Category: Reviews
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ಆರ್ ಎಸ್ ಎಸ್: ಆಳ ಮತ್ತು ಅಗಲ/RSS Aaala Mattu Agala (English translation) [available on Archive.org]
NOTE: I read this book and responded immediately by translating into English assuming that the author’s foreword allowed anyone to do this and based on public statements attributed to him inviting widespread dissemination, and interpreting it as a waiver of his rights. However, the author has noted that translation requires his prior permission. With apologies…
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Prasar Bharati’s Flora & Fauna of India Series: Namdapha Tiger Reserve
My Youtube feed offered me a suggestion from one of the recent uploads by Prasar Bharati, the Indian government public broadcaster. It was a documentary film about Namdapha Tiger Reserve, nestled away in the north-eastern corner of India with “pristine” but peopled forests. Literally within seconds, the film became uncomfortable to watch and as the…
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Intro to the Indian Constitution
In a journey towards understanding health, healthcare and their distribution, one can rarely stray too far from the social determinants of health. Despite various biomedical, genetic and environmental determinants of people’s health, the underlying modulatory effects that social determinants can have on all other determinants is staggering. And a quest towards understanding social determinants of…
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What is it like to be a bird?
Can we ever know what it is like to be a bird? As poetic as the question may appear to be, it’s fascinating how the question has captured the attention of a bunch of scientists, artists and other professionals ranging from neurosurgeons, ecologists, physiologists to bird illustrators and medieval travellers. The fascination with bird flight is…
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Review of Pankaj Mishra’s “A great clamour”
I picked up Pankaj Mishra’s latest book “A great clamour: Encounters with China and its neighbours” at the Raipur airport, on my way back to Bangalore from a short consultation on tribal health. I have discovered a deep interest in China, after my month-long stay in Beijing and my conversations with several public health researchers…