Our Sense of Time During a Pandemic

2020 has flown. But then, we say that every year, don’t we? Perhaps. But there’s no denying that this year has been different in many ways. Swept up in all its changes, it is possible that we scarcely noticed how fast it’s gone by. Take the pandemic lockdowns, for instance. I think many of us… Continue reading Our Sense of Time During a Pandemic

Crises Make Us Hope for Change

Merely a decade ago, we were barely recovering from the 2008 Financial Crisis. Most of the world was still reeling from the domino effect it sent across the world through the global financial system. Even countries that were not part of the globalized world of finance were impacted through the effects it had on trade… Continue reading Crises Make Us Hope for Change

History of Burma, But Which One?

I am back to reading non-fiction now, as you can tell. My father bought The Hidden History of Burma early this year and I thought it’s time I read it. Thant Myint-U, the author, being the grandson of U Thant, former UN Secretary General, was an important draw, of course. It’s a country I first… Continue reading History of Burma, But Which One?

Owl Wisdom Podcasts 2020

Hello readers and subscribers. Just to let you know that since 2020 is drawing to an end, I have compiled all my Owl Wisdom Podcasts of 2020 as a pdf document and uploaded it on slideshare.net. So more people can read, listen, download and share some owl wisdom! Given the kind of year 2020 has… Continue reading Owl Wisdom Podcasts 2020

Self-Reliance in a Covid Economy: Owl Wisdom Podcast

Hello and welcome to what is certainly my last Owl Wisdom Podcast of 2020. It might be a while before I share another Owl Wisdom Podcast, because I have exhausted the three hours of podcast time that I am allowed on a free SoundCloud account. I had planned at the outset a year ago, for… Continue reading Self-Reliance in a Covid Economy: Owl Wisdom Podcast

Machines Like Us. Do They?

The days of the pandemic, when technology is playing an even bigger role in people’s lives and many are singing its praises, is a good time to turn to science fiction. To imagine what AI can do to our lives and our work. More importantly, to our relationships with each other. These days, I read… Continue reading Machines Like Us. Do They?

Owl Wisdom Podcast: The Post-Trump Global Economy

The recently concluded US elections have huge implications for the rest of the world. Not just because America is still the world's largest economy, but because it wields its economic and military power on the international stage, like no other country does. In that respect, it has enjoyed huge influence. In the past four years,… Continue reading Owl Wisdom Podcast: The Post-Trump Global Economy

The Great Media Hijack

Over a month ago, we received two copies of the Times of India at our flat in Goa. Naturally we thought the vendor had mistakenly dropped off two copies of the same newspaper. To my amusement and horror – of which I couldn’t tell which was greater – I discovered that they were different editions… Continue reading The Great Media Hijack

The Road Ahead for Tata Motors

The past two years have been anything but benign for the Indian automobile industry. As I had written in a blog post more than a year ago, many factors are to blame for the state of the business. However, I don’t think any automobile company in India has suffered as much as Tata Motors has.… Continue reading The Road Ahead for Tata Motors

Of Open Cities in the Time of Lockdowns

Deserted city streets. Empty or shuttered shops and restaurants. Air travel pretty much grounded. And a raging pandemic in our midst. Seems to be a strange time to be reading a book that is about just the opposite. About a life we once knew, which makes the act of reading it now, a study in… Continue reading Of Open Cities in the Time of Lockdowns