Opening the Window 

 The real miracle is to be awake in the present moment. Walking on the Earth, we can realise the wonder of being alive. Opening the window, I look out the Dharmakaya. How wondrous is life! Attentive to each moment, my mind is clear like a calm river. After you wake up, you probably open the curtains and look outside. You may even like to open the window and feel the cool morning air with the dew still on the grass. But is what you see really ‘outside’? In fact, it is your own mind. As the sun sends its rays through the window, you are not just yourself. You are also the beautiful view from your window. You are the Dharmakaya. Dharmakaya literally means the ‘body’ (kaya) of the Buddha’s teachings (Dharma), the way of understanding and love. Before passing away, the Buddha told his disciples, “Only my physical body will pass away. My Dharma body will remain with you forever.” In Mahayana Buddhism, the word has come to mean “the essence of all that exists”. All phenomena — the song of a bird, the warm rays of the sun, a cup of hot tea — are manifestations of the Dharmakaya. We, too, are of the same nature as these wonders of the universe. When we open the window and look out on to the Dharmakaya, we see that life is infinitely marvellous. At that very moment, we can vow to be awake all day long, realising joy, peace, freedom and harmony throughout our lives. When we do this, our mind becomes clear like a calm river.

Source: Economic Times, 20/09/2019

Quote of the Day

“Leave a good name in case you return.”

‐ Kenyan folk saying

“हमेशा अच्छा नाम छोड़ कर जाएं, हो सकता है आप वापस आएं।”

‐ केन्या की लोकोक्ति

Shaking the foundation of fake news

Battling disinformation must involve a fight against the narratives that act as grist for the rumour mill

Combating fake news is a growing preoccupation of the technology platforms, the political class, the news media, and an increasing tribe of citizens concerned about democracy being hijacked. There is a perception that fake news is a new phenomenon linked to the rise of social media; however, this is only half the story. Governments and political actors (anyone in the business of mobilising public opinion) have always invested in disinformation campaigns to build narratives of their choice. In fact, it is because the institutional news media is no longer seen as an arbitrator of the ‘real news’ — having lost credibility due to complicit and motivated reporting — that fake news has been able to thrive now. The advent of social media has merely decentralised the creation and propagation of fake news. It is this that has led to the ubiquity of and difficulty in controlling/eliminating fake news.

The current response to fake news primarily revolves around three prongs — rebuttal, removal of the fake news item and educating the public. While these are necessary measures, it is not apparent that they are sufficient in themselves to address the larger ‘political’ problem posed by fake news.

Rebuttal and removal

Rebuttal is a form of fact checking wherein the fake news is debunked by pointing out errors like mismatch, malicious editing and misattribution. To the extent that the fake news item appears on institutional handles, attempts are made to have it removed after rebuttal. There is much pressure on companies like Facebook and YouTube to proactively remove fake news from their platforms and rework their algorithms to ensure that such content does not gain prominence. The newly introduced limits on forwarding messages on WhatsApp are an offshoot of this discourse, where accountability to address fake news is offloaded on to the technology platforms. The third leg of the response revolves around educating the end users to be more discerning consumers of news by informing them of verification tools so that they can ascertain the accuracy of a news item before sharing it.

Another emerging strand in this discourse, propagated by the government, concerns tracking the ‘source’ of fake news, ostensibly to address the issue at its root. However, this suggestion, when combined with another proposal to de-anonymise all social media accounts, is fraught with serious issues concerning invasion of privacy and free speech, and will more often than not be used by governments to quell dissent.

While the measures outlined are important and must be expanded upon, there are some evident shortcomings in this approach. First, attempting to rebut fake news is akin to hitting a moving target, with a steady stream of fake news getting churned out consistently. It may be possible to rebut news on one fake instance of children getting abducted or on Indian citizens toting Pakistan’s flags but the ‘fake news factory’ will keep churning out similar stories to advance its chosen narrative.

Second, it is impossible to completely ‘remove’ fake news even after rebuttal, given the decentralised nature of dissemination. Propagation and virality of a news item are contingent not on its accuracy but on how well it conforms to the dominant narrative and also on the strength of the associated distribution networks that spread the narrative. Thus, the act of ‘rebuttal’, instead of supplanting the original fake news item, could end up vying for space with the latter. Moreover, in India, the right-wing propagators of fake news are often better organised, especially on messaging platforms like WhatsApp, than the liberal Opposition.

