiness of truth, is aptly termed the "post-truth" era. In this era, truth vacillates like a pendulum, making and keeps shifting away from a position and returning to it, every now and then, an infinite number of times.

Conversations are a catalyst to deeper connections

2025-07-29T20:54:00.000+05:30

Conversations are a catalyst to deeper connections, fresh ideas, and a better understanding of ourselves and our world.

Here are some beautiful quotes referring to Conversations ---

Ultimately, the bond of all companionship, whether in marriage or friendship, is conversation. — Oscar Wilde

A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books.— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The stronger person is not the one making the most noise but the one who can quietly direct the conversation toward defining and solving problems. — Aaron T. Beck

The heart of dialogue is simple - The profoundness is to listen. — Lolly Daskal

Good conversation is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after. — Anne Morrow Lindbergh

One good conversation can shift the direction of the change forever. — Linda Lam

A conversation is so much more than words, a conversation is eyes, smiles, the silences between words. — Annika Thor

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. — Dorothy Nevil

The right word at the right time will unlock the door to treasures - the wrong one will close it forever. — Rasheed Ogunlaru

Night air, good conversation, and a sky full of stars can heal almost any wound. — Beau Taplin

The only thing that guarantees an open-ended collaboration among human beings, the only thing that guarantees that this project is truly open-ended, is a willingness to have our beliefs and behaviors modified by the power of conversation. — Sam Harris

The great charm of conversation consists less in the display of one's own wit and intelligence than in the power to draw forth the resources of others. — Jean de la Bruyère

Conversation is a catalyst for innovation. — John Seely Brown

Conversation doesn't have to lead to consensus about anything, especially not values; it's enough that it helps people get used to one another. — Kwame Anthony Appiah

Wit is the salt of conversation, not the food. — William Hazlitt

Writing in a journal reminds you of your goals and of your learning in life. It offers a place where you can hold a deliberate, thoughtful conversation with yourself. — Robin S. Sharma

There is no such thing as a worthless conversation, provided you know what to listen for. And questions are the breath of life for a conversation. — James Nathan Miller

Choose to have a conversation with people , rather than talking to people. — D.J. Kyos

Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters. — Margaret Wheatley

Conversation isn't about proving a point; true conversation is about going on a journey with the people you are speaking with. — Ricky Maye

Good conversation can leave you more exhilarated than alcohol; more refreshed than the theater or a concert. It can bring you entertainment and pleasure; it can help you get ahead, solve problems, spark the imagination of others. It can increase your knowledge and education. It can erase misunderstandings, and bring you closer to those you love.— Dorothy Sarnoff

Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood. — William Shakespeare

Ideal conversation must be an exchange of thought, and not, as many of those who worry most about their shortcomings believe, an eloquent exhibition of wit or oratory. — Emily Post

All problems exist in the absence of a good conversation. — Thomas Leonard

The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. — Peggy O'Mara

Conversation is a meeting of minds with different memories and habits. When minds meet, they don't just exchange facts: they transform them, reshape them, draw different implications from them, engage in new trains of thought. Conversation doesn't just reshuffle the cards: it creates new cards. — Theodore Zeldin

Conversation is a catalyst for innovation. — John Seely Brown

Conversation is good - you might not agree with everyone, but at least it gives you a chance to contemplate someone else's ideas. — Brandi Chastain

Good conversation is the equivalent of shared emotion. — Marty Rubin

Conversation is much like a tennis game except that in tennis you try to put the ball in the most difficult position for the one who must hit it while in conversation you must try to put it where it will be easy to hit. — Margery Wilson

The great gift of conversation lies less in displaying it ourselves than in drawing it out of others. He who leaves your company pleased with himself and his own cleverness is perfectly well pleased with you. — Jean de la Bruyère

Put any company of people together with freedom for conversation, and a rapid self-distribution takes place into sets and pairs...All conversation is a magnetic experiment. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is not what we learn in conversation that enriches us. It is the elation that comes of swift contact with tingling currents of thought. — Agnes Repplier

The art of conversation is not knowing what you ought to say, but what one ought not to say. — F.L. Lucas

Conversation is an exchange of thoughts that leave all parties to it a grain wiser. — Alfred Whitney Griswold

We owe to one another all the wit and good humour we can command; and nothing so clears our mental vistas as sympathetic and intelligent conversation. — Agnes Repplier

Learning to speak, therefore, and the power it brings of intelligent converse with others, is a most impressive further step along the path of independence. — Maria Montessori

