Amith Hegde

Four Students, One Engraving, an Encounter with Modernity A meeting of East and West

In a 19th Cen image of #IndianMedicalStudents, the unwitting consequences of #ColonialEducation

It represents the moment when knowledge stopped confirming hierarchy & began to interrogate it

#WesternEducation in #India was never meant to produce equals
nirupamamenonrao.substack.com/p/four-stude...

Digital and determined: Uttarakhand's Gen-Z pradhans shatter stereotypes | India News - The Times of India India News: DEHRADUN: In the hills of Uttarakhand, with outmigration that has long hollowed out many of its villages, a political shift is taking root with a new .

#Uttarakhand's #GenZ mostly #women in their early 20s are choosing to return to their #villages after graduation to lead & drive change, often as elected #GramPradhans —looking at fixing #schools, strengthening #healthcare, improving #roads & #outmigration
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/digita...

How traditional Himalayan burning could help prevent mega wildfires Traditional burning in Uttarakhand shows how communities live with fire, yet what they do is often misinterpreted as dangerous.

How #traditional #HimalayanBurning could prevent #MegaWildfires

#ControlledBurning in #Uttarakhand shows how #communities #LiveWithFire — it supports livelihoods, maintaining #biodiversity, and reducing #WildfireRisk

Yet this is often misinterpreted as dangerous
theconversation.com/how-traditio...

Squash World Cup 2025: India beat Hong Kong China in final to win historic title India, led by Anahat Singh, Joshna Chinappa and Abhay Singh, beat Hong Kong China 3-0 in the final of the Squash World Cup 2025 in Chennai to win the title. Know scores.

India 🇮🇳wins maiden #SquashWorldCup defeating top seeds #HongKong 3-0

Congratulations to #AnahatSingh, #JoshnaChinappa & #AbhaySingh 👏

#India became the first #AsianCountry to win the #Squash World Cup & fourth after #Australia, #England and #Egypt

#Chennai #Sports
www.olympics.com/en/news/squa...

Archaeologists found that humans ( #Neanderthals) in #Barnham, #England were making fire 400,000 years ago, & not just 50,000 years ago

Ability to make #fire would hv helped in—developing #LargerBrains, maintaining LargerSocialGroups, & increasing #LanguageSkills
www.livescience.com/archaeology/...

Screenshot has text as follows: How does the bill define ‘hate speech’? “Hate speech” covers any expression - spoken, written, by signs, visible representations or electronic communication - made in public view with an intention to cause injury, disharmony, enmity, hatred or ill will. It applies when such expression targets a person (alive or dead), a class or group of persons, or a community, to serve any “prejudicial interest.” What are ‘prejudicial interests’ under the law? “Prejudicial interest” is defined broadly to include bias based on religion, race, caste or community, sex, gender, sexual orientation, place of birth, residence, language, disability or tribe. This list covers most constitutionally protected equality grounds and several additional identity markers.

Screenshot has text as follows: What is a ‘hate crime’ in this Bill? A “hate crime” is the act of communicating hate speech by making, publishing or circulating it, or by promoting, propagating, inciting, abetting or attempting such hate speech. The offence is triggered when these acts are carried out with the intent to cause disharmony, enmity, hatred or ill will against any person (dead or alive), group of persons or organisation. What punishments does the Bill propose? For a first offence, the Bill prescribes imprisonment of not less than one year, extendable to seven years, and a fine of Rs 50,000. For repeat offences, the jail term increases to a minimum of two years, extendable to 10 years, along with a fine of Rs 1,00,000.

Screenshot has text as follows: What preventive powers does the bill give police and magistrates? An Executive Magistrate, Special Executive Magistrate or a police officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police may act preventively if they believe a person or group is likely to commit, or has threatened to commit, an offence under the Act. For this, they can invoke procedures under Chapter IX of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, related to keeping the peace and maintaining good behaviour. Can the government order online content to be taken down? Yes. A designated officer authorised by the state government can direct any service provider, intermediary, person or entity to block or remove “hate crime materials,” including online content. This creates a state-level takedown mechanism alongside existing central IT rules.

