Education
Students Steering the Education Wheel through Stormy Virus
How did the Students Cope with the Disruptions in Learning and Life Around Them?
It has been more than a year since campuses were compelled by the COVID-19 pandemic to close their doors to their students and resort to remote teaching. Since few universities and even fewer colleges had a Learning Management System (LMS) in vogue, choices of the tool, technology, medium, and platform were largely left to the teachers to manage to the best of their abilities. The result was a wide variety of ways in which the teaching-learning processes were carried on. Students, though more tech-savvy and better equipped to guide the transition, hardly had a say in the matter and they remained largely at the receiving end. Not only did their chosen and settled ways of learning get disrupted, their lives and the lives of people around them too got tossed into the turbulence
World
A New Withdrawal Playbook: US-Afghanistan and Implications for India
India has a great concern over the increasing political instability in Kabul.The US troop withdrawal has turned a new page into the Afghanistan Saga.
Economy
Introspecting Digitalization in the Indian Economy
The cycle of strong economic growth depends upon the wheels of digital infrastructure and data privacy. Contextualizing it, post-pandemic India entails a digital recovery, wherein citizens will be digitally literate and aware.
Culture
A Gem Shines in the Himalayas post-COVID
A gem shines in the Himalayas of post-COVID era. The town of Dharamsala which was on the verge of getting lost seems regaining its charm.
India
Can NEP-2020 show the way to Modi Government on Farm Laws Issue?
Modi government has made repeal of three farm laws a prestige issue. There are lessons in how NEP-2020 received wide support from all stakeholders after the 2016 policy draft was widely criticized and the government went back to the drafting table. Modi-II regime can learn from Modi-I regime’s experiences on engaging meaningfully with stakeholders when working on crucial policy reforms.
Sci-Tech
Technological Transformation in Higher Education: Myths and Realities
Technological transformation in higher education could enhance the quality, but may not replace the brick and mortar universities.
Society
The Dead Cannot Cry Out for Justice
Death robs you of dignity but in this case, it robbed you of personhood – you were just a statistic in the hospital register or the crematoriums, and the illusion of governance that had existed till now showed itself for the sham it was.
The “System’ has gone into hibernation fulfilling a dream for an “atmanirbhar” Bharat. “Don’t expect hand-holding folks, go deal with the Pandemic yourself. Manage your own oxygen and hospital beds and if you fail, don’t act like a cry baby. Just die quietly and be done with it” the ‘System’ seems to be telling us in no uncertain terms. Add to this, the fancy house the ‘System’ is building -it will see the demolition of our colonial past and will usher in the legacy of the great majoritarian premier. If this isn’t good news, what is? Haters and corrupt foreign media might talk about the stench of death all around but who cares for them anyway? You and I can only hope that the palace has enough mirrors where the “System” can see itself stark naked just for once.
Food & Health
THE MUFFIN TRAIL: Fun to Bake & Yummy to Munch!
Muffins are single serving breads rising with the help of baking powder, baking soda and eggs, instead of yeast.
