March 2020 – Dev Kusum Foundation

Pandemic not the first nor the last

The present experience forms a part of the collage of this planet’s history. How we respond will determine how the future shall emerge

Clearly the planet is passing through challenging times. However, this is not the first time in the history of mankind that, what is now being termed as a “pandemic”, has struck. From plagues, to floods to various viral threats, the Earth has periodically witnessed humongous disasters. It is all chronicled for anyone with a curious mind who wants to update his/her knowledge about the Blue Planet. This is also not the first time, nor will it be the last, when a disease has struck to which there is no known, tested and established antidote available. However, such experiences in the digital era acquire a completely unique aura and dimension. News travels at a speed which has not even been mapped.

A comparative perspective emerges as never before in history. When the nationwide lockdown was announced, one of the questions that was uppermost on everyone’s minds was: Has a complete shutdown ever been attempted at such a scale, to include all 1.3 billion people, all together? Add to it the unique dimension of the period over which it will be […]

By Vinayshil Gautam|2020-12-18T18:24:33+00:00March 30th, 2020|Columns, Healthcare & Covid|0 Comments

Of threat and its perception

It is nobody’s case that danger is not there. It is a question of an intelligent understanding of disaster as it is possible to face it sensibly

Periodically there are events which capture the people’s mind and imagination because they are so unusual. Recall the global frenzy at the beginning of 21st century? The midnight of December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2000 were supposed to be epoch-making. However, any student of geography knows that there is no such thing as a century changing. The planet Earth rotates around its own axis and around the sun. The flashpoint of December 31, 1999 changing to January 1, 2000 would be at different points of the globe at different times of the same day. For the purposes of enabling “measurement of time”, the Earth is divided into longitudes. This measurement begins at a given longitude in the Pacific Ocean region. The rest of the measurement of time follows. The marking of the longitude is notional and the time taken by the Earth to rotate fully, once, around its axis is taken to be “24 hours.”

Because of this innovation, calendars could be created and seasons marked by months. This collection of months became a […]

By Vinayshil Gautam|2020-12-18T18:23:26+00:00March 16th, 2020|Columns, Economics & Development|0 Comments

Time to study the unspoken rules

It is one of the gaps of sociological studies that social mores have rarely been subjected to scholastic scrutiny

Life is a profound yet subtle experience. The origins of norms, values and regulations are visible only at a certain level and in the context of certain experiences. For instance, consider the almost global feeling amongst Homo sapiens that taking human life is wrong, no matter what the colour of their skin, religion or caste. It doesn’t really matter if that person is from the jungles or the cities, or if he is literate or illiterate.

The list of such rules, social mores, customs and behaviours is endless. Consider the universal feeling of love, concern and care that parents have for their offspring. Like other such generic examples these sentiments need no codification. They are so universal that they have become an integral and spontaneous part of life. These may well be referred to as unspoken laws. However, the story doesn’t end there.

What has been said above is generic and global. Moving beyond it can be specific and regional, probably local.

Consider perhaps, the oldest surviving institution of mankind: Marriage. A man and woman commit themselves to each other and to a lifelong partnership. […]

By Vinayshil Gautam|2023-10-22T14:00:47+00:00March 2nd, 2020|Columns, Heritage & Indianess|Comments Off

Monthly Archives: March 2020

Pandemic not the first nor the last

Of threat and its perception

Time to study the unspoken rules