Monday, March 07, 2016
How Twitter helped create Brand Modi
A recent study by researchers at University of Michigan, published in the Economic and Political Weekly, provides insights into how Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s online image was constructed and evolved over time. By analysing data from @narendramodi Twitter handle – official account of Modi – researchers found that a combination of carefully crafted tweets and strategic followbacks to other Twitter accounts helped Modi build a powerful online brand.
Whom did Modi follow till the general election?
As of May 2014, Modi followed 1043 Twitter accounts, which were categorised under different heads based on public information provided in their account description. It was found that the largest category belonged to laypersons, which constituted 41 per cent of the accounts. Such a behavior is an exception to the rule as most politicians use Twitter as a one-way tool for broadcasting information following only public figures and news media. According to the authors, Modi’s reciprocity to the layperson and BJP Karyakartas (12 per cent) means a call to action. The most common adjectives in these laypersons account descriptions were ”proud”, “nationalist”, “Hindu” and “patriotic”. 14 per cent of accounts being followed were of BJP politicians. A number of celebrity accounts were also followed by Modi.
Speaking with The Hindu, Arvind Gupta, Head of BJP’s IT Cell, said - “In my personal opinion, the Prime Minister does not view social media as a one-way broadcast medium. He uses this to listen, get feedback, engage and get a sense of the mood of the youth and wide diversity of Indians who have taken to social media in a big way. The Prime Minister's follow back list is merely a reflection on getting a sense of the mood on social media across a cross-section of voices.”
How has Modi’s social media message changed over time?
Tweets analysed over four time periods
| Phase | Time Period | Significance | Number of Tweets |
| Phase 1 | 1 February 2009 to 21 January 2012 | Early tweets | 625 |
| Phase 2 | 3 August 2012 to 30 January 2013 | Tweets leading into 2012 Gujarat elections | 500 |
| Phase 3 | 13 April 2014 to 17 May 2014 | Tweets leading into 2014 general elections | 501 |
| Phase 4 | 15 December 2014 to 18 February 2015 | Tweets as PM | 488 |
Analysis of the content of tweets from four phases between February 2009 and February 2015 sheds light on how Modi’s social media message has changed over time. Youth and Development were consistent themes in all phases. Hinduism theme – referring to “Hindutva” or Hindu greetings, practices, festival and Gods – was dominant in the first two phases but drops off significantly leading to 2014 general elections. In terms of word count, mention of “Gujarat” declines after the first two phases, signifying Modi’s transition from a regional politician to a national one. In the third phase, election rallies and political confrontation dominate.
Retweets and Favourites of Modi’s messages
Consistent growth of retweeting and favoriting of Modi’s tweets was observed between 2009 and 2015. Though retweeting was higher until February 2014, favoriting overtook retweeting – as is of most celebrity accounts – with increase in Modi’s online following. This analysis shows evidence of consistent activity in pre-election retweeting by Modi’s followers.
In an email conversation with The Hindu, Professor Joyojeet Pal, one of the researchers, said: “Higher retweet rate is typically a sign that someone is trying to propagate your message – your followers or supporters, for instance. A higher favourite rate, on the other hand, is more indicative of either a kind of ‘fandom’ or some form of casual acknowledgement”.
The significance of retweets becomes amply clear by comparing accounts of Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor, Prof. Pal told The Hindu. He observed that even though Tharoor’s follower count is eight times compared to that of Rahul, tweets of the latter, on an average, get retweeted several times more, which is an evidence that there is a support base retweeting Rahul’s content. He further added that tweets that are carefully crafted having persuasive messages – as are of Rahul and Modi – have much better potential for retweeting compared to Tharoor’s casual citizenry style of tweeting.
According to Mr. Gupta, the Prime Minister was one of the earliest adopters of social media and his understanding of the power of the medium comes from a personal, hands-on experience. “It is but natural that his use of Twitter has evolved keeping in mind the gravitas of the Office he is currently holding. What is being referred to as ‘measured evolution’ and ‘crafted quotes’ is merely a reflection of this evolution. There is nothing more to be read into it. Of course, given his busy schedule he leverages the support of an extended team from time to time as the situation may demand, but he continues to be hands on with technology, keeping up the with the latest in medium through the day.”, Mr. Gupta said.
