While there maybe some NGOs, or even many, that follow hidden subversive agenda, opposition to BT brinjal and large nuclear power plants does not make one antinational.
I am sure those who designed reactors at Fukushima assured everyone that their design was hundred percent safe.
(can you imagine some engineer designing a reactor and saying "well, it's quite safe, but I can't say what will happen if an earthquake of magnitude > 8 and tsunami hit it together" )
While we all understand there is a crisis...Tamil nadu more than others perhaps since, as I experienced briefly last fortnight, they are having powercuts every alternate hour in Coimbatore.
In fact, many of those who oppose large nuclear power plants are as patriotic as the prime minister...they probably favour many small plants instead of one large one. As with mini hydels, one need not be an expert to see the risk is lower and the disaster, in case of an accident, much less.
How does anyone guarantee that something will NEVER fail?
Maybe because we drive cars without seatbelts and motorbikes without helmets, and believe in living "Ram bharose" we can have potential hazards in our backyards and don't deserve to ask for it to go away.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
WiS
A link thanks to Arundhathi
http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/id.14801,y.2012,no.2,content.true,page.1,css.print/issue.aspx
http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/id.14801,y.2012,no.2,content.true,page.1,css.print/issue.aspx
Friday, 17 February 2012
mediocrity
A remark I read in a blog is about something that has been on my mind for sometime now. "Today, in the country, mediocrity has become a much bigger virtue than excellence, since mediocrity is misunderstood as equality,"
It is not anything as lofty as desire for equality that makes people encourage mediocrity. We are afraid of excellence.
An excellent student is a nuisance in that he asks questions in class which one doesn't know the answer to. An excellent young man/woman in ones team or department is a nuisance since he shows us up. I can understand this. One doesn't like to be upset. One likes to go on as one is till the age of superannuation.
However, it trickles down so insidiously that before we knew it, mediocrity is everywhere. I have not seen anyone below 60, who is really good at his/her work, in the academic circles I am familiar with. I have not seen one really great student in the last few years.
And that's exactly what's been on my mind.......how easy and comfortable it is to be mediocre!
It is not anything as lofty as desire for equality that makes people encourage mediocrity. We are afraid of excellence.
An excellent student is a nuisance in that he asks questions in class which one doesn't know the answer to. An excellent young man/woman in ones team or department is a nuisance since he shows us up. I can understand this. One doesn't like to be upset. One likes to go on as one is till the age of superannuation.
However, it trickles down so insidiously that before we knew it, mediocrity is everywhere. I have not seen anyone below 60, who is really good at his/her work, in the academic circles I am familiar with. I have not seen one really great student in the last few years.
And that's exactly what's been on my mind.......how easy and comfortable it is to be mediocre!
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