Conversation in its happiest development is a link, equally exquisite and adequate, between mind and mind, a system by which men approach one another with sympathy and enjoyment, a field for the finest amenities of civilization, for the keenest and most intelligent display of social activity. It is also our solace, our inspiration, and our most rational pleasure. It is a duty we owe to one another; it is our common debt to humanity. — Agnes Repplier

Choose to focus your time, energy and conversation around people who inspire you, support you and help you to grow you into your happiest, strongest, wisest self. — Karen Salmansohn

The true spirit of conversation consists in building on another man's observation, not overturning it. — Edward G Bulwer-Lytton

अहमदाबाद वायुयान दुर्घटना पर एक टिप्पणी

2025-07-15T21:41:00.000+05:30

एयर इंडिया 171 वायुयान की दुर्घटना के विषय में जब से आरंभिक रिपोर्ट ने Fuel cutoff switch ( ईंधन प्रदाता स्विच) में गड़बड़ी किए जाने (मूलतः, किसी प्रकार के मानवीय कृत्य से) का सुझाव दिया है,

तब से पश्चिमी मीडिया जगत में तो संपूर्ण दुर्घटना को किसी प्रकार का मानवीय आत्मघाती कर्म,या फिर आत्मघाती आतंकी कृत्य मानना आरंभ कर दिया है।

MH 370 की उड़ान में कप्तान ज़ाहरे अहमद शाह पर आत्मघाती कर्म की घनी शंका विशेषज्ञों की राय में बनी हुई है। जो कि मैं भी , एक तकनीकी पेशेवर की दृष्टि से, समर्थन करता हूँ।

Germanwings 9525 उड़ान में co पायलट ने आत्मदाह किया था, सभी यात्रियों की भी जान लेते हुए, मात्र girl friend से हुए झगड़े की वजह है।

मगर एक भारतीय होने के नाते मैं AI 171 के पायलटों पर आत्मघाती होने की बात को कभी स्वीकार नहीं कर सकूंगा ! क्योंकि ऐसा मैने भारतीय मूल्यों और परंपराओं। में कभी नहीं देखा सुना है, कि हवाई पायलट जैसे उच्च कौशल के पेशे में बैठे भारतीय इतनी गैरजिम्मेदार व्यवहार की नुमाइश करते हुए, अपने संग संग तमाम यात्रियों और परिवारों को तबाह कर दे!

जितने भी depression में भारतीय व्यक्ति क्यों न हो, ज़िम्मेदारी को निभाता है। समाज का अहित नहीं होने देता है ।

Switches में स्वत: गड़बड़ी हो सकने की पूर्वचेतावनी रिपोर्ट जारी होने की भी एक खबर है, जो इस दुर्घटना के करीबन 2 माह पूर्व मे ही आई थी, इस प्रकार। के switches में ।

मै ये मान सकता हूं कि एयर इंडिया का तंत्र नकारा रहा हो, और अपनी भूल चूक में, पूर्वचेतावनी रिपोर्ट के कहे अनुसार जांच नहीं किए हो।

मगर भारतीय मूल के पायलटों के द्वारा पूरे समाज और परिवारों के विरुद्ध आत्मघाती हो जाना, ये मैं नहीं मान सकता।

Modern Society and the Bureaucratic Blind Spot in Industrial Safety

2025-07-15T10:45:00.000+05:30

Modern Society and the Bureaucratic Blind Spot in Industrial Safety

Modern society is fundamentally an industrialized society. An industrial environment is one where dangers lurk in every nook and corner—often unnoticed by untrained individuals absorbed in their daily routines, until these dangers manifest catastrophically. Such a society demands a dedicated cadre of officials constantly working to protect citizens from these hidden and often unheard-of threats.

However, the critical issue is that the current model of bureaucracy in India—much like in many other countries—is ill-equipped to safeguard citizens from the unique dangers of an industrialized world. Today, the entire society effectively resides within an industrial setting. In essence, the nation can be imagined as a vast network of factories, yet both the bureaucracy and the general populace remain largely unaware of this defining characteristic of modern life.

Consider this analogy: imagine flying in an aircraft with your entire family—your spouse and three young children—while the fuel cut-off switch is suspected to be faulty, capable of switching on or off at random. Despite this, the maintenance engineers have filled their records, and the concern about the switch are not even known to the bureaucrats sitting in the top decision -making circles.