Keywords: Brand Modi, Twitter
Source: The Hindu, 7-03-2016
Unequal by birth: time to break the vicious cycle
We cannot permit gross inequality-linked deprivation to leave its malign signature on the lives of those who are yet to come.
As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of the markets and financial speculation, and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution can be found for the world’s problems. Inequality is the root of social ills. — Pope Francis
It is not just the worldwide acclaim for Thomas Piketty’s troubling tome ‘Capital in the Twenty-First Century’ that calls for examination of the effects of inequality on human development. A recent Oxfam report which states that the 62 richest billionaires of the world own as much wealth as half the world’s population is evidence that we are not moving in the right direction, despite public pronouncements of concern by political leaders and economists.
Srinath Reddy
Since global leaders have now committed themselves to adopt and achieve theSustainable Development Goals by 2030, it is imperative that the many social, economic and biological ill-effects of inequality are recognised as being inimical to those goals. Low levels of literacy and education, impeded opportunities for gainful employment, low income, malnutrition, inadequate housing, unhygienic environments, and poor physical and mental health heap a load of injustices upon the poor and cumulatively weigh down upon their efforts to escape from poverty. Lack of access to information technology in an increasingly digital world and persistent social discrimination of various kinds are additional barriers to their emancipation.
Many of these have been viewed as disadvantages that affect one or, at the most, two generations. It is assumed that opportunities provided during the lifetime of an individual would overcome these disadvantages and that subsequent generations would carry no trace of the deprivation that parents or grandparents suffered. ‘Equality of opportunity’ is the liberal response to inequality. As the early twentieth century British economist R.H. Tawney remarked, equality of opportunity is tantamount to “decorous drapery” when individuals who carry a huge disadvantage of multiple deprivations are expected to compete on equal terms with those who have had a more privileged upbringing. As Tawney points out, it is “not just an open road but also an equal start” that is needed.
Inequality over generations
The intergenerational carry-over of the biological disadvantages created by social and economic inequality adds particular piquancy to this debate. It is not just the shared social environment of poverty that tethers the child to the same low rung of development as the parent. Biological shackles too tie the child’s future to adverse early developmental influences. While it was believed that these biological links run from parent to child, recent evidence suggests that they may extend further to even more generations.
The intergenerational carry-over of the biological disadvantages created by social and economic inequality adds particular piquancy to this debate. It is not just the shared social environment of poverty that tethers the child to the same low rung of development as the parent. Biological shackles too tie the child’s future to adverse early developmental influences. While it was believed that these biological links run from parent to child, recent evidence suggests that they may extend further to even more generations.
The two-generation link is now well explored in research. Undernutrition of the mother, preceding and during pregnancy, affects the growing foetus in the womb. If that semi-starved foetus is to escape still birth, it has to programme itself to survive on limited nutrition. The growing brain and nervous system are prioritised for nutrition, because they are the key to survival. Muscles grow insulin-resistant to spare glucose for the brain. The child is born malnourished, metabolically compromised, and suffering some loss of cognitive potential. The mismatch between early programming for extreme frugality and later availability of more nutrients, as the child grows, leads to accumulation of body fat in preference to lean muscle mass. This is associated with metabolic abnormalities that lead to early onset of diabetes and a higher risk of heart disease.
This link between early life malnutrition and chronic diseases in adulthood, described as the Barker hypothesis, is now known to be due to epigenetic changes in gene ‘expression’. While the basic genetic structure of the child’s genome remains unaltered, the functional effects of some genes may vary because their expression is modified by chemical changes induced by an adverse environment. Such epigenetic changes can also occur due to other adverse intrauterine or early childhood influences. Even some paternal influences are now known to induce epigenetic changes in the foetus. A high degree of epigenetic plasticity is evident in genes that regulate development of the body, especially the brain. Adversity faced by the growing foetus and child, resulting from parental poverty, can have deleterious epigenetic effects.
