I am a Cat (Film) - Kon Ichikawa

 Kon Ichikawa (1915-2008) is a highly influential Japanese film director.  He was a modernist bridging classical and experimental cinema, famous for literary adaptations and humanist themes. 'The Burmese harp', 'Tokyo Olympiad' and 'I am a Cat' are his best known films.  His 'I am a Cat' was an adaptation of Natsume Soseki's (1867 - 1916) novel 'I am a Cat' in 1975.  The film focuses on the character named Kushami, a school teacher and a cat that observes the teacher and his neighbours in late 19th century Japan.  Kon Ichikawa has excellently used his filmography and directorial vision in assessing societal norms and human behaviour through the effective usage of humour and Irony.

HUMANITIES V/S SCIENCE - S. RADHAKRISHNAN

Dr. Sarvepally Radhakrishnan (1888-1975), President of Indian during 1962-1967, was a great thinker, teacher and public intellectual. His important works are .'Indian Philosophy', 'Science and Culture' and 'Religion and Society'. He is best known for his contributions in the field of education. He was a recipient of many awards including the Bharat Ratna Award. In this essay, 'Humanities v/s Science’, Dr. Radhakrishnan opines that Science without Humanities, in the field of education is just like knowledge without wisdom. As the ultimate goal of education is to help students grow in wisdom and attain self awareness with a human heart, both science and humanities are important.

On The Rule Of the Road - A. G. Gardiner

 

https://youtu.be/l-SdftlJvpI

Alfred George Gardiner (1865-1946) was an English Journalist, editor and author.  His essays were written in the name of 'Alpha of the Plough' in the London evening newspaper, the Star.  He is famous for his essays that are organized logically and coherently with appropriate transitions and examples.  His 'On the Rule of the Road' is taken from his compilation titled 'Leaves in the wind'.  This essay deals with the manners of the people on the road and how important it is to obey traffic rules.  Though it deals with the traffic laws that ensure safety and prevent accident, it also makes the reader think about liberty and responsibility of all in a society and also about the limits of freedom.

Integrating Human Rights, Leave no one Behind and Gender Equality into UN Cooperation Frameworks - United Nations Sustainable Development Group

 

https://youtu.be/2jN1j1nv8as

The United Nations is an international Organization founded in 1945 with 51 nations and now has 193 member states.  Poverty eradication, promoting gender equality and human rights, protecting the planet and ensuring peace and prosperity to all people are its objectives.  To promote and protect human rights, it has, the human rights based approach (HRBA) in its programs.  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document of the UN.  Moreover, to end gender discrimination and to protect women's rights the UN adopted 'The convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) in 1979. Then, in 2015 the UN adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along with 169 targets for its mission 2030.  Actually it is a universal call to end poverty, protect the planet and to establish peace and prosperity to all.

Social Media, Ethics and the Privacy Paradox - Nadine Barrett - Maitland and Jenice Lynch

 

The use of social media is growing at a rapid pace and the twenty first century could be described as the 'boom' period for social networking.  According to the reports provided by smart insights, there were over 3.484 billion social media users and was growing by 9% annually.  'Social Media, Ethics and the Privacy Paradox' is a chapter in the book 'Security and Privacy from a legal, Ethical and Technical Perspective'.  The chapter analyses the behaviour of social media users while sharing aspects of their private lives.  It also requires the users to critically assess the content they share and the values they uphold.

Excerpt from an Interview with Anmol Rodriguez

 

Anmol Rodriguez (B.1994) is a fashion influencer, TEDx speaker and an acid attack survivor.  Her life is a testament to resilience, courage and determination that inspired thousands of people.  She started Sahas Foundation in 2017 to help acid attack survivors in their rehabilitation process.  This excerpt is from the interview of Diksha Yadav with anmol Rodriguez for 'The Statesman' in 2020.

Cyber Security In The Age Of AI - Adi Irani

 

Adi Irani, a cyber security expert, developer and ethical hacker explores the cyber attacks, data breaches and AI-driven hacking that pose challenges to individuals, businesses and national security in this TEDx talk.  Moreover his talk highlights how AI can be both a weapon for cyber criminals and a defensive tool against cyber threats.  Adi Irani also discusses how AI can help individuals understand the complex security policies and protect their data more effectively.

Dear Future Generations: Sorry - Prince Ea

Richard Williams, who is known as Prince Ea is an American rapper, spoken word artist and civil rights activist.  His spoken word poetry has earned him global recognition as a social influencer on peace and civil rights with a focus on education.  His spoken word poem, "Dear Future Generations: Sorry" that was released in 2015 was an apology letter to the future generations who would inherit an Earth destroyed irrevocably by climate change.

A Fable for Tomorrow - Rachel Carson

 

Rachel Carson (1907-1964) was an American marine biologist, who played a key role in laying the foundations of the modern environmental movement. She published 'The Silent Spring (1962) that described the ill effects of chemical pesticides like DDT (Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane) that was available in America for widespread agricultural use in 1945. 'A fable for Tomorrow' is the opening chapter of 'The Silent Spring' where she blends fiction and reality and describes a fictional town teeming with life. She also narrates how the town decayed for its indiscriminate pesticide use.

'What She said' and other Poems - Sangam Era Poems

Tamil language is considered as one of the oldest living languages still in active use. Sangam literature, a classical Tamil Poetry is dated from around 300 BCE to 300 CE. They belong to 'Akam (interior) poetry that deals with the theme of love. These poems are divided into 'Tinais' (Sections). 'Tinais' represent different landscapes and its nature and mood. They are Kurinji (hilly region), Palai (dry lands) Mullai (pastoral land) Marutham (agricultural land) Neithal (Coastal area). The natural world has a symbolic connection with the inner life of the individuals, living there. So, the Sangam poets use nature as a medium to express love, longing, separation and social dynamics in their poem.

The Queen Of Trees - Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone

 

Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone are an Australian couple known for making documentary films that celebrate biodiversity and the interconnectivity of the natural world. Their films have won more than 100 international awards including 'Green Oscars'. Their documentary, 'The Queen of Trees' was released and aired as part of the nature series on Public Broadcasting Services (PBS). It is about one of the nature's oddest Couples. One is a tiny fig wasp that can barely be seen and the other is the queen of Africa's trees, Sycamore fig.  

Deep Ecology: Basic principles - Arne Naess and George Sessions

 

Arne Naess (1912-2009) was a Norwegian philosopher and prolific writer who coined the term 'Deep Ecology'.  Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' and Gandhian non violence influenced him a lot to shape and strengthen his ecological vision.  Shallow Ecology is actually anthropocentric.  But Deep ecology presents itself as an alternative to 'Sallow ecology', a world view that focuses on environmental issues and prioritizes finding solutions to pollution and exploitation.  Deep ecology brought a paradigm shift from anthropocentric perspective of looking at life to a biocentric perspective that values all living organisms and natural systems equally.

The Dog Of Titwal - Sadat Hasan Manto

 

Sadat Hasan Manto (1912-1955) is a well known short story writer, film and radio script writer and journalist.  He has won much critical acclaim for his stories about the partition of India.  'The Dog of Titwal' is a political tale that tells the story of a stray dog caught between Indian and Pakistani soldiers.  It actually symbolizes the fate of thousands of refugees caught between communal violence and fanaticism.