Reinforcing the fake account

However, the biggest shortcoming of this approach — the fact that the very act of rebuttal reinforces the fake narrative being pushed — goes beyond this cat-and-mouse problem. Since the act of rebuttal gets confined within the original framework of the fake news item, the political impact of the rebuttal is far less than ideal.

The average consumer relies on overall frameworks/narratives to evaluate a piece of information. The increasing complexity of issues, in conjunction with the deluge of information — with the relevant jostling for space with the irrelevant — has made it impossible for any individual to develop a well-researched stand on all the topics. When an individual piece of information (fake news or otherwise) conforms to someone’s held beliefs, it is readily accepted and shared.

Confirmation bias

Studies have confirmed that people don’t care about finding the ‘truth’ behind a news item and instead look for evidence to support their preferred narrative (confirmation bias). Therefore, debunking discrete items of fake news without addressing this battle of narratives will have only a marginal value. This is because when an individual fake news item having a reinforcement value is debunked, the purveyors simply discard it and replace it with another piece of similar fake news.

It is evident that if we are concerned about the impact of fake news, we must address the underlying narratives, instead of merely trying to rebut individual items. This needs to be done in two connected ways: first, by addressing the weaknesses that allow the fake news narrative to take root. For instance, the right wing’s narrative across the world, while propelled by fake news, is premised on the loss of credibility of the liberal camp, which is perceived to be elitist and corrupt. Any way forward must involve a rebuilding of this lost credibility.

Second, we must not get sucked into a losing narrative while attempting to rebut fake news. Instead, we must mobilise public opinion around an alternate narrative that makes the fake news item irrelevant. Most people cannot hold multiple stories in their head and thus, instead of poking holes in an opponent’s story, it may be more effective to replace it with a different narrative built on facts. Ultimately, all fake news is in service of a political, if not electoral, agenda. We should thus not lose sight of the wood for the trees by focussing disproportionately on individual fake news items instead of the larger narrative.

Ruchi Gupta is joint secretary in-charge of the Congress Party’s student wing

Source: The Hindu, 19/09/2019

College libraries are evolving, with phone zones, events, hubs for networking

From silent zones with limited lending, they now offer unrestricted access to digital archives, and student-friendly spaces that welcome conversation, collaboration.

As libraries on Indian campuses adapt in an effort to stay relevant, they’re becoming unlikely spaces for students to network and socialise too. These new hybrid offerings call themselves workstations — you go there to browse or draw on reference books, but also to network, make friends, attend events, or just hang out and chat. For one thing, the no-talking rule has been lifted in institutes such as TISS, IIT and SIES.

“We spend a lot of our free time here. It’s no longer a space of prohibition on phones and working alone and in silence,” says Jit Hazarika, 28, a second-year PhD student at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

TISS has the four-storey, air-conditioned Sir Dorabji Tata Memorial library that combines physical books with digital volumes. A conference room within often hosts speakers and events. Students say it’s so comfortable, they often feel they have nowhere to go when it shuts in the evenings.

“The cyber cell within the library helps us research a range of topics at a touch,” says Muhammed Afsal, a second-year MPhil in social work. He further adds, “We recently had a public lecture by the president of the International Association of Schools of Social Work in the library conference hall. We have academic talks held in the library and also events where international universities come to promote themselves and reach out to students.”

A library should be a collaborative learning space where all the academic needs of the students are met, says TISS librarian Satish Kanamadi.

“We have designated the space in zones—there’s a discussion zone, a silent study zone, a mobile-friendly zone, etc, to help students use the library based on their needs. And we’re happy to see that this creative approach to the space and to our services has turn it into a preferred place for students to socialise and network.”

Community hubs

The two-storey Central library and lounge at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) is a meeting place too. It’s designed to be that way, with comfy couches rather than old-school table-chair formats.

“I found a really good campus friend at the library,” says Aditya Maitri, 20, a chemical engineering student. “He approached me asking if I could explain a concept to him. We’ve been friends ever since and we keep helping each other out.”

