Entertaining Research

A good read. This was a recommendation for January by Maureen Corrigan a couple of years ago (but works well for this January too!)

I like campus novels. This is a very unique campus novel and is fun!

This is a very interesting book, which, among other things (such as when the Vedic texts were finalised, and how much of Rig Veda as we know it now was known to Panini, and so on), advances the following two ideas:

(1) Buddhism and Jainism were independent and at some level contemporaneous with Vedic Hinduism and to think that Buddha is a reactionary to Vedic religion might not be correct; and, more importantly,

(2) The ideas of rebirth and the Karma notions are borrowed into the Vedic religion from these contemporaneous thought processes.

The second idea also leads to an important conclusion, namely, the Carvaka school is probably the Vedic school which was true to the original Vedic religion in refusing to accept outside notions such as Karma and rebirth. A very thought provoking and interesting read that made me question many ideas I had about the growth of Buddhism vis-a-vis Hinduism. Strongly recommended with the caveat that some portions (especially the appendices) are too technical for me to follow and the original quotes in German and French are given without translation, which, again, I could not follow.

I used to borrow Granta regularly from Eloor lending library — about two decades ago. I have not read one in recent times. However, since this is an India issue, I decided to give a try. Some of the interviews are online and are more extensive. But the issue overall is nice and certainly worth the read!

This is a manual on meditation. About 112 meditation practices are explained. Of course, one needs practice and probably a teacher to understand some of the methods indicated. Very interesting nonetheless.

This has been an year of some wonderful reading for me. Roy’s Called by the hills is among some of the best that I read this year; it is certainly the best in terms of the exquisite water colours. I recommend that you buy several copies and keep them in every room, hall, and desk!! Very strongly recommended!!

A great novel. Am interested in watching the movie now!!

A very good read! Strongly recommended!!

There are several strands to the book. Sometimes the transitions between the different strands are not very smooth. Having said that, this is an excellent read and strongly recommended!!

This is a fabulous read. There is lots to learn about the engineering practices, economics, politics and cultural aspects in general — and of China as opposed to USA in particular. For example, here is a quote about technology:

Viewing technology as people and process knowledge isn’t only more accurate; it also empowers our sense of agency to control technologies we are producing.

I learnt that China does not have a property tax and vast majority of the people are outside of the tax net. The government funding, I understand, primarily comes from monetising land and by making foreign investors invest by building infrastructure and providing cheaper but skilled labour — even though how China has managed to build such trained manpower is not discussed in the book (which, of course, I would have loved to read about!).

The main thesis of the book is that China believes in engineering — everything — including society while American lawyerism serves the rich though is more helpful in sustainability and not degrading the environment. Chinese also seem to be averse to digital economy of online retail, app development and fintech while promoting hard engineering; it has also managed to improve quality by allowing for market competition (at international level). Interestingly, Chinese improvements in technology are apparently based on iterative manufacturing process adjustments.

The book also makes the point that engineering society has big problems and could be the Achilles’ heel of the Chinese economy. The chapter on the one child policy and its implementation is a harrowing read and clearly indicates the dangers of allowing missile scientists to design demographic policy. The engineering approach has other problems too: for example, during COVID, apparently buying fever medication was made difficult (so that the detection of those who have fever is easy) which made it worse when restrictions were removed — in other words, the response to removal of constraints or change of conditions are not immediately reflected in the policies — which requires more innovative engineering solutions, may be, or, proper planning. I also find it surprising that for a state which believes in engineering so much, they do not seem to have enough respect to data probity.

I find the following quote about comedy shows and movies amusing and telling:

Engineers can’t take a joke. …Most of the movies released domestically are nationalist blockbusters, sappy romances, or supernatural action flicks.

Interestingly,

In the United States, physics and mathematics PhDs hardly have a chance to consiser working in their field before a tech giant or hedge fund picks them yo at the sidelines of a conferences, flashes them with a humongous pay package, and folds these eager minds into their glamorous embrace. Senior governement advisors have more or less stated that Beijing intends to block these temptations. …salaries have fallen in the financial industry after regulators imposed a salary cap of $400,000 in financial section.

Of course, even though the book is about China and USA, reading from India, often ‘Indian’ thoughts intrude. There are parallels in India to what is happening in USA and China; unfortunately, many of these are the same kinds of mistakes that we also seem to be making. May be we can learn a lot from the experiences of these two countries and their best practices. Specifically, may be in pharmaceutical industry, we can be strong; we can think of making competitive investments in basic sciences; we can strengthen manufacturing — for our own market to start with and then the rest of the world; and, finally, be a bit more mindful of the present instead of thinking all the time about either our glorious past or about our equally glorious future. If we do not act now, we will not have neither a glorious future nor worthy of the past that we are bequeathed!

In any case, this is a very thought provoking read; and, a very riveting read too that I completed in about two sittings.

Strongly recommended!!