This is a blog to mainly pen down, at the cost of loosing them forever, some really random logical and structured thoughts that have appeared in my mind every now and then.
Most of them deserve detailed essays, for which i don't have ample time, and are too erudite and pedantic for posting on Facebook, which am sure would not even garner a dozen likes, becoming a sort of a referendum on my popularity, or lack of it, there.
So, here I go:
1. Horse tales.
It is amazing to watch the humble horse, the most marvelous of animals stroll by. Its muscular body usually leaves behind reprehensible smelling poop, not my flavor any day.
However, this humble animal was responsible, believe it or not, to create empires on scale incomprehensible.
It is said that this animal, is responsible for empires spanning continents , like that of Genghis khan, or even Timur. Lack of this animal in ones royal transport department destined empires to be small, and parochial.
People have suggested that Inca and Aztec empires were small and geographically local, because all the command, control and communication and preemptive action were , quite inefficiently, depending on human foot. This was because there was no horse on those continents.
So how does this animal help us do what is humanly impossible.
Simple. All progress is directly proportional to ENERGY available. Growth, is impossible without energy.
And back in old days, there was no coal which we could burn up, boil water and use to turn turbines.
So we turned to animals.
And the most kickass of these was the humble horse. How?
Because it turned the vastest untapped source of energy on earth into usable forms.
GRASS. Vast continents are covered with the greenish goo we call grass , after capturing energy from the sun using photosynthesis. Converting this energy is almost impossible and inefficient for us humans,since we don't digest cellulose.
And we have this horse, which basically converts this captured solar power, quite ubiquitous, into energy we can use.
So much so , even today, basic unit of power is Horse power.
So essentially , we piggy backed on the horse, which gave us quantum leap in power we humans could mortally possess, and rode out and conquered territories, and held on to it,
Before we could tame horses the stirrups way, we rode chariots, basically hooking up horses into a safer contraption of crates on wheels.
And the lads who mastered these , along with a silly metal called iron, became invincible around 3000 years back, and could unleash hell (and thunder, thanks to indra) on the conquered.
Though highly disputed, these chaps we now call Aryans are credited with Vedas, the most esoteric of texts verbally propagated thorough ages.
And its no wonder the horse is the star of the Vedas, and the highest form of sacrifice that could be made by a king, is that of an horse.(ashwamedha yagna).
So here's to Ol amar malkosh, my own favorite and unbelievably sluggish , harmless and timid horse of the NPA days!!!
2.
Government , in the old days, was a monolith on whose benevolence the entire masses' rations, electricity, communication, transport and pretty much entire life depended.
As India arose from British occupation, Nehru pretty much detested private companies, perhaps being an historian, he couldn't overlook the fact that India was, after all , conquered by a "Company".
So we rolled along a socialist scheme of things, much inspired by soviet machinery of centralized planning , which the old man was pretty impressed with.
With socialist planning came the idea, untested, that bureaucracy could deliver development and growth.
Though possible in limited economies, subsequent failure of this idea became all to clear after Soviets dissolved themselves in 90's.
With the spurt in growth after 90's and the undeniable percolation of prosperity to the masses, coupled with all its contraptions like mobile phones, internet, jobs and good life, it is not easy now to agree with karl marx, who, it was rumored was not a "marxist".
However, with the coming of the self proclaimed right wing government in India, Administrative reforms is given a new impetus.
Central to this is the idea that goverment should roll back from non essential functions, and strictly stick to those which can enable growth, thus pulling out its millions from cycle of poverty.
The fundamental flaw in assuming to deliver prosperity to Indians through its bureaucracy is that
1. They consist of humans part of society.
2. They are incredibly hard to motivate and monitor
3. Goals are diffused and principal agent problem results.
4. Discretion without responsibility, accountabilty would result in corruption.
5.
TBD.....
Most of them deserve detailed essays, for which i don't have ample time, and are too erudite and pedantic for posting on Facebook, which am sure would not even garner a dozen likes, becoming a sort of a referendum on my popularity, or lack of it, there.
So, here I go:
1. Horse tales.
It is amazing to watch the humble horse, the most marvelous of animals stroll by. Its muscular body usually leaves behind reprehensible smelling poop, not my flavor any day.
However, this humble animal was responsible, believe it or not, to create empires on scale incomprehensible.
It is said that this animal, is responsible for empires spanning continents , like that of Genghis khan, or even Timur. Lack of this animal in ones royal transport department destined empires to be small, and parochial.
People have suggested that Inca and Aztec empires were small and geographically local, because all the command, control and communication and preemptive action were , quite inefficiently, depending on human foot. This was because there was no horse on those continents.
So how does this animal help us do what is humanly impossible.
Simple. All progress is directly proportional to ENERGY available. Growth, is impossible without energy.
And back in old days, there was no coal which we could burn up, boil water and use to turn turbines.
So we turned to animals.
And the most kickass of these was the humble horse. How?
Because it turned the vastest untapped source of energy on earth into usable forms.
GRASS. Vast continents are covered with the greenish goo we call grass , after capturing energy from the sun using photosynthesis. Converting this energy is almost impossible and inefficient for us humans,since we don't digest cellulose.
And we have this horse, which basically converts this captured solar power, quite ubiquitous, into energy we can use.
So much so , even today, basic unit of power is Horse power.
So essentially , we piggy backed on the horse, which gave us quantum leap in power we humans could mortally possess, and rode out and conquered territories, and held on to it,
Before we could tame horses the stirrups way, we rode chariots, basically hooking up horses into a safer contraption of crates on wheels.
And the lads who mastered these , along with a silly metal called iron, became invincible around 3000 years back, and could unleash hell (and thunder, thanks to indra) on the conquered.
Though highly disputed, these chaps we now call Aryans are credited with Vedas, the most esoteric of texts verbally propagated thorough ages.
And its no wonder the horse is the star of the Vedas, and the highest form of sacrifice that could be made by a king, is that of an horse.(ashwamedha yagna).
So here's to Ol amar malkosh, my own favorite and unbelievably sluggish , harmless and timid horse of the NPA days!!!
2.
Government , in the old days, was a monolith on whose benevolence the entire masses' rations, electricity, communication, transport and pretty much entire life depended.
As India arose from British occupation, Nehru pretty much detested private companies, perhaps being an historian, he couldn't overlook the fact that India was, after all , conquered by a "Company".
So we rolled along a socialist scheme of things, much inspired by soviet machinery of centralized planning , which the old man was pretty impressed with.
With socialist planning came the idea, untested, that bureaucracy could deliver development and growth.
Though possible in limited economies, subsequent failure of this idea became all to clear after Soviets dissolved themselves in 90's.
With the spurt in growth after 90's and the undeniable percolation of prosperity to the masses, coupled with all its contraptions like mobile phones, internet, jobs and good life, it is not easy now to agree with karl marx, who, it was rumored was not a "marxist".
However, with the coming of the self proclaimed right wing government in India, Administrative reforms is given a new impetus.
Central to this is the idea that goverment should roll back from non essential functions, and strictly stick to those which can enable growth, thus pulling out its millions from cycle of poverty.
The fundamental flaw in assuming to deliver prosperity to Indians through its bureaucracy is that
1. They consist of humans part of society.
2. They are incredibly hard to motivate and monitor
3. Goals are diffused and principal agent problem results.
4. Discretion without responsibility, accountabilty would result in corruption.
5.
TBD.....
