1. Despots Then and Now
From Stalin to Trump
North Korean dissenter Hyeonseo Lee, Stephen Kotkin, Shashi Tharoor and Rajdeep Sardesai.
Moderator: Patrick French
Despot: First among equals (unquestioned authority)
People serving the Dictator are slaves (No Autonomy)
Approximately 65 million were killed by Despots through out the course of time.
Starvation and Famine are attributed largely to these deaths apart from war .
Despotism in North Korea:
The Dictator is made to look like a God
Mankind is nurtured with a supernatural entity like God. North Koreans similarly are nurtured to be who they are.
In North Korea people get killed if they dont take God seriously.
In Rest of the world you dont get killed by God although believers may kill you to reinforce their beliefs.
All boils down to Nature VS Nurture.
Despotism in India
1. Despotism in India functions within the Democratic setup.
2. Indians like the idea of being ruled by Despots.
3. Indian instincts are designed to create a political outcome suitable for Despots.
4. Authoritarian tendency (Absence of executive power/evidence/trial) is built within the institution.
5. India is a First rate constitution run by third rate people.
6. Media ownership is not liberated of political influence.
7. Political class controls media.
8. Despotism is hidden behind propaganda and lies.
9. Democracy in India coincides with Despotism (Corruption/Misuse of power)
Nutshell
Without transparency there is no accountability.
Despot free system needs Transparency.
2. Dishing up the Diaspora. How Jews Indians and other wanderers change the way the world eats.
Claudia Roden and Vikram Doctor
1. Food of a country reflects its history. Refugees take their food along with them.
2. Food is a symbol of identity and pride. For example Lebanon takes great pride in the creation of Hummus.
3. Apart from Hezbollah VS Israel this world has also seen a Hummus war between Lebanon and Israel.
4. The war on Hummus keeps on escalating now and then. Lebanon so far has taken Israel to International Courts claiming its rights on Hummus.
5. Aleppo is regarded to be the pearl of Arab Kitchen.
6. Orange cake created by chef Claudia Roden has got nothing to do with her home country Egypt. Orange cake takes its roots in Spain.
7. Each and every recipe out there has its roots and what we see are its branches.
Eg. Fish and Chips in England has its roots in Portugual, Ireland and Eastern Europe.
Jews in Portugual used to fry fish in a batter. Irealand came up with the chips
A Jewish immigrant of Eastern Europe Josef Malin only bought them together.
3. Life is not a silo. Why we need the humanities.
Stephen Kotkin, Patrick French and Supriya Chaudhuri
Silo: Isolated from others
1. Humanities: Exploring human imagination and experience. Humanities is an evolving science.
2. Rationality in humanities automatically makes changes in human emotion.
3. Humanities reflects one reason of action. Humanities enable you to extract the meaning of life out of self reflection.
4. Humanities reflects one place in the world and society.
5. World is unfair/unsentimental. Hence life is not a silo. Everything around life is connected. One needs to have broader applicable knowledge gained from humanities.
6. One needs to be more affirmative and less defensive while keeping humanities in mind.
7. Narrative story telling skills have their roots in humanities.
Humanities: One needs to read closely and address a text. The end result is the whole odyssey and epic will live with you through out ones life. Humanities help one to navigate life.
4. Our gendered Brain. Are men and women really wired differently ?.
Angela Saini, Sujit Saraf and Sandra Navidi.
1. Women in Victorian England had no rights. Harvard and Oxford never admitted women in their university till the late 20 th century.
2. Woman were deprived of all opportunity. Inspite of it public made false assumptions on womans intellect. Charles Darwin too made such views on womans intellect.
3. Lazy assumptions are still kept in public. Such assumptions have strong ancient roots in Patriarchy.
4. Patriarchy have different codes for men and women.
Take for the example the case of Marie Curie
The French Academy of Science rejected her on the basis of gender.
5. There has been no actual division of labour through out history.
6. Modern day psychological testing shows small differences between man and woman. Less than 1.2 % of standard deviation.
7. Testosterone is a risk taking hormone. Mans aggression and pushing boundaries are rewarded.
Nutshell: One needs to avoid false assumptions unless and until proved.
He or she will find their foot in their mouth because of false assumptions made.
5. Its Ok Not to be Ok !
Mental illness has many forms., is everywhere.
Neerja Birla, Anupam Kher and Sudharshan Ramakrishna
1. Failure is not a person. It is an event.
2. One has to learn to cope with shortcomings. (Establish Coping Mechanisms that suits you)
3. Figuring out a way to live is the way to go.
4. Information turns into knowledge by going through life.
5.One needs to change their mindset. Constructive way of looking at things is the way to go.
6. Happiness is something you choose.
7. Self pity has never and will never work.
8. Shut the lid on negative thinking.
9. The best thing about you is you.
6. Did we really need the Brits
Shashi Tharoor and Zareer Masani
British just like any other human being were interested in their own welfare and self interest.
Indians would do the same to British in a parallel world.
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