Now ask yourself: what would be your fate of you were to take flight in such an aircraft?

Now imagine again, living in the port city of Beirut, several kilometers away from the docks, and assuming you're safe from any danger originating from the port. And yet, a consignment of fertilizer—left in a warehouse years ago by a stranded ship—somehow ignites and causes a massive explosion. You and your family, though far from the blast site, become victims of what is later described as the most powerful non-nuclear explosion in recorded history. A blast second only to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

This is the scale of risk that modern industrial society carries. Tragically, the machinery of modern governance—particularly the bureaucracy, which acts as the government's eyes and ears—is often caught completely off-guard. Despite being supported by substantial public funding, this bureaucratic system frequently fails to detect or prevent such disasters.

To be clear, the bureaucracy is not entirely disconnected from these realities. However, its internal mechanisms for dealing with such events often rely heavily on informal networks—batchmates, personal contacts, and close confidants. A major obstacle in bureaucratic decision-making is the identification of the "gold standard"—the benchmark against which a situation must be assessed, analyzed, and judged. Civil servants typically rely on either their academic training or the insights of trusted colleagues to determine these standards. This overdependence on informal channels often hinders effective and timely action, especially in complex and rapidly evolving scenarios.

This issue represents a serious limitation in modern bureaucracy—one that may well be endangering public safety. Increasingly, I've observed that both political groups and the bureaucracies they support appear to view the enormous modern population as a burden—on the environment, on the economy, and even on governance itself. As a result, there's an unsettling shift toward treating human life as expendable.

This attitude is disturbingly evident in public discourse. When questioned about the poor condition of roads or the lack of safety in railways, political leaders and officials often respond with statements such as: "Such incidents are normal," "Nothing can be done to prevent them," or worse, "Those who were destined to die have died; let's not harm the living further by pursuing punishment."

These comments reflect a dangerous mindset—a belief that the sheer size of the population justifies a degree of indifference toward individual lives. The concern for public safety within the bureaucracy has fallen to abysmally low levels.

The problem is further compounded by the rise of global Industrial Safety Systems—such as ISO standards, the International Safety Management (ISM) Code used on merchant ships, and international organizations like WHO and ICAO. These bodies establish comprehensive performance standards in their respective domains, and they rely on systems such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), checklists, and structured manuals to adopt and implement them effectively.

This is another point where chokes have emerged in the arena of public safety responsibility. Many public officials have gradually developed a condescending view toward the operational heads within their teams. They have begun to believe that with the advent of SOPs, checklists, and catalogued operational manuals, the job of managing operations has become trivial. As a result, they've shifted their focus to other matters—restructuring, policymaking, publicity—while ignoring the rigorous enforcement and correct interpretation of operational procedures.

Modern organizations, both public and private, are increasingly obsessed with restructuring—merging, demerging, diversifying, borrowing, lending, selling, acquiring—doing everything except operating the systems they already have with precision and care. This behavior, I believe, is partly the result of a mindset that assumes operations are now a "solved" problem, thanks to SOPs and automation.

Even the private corporate sector has adopted and mirrored this mindset—a mindset that arguably began within the bureaucracy itself. In government, it is routine for a civil servant to move from a posting in agriculture to one in civil aviation, or from public health to municipal administration, without any sector-specific expertise. The private sector appears to have reasoned that if bureaucrats can be rotated so freely, then why shouldn't a marketing, sales, or HR professional be appointed as the head of operations?

Now think of the consequences of having non-core-specific persons in the role of operational heads, even with SOP and checklist systems in place. Each of these systems has its limitations, which have been cited innumerable times by critics. However, operational heads from non-core backgrounds may fail to appreciate or even recognize the applicability of these criticisms at the right moment and in the right context. As a result, they may be unable to judge the probability, severity, or immediacy of the consequences of their decisions. They may struggle to assess how strictly a procedure must be enforced in a given situation, or how strong a reasoning must be to justify decisive or preemptive action.

Checklist systems have always been criticized—even from the time of their origin—as having the potential to become little more than legal tissue paper: tools to wipe away the stains of negligence by those in positions of power. A non-core-specific person, unaware of such criticisms or of their appropriate application, may fail to recognize when a checklist is being used as a shield rather than a safeguard. This is the tricky part—where domain-specific knowledge becomes essential for making correct, often life-critical, judgments.

In a way, what many safety preachers have long been telling seafarers—not to become complacent with ISM checklists—has now ironically become an issue within the functions of those very preachers themselves.

