Ravi S. Iyer: Worldly

Given below are extracts from and comments on the joint editorial on renewed 21st century US-India partnership by Indian Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the US President, Mr. Barrack Obama, published in the Washington Post here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/narendra-modi-and-barack-obama-a-us-india-partnership-for-the-21st-century/2014/09/29/dac66812-4824-11e4-891d-713f052086a0_story.html . The text is also available at http://pib.nic.in/newsite/pmreleases.aspx?mincode=3 (click on the left table entry titled, "Text of Joint Editorial by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and US President Mr. Barack Obama, published on the website of Washington Post (30-September 2014)"). As nations committed to democracy, liberty, diversity and enterprise, India and the United States are bound by common values and mutual interests. [Ravi: Interesting identification of common values.] ... Ties between the United States and India are rooted in the shared desire of our ...

Some extracts from and comments on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address (translated from Hindi to English) to the UN General Assembly yesterday, from http://pib.nic.in/newsite/pmreleases.aspx?mincode=3 (click link on left table titled, "English rendering of the Statement by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi at the General Debate of the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) (27-September 2014)", currently 6th entry): India is a country that constitutes one-sixth of humanity; a nation experiencing economic and social transformation on a scale rarely seen in history. Every nation's world view is shaped by its civilization and philosophical tradition. India's ancient wisdom sees the world as one family. It is reflected in a tradition of openness and diversity; co-existence and cooperation. This is why India speaks not just for itself, but also for the cause of justice, dignity, opportunity and prosperity around the world. It is...

I had missed this article in Nov. 2013 but it got republished again at firstpost.com recently, http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/mangalyaan-success-heres-why-western-criticism-to-indias-mars-mission-is-blatant-racism-215704.html . IMHO, the article does go overboard (especially the racism bits in the article) in some of its sarcasm aimed at the critics of India's Mars orbiter project, Mangalyaan, but it does tear down the criticism with solid arguments too. Some notes and comments: The article referred to a UK media article which refers to critics of British aid to India who are "angered" by India's Mars mission. The firstpost.com article states that the Indian economy is (around) 1 trillion pounds and is dismissive of the British aid to India of 300 million pounds. [Ravi: If the figures given above are correct then this British aid is insignificant and simply doesn't matter to India as a whole. What a great & positive change in India's fortun...

Excerpts mainly dealing with world stability and co-existence of religious communities from USA president Obama's UN General Assembly Address, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/09/24/remarks-president-obama-address-united-nations-general-assembly , are given below along with some comments of mine. [You can see the speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiI6crx4Z9k , 38 min 47 secs.] I have focused on the parts of the speech that may be acceptable to most people: Around the globe, there are signposts of progress.  The shadow of World War that existed at the founding of this institution has been lifted, and the prospect of war between major powers reduced.  The ranks of member states has more than tripled, and more people live under governments they elected. Hundreds of millions of human beings have been freed from the prison of poverty, with the proportion of those living in extreme poverty cut in half.  And the world economy continues to strengthen ...

Here are some interesting tweets related to ISRO's Mangalyaan  being   successfully inserted into Mars orbit: From NASA, USA: NASA @NASA, 7:47 PM - 23 Sep 2014 We congratulate @ISRO for its Mars arrival! @MarsOrbiter joins the missions studying the Red Planet. #JourneyToMars  https://twitter.com/NASA/status/514606971450712064 From NASA's Mars Curiosity: Curiosity Rover @MarsCuriosity, 8:03 PM - 23 Sep 2014 Namaste, @MarsOrbiter! Congratulations to @ISRO and India's first interplanetary mission upon achieving Mars orbit. https://twitter.com/MarsCuriosity/status/514611142178516993 ISRO's Mars Orbiter response: ISRO's Mars Orbiter @MarsOrbiter, 8:32 PM - 23 Sep 2014 Howdy @MarsCuriosity ? Keep in touch. I'll be around. https://twitter.com/MarsOrbiter/status/514618412417302528 [Ravi: I thoroughly enjoyed the tweet exchange between NASA Mars Curiosity and ISRO Mars Orbiter. Really great short message exchange announc...