The impact of impaired intrauterine nutrition is not only on a girl child in the womb but also on that growing baby’s own oocytes (forming eggs) in her ovaries. So, the epigenetic changes in the yet-to-be-born baby may also affect the future of her future children! At the highest stage of mammalian evolution, the placenta forms a vital link between the mother and the growing baby. It enables three generations of genomes — of the mother, foetus and foetal ovaries — to interact. This provides a mechanism by which the developing foetal brain can receive adaptive information, related to potential future environmental conditions, from the mother. The hypothalamic area of the foetal brain is co-adaptively linked with the hypothalamus of the maternal brain, helping it to engineer an optimal transfer of energy resources for its development. In turn, when that child grows to adulthood, her hypothalamus is programmed to efficiently transfer energy resources to her own child. Programmed adaptation to anticipated future environment is built in to these relationships.
Adverse influences during the lifetime of the mother can thus impact three generations. Placental size is compromised in the small pelvis of a woman who grew up as an undernourished girl child in pecuniary or prejudicial circumstances. When she has a nutritionally deprived pregnancy, it affects her unborn daughter as well as her yet-to-be conceived grandchildren.
Long shadow of inequality
Inequality thus casts a long shadow of biological ill-effects, not only across the life course of an unfortunate individual but also across the generations that will draw life from that life. Brain growth and adaptability (plasticity) that are vital for future development and can be marred by the impact of inequality on biological development. Those who are now alarmed by the apprehension of the Zika virus causing microcephaly in some babies in India should be even more concerned about the tremendous loss of brain power and poor physical health that inequality is imposing on several generations of children. We cannot permit gross inequality-linked deprivation to leave its malign signature on the lives of those who are yet to come.
Inequality thus casts a long shadow of biological ill-effects, not only across the life course of an unfortunate individual but also across the generations that will draw life from that life. Brain growth and adaptability (plasticity) that are vital for future development and can be marred by the impact of inequality on biological development. Those who are now alarmed by the apprehension of the Zika virus causing microcephaly in some babies in India should be even more concerned about the tremendous loss of brain power and poor physical health that inequality is imposing on several generations of children. We cannot permit gross inequality-linked deprivation to leave its malign signature on the lives of those who are yet to come.
(K. Srinath Reddy is president, Public Health Foundation of India. He formerly headed the department of Cardiology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.)
Source: The Hindu, 7-03-2016
Don’t let down the children
With worrying levels of stunting and lack of healthy weight among childrenrevealed by the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) for 15 States, Budget 2016-17 was expected to provide some remedies. To begin with, it could have raised funding for the flagship nutrition programme, the Integrated Child Development Services. Instead, the Budget has dealt the ICDS a blow in the form of a 7 per cent cut over the revised estimate of expenditure for the previous year, of about Rs.15,500 crore. This follows the pattern of Budget 2015-16 which cut the outlay initially, but with provision of some supplementary grants later in the year. Such an approach to a welfare programme that is so crucial to the health of the next generation reflects a poor set of development priorities. It also defies economic reasoning, given that India has been growing steadily after liberalisation and has the wherewithal to substantially raise social sector expenditure annually. To their credit, several States have used the ICDS to improve health and welfareby providing good supplementary nutrition to children under six; the support of the Supreme Court has also helped in ensuring that commercial interests are unable to corner the funds, and there is provision for community oversight. The Ministry of Women and Child Development must focus on States such as Bihar and Madhya Pradesh with a large burden of stunted, wasted and underweight children as revealed by the latest NFHS data. Figures for all States together will give a full picture, including best practices.
Empirical evidence on the effectiveness of supplementary nutrition should prompt the Centre to enhance funding for the ICDS. Data from an earlier round of the NFHS show that when nutrition is available every day to children under two, there is a marked positive effect on their height, particularly for girls. Such early interventions have a life-long impact, in the form of higher productivity and earnings. Scholars have, however, found a tendency within the ICDS in some States to neglect the needs of children less than two years old. Only 6 per cent in this age group were getting adequate daily nutrition a decade ago. The more progressive States have corrected the bias, with striking results. There is a clear lesson here for others, and it is incumbent on the Central Ministry to monitor the implementation of the scheme. It can take the support of local communities and self-help groups, as provided for in the Supreme Court judgment of 2004, to ensure that wholesome cooked meals are provided and contractors are not engaged. More recently, the court wanted high standards of hygiene and nutrition maintained in ICDS centres. Finance Minister Arjun Jaitley has missed the opportunity in the Budget to secure the future of India’s children, but he can still make amends. Raising the outlay, instituting a mechanism to heighten awareness among communities in less developed States and achieving full coverage are needed remedies.
