Of drones, Bengali culture and medical science

Age of drones
The manner in which drones have become part of the police arsenal will rank as one of the most significant advances made in policing in recent years. Interestingly, this acceptability earned by drones has been accompanied by the near absence of any discourse in India on drone usage, unlike the United States where the remote controlled device’s killing ability and its potential for commercial uses and privacy violations have triggered a robust, but inconclusive, debate. Recently, the Delhi Police empowered the DCPs of all 11 districts to purchase drones for aerial surveillance. The drones apparently helped the police seize bricks, bottles and other weapons stocked on rooftops during last year’s Trilokpuri riots. This week, drones were used to to keep watch on a demolition drive in Gurgaon after violence had broken out during a similar initiative in the past. The Andhra police, chastened by the fallout of the fake encounter against alleged red sanders smugglers hailing from Tamil Nadu, is now deploying drones. While its uses in crimefighting are evident, its proliferation is bound to trigger misuse. A regulatory framework is necessary to ensure that drones are not used to peek into bedrooms or pursue data collection activities that violate privacy.

The rosogollah wars
Nothing could come as a greater shock for the Bengali whose love for culture and rosogollah borders on obsession. His rosogollah is no more for him to claim. The tender, juicy, spherical sweetmeat — next only to Rabindranath Tagore in terms of popularity — is actually Odiya by origin, and apparently a source of great pride for the residents of the neighbouring state. Curiously, all the while, the Odiyas had been tight-lipped even as the syrupy delight travelled places to sweeten the tongue of the Bengali diaspora. Now with Odiya asmita (pride) in full display, and invoking the name of Lord Jagannath who, it seems is the original beneficiary of the culinary wonder, the Odisha government has donned battle fatigues to stamp its authority on the emperor of the sweet world. Not the one to be outdone, West Bengal is putting up a brave fight to thwart attempts at hijacking its beloved dessert. It’s a war likely to have a bitter ending — not something the rosogollah, if it had a voice, would have approved of.

HALE, the new goal
One of the triumphs of modern age has been the increase in life expectancy due to breakthroughs in medical science. It turns out that it is not a good enough achievement unless it is turned into a healthy life expectancy. A research study of 188 countries shows that about eight years of one’s increased longevity is lost in sickness. The result throws up a new challenge to governments and planners. The proportion of senior citizens is greater in the developed economies like Europe, Japan and North America at the moment, but China and India too will face the challenge of a greying population post-2050. Medical researchers as well as governments will have to ensure that older people not only remain healthy,  but they also remain as active participants in the economy. It will be quite difficult for governments to sustain pension funds and social welfare schemes for the care of the aged people.