#Congress-led #Karnataka govt on Dec 10 tabled #KarnatakaHateSpeechAndHateCrimes(Prevention)Bill in the assembly, enabling the state to take preventive measures against #HateSpeech and impose prison terms of up to 10 years for repeat offenders

📸 moneycontrolcom
www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/k...

Exclusive: Prada to launch $930 ‘Made in India’ sandals after backlash Prada will make a limited-edition collection of sandals in India inspired by the country's traditional footwear, selling each pair at around 800 euros, Prada senior executive Lorenzo Bertelli told Reu...

#Prada to launch #MadeInIndia sandals; turning a backlash over #CulturalAppropriation into a collaboration with #IndianArtisans

#KolhapuriChappals are made in #Maharashtra — #Kolhapur #Sangli #Satara #Solapur & #Karnataka — #Belagavi #Bagalkot #Dharwad #Vijayapura
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

Right

Not sure but several movies out there with plots where the antagonist is about to or able to control the weather/conditions

Mini brains, big questions: science is racing ahead of ethics Brain organoids are revolutionising research, but their growing complexity raises unsettling ethical questions.

#OrganoidModels —miniature, LabGrownClusters of cells that imitate RealOrgans

#BrainOrganoids' growing complexity raises unsettling EthicalQuestions

If organoids can process info or change their behaviour in response to it—do they gain #MoralStatus?

#BioEthics
theconversation.com/mini-brains-...

The Strange and Totally Real Plan to Blot Out the Sun and Reverse Global Warming A 25-person startup is developing technology to block the sun and turn down the planet’s thermostat. The stakes are huge — and the company and its critics say regulations need to catch up.

#StardustSolutions is developing technology to #BlockTheSun & turn down the planet’s thermostat & #ReverseGlobalWarming

The stakes are huge—& the company & its critics say regulations need to catch up

#SolarGeoengineering #YanaiYedvab #StratosphericAerosolInjection
www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Throats slit, Hindu freedom fighter, wife killed in Bangladesh; sons work as cops A 75-year-old freedom fighter (Muktijoddha) and his wife were found brutally murdered, their throats slit, at their home in Bangladesh's Rangpur. No case has been filed or arrests made over the murder...

Throats slit, Hindu #FreedomFighter, wife killed in #Rangpur, #Bangladesh

No case has been filed or arrests made; sons work as cops

The killings come amid rising alarm over attacks on #minorities, particularly #Hindus, under #MuhammadYunus's interim administration
www.indiatoday.in/world/story/...

Gold, lithium found in Karnataka forests, pressure on to give clearance BENGALURU: The state Mines and Geology Department has prepared a list of 65 locations where the study and exploration for gold and other rare earth minerals is

#Gold, #lithium found in #Karnataka #forests

Forest dept officials said pressure is building on them to give clearances (at #LingsugurReserveForest patch & #AmrapurReserveForest patch in #Kushtagi )

"We cannot open protected #VirginForest areas for #mining"
www.newindianexpress.com/states/karna...

Why #India’s #doctors leave for ForeignShores while #Cuba’s serve their poorest

#IndianMedicalEducationSystem prepares workforce that learns to value PersonalProfit over their patient’s WellBeing

CubanMedicalEducation integrates SocialResponsibility, equity & PublicHealth
scroll.in/article/1088...

This “Cinderella Sense” May Be Tied to More Than 130 Disorders This “Cinderella Sense” May Be Tied to More Than 130 Disorders: Researchers give a whiff of why smell matters to health.

Regular screening for #olfactory could lead to early detection of certain diseases

#SmellHealth is potentially linked to more than 139 conditions that manifest throughout the body—including #Alzheimer’s, #CongestiveHeartFailure, #stroke, & #Parkinson’s

#Smell #Scent #Nose
nautil.us/this-cindere...