A few days ago I had come across quite a thought-provoking article about a crisis of faith in the global elite in the New York Times. Today I saw an article on the same topic by the same author from the New York Times News service reprinted in The Hindu: In Scotland, Sweden and beyond, a crisis of faith in the global elite, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/in-scotland-sweden-and-beyond-a-crisis-of-faith-in-the-global-elite/article6433079.ece . Some notes and comments: The article gives some recent developments/data related to Scotland, Sweden and the USA, and states that the commonality in them is that, "They lay bare a crisis of faith in the global elite." [Ravi: I tend to agree that there is some kind of crisis of faith in the global elite today. However, higher degrees of transparency, perhaps aided greatly by the Internet, has made more people aware of the goings-on in top government and, to some extent, top industry circles. That, in turn, is ...

Last updated on September 21st 2014 I thought of sharing an extract of a mail (edited to make it suitable on the blog and also to include more info. on defensive driving) I had sent to somebody little less than a year ago: I saw you today afternoon (a little while ago) coming down Chitravathi Road at quite some speed on your scooter (Chitravathi road is a very small stretch of road in outside-ashram Puttaparthi, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puttaparthi , between the main ashram entrance and the, usually dry, Chitravathi river bed). And I saw a child running on the road - for some seconds perhaps, I was quite concerned about the child coming in your way - but you were still some distance away. Then I saw that the child was off the middle of the road. I was relieved and smiled and wished you as you drove past me. Of course, you also would have seen the child and if the child had come back to the middle of the road you, I am sure, would have slowed down. But ... I felt that ...

The Hon'ble (Indian) Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement (translated to English from Hindi) at the press briefing today (18th Sept. 2014) with President Xi Jinping of China is reproduced below from http://pib.nic.in/newsite/pmreleases.aspx?mincode=3 , along with some comments of mine: President Xi Jinping, members of the media, I am delighted to welcome President Xi Zinping to India. I am especially pleased to host him within months of the formation of my Government in Delhi. I attach great importance and priority to our relations with China. We are two ancient civilizations with a long history of engagement. China is our largest neighour, and India's neighbourhood occupies a special place in my national development plans and foreign policy. Today, we are the world's two most populous countries and its two largest emerging economies. We are both undergoing economic transformation on an unprecedented scale and speed. [Ravi: I think the phrase "undergoi...

Last updated on September 18th 2014 It was fascinating to read Chinese president Xi Jinping's article, Towards an Asian century of prosperity, http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/towards-an-asian-century-of-prosperity/article6416553.ece , in The Hindu today. Some extracts and comments: My first visit to this ancient and magic land was 17 years ago, a time when the Indian economy was undergoing reform and beginning to show new vitality in growth. The market was booming in Mumbai, the economic centre. Bangalore was becoming increasingly famous as India’s Silicon Valley. And Bollywood movies and yoga were popular throughout the world. Its people were full of expectations and the ancient civilisation was rejuvenated. [Ravi: That would be around 1997. Very interesting to note how this recent Chinese visitor viewed India then and he seems to have got it spot on! I loved the "ancient and magic land" bit. India's magical charms are well known worldwide!] Now 17 ...

Last updated on October 15th 2014 Today's Hindu has this article, Nothing Vedic in ‘Vedic Maths’, http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/nothing-vedic-in-vedic-maths/article6373689.ece , which I found to be quite interesting and informative. However I am not knowledgeable about this topic and so do not know how truthful the article is. BTW the author, C.K. Raju, seems to be quite a famous Mathematics scholar (besides being involved in other fields including Computer Science), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._K._Raju , http://ckraju.net/index.html . A small extract & some comments: Vedic mathematics has no relation whatsoever to the Vedas. It actually originates from a book misleadingly titled Vedic Mathematics by Bharati Krishna Tirtha. [Ravi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedic_Mathematics_(book) states, "When challenged by Professor K.S. Shukla to point out the sutras in question in the Parishishta of the Atharvaveda, Shukla reported that the Tirthaji said that...

Here is the text of a tweet from PMOIndia: 21st century is Asia's century. The world has accepted it. Question in my mind is- how will it be. We have to provide this answer: PM --- Here's the tweet itself: https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/506285974322561024 Ravi: I think there is some truth to these words. The world is clearly witnessing the re-emergence of Asia after a few centuries of Asia being under the rule of imperial Europe, and later under the sway, though not rule, of the economically & technologically advanced USA & Western Europe. But, surely, Asia, especially India, has huge problems as well. If the giants of Asia, namely, China & India, along with technologically & economically advanced Asian countries like Japan & South Korea are able to forge ahead in harmony with a blend of economic, technological, social justice & spiritual progress then that will make for a great 21st century, IMHO.