Keywords: National Family Health Survey, health and welfare, Budget 2016-17, Integrated Child Development Services
Source: The Hindu, 7-03-2016
On Mahashivratri, find the meaning of Shiva’s ‘creative destruction’
Today is the day of Maha Shivaratri. The whole day we will hear invocations to Lord Shiva. Chants, mantras, pujas, offerings, meditations, every possible means to propitiate the Lord will be in evidence today, ahead of the grand culmination of the aarti and jagrata.
But what could possibly be the esoteric significance of the whole process? What is it about Shiva, literally? Or rather, energetically?
In the Indian trinity, Shiva is portrayed as the wielder of power. Brahma creates, Vishnu protects, and Shiva destroys. He is the agent of power, the lord of Shakti, and the tamer of the Ganga, the one with the terrifying third eye. Today is his day, multiplying the power quotient manifold for all activities undertaken in his name. But in pranic healing Shiva’s role as “creative destruction”. What does that mean?
Simply put, it means that the destruction is for a purpose. It is not annihilation, but transformation. Daksha was killed, but transformed into a devotee. Ganesha was killed, but transformed into the repository of wisdom. Asuras were killed, and transformed into his ganas, or worshippers.
Shiva and Shakti
In one tale behind the composition of the Soundarya Lahari by Adi Shankaracharya, it is said that the saint, who was a staunch proponent of Lord Shiva, established that there is Shiva, only Shiva and nothing but Shiva. But one day, while resting, he found that he could not move, and wailed, “I have no power (using the word shakti to designate power).”
The Goddess appeared before him, and asked, “What did you say? You have no Shakti? I thought you said there is only Shiva, and nothing but Shiva? So who is this Shakti?” Shankara, it is said, became abashed, and spontaneously sang the praise of the Goddess. That is Soundarya Lahari.
But we digress. The purpose of narrating that story is this: The power springs from Shakti. The role of Shiva is to direct that power. Shiva is the centre or wielder of Purpose. With a capital “P”.
Without Shakti, Shiva is described as no different from a Shava, or lifeless body. Without Shiva, Shakti is a rampaging destructive entity. Together, they bring what Master Choa describes as “creative destruction” -- destruction for the purpose of regeneration, also called transmutation and spiritual transformation.
For instance, when the enraged Shiva, after the self immolation of his spouse Sati, created Bhadra Kali and Veerabhadra, the two went into a dance of death. There was much destruction, till Shiva was appeased and his anger spent. After that, the Devas approached him, and he revived Daksha.
Similarly, when Ganesha was killed, Parvati unleashed the dance of death till her anger was appeased. She only relented when the Devas revived her son, albeit with an elephant head.
Notice, in either case, that there is no “fresh” creation. There is only transformation. An elephant head + human body = Ganesha, and a goat’s head + human body = Daksha. Meaning, there is no role of Brahma. There is only Shiva’s creative transformation.
The creativity of Tandava
On the other hand, the Tandava of Lord Shiva, it is said to be creative. How can it be so?
The Shakti within our body is the kundalini energy. When it is released, without the presence of Shiva, it goes into a dance of destruction. It brooks no opposition, like a dam burst open. Wherever it finds blocks and obstacles, it creates its own path. Kundalini energy is fertilizer, it is creative, it is the Amrit of the Universe -- but it is distributed indiscriminately in the body among Devas and Asuras. Master Choa calls it unsafe awakening of the kundalini.
But when Lord Shiva does the dance, what happens is that the Kundalini is given creative direction. It knows where to flow. It is like the controlled opening of the dam’s sluice gates. The Amrit goes to the Devas, and there is creation.
Remember the myth? Mohini (a female guise of Lord Vishnu, the preserver) appears among the squabbling Devas and Asuras, takes charge of the Amrit, and distributes it to the Devas. Only the Devas. And catastrophe is averted.