How the ‘hypnagogic state’ of drowsiness could enhance your creativity Many artists and scientists have had breakthrough while in this drowsy state between sleep and waking.

How #HypnagogicState (TwilightZone between sleep & wakefulness, when we drowsily linger in a SemiConsciousState, experiencing vivid mental images & sounds) of drowsiness could enhance ur creativity

Many artists & scientists hv had breakthrough while in this state
theconversation.com/how-the-hypn...

Explainer: How non-tariff barriers are choking Indian exports NTBs now cause more export loss than tariffs ever did. Indian firms are no longer losing markets on price—they are losing them on paperwork, processes and politics. Without systematic NTB action, Indi...

A #NonTariffMeasure (NTM) becomes a #NonTariffBarrier (NTB) when it stops being about protecting citizens, & becomes all about restricting #imports

NTBs now cause more #export loss than #tariffs ever did

#India must raise the issue of NTBs in #TradeTalks
www.financialexpress.com/business/new...

Your Brain Goes Through 5 Distinct Epochs, Massive Study Finds The human brain is not a hard-wired machine but a malleable organ that is regularly re-shaping itself.

Our #brain goes through 5 distinct epochs

Architecture of #HumanBrain takes a distinct turn at 4 ages—around 9, 32, 66, & 83 years old, and they mark 5 epochs: #childhood, #adolescence, #adulthood, #EarlyAging, & #LateAging

Age 32 is the strongest turning point
www.sciencealert.com/your-brain-g...

Internet of beings: the dream of digitising human bodies for healthcare (and the nightmare) Medicine is on the brink of an era where microscopic devices inside our bodies connect us directly to the digital world.

Your organs could soon join the #internet

These gel-based #biorobots won't just monitor your health—they'll actively heal you

The idea of #DigitisingHumanBodies inspires both dreams & nightmares

Nightmare is about losing our humanity while digitising our bodies
theconversation.com/internet-of-...

Banner image: A stone quarry in Mangaluru, Karnataka. Representative image by Ravimum via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Picture of a stone quarry followed by the text: • A new study has found that after the 2016 ban on river sand mining in Kerala, stone quarries have expanded near protected areas in the Western Ghats to extract stone for M-sand production. • The researchers found that some quarries expanded five to tenfold or more during 2011 to 2021. About 17% of this increase took place in 2016. • Besides causing loss of biodiverse habitat, quarrying activity involves loud noises, dust, ground-shaking blasts which could potentially harm the region’s wildlife. • The study recommends that ecologically sensitive zones be designated strictly off-limits for new quarry approvals.

Image of a stone quarry in Malayattoor in Ernakulam district, Kerala. The state’s construction industry reacted to a 2016 ban on river sand mining in six of Kerala’s rivers by switching to manufactured sand (M-sand), artificially made from crushing hard rocks into fine particles. Representative image by Ranjithsiji via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

A view of the Western Ghats. Based on data from Kerala’s state mining portal KOMPAS, the researchers identified 355 operational quarries of which 72 quarries fall within the 10-kilometre buffer zone around 20 protected areas in the Western Ghats. Image by Max Martin.

#Quarries devour #BufferForests of #WesternGhats after #SandMiningBan

Post ban— #miners started crushing QuarriedHardRock to produce ManufacturedSand, also known as #Msand

Quarrying activity with its loud noises, dust & #blasts is harming #biodiversity

📸Mongabay
india.mongabay.com/2025/11/quar...

Land beneath India’s five largest cities is sinking due to over-extraction of groundwater: Study Five Indian megacities face an increasing threat of land subsidence, and the primary cause is excessive groundwater extraction, leading to structural risks for

#Land beneath #India’s 5 largest #cities is sinking

1 #Delhi
2 #Mumbai
3 #Kolkata
4 #Bengaluru
5 #Chennai

Besides extensive #GroundwaterExtraction, #IndianMegacities may also experience #subsidence due to the #cumulative weight of the #urban structures above
www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/...

