Rumi Nations

Sorry if that headline has been already used somewhere in the avalanche of articles on the matter. This profile of  Mr. Phaneesh Murthy is particularly good. He  was clearly a crazy smart guy. Sadly, the reactions in India have been so predictable — basically just 'follow the herd' of American Puritanical morality. Europeans have moved on but sadly Indians are unable to move beyond aping Americans. The reactions have been so crazily same in terms of vilifying Phaneesh Murthy that it's almost hilarious but this is a sad incident so hilarity is clearly not something which is called for here. I mean, is THIS the only SOLUTION that we can think of !?!? They had a relationship for a year or more, right? They were ADULTS, is not it?

In the usual weird way in which my brain works it occurred to me that many of the women astronauts are without children. I can think of Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams, and Sally Ride. I am inclined to look at the facts as they are rather than putting them through any loaded prisms such as women's rights, etc. Fact of the matter is technology is not yet so advanced that men can give birth to babies. Giving birth still remains the exclusive preserve (and may be a 'privilege' too -- but that's an assessment for ladies themselves to make about themselves) of women. Post natal care also involves (or needs) significant contributions from the mother. The late pregnancy period also is a time of many physical changes to the expectant mother. The father is at an advantage in all these respects. He can afford to be essentially a pure bystander in all of these. The maximum is whatever level of emotional investment he chooses to make in the dangers involved in the ...