Both the bureaucracy and the private corporates need to become alarmed by these accidents of such large-scale, sorrowful destruction and sit up and take notice of what wrong they may be doing. The much-talked-about problems faced by Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, are not isolated—they mirror the same structural failures that so many other corporations, and bureaucracies too, have come face-to-face with. And yet, in all these cases, those responsible continue to behave obliviously, refusing to acknowledge that the roots of these problems lie within their own systems and selves.

Few interesting quotes

2025-07-08T06:03:00.001+05:30

सच्चा होंसला

2025-05-12T07:58:00.001+05:30

सच्चा होंसला कुछ काल्पनिक मजाक सुनने सुनाने से नहीं पैदा होता है,

सच्चे हौंसले वाले व्यक्ति गंभीर और शांत चित होते है, मजाकिया मिजाज से बचने की कोशिश करते हैं।

मजाक और माखौल उड़ाने वाले व्यक्ति अक्सर एक द्विस्वपन दुनिया में चले जाते हैं, यथार्थ से कोसों दूर,

और

वे सत्य के तमाम प्रमाणों और लक्षणों को पढ़ना और पहचानना भूल जाते हैं।

दूरदर्शन बनाम प्राइवेट न्यूज चैनलों वाली सांस्कृतिक बहस के इतिहास के विषय में

2025-05-10T06:59:00.000+05:30

ये बात अतीत काल में कुछ सांस्कृतिक हालात का सत्य विवरण हैं

1993 के आसपास जब मनमोहन सिंह जी ने वित्त मंत्री रहते हुए आर्थिक उदारीकरण करके देश के दरवाजे विदेशी कंपनियों के लिए खोल थे, तब टीवी पर बहुत सारे सेवा प्रदाताओं और उनके चैनलों का सैलाब आया था। इसके पहले केवल एक ही चेनल और सेवा प्रदान हुआ करता था —दूरदर्शन ।

विदेशी मूल से आए इन टीवी के प्रदाताओं में सबसे प्रमुख नाम था स्टार टीवी का।

लोगों को —आम जनता को — में इनके लोग घर घर जा कर cable tv लगवाने की मार्केटिंग कर रहे थे। इनके लोग बताते थे कि कैसे दूरदर्शन इतना "फीका" टीवी चैनल है, उसका समाचारों का बताने का रवैया कितना सूखा सा है। और, इन प्राइवेट चैनल वालों के अनुसार, दूरदर्शन के इस फीके रवैए के चलते लोगों में जागृति की कितनी कमी थी, क्योंकि आम जनता को समझ ही नहीं आता था कि बाबरी मस्जिद से उनको क्या नुकसान हो रहा है, आरक्षण नीति से क्या नुकसान है, पर्शिया की खाड़ी में हो रहे युद्ध से उन पर क्या असर पड़ेगा । प्राईवेट चैनल वालों ने ही दूरदर्शन के "रूखे–सूखे और फीके खाने" की बुराइयां शुरू करके अपने "मसालेदार भोजन और स्वादिष्ट पकवान" के समान प्राइवेट न्यूज चैनलों को देशवासियों को बेचने की युक्ति लगाई थी।

और वाकई में, आम जनता को दूरदर्शन की " रुखी–सूखी दाल रोटी" का स्वाद खराब लगाने लगा और उन्हें प्राइवेट विदेशी चैनलों का स्वादिष्ट, मसालों से लबालब पकवान खरीदना शुरू कर दिया।

ये थे उस युग के सांस्कृतिक चर्चाओं का सत्य।

आज के युग में इन प्राइवेट चैनलों ने आम जनता को अपने मसालेदार भोजन खिला खिला कर वापस से, पहले से भी अधिक बदतर अबोध, सम्मोहित, और निंद्रा वशीकरण कर दिया है। आज ये जनता सत्य कम, और काल्पनिक झूठी बातें, अफवाह फैलाने में अधिक लिप्त है।

आज देशवासियों को वापस से अपने उस पुराने, बिछड़े गाँव की रुखी–सुखी रोटी, दूरदर्शन के हाथों की बनी हुई , खाने की याद आने लगी है।

प्राईवेट चैनल वालों ने ऐसे बदहजमी , और मानसिक रोग फैला दिया है देश भर में, "मसालेदार, उकसाऊ" भाषा में समाचारों का विवरण दे–दे कर।

Non communicative people

2025-05-09T07:18:00.000+05:30