Remember, Master Choa tells us that Power without Love manifests as cruelty. And Love without Power is impotent. So Shiva and Vishnu operated together in that tale. As they do in much of our mythology.
How can we use this knowledge in our lives? After all, this is not about mythology, but about spiritual purpose.
Creative destruction. We can use that. We can identify our biggest obstacles (spiritual, of course). What is it within us that is preventing us from progressing, from reaping the rewards of all our spiritual efforts? What is it that is in fact that is preventing us from putting in the right spiritual effort? Are we wasting energy? Are we “nourishing” the demons within us?
How to celebrate Mahashivratri
Are we floundering purposelessly? Even in our spiritual practice? Especially in our spiritual practice?
So let us invoke the deity of creative destruction, Lord Shiva, to destroy within us all these negativities and blocks. Let us be specific about what we want to be eliminated from our system, to obtain the best possible benefit of today’s energies.
Let us also be selective. Even if the energies are high today, let us not make a list of 100 negativities, but restrict ourselves to two or three crucial ones, especially ones where we seem to be making no headway.
Then let us do our practice, whatever it is, be it chanting the Maha Mrityunjaya or Om Namah Shivaya Om or salt water baths (or all of the above) or any other form of purification.
Having cleansed ourselves, let us then invoke for the blessings of spiritual progress, and do our meditations (or chants or any other form of energisation, depending on personal preferences and habits). If we are pranic healers, let us do Twin Hearts meditation, invoking the energy of Love within us, and giving form to “Mohini”. Let the divine energy spread throughout the body, going only to the Devas.
Then let us pray that these blessings are firmly and permanently anchored within our bodies, within each and every particle of our entity.
And let us thank Lord Shiva, Master Choa and all the higher beings for these blessings, and for all this information.
Source: Hindustan Times, 7-03-2016
Shivaratri As Bhairavotsava In Kashmir
Advaitavadini Kaul
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Shakti worship is a strong tradition in Kashmir that evolved along with the worship of Shiva. Over time, invocation of Shakti seems to have become more intense. There is ample evidence of this in miniature paintings.Devi in the Svacchanda Tantra is shown seated on the lap of Svacchanda Bhairava Shiva. Bhairava and Bhairavi are also depicted in some paintings separately but in the same form and with the same attributes. We also observe Bhairavi emerging as a full-fledged goddess known as Sarika in Kashmir.Sarika Pitha, situated on a hill at the centre of Srinagar city , is also known as Chakresvara or Chakresvari. There is evidence of a long line of sadhakas who have achieved spiritual heights through their regular meditational practice around this spiritual abode. A beautiful image of Sarika Bhagavati was recently developed in Kashmiri calendar art.With great reverence to the goddess, this image adorns each Kashmiri home even after their exile from Kashmir. A replica of the Sarika shrine has been created near Delhi in Faridabad, which is evidence of this deep-rooted tradition. One is also reminded of the practice of the strong Bhairava tradition in Kashmir where eight Bhairavas or Lokapalas guard the city . There may be changes in the nomenclature but one can definitely observe by this that the practice was complemented by physical models. In whatever condition these sites are at present, they stand as reminders of this hallowed tradition.
Shivaratri is observed as Bhairavotsava by Kashmiris, in which bhairava yajna is performed with elaborate ritual worship of BhairavaBhairavi along with devi putras, Vatuka and Ramana symbolically represented by the vessels of different shapes and sizes, during the Shivaratri Puja.
Once, while in ananda mudra, Shiva was in a playful mood. All his ganas appeared in his service. While thinking of Parvati, the Supreme Shakti, Shiva saw her in a garden in the Himalayas along with many other goddesses (her own creations) who were preparing various food items. Some goddesses were making containers of different shapes.
Seeing all this in his samadhi, Mahadeva Shiva took the form of Svacchanda Bhairava and appeared before them and frightened them.
Mahamaya became disturbed by seeing all this and looked into a water container. When she did so Vatuka Bhairava appeared there, along with his attributes. Finding the young boy, Vatuka, incapable of facing Svacchanda Bhairava, she looked inside another water container and there appeared the handsome Ramana along with shields. In this way Mahamaya created many ganas in order to combat the fearful form of Shiva. At this point the form of Shiva that had frightened all, disappeared. Thereafter all came to Parashakti for refuge. Offering delicious food, she blessed them. This day was the 13th day of the dark fortnight of the month of Phagun.
