Celebration...!

 

Lately, on this blog I am sharing selected TedTalks about the ideas that I like, honour, and adore and have converted this blog virtually into a Vlog, it seems! As the tagline of TED goes – Ideas Worth Spreading – I am just helping take their mission ahead which TED won’t mind, I believe!

However today it’s a different idea that I am sharing, and it is needless to mention that it is very very close to my heart for all possible reasons! This is a dance performance of Maitrayee with her friend Harita and what makes it even more ‘Special’ is the occasion (Women’s Day), the subject and the message the performance conveys.

This celebration took place at Department for Empowerment of persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice - Government of India, where Maitrayee is a Consultant at Project Monitoring and Data Strategic Unit at Delhi.

Although the anchor has narrated the script of the performance, it may not be audible, clear, or understandable and as I do not want the readers to miss the context which is not just interesting but overwhelming (I broke into tears, thanks to the song they have chosen that makes it even more poignant!) and must be understood thoroughly to enjoy the act.

Here is the ‘Transcript’ of the ‘Performance!’ Read it carefully and Repsect… HER!

"Having a child with disability can make a woman’s life different from what other women experience. On a day like Women’s Day, while their friends receive wishes, cards and gifts from their children, your heart yearns for the day you hear your child say the words ‘I Love You’.

This woman, despite everyone advising her to go for abortion after knowing that the child has intellectual disability, decides to give birth to the child. Standing up to the doctor, relatives and the entire world, shaking inside and holding back her tears, she raises her precious daughter and tries her best to make her independent in life.

She gives her everything. She feels so deeply and she loves so abundantly.

Today, we want you to know that you are not alone and that we celebrate the wonderful woman that you are.

This performance is a tribute to all those strong women who are mothers, sisters and caregivers for persons with disabilities. 

Happy Women’s Day... This is for you!"

I have shared Maitrayee's Hindi poem on my Marathi Blog, read it here - गुफ्तगू

CIP...!

 

"I named our nonprofit the Collective Intelligence Project, as a nod to the ever-evolving project of building collective intelligence for collective flourishing. Since then we've done just that, building new collective intelligence models to direct artificial intelligence, to run democratic processes. And we've incorporated the voices of thousands of people into AI governance..."

 

"Here are a few of the things we've learned. First, people are willing and able to have difficult, complex conversations on nuanced topics. When we asked people about the risks of AI they were most concerned about, they didn't reach for easy answers.  Out of more than 100 risks put forward, the top-cited one: overreliance on systems we don't understand..." 

 

"It is impossible to have any one of these things progress, safety or democratic participation without the others. If we resign ourselves to only two of the three, we will end up with either centralized control or chaos. Either a few people get to decide or no one does. These are both terrible outcomes, and our work shows that there is another way. Each of our projects advanced progress, safety and democratic participation by building cutting-edge democratic AI models, by using public expertise as a way to understand diffuse risks and by imagining co-ownership models for the digital commons..."

 

"As the Indian author Arundhati Roy once said, 

"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. 

On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing." 

I can hear our new world breathing. 

One in which we shift the systems we have towards using the solution of democracy to build the worlds we want to see. 

The future is up to us. 

We have a world to win..."

Indeed, you said it, Divya! 

Way to go...

Bingo...!

 

"I think the first point to make is that we need to recognize natural capital.

Basically the stuff of life is natural capital, and we need to recognize and build that into our systems.

When we measure GDP as a measure of economic performance at the national level, we don't include our biggest asset at the country level.

When we measure corporate performances, we don't include our impacts on nature

and what our business costs society. That has to stop.

In fact, this was what really inspired my interest in this phase."

I can see the reflection of my thought process expressed in my article 'Why CSR won't work?' written exactly six years ago...!

Way to go...!

Power...!

"Because of the skills of a few, the platforms of many and the will of hundreds of thousands of meddling kids unified in our intolerance of injustice, we were far more powerful than a couple people in official positions of power."

"But power manifests differently to different people. If you have a pen, write something. If you have an instrument, play something. If you have the anger of a thousand suns and disposable income, open your purse."

"The stability of democracy internationally requires that we use whatever skills and resources we have to combat hate, bring movements to life and stand united in solidarity with one another on every corner of the globe. Justice can't wait, so take what's in front of you, get really creative and cause a ruckus."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the 75^th Republic Day of India, we must not forget that we made a promise to ourselves...

"WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC...

...this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION."

Seventy Five Years ago when we declared this, it became our responsibility to  UPHOLD THE DEMOCRACY and its tool, the CONSTITUTION

... As Republic of India, it’s up to us to rise above cast politics, cultural differences and devastating disparity to end all of it by raising our voice, in a CREATIVE DEMOCRATIC WAY! If TECHNOLOGY is the tool for that, let be it…!

Long live Democracy... Way to go!

Fail...?

It is no wonder when a creative person started his career as Production Controller for 'Jane Bhi Do Yaaro' [a satirical black comedy by Kundan Shah that remains unmatched in its category even after 40 years] took the path of making 'different' movies like Parinda [1989], 1942: A Love Story [1994], Mission Kashmir [2000], Munna Bhai MBBS [2003], 3 IDIOTS [2009], PK [2014] - has made another inspiring film that would be a milestone in Indian Cinema - 12th Fail!

Vidhu Vinod Chopra has nailed it with 12th Fail not just because it is a story based on real life journey of IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma or because of its authenticity in all departments like casting, acting, locations, music, look and feel that brings memories of Masaan [2015] – Vicky Kaushal’s debut film; but what makes it literally outstanding is the message it shares and the conviction with which it is shared.

It is but natural that the film grabbed attention of Legends like Kamal Hassan who after watching the film at NFDC, Chennai said, ‘…long time since we saw a good film like this. It brings back hope in filmmakers like me to confidently go ahead and do what you love most…’

Just like Manoj Kumar Sharma, VVC has made an incredible comeback after failing at Shikara [2020] and passed with flying colors with 12th Fail! Now does VVC need any other validation, appreciation or award? And do we need any other reason to watch and celebrate the spirit of this film? I guess not!

Way to go, India…!

Question...!

 

"I have a big question. 

Which is, who runs the world?

...These technology titans are not just men worth 50 or 100 billion dollars or more. 

They are increasingly the most powerful people on the planet 

with influence over our futures. 

And we need to know, 

are they going to act accountably 

as they release new and powerful artificial intelligence? 

What are they going to do with this unprecedented amount of data 

that they are collecting on us and our environment? 

And the one that I think should concern us all right now the most: 

Will they persist with these advertising models 

driving so much revenues that are turning citizens into products 

and driving hate and misinformation 

and ripping apart our society?

...Today, the United States has become the principal exporter of tools 

that destroy democracy. 

The technology leaders who create and control these tools, 

are they OK with that?

Or are they going to do something about it?

We need to know..."

Party...?

On the occasion of 28th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 28) that is in progress [2 more days to go] at United Arab Emirates (UAE), a tribute to the creative imagination of the master creator himself playing 'The Great Dictator...!'

If you are really curious about the subject matter, are interested in getting a closer look at the truth and have the courage to stand the satire, you can watch the short film "La Fête est Finie" (The Party is Over) by Mark Donne to mark the historic Paris Climate change conference or COP21, 7 years ago.

Party will never be over... unless we end it!

Way to go...