Category: Opinion
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Caste-Capitalism Nexus – An Overview
In this post, I’ll describe how caste and capitalism exist as closely related structures that reinforce each other in modern India. I begin by defining caste and capitalism. Then I describe how caste forms the bedrock for capitalism in India. And finally I talk about ways that capitalism reinforces caste, completing the loop that forms…
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‘Democracy’ is a Useless Word
Democracy is a word that’s vague and has multiple meanings. It is often used as an excuse for not doing anything. The use of the word should raise suspicion about the intentions of the speaker. Most people when explaining democracy start with an even worse definition of the word: “government of the people, by the…
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‘The Good Place’ is Good
Swathi and I started watching ‘The Good Place’ after we finished watching ‘A Man on the Inside’ (thanks to Pooja’s recommendation in the South Central podcast) and craving for more Ted Danson. There are 4 seasons and we finished it within a month! It was a whirlwind ride on philosophy. Although not as exciting as…
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Who’s the Default Cook in your Home?
There’s plenty written by women about how unfair division of household chores is the classic symptom of patriarchy. They’ve written about how it is not just about cooking, but also about the mental burden of thinking about the house — about grocery shopping, about making a list for grocery shopping, about keeping a mental checklist…
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Read Everything
In hindsight, this was the most important advice I got as a child. Read everything. Newspaper. Books. Textbook. Children’s magazines. Even the paper which the shopkeeper uses to wrap vegetables in. I followed it religiously for most of my life. I used to wake up and read the whole newspaper from first page to last.…
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No, You Don’t Understand Intersectionality
Most people who use the word intersectionality understand it as “sum of various identities”. Ask them to explain what intersectionality means and they’ll go “Oh, so think about a Dalit woman, she’s doubly oppressed — through caste and through gender” This is a crude and problematic understanding of intersectionality. Firstly, it leads to what’s called…
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The Logic of Social Justice
Today in a discussion at IPH, Meena said “we should all fight against discrimination”. And Prashanth asked “Isn’t that your personal politics? What if people don’t agree with it?” What Prashanth was really asking was “Is there any logic to the demand for social justice?” “Isn’t it just politics?” This is the same discussion I…
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How the World Should Be and How the World Is
There are two modes of thinking in society and social work. “How The World Should Be” mode, and “How The World Is” mode. There is a constant friction between these two. This friction explains hundreds of debates I’ve been in and many of my own moral dilemmas. Understanding this friction and being able to categorize…
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Imaginary Heroes and Why A Radical Commitment to Truth is the Only Solution to Inequity
In my post about truth and Gandhi, I wrote about how a radical commitment to truth is the missing ingredient in the world today. In this post I will elaborate on that. To do this, I’ll first recap what it means, then talk about the “inverted iceberg” model of savarna mediocrity, and finally illustrate what…
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Being Comfortable With the Non-Binary: A Code of Conduct Case Study
Today morning I woke up to this message in FSCI‘s chat room: What happens here when a member reveals themselves to be a transphobe in another room? 🤔 I immediately said “COC applies”. The FSCI code of conduct, which I have contributed to the making of, is very clear about keeping FSCI an inclusive space.…