Students also bond over the events and workshops held in the Indian Institute of Technology- Bombay’s (IIT-B) library.

“There are creative writing workshops, storytelling sessions, book exhibitions, essay and quiz competitions and other activities, all organised in the library,” says chief librarian Manju Naika.

“We want the library to be a neutral point where like-minded students can meet, network and collaborate, since education and research are collaborative in nature.”

The South Indian Education Society (SIES) College of Arts, Commerce and Science has revamped its entire library, added digital volumes and new ‘cyber cells’.

“When we revamped, we made it more colourful and inviting. We no longer restrict the use of cyber cells to research students only. Students can now issue as many reference books as they want. It made no sense to have a limit of three per student, when we really want them to read,” says vice-principal Rashmi Bhure.

The changes, students say, have made them feel more welcome.

A library is indeed one place where I am sure to find my tribe. In the last year we usually witness an influx of students from colleges across Mumbai.

“I remember how I instantly struck a chord over an author’s ideas with a girl whom I might never have otherwise talked to,” says Ankita Suresh, 19, a final-year psychology student.

Source: Hindustan Times, 18/09/2019

Art, Thought Consonance

 Thakur Jaidev Singh enriched and interpreted philosophy, literature and musicology through his discourses and writings. Speaking about the non-dualistic Shaiva philosophy of Kashmir, he said, “It contains in itself the transcendentalism and the immanate nature of the Upanishads, the cosmic power of Tantra, and the activism of the Bhagwad Gita. It is a beautiful synthesis of all that is best in Indian thought.” For Thakur Jaidev Singh, music was mental tonic. He said, “Music reduces the tension of mind. It allows you to sing to yourself. If the listener has absolutely no ear for music, nothing will happen. He is unfortunate.” Once when he was asked to prioritise between sahitya and sangita, Thakurji replied, “In art, there is no question of priority. The poet has every kind of art in him. He has his own talent and every kind of art has its own images. All kinds of art represent something beyond themselves. Literature represents life, story and much more. But music is the only art that is autonomous. It represents nothing beyond itself.” He said that in instrumental music, there is only the play of svara (notes) and tala (rhythm), while in the vocal, there is the breathing of the poet as well. Instrumental music is something like nirguna Brahmn, formless universal consciousness, and vocal is like saguna Brahmn, with form. He also said that a person with a musical heart, having samvada (consonanc

Source: Economic Times, 19/09/2019

Malnutrition still a factor in 68% of child deaths: Study

‘U5 Deaths Due To It Fell By 2/3rd From 1990 To 2017

Malnutrition continues to be the leading risk factor for death in children under five years of age across India causing 68% of mortality in the category, even as the death rate due to malnutrition has dropped by two-third during 1990-2017, according to estimates released by Indian Council of Medical Research on Wednesday. Data shows malnutrition is also the leading risk factor for health loss in persons of all ages, accounting for 17% of the total DALYs (disability adjusted life years). The DALY rate attributable to malnutrition in children varies sevenfold between states and is highest in Rajasthan, UP, Bihar and Assam, followed by MP, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Nagaland and Tripura. Among malnutrition indicators, low birth weight is the biggest contributor to child deaths in India, followed by child growth failure which includes stunting, underweight and wasting. The prevalence of low birth weight was 21% in India in 2017, ranging from 9% in Mizoram to 24% in UP. The findings also highlight rapidly increasing prevalence of child overweight. This annual rate of increase in child overweight between 1990 and 2017 was pegged at 5% in India, which varied from 7.2% in MP to 2.5% in Mizoram. In 2017, the prevalence of such children was 12%. The estimates, part of the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2017, were also published in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health on Wednesday. The study was conducted by the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative — a joint initiative of the ICMR, Public Health Foundation of India, and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in collaboration with health ministry.

Source: Times of India, 19/09/2019

Quote of the Day

“A man always has two reasons for the thing he does - a good one and a real one.”

‐ J P Morgan

“किसी व्यक्ति के पास जो वह करता है उसके पीछे दो कारण होते हैं - एक अच्छा और एक सच्चा।”

‐ जे पी मॉर्गन