How anatomical names can carry hidden histories of power and exclusion Why is your ankle named after a Greek hero and your uterus after a Renaissance anatomist? The answer says as much about power and memory as it does about medicine.

How #AnatomicalNames can carry hidden #histories of #power & #exclusion

Most #eponyms originated during the #EuropeanRenaissance, a time when anatomical #discovery often meant #ClaimingKnowledge that already existed elsewhere

#Women #IndigenousKnowledgeSystems
theconversation.com/how-anatomic...

#SmartCityMission represents another nail in t coffin of #India's #LocalDemocracy rather than its executioner. SCM has come to an end & t future of SPVs is uncertain

Implementing projects through SPV AlteredBalance between levels of govt with a CentralisingVision & control
scroll.in/article/1087...

Survey reveals gaps in Bengaluru’s healthcare service for the elderly The survey, covering 13 public health facilities (PHCs), found poor physical accessibility, cumbersome registration processes, and illogical operating hours as major stumbling blocks for elderly perso...

Survey reveals gaps in #Bengaluru’s #HealthcareService for the #elderly

Covering 13 #PublicHealthFacilities, found poor #PhysicalAccessibility, cumbersome #RegistrationProcesses, & illogical OperatingHours as major stumbling blocks for t elderly

#GeriatricCare
www.deccanherald.com/india/karnat...

Do strong friendships slow down ageing? Science says yes A new study has found that people who build strong, supportive relationships over their lifetime don’t just feel younger, but their bodies may actually age more slowly. Published in the journal Brain,...

Do #StrongFriendships slow down #ageing?
Study finds that people who build strong, supportive relationships over their lifetime don’t just feel younger—their bodies may actually AgeMoreSlowly

#AgeingWell means staying healthy & staying connected—they’re inseparable
www.firstpost.com/health/stron...

How our minds trick us into thinking we are being greener than we really are Adding “green” products to your food basket doesn’t reduce its carbon footprint – even though we think it does.

How our #minds #trick us into #thinking we are being #greener than we really are

This #MentalGlitch is called the #NegativeFootprintIllusion, & it matters for how we #shop, how #businesses #market themselves & how govts #design #ClimatePolicies

#SummativePriming
theconversation.com/how-our-mind...

#Nepal’s #GenZrevolt is taking #SriLanka’s path of relative calm to #RestoringDemocracy

Like t #SriLankanArmy, t #NepalArmy has played a commendable role in t formation of t interim government

Unlike t #BangladeshiArmy, it is not trying to call the shots

#PoliticalUnrest
scroll.in/article/1086...

Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low-likelihood, study finds Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic fallout

Collapse of a critical #AtlanticCurrent— the #AtlanticMeridionalOverturningCirculation (Amoc) can no longer b considered a low-likelihood event

#Amoc could eventually shut down if drastic #CarbonEmissions cuts don’t arrive over t next few decades

#Climate #Ocean
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Politicians keep using songs on social media. What if an artist doesn't like it? Having a song go viral is usually good news for an artist. But as politicians become more social media savvy and jump in on viral trends, how can musicians respond if they don't like the way a party o...

#Politicians keep using #songs on #SocialMedia

What if an #artist doesn't like it?

In many #European countries #AuthorsRights include not only #FinancialProtections, but also #MoralRights

In the #US, #CopyrightLaw operates primarily within an #EconomicFramework

#Memes
www.npr.org/2025/08/28/n...

Trump’s Bullying of India Is Straight From Xi’s Playbook By using tariffs as a foreign policy tool, the US president is legitimizing China’s own acts of economic coercion.

#Trump’s bullying of #India Is straight from Xi’s #playbook

By using #tariffs as a #ForeignPolicyTool, the US president is legitimising #China’s own acts of economic coercion

#EconomicCoercion is exactly what the #US & its #allies have long despised about #Beijing
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...