Evaluate The Evidence On Alcohol. Make The Prudent Choice

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Harshad Oak

Dear Friend,

The new year is just around the corner. Here’s wishing you a happy & prosperous 2013.

Considering the growing use & abuse of alcohol amongst youngsters, here are a few facts on alcohol that I would like you to consider.

As a student of science, I invite you to evaluate the evidence and decide accordingly:

  • Alcohol is a causal factor in more than 60 major types of diseases and injuries and results in approximately 2.5 million deaths each year.[WHO]
  • 9% of all deaths between 15 and 29 are due to alcohol-related causes.
  • Alcohol-impaired driving is a significant public health problem that affects both the drinker and in many cases innocent others.
  • Alcohol is associated with many serious social and developmental issues, including violence, abuse & sexual assaults. (All the accused in the Delhi Rape case were drunk)
  • Most cases of alcoholism are established by the age of 30 years with the peak prevalence at 18–23 years of age. [Academy Of Sciences]
  • 20% of drinkers in India are dependent drinkers requiring help. [Lancet]

I appreciate that you face tremendous marketing & peer pressure to consume alcohol. Please be assured that alcohol is not a prerequisite and has nothing to do with having fun or being cool / sexy / successful.

Life is precious and has great wonders in store for you. The youth of 2013 has a lot going for it.

Make the prudent choice.

Wish you a happy & safe new year!

Thanks,
Harshad

Posted in Health, Reform | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Astrology vs Science & Reason | Which side are you on?

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Harshad Oak

A few months back came the shocking news of the Palkar family suicide in Pune, where Arun Palkar(40), a well off electrical contractor consumed sleeping pills along with his wife (37) and children aged 11 & 6. He did so because he believed that Shani (Saturn) and Mangal (Mars) were so unfavourably placed in his horoscope that irrespective of what he did, he & his family would never be happy. It is likely that he even planned the suicide so as to rescue his family from present & future suffering. Continue reading →

Posted in Education, India, Reform, Religion, Society | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Savarkar – The Grey Icon Of India

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Harshad Oak
Savarkar (above) and Gandhi politely agreed to...

Savarkar

I see Twitter abuzz with #Savarkar on the 130th birth anniversary of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar aka Veer Savarkar. So thought of writing this quick post on the man.

Savarkar has to be one of the most intriguing icons of India. An icon you can’t possibly categorize as black or white. Savarkar has to be the grey icon of India. Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, History, India, Reform, Religion, Society | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

First Look at Life365 – New Pune Daily Newspaper

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Harshad Oak

I picked up a copy of the first issue of Life365 today morning and I liked what I saw. So this quick post about the new Pune daily newspaper. Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Pune City, Software | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Water Cuts TimeTable & Water Crisis Predictions 201′x’

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Harshad Oak

By studying data over several years, Oak Labs has come out with the following predictions & timetable for Pune Water Cuts (Crisis).

You can change the names & tweak the dates for these predictions to apply to any other city in India.

This timetable has been drawn up in 2012 but will apply just as well till the year 2019. Predictions from 2020 onwards were found to be unsuitable for publication, fearing widespread unrest and law & order issues. Continue reading →

Posted in India, Protest, Pune City, Society | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Farmers & Agriculture: Experiences & Understanding

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Harshad Oak

I attended the release of a special issue by Sadhana Magazine titled “Farmers & Agriculture: Experiences & Understanding” on 10th June 2011. The keynote speaker was renowned agri-economist Dr. Nilkanth Ruth. Dr. Ruth hails from Orissa but has been in Pune for over 60 years . He spoke at the event in Marathi. Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture | 3 Comments

Letter To MEA Following My Ordeal For Passport Reissue At The Pune Passport Office

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Harshad Oak

With reference to contact information at http://meaindia.nic.in, have sent the email below to ascpv.twitter AT gmail.com. CCed to jsxp AT mea.gov.in , usxps AT mea.gov.in . Link for information sent via twitter to @ForeignSecNRao  , @VPrakashMea , @IndianDiplomacy @ASCPV.

I will update the article / the comments section if & when I get a reply from the ministry.

*Update 10th June : ASCPV has forwarded to Pune RPO & jsxp.mea has forwarded to M.Pardeshi. No comment or regret as yet.
*Update 22nd June: – No response from MEA as yet. Have sent a reminder tweet. Will send a reminder mail next week.
*Update 29th June: No reply yet. Sent a followup email to the concerned officials.
*Update 30Dec12: A blog about the new Pune Passport office.

Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, India, Protest, Pune City, Reform | 6 Comments

Scientific Temper – My Talk At Takshashila Shala, May 2011

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Harshad Oak

I spoke about “Scientific Temper : The Forgotten Duty” at the Takshashila Shala held on 29th May 2011 in Pune, India.

Abstract: India’s constitution says that “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”. However the fact on the ground is that despite rising literacy rates, there are no signs of Indians adopting scientific temperament as a way of life.  India actually seems to be heading the other way, with orthodoxy, superstitions & pseudo sciences becoming an integral part of an Indian’s life.

In this talk I look at what scientific temper entails, the evolution of the idea, what’s gone wrong & why there’s still hope that we can nurture analytical minds and pull India out of the quagmire of superstitions.

Related:

Our constitution says that “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”. However the fact on the ground is that even with rising literacy rates, there are no signs of Indians adopting scientific temperament as a way of life.  India actually seems to be heading the other way, with orthodoxy, superstitions & psuedo sciences becoming an integral part of an Indian’s life.

In this talk, I will look at what scientific temper entails, what’s gone wrong & why there’s still hope that we can nurture analytical minds and pull India out of the quagmire of superstitions.

Posted in Education, India, Reform, Society | Leave a comment