The new month

 And then there was the sign of early sun fading the mammoth unending dark black night. Although too early to say conclusively and perhaps momentarily but the plateauing of the covid curve in India is visible. The last couple of months in particular and the whole year, in general, have been such devastation. combined with the reoccurring mutations of covid has made us skeptical about hoping for anything better at least in near future. The current ebb in active covid cases should be a boost for us amid such horrendous circumstances but the periodicity of this pandemic makes that dubious. However, life goes on, despite losing close and dear ones life goes on...

having said that the cases have dipped still the lockdowns are intact making going out or meeting anyone nearly impossible. During the onslaught of the second wave, Exams were either differed or postponed in some cases even canceled. So it is very hard to escape the boredom equally for both the nerds and the social animals. However here I will, as usual, suggest watching or reading things which I find interesting and perhaps you will too. So without further ado here are they.

  1. The looming tower-

 The Series is based on the book by Lawrence Wright on the 9/11 attacks on the world trade center in the united states. the series is about how does the attack took place despite having clear indications, solid intelligence literature, and everyday Real-time monitoring of the perpetrators. It dwells into the complex world of bureaucracy and the lapses in inter-agency operability between CIA and FBI. The best part of the series is the fact that it does not talk about the stereotypical spy /espionage stunts on the grounds (unlike every other movie/ series of the genre) but emphasize the desk job behind the whole action. It is nearly impossible not to appreciate the team of makers to make such an unapologetic screen on such a  sensitive subject. It talks about how easily the attacks could have been averted and why they did happen. It's a 10 episode (45 min each)  series and in all likelihood a must-watch.

  2. Sound of metal -

 Yep, it's the one. The One with an Oscar. Perhaps It deserves to. (unlike the shape of water). and yes I watched it after it got the Oscar. The story is plain and simple. a guy with a girlfriend in a music band. Life was good one fine day the life plays its dirty game and the guy lost the ability to hear. What a paradox. He is a drummer. Life takes few unexpected turns. And then the movie ends. Yeah, this is the story. Told ya plain and simple. Should you watch it? Oh yes! Definitely.

  3. Pratap Bhanu Mehta's interaction with Rajdeep Sardesai on The Quorum -

link to the interaction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLhcbe88OgQ

In the turbulent times, we are in currently, every time something bad happens the initial thought which struck me is the fact that how an elected government suppose to work on a clear constitutional path prescribed by the forefathers as well as the laws of the land could do anything as vile or unconstitutional as this. As my mind tries to understand the rationale of any such discretions, someone from my friend circle or on Twitter or on television starts justifying it. Of course based on the logic that everything you are witnessing today is not even a fraction of what was done during the 1970s or more specifically during the emergency. Since many times there are substantive shreds of evidence to support their claims, I have had to withdraw my assumption of the event being 'unprecedented'. But to understand the unprecedented, tectonic and fundamental change in the fabric of our polity in the past few years one must listen to PBM's logic. I believe (based on my little understanding which in turn is based upon the little reading of his works and columns in INDIAN EXPRESS) PBM is by far the best young public intellectual India had produced he's just in his early fifties. I am also currently reading the widely celebrated public intellectual and historian Yuval Noah Harari and I wonder if a role reversal was possible where PBM was a foreigner and YNH was Indian. In such a universe he would have been much more appreciated and loved. Unlike the present one where he is trolled for asking questions from people in power. PBM should be read celebrated and heard.