Shiva also appeared on this day at sunset in the form of Jvala Linga dispersing heat that cooled down by the midnight. The symbolic representation of this Jvala Linga is the Sunya Putula, the prime deity worshipped during Shivaratri puja as niskala Svacchanda Bhairava.
Shivaratri concludes with the ritual oblations made to each entity through the conceptualisation of the entire universe as Vishwadeva, one single divine entity . This is a great reminder to our obligation towards preserving and nourishing every creation of the blissful and compassionate Svacchanda Bhairava and Bhairavi who are popularly called Shiva and Shakti.
Shivaratri is observed as Bhairavotsava by Kashmiris, in which bhairava yajna is performed with elaborate ritual worship of BhairavaBhairavi along with devi putras, Vatuka and Ramana symbolically represented by the vessels of different shapes and sizes, during the Shivaratri Puja.
Once, while in ananda mudra, Shiva was in a playful mood. All his ganas appeared in his service. While thinking of Parvati, the Supreme Shakti, Shiva saw her in a garden in the Himalayas along with many other goddesses (her own creations) who were preparing various food items. Some goddesses were making containers of different shapes.
Seeing all this in his samadhi, Mahadeva Shiva took the form of Svacchanda Bhairava and appeared before them and frightened them.
Mahamaya became disturbed by seeing all this and looked into a water container. When she did so Vatuka Bhairava appeared there, along with his attributes. Finding the young boy, Vatuka, incapable of facing Svacchanda Bhairava, she looked inside another water container and there appeared the handsome Ramana along with shields. In this way Mahamaya created many ganas in order to combat the fearful form of Shiva. At this point the form of Shiva that had frightened all, disappeared. Thereafter all came to Parashakti for refuge. Offering delicious food, she blessed them. This day was the 13th day of the dark fortnight of the month of Phagun.
Shiva also appeared on this day at sunset in the form of Jvala Linga dispersing heat that cooled down by the midnight. The symbolic representation of this Jvala Linga is the Sunya Putula, the prime deity worshipped during Shivaratri puja as niskala Svacchanda Bhairava.
Shivaratri concludes with the ritual oblations made to each entity through the conceptualisation of the entire universe as Vishwadeva, one single divine entity . This is a great reminder to our obligation towards preserving and nourishing every creation of the blissful and compassionate Svacchanda Bhairava and Bhairavi who are popularly called Shiva and Shakti.
Saturday, March 05, 2016
Traditional Chapchar Kut festival celebrated across Mizoram
The traditional festival of Chapchar Kut of the Mizos was celebrated across the north-eastern state of Mizoram and also in the Mizo-inhabited areas in the neighbouring states. It is a spring festival celebrated every year in month of March with great fervour and gaiety by Mizos after completion of their Jhum operation (shifting agriculture by clearing jungle by burning and cultivating in remnants of burning). Mizos celebrate this festival by dressing in their traditional attire and dancers danced to the tune of typical music and songs. Popular Mizo dances including Cheraw, Chheihlam, Sarlamkai and Khuallam are performed by various cultural groups. Chapchar Kut Festival is estimated to have started in 1450-1700 A.D. in a village called Suaipui.
Read more at: http://currentaffairs.gktoday.in/month/current-affairs-march-2016
The traditional festival of Chapchar Kut of the Mizos was celebrated across the north-eastern state of Mizoram and also in the Mizo-inhabited areas in the neighbouring states. It is a spring festival celebrated every year in month of March with great fervour and gaiety by Mizos after completion of their Jhum operation (shifting agriculture by clearing jungle by burning and cultivating in remnants of burning). Mizos celebrate this festival by dressing in their traditional attire and dancers danced to the tune of typical music and songs. Popular Mizo dances including Cheraw, Chheihlam, Sarlamkai and Khuallam are performed by various cultural groups. Chapchar Kut Festival is estimated to have started in 1450-1700 A.D. in a village called Suaipui.
Read more at: http://currentaffairs.gktoday.in/month/current-affairs-march-2016
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