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Thoughts on the Pandemic

As we enter the last week of an extraordinary year, I hasten to put down my thoughts buzzing in my head, lest they become mere nostalgia. At the beginning of the year, all I wanted to do was travel. 2020 was supposed to my year of big travel. Angkor Vat was scheduled for February. I had penciled in many other destinations in the calendar to coincide with special events. But as the coronavirus multiplied rapidly, spreading fear and death, the plans had to remain on paper. The first month was claustrophobic. The home became a prison. Uncertainty hung thick in the air. News spread anxiety and little else. As the days telescoped into one another in a crazy, disoriented jumble, it was important to anchor the mind to some purpose in order to stay sane. Bit by bit, order began to be restored in the mind. In the second month, I opened the windows wide and let them stay open all day, shutting them only at twilight to avoid the ingress of mosquitos. I sat by the window and gazed outside. A
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How the pandemic might play out in 2021 and beyond

The venerable NATURE has a chilling prediction on how the pandemic will play out in 2021 and beyond. It is not a good news. 
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World's First Vaccine?

Russia appears have won the vaccine race. Putin says his own daughter has been inoculated with the vaccine that has been codenamed Sputnik V . But many experts are sceptical and are expressing concerns about the lack of transparency. Russians say 20 countries have shown interest in the vaccine and that commercial production will begin next month. The vaccine has been developed by Gamaleya Research Institute in collaboration with the Defence Ministry. Meanwhile Phase 3 trials of the Oxford Vaccine will begin soon at 17 sites in India. 
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Why don't we trust our children?

Education has been the biggest casualty of the pandemic. The response of the authorities thus far has been to curtail the learning. And no student body has protested. More than online learning, it is the online testing that has gripped the imagination of academics. Fair and credible testing is important for preserving the quality of higher education. Our college had organised a nation-wide competition inviting students to submit solutions for effective online teaching and learning methodologies. I was curious to listen to how students perceived this problem. None of the 15 final teams addressed the questions posed and instead focused their energy on designing and delivery of learning apps and redesigning the physical space. Prof Kannan Moudgulya, of IIT-B, one of the judges, rightly called this out. He said IITs are grappling with the problem of secure and credible online testing. Proctoring is big business now; it has grown 900% in last few months. Yet, the software used for remote pr
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Two Million

2,000,000 Many countries understate COVID-19 fatalities. The Excess Death concept of Economist helps unearth this manipulation. 
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Day 133 - Beginning of the End?

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The transmission rate (R) has dropped below 1 for the first time in 3 cities - Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai. This coule be the beginning of the end for the virus. I will stop daily posts.  Return of Robin Today's Album Today's Radio Station
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Day 132 - The First Human Touch

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As I begin the new month, I wonder who is the solitary and secretive reader of this blog.  Today, I got my hair cut finally; after six long months. Hair was getting unmanageable and I decided to take the plunge despite my paranoia of coming in close proximity to the barber. It happened on an impulse. It is my first human contact during the pandemic. Only 2 barbers were working in the saloon and I had to wait as they were serving other customers. They asked me to wait inside the air-conditioned saloon, but I chose to sit outside. When I went inside, some sanitiser was perfunctorily sprayed on the chair and also on the implements. It inspired zero confidence. I asked the barber to wash his hands thoroughly before touching me. He complied. He wrapped me in a disposable cape instead of the conventional cloth cover. He was not wearing his facemask properly and I had to chide him twice. While my hair was being cut, I learned 2 things. They were in business during the entire lockdown,
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