Times Litfest: Day 1

1. Whos Afraid Of Dystopia 
Prayaag Akbar and Samanth Subramaniam 

Dystopia: Society has failed in a fundamental way. The way of life has fallen apart which makes it unlivable. 

The current world we live is a life lived between Utopia and Dystopia. People in power and privlege live in a Utopia. Those who are denied the basic rights as a citizen suffer hell (Dystopia). One mans Utopia is another mans Dystopia. People today are living in either of the versions. Dystopia today implies a fall in the Utopian setting. 


Dystopic States aka Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism is a form of rule in which the government attempts to maintain control over society. State has the power over individual lives. Human life can be disrupted by the State.

Stasi Land

Most perfected surveillance state of all time 

Either you are born in a Utopia or a Dystopia.

Born In Dystopia (Lower Broken Society)

Individual born in a Dystopia are shot down and marginalised.

Dystopia is a flip side of Utopia

2. Lets never have radio silence. 

Hrishi K and Mark Tully

                                                   Fake News Phenomenon is not new 

                  Fake News has been known to Man before the advent of Whats App

         

                                      Rumors are an effective way of spreading Fake News. 

                                             People are easily misled by Rumors 

                                 With good judgement one can easily assess Fake News

2. Fake news is often used by Politicians/Bureaucrats who would not allow to let go off their power. Radio Stations in India are not allowed to report news in India. India is the only country in South Asia where broadcasting news via radio is banned. 

3. Technology (Radio/Media/Whats App) cannot solve the problem of petty bureaucracy. It has never and will never solve the ethos of Ruling rather than solving/serving the problem and people. 

4. Running the old fashioned corrupt government has always and will always lead to a decline in Human Conditions. 

3. Dont Rubbish Trash. Will Meet Our Nemesis In Garbage

Robin Jeffrey, Katherine Boo, Assa Doron and Neha Sinha 

                                                           Ganga River Basin 2525 KM

Ganga River Basin Supports 300 million people

Ganga River is a Holy River

Holy Rivers carry burden of our Faith (Garbage)

2. Life expectancy of a Waste Picker in India is 39 years old.   Caste segregates people and shows them their status. There is reinforcement of purity and impurity in caste system. 

3. Birds, Elephants and whales are dying because of eating Garbage. Sooner or later the Grabage that we create will impact the world. 

4. Plato in the time of Google. 

Rebecca Goldstein 

1. Greece was a deeply Religious Society. While approaching Philosophy Greeks left Religion out of it. Greek Philosophical Paradigms that were formed exist till today. 

2. Philosophy easily gets one intrigued. Philosophy appealsto reason/arguments/debate/intuition from Science to Formal Mathematics. 

3.1 st European University was created by Plato. 

4. Philosophical knowledge puts one deepest intuition to test. Philosophy is otherwise a great hunger for knowledge. It is love for the truth and seeing the bigger picture. 

5. Every area of human inquiry has a philosophical question. 

6. Paradigms that are formed out of it resonate till today.

7. Paradigms formed were Abstract Reasoning and Empiricism. 

8. Abstract Reasoning: Highest Explanation comes from Mathematics

9. Empiricism: Grounded on Observation. 

10. Duality: Philosophical duality founded in Ancient Greece continues to perpetuate in Science and Todays World. 

5. Company Smart Nawab Smarter

Moin Mir

1. Surat used to be Mughal Indias (1600-1799) greatest port which situated on the banks of River Tapti. 

2. Surat in the Mughal reign used to be a melting pot of all cultures. It used to trade in bullion/spice/cotton. In this mix the English East India Company was set up. English used to refine cotton in Surat. 

3. After the death of Aurangazeb in 1708 Nawab of Surat declares independence in 1735. 

4. In late 1700 Richard Wellesley lands to India with an eye of conquest. Richard Wellesley defetaed Tipu Sultan and the Marathas. During his tenure the Subsidary Alliance occured. 

5. Nawabs of Surat hardly an army and signed the Subsidary alliance. The Nawab signs its powers to Richard Wellesley. As per the treaty in 1800 the Nawab could keep his estates and  was paid a annual income of 15 K Pounds for perpetuity. 

6. In 1842 Nawab Of Surat Afzalludin dies. With no male heir to the throne the company seizes its assets. 

7. Meer Jafar Ali married to the Nawabs Daughter challenges the canon of empire. 

8. Meer Jafar Ali is the only Indian who fought for his rights in the British Parliament. He challenges the English East India Company in the British Parliament. He exposes the malpractices of the English East India Company. Judicial Committee appointed in the British Parliament approves his case of the English East India Company being a tyrant. He wins his case with a landlside margin in the British Parliament. 

6. Big battle for the little black dot. 

Ornit Shani and Vikram Doctor-

1. Implantation of a Democratic Institution in a Undemocratic Soil 

                                        Indias First Election had 173 million voters. 

2. Having a democratic institution does not ensure democracy

3. Having a democratic institution is ones perception. The truth needs supporting data backed by hard data.