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“The pronoun is one of the most terrifying masks man has invented”, observed John Fowles, the celebrated English novelist. A very apt observation except for the fact that it must have been a woman who invented pronouns. I can vouchsafe this with as strong a conviction as I can muster. Because I speak from myContinue reading “The Tyranny of Pronouns”

A Reality Check for COP 28 The task, therefore, in Dubai is both formidable and fractious. Immediate crises loom large and pose an eclipse over objectives that are perilous and yet  are often seen as distant.  Terrorism’s Role: A Missing Piece in Global Discourse Terrorism has never been discussed as a factor that affects obtaining progressContinue reading “How terrorism Hampers Progress Part II”

A Reality Check for COP 28 COP 28 could not be taking place at a more inopportune time. The world’s attention riveted to Middle East in the wake of Hamas-Israel conflict, poised to escalate into a widespread crisis of extraordinary proportions, will likely diminish the attention and intensity of discussions in Dubai. Progress since COP27 inContinue reading “How Terrorism Hampers Progress-Part I”

(Handia is no ordinary rice beer. It represents the soul and spirit, temper and tradition, custom and culture of a people whose simple, uncomplicated lives in deep dense forests of northern and north-eastern India offer a study in harmony and heritage. It is indeed a Blessed Brew, a brew of faith and fun.) In tribal landsContinue reading “A Handia Anthem”

Rice Bear Par Excellence “Humankind was built on beer. From the world’s first writing to its first laws, in rituals social, religious, and political, civilization is soaked in beer.”  William Bostwick  Beer Critic for the Wall Street Journal. More than being a deliciously compelling beverage, Handia is an integral and inseparable part of the cultureContinue reading “Handia-The Brew of Tradition: Part II”

The essence of Chhath festival is purity and discipline. What more could signify the deity, Surya, who we wish to propitiate during this four day festival? Few Gods in the divine pantheon match Sun in its discipline and sense of duty. The Sun never fails to rise and never forgets to set. A parallel toContinue reading “Essence of Chhath”

The Rice Beer par Excellence Napoleon once asserted, “On victory, you deserve beer; in defeat, you need it.” For the tribal communities of northern and eastern India, life’s simplicity transforms into excitement through a range of potent and magical beverages, used both in times of joy and hardship. In this rainbow of beverages that lighten andContinue reading “Handia-The Brew of Tradition: Part I”

A new area of bioinformatics has come to the rescue and relief of researchers while pursuing the ideal candidates for de-extinction.  Bioinformatics: Guiding the Resurrection In recent decades, the rise of bioinformatics has transformed herbarium specimens into browsable digital databases, accessible to researchers worldwide. The New York Botanical Garden and other institutions have digitized theirContinue reading “De-Extinction: Resurrecting Lost Species – Part II”