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Not just Notre Dame, our Earth is also burning

View of Paris from Notre Dame Cathedral
View of Paris from Notre Dame Cathedral

Human beings are fascinating creatures full of paradoxes. When Notre Dame cathedral caught fire, French president announced the immediate reconstruction of the cathedral, people all over the world felt the pain and void of Paris, and millionaires pledged money for the reconstruction efforts. People were happy that the organ is not destroyed, the two towers still stand tall, and most of the art work is safe. Notre Dame is 700 years old. Our response to its burning has been quick and laudable. But what about our home, the planet Earth and its destruction?

 

We are plundering a planet that is 4.7 billion of years old. It took our planet more than 4 billion years to make trees. We are cutting them down without a second thought. Current Holocene epoch is pure luck. Human beings did nothing to arrive at such a stable climatic era. However we are doing everything to destabilize climate. How is it that we see beauty in Notre Dame and not in the forests, oceans, mountains, deserts, and all the diverse set of species that call our planet home? What will make us have the same level of pain and sense of urgency to rebuild our planet?

Kuttundi, a Kannada podcast series

It is my eighth year in USA. Though I have spent good portion of those eight years in India doing my PhD research, I have spent enough time in US and have interacted with good number of Americans to have developed a unique understanding of this country. I want to share those observations of this land. Hence, I am starting a podcast series in Kannada. I am calling it as Kuttundi.

Kuttundi is a candy like concoction of tamarind, jaggery, red chilli, and cumin powder. A well made Kuttundi – with a balance of sweetness, sourness, and hotness – is a delight to the senses. My life experiences here is US have been of similar mix. Hence the name.

To subscribe, search for ‘kuttundi’ on your favorite podcast app or add this rss to your podcast app. It is also listed on SoundCloudiTunes, Google Play, and here, on my blog. I will be uploading a new episode on 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month.

Download the first episode here or listen to it via SoundCloud

BTW, Nallikayi hosts good set of Kannada podcasts. You might want to check that out too!

23andMe RAW DNA Data

Today Hindu fundamentalists are redefining terms such as “Hindu”, “Hinduism”, and legitimizing violence in the name of ancestry, DNA tests can come to our aid and help us understand how are all linked to one another.  These tests also helps us understand the inbreeding that has taken place in our community in the name of caste.

As you can see, my father is 100% South Asian. The geographical spread of his DNA takes us as far as Afghanistan. My mother on the other end has inherited a tiny bit of DNA from East Asia, Yakut and American regions.  2.5% of my genes are from the neanderthals!

Ancestry Map of Sharada Prasad CS

Ancestry Map of Sharada Prasad CS

 

Neanderthal DNA composition of Sharada Prasad CS

Neanderthal DNA composition of Sharada Prasad CS

 

Ancestry Map of CK Srinivasa Murthy

Ancestry Map of CK Srinivasa Murthy

 

Ancestry Map of HR Savithri

Ancestry Map of HR Savithri

You can download my raw DNA data by clicking on this link. You can use the data either for research for judging me based on my genes 🙂

The Intersection

I am a podcast addict. I cannot do any house chores unless I am listening to an audio book or a podcast.

A couple of months ago I came across The Intersection. As their website puts it,

Every fortnight, The Intersection narrates stories that meld culture, science and history in India. Through interviews, anecdotes and original research, Padmaparna Ghosh and Samanth Subramanian bring alive the rich breadth of human imagination and knowledge, making for a riveting listening experience. The incessant punning — well, that’s just a bonus.

I have been listening to them regularly and started to like them. The podcasts are not long and the topics are very interesting. The first podcast about Bombay blood group is a good representation of how eclectic the podcast wants to be.

In India one cannot air news or any political debate over a private radio channel; only state can do so over the radio. This state monopoly is anti-democratic. Podcasts could change this. I hope there will be more podcasts in India, in vernacular languages, that will provide incisive analysis of Indian politics and society.