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Disability & Policy

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Photo by Nguyen Minh Conceptualizing Disability Disability is a complex human condition. A clear categorization of disability is highly contestable as the boundaries of what constitutes disability remain blurred and changing. The medical model of disability locates the condition of disability in the individual as a pathology and adopts a diagnosis-and-treatment approach. This is questionable as disability cannot be understood without considering its social environment and cultural context of existence. From a holistic point-of-view, the role of society, culture and institutions are paramount in the disability experience as much as the mind and bodily signifiers. As such, disability is best understood in terms of a quasi-social construct and its occurrence on a continuum -- based on the nature and extent of disability. This conceptualization does not play down the need for medical assistance which may be apposite based on particular circumstances. But, it rejects the belief that prevent
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Science, Technology and Society essays

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Photo by Alex Knight Social values and technology Technology exists in the form of a complex system which continuously evolves, shapes and gets shaped by societal mores, power dynamics, money flows, communication networks and work coordination frameworks. Creation of artifacts and material culture is a pursuit of social facts as much as it is of technological progress. For a holistic appreciation of progress, societal forms of authority, power and privilege - which are deeply embedded in technological endeavours cannot be overlooked. For example, taming the forces of nature to harness energy demands developing a rulebook of coordinated action, institutional hierarchy and public order. These activities and the actors at work, shape the socio-politico economic system with its own idea of progress; forms and quality of human associations and relationships. An imprint on culture gets engineered with the design and adoption of technology. Humanitarian concepts of social equity, civil libert
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Factoring Choice in the New Education Policy 2020

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Photo by Stas Knop  “We are our choices.”                                                     ―Jean-Paul Sartre The New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is a watershed moment in the history of Indian education reforms which was introduced in the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. Gaining its momentum through the TSR Subramanian committee to the Kasturirangan committee, it aims at “achieving full human potential, developing an equitable and just society, and promoting national development.” It duly acknowledges that “the world is undergoing rapid changes in the knowledge landscape.” As such it strives for inculcating those qualities in education which will make it more “experiential, holistic, integrated, inquiry-driven, discovery-oriented, learner-centred, discussion-based, flexible, and, of course, enjoyable.” The wide-ranging scope and the nationalistic fervour with which the policy is formulated is so comprehensive that it becomes almost impossible to disagree on its intent for a bett
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Dissecting The Unreserved (2017)

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A still from The Unreserved (2017) The documentary adopts a format in filmography called cinéma vérité - a form of realism in which there is no or minimal embellishment. Each scene tries to capture the story of a particular person or a group of persons. It includes reasons, belief systems, personal lives, ideologies to biases in its documentation together with the chaotic setting - which the producer calls meta references. Shot on trains of the Indian Railways, it opens with a scene in which an octogenarian passenger demonstrates his bodily abilities of twisting his limbs in tortuous positions on a crowded berth. The old man also shows his ability to mimic sounds of dogs, goats, a child, and a woman. He says that he believes in the Almighty and has many such abilities. An unreserved compartment of a train is a microcosm in itself. It draws myriad people - the travelers crisscrossing the country for various reasons. Perhaps an apt representation of what one of India is. The documentary
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Handling COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives from context, social justice & equity, indigeneity & traditions and philosophy

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Photo by CDC The ongoing pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has affected 77.3 million lives and claimed more than 1.7 million lives, at the time of writing this report. (JHU CSSE) Declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in January 2020 and a Pandemic in March 2020, by WHO, it has ravaged the socioeconomic fabric of usual life. Resulting in one of the deepest recessions since the Great Depression, it is set to leave long lasting scars with major global challenges. (World Bank) Risk of debt crises looms in countries with weaker financial metrics. (The Guardian) The poor and vulnerable sections of society are disproportionately affected by disruptions which have wreaked havoc on livelihoods and social safety nets. (UN News) Abrupt shift to online mode of education has affected learning outcomes for learners exposed to digital divide. (Wired) Supply chain shocks resulted in inconvenient or impossible access of essentials for households. (World Bank) Widespread misinformation cre
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