Category: Technology

Reimagining Environmental Governance: Unpacking the ‘Black Box’

June 16, 2017

Introduction: Sustainability is an oxymoron, as even seasoned professionals vaguely understand it and casually quote a definition from 1987 Brundtland Report. Sustainable development is understood to be different aspects to disparate stakeholders. The context is the kingmaker. Every geographic reality will have unique demands. Environmental, Social and Economic Strands are deeply intertwined in ways more … More Reimagining Environmental Governance: Unpacking the ‘Black Box’

Start Ups need to appreciate the power of cultural context

April 17, 2017

The Snapchat CEO comment is reflective of two strands: He does not understand India enough and in turn Snap does not prioritise India as a strategic end market. On that point, he is justified in business logic. But, the Digital is not bereft of sentiments. The nationalistic outburst, was obvious in the hyper amplification of … More Start Ups need to appreciate the power of cultural context

Digital has a price?

February 24, 2017

The issue with digital vis-à-vis any other new technology diffusion curve is a problem of scale and velocity. Algorithms as mathematical black boxes are secret rules and surveillance is omnipresent. Anything free is dangerous. Most social and civic technologies are free and give away the privacy rights without any second thought. Privacy is a social … More Digital has a price?

Digital is an Ideology

February 24, 2017

The Digital is an ideology of power, masked as benevolent enabler, ephemeral as the time goes by. Similar to environmentalism in the 1990’s. We need a Captain Planet type animated propaganda now. Or is the mainstream discourse enough?

Non Profits as Innovation Incubators

February 19, 2017

Fund Raising is the common concern of start ups and nonprofits. I guess Innovation should be another core strand in that aesthetic. Any venture which is innovative, is not in alignment with the existing structures of commerce and social constructs. Aggregators have clicked because of the convenience it renders to the consumer. They are connectors, … More Non Profits as Innovation Incubators

Quoted in Forbes series on Demonetization again

January 4, 2017

Thanks to Wade Shepard, i was quoted in the Forbes series on Demonetization again. As Monishankar Prasad, a New Delhi-based author who is currently traveling India researching the on-the-ground impact of the demonetization phenomenon pointed out: The unbanked and informal economy is hard hit. The poor do not have the access to structural and cultural resources … More Quoted in Forbes series on Demonetization again

Conversation on Digital Disruption with an Auto Wallah

October 22, 2016

I was sadly stuck in a terrible traffic snarl today in an auto rickshaw, where I decide to ignite a chat in Bhojpuri infected Hindi. The crux of the conversation was to understand the adaptation of the non digital auto wallah, against their smart phone connected counterparts in OLA or Uber. The auto wallah said, … More Conversation on Digital Disruption with an Auto Wallah

Tech Hype Cycles : A Quick Thought

October 11, 2016

For industry peers, especially fresh grads buying into the current Big Data/AI/Machine Learning hype cycle, partially underway, at a very macro level (as technologies take time to permeate through institutional structures, cultures and need to switch personal behaviour as per the Social Construction of Technology thesis and other technology diffusion frameworks) that Big Data, is … More Tech Hype Cycles : A Quick Thought