Window
Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 7.1.24
2024: Year of MAYA
2024 is going to be the year of MAYA.
It is the year of elections in
India, US, Bangladesh and Pakistan, the first two considered to be the biggest
democracies of the planet earth. An election is the time when fact and fiction,
truth, half-truth and falsehood coalesce. Every participant out to impress the
voters about their suitability try to create a maya. 2024 will see more of it.
It is also the year AI
(Artificial Intelligence) is poised to make rapid progress in ways far beyond
our comprehension. Those who still think AI to be just machines- have not yet
understood the power of generative AI. At some point Gen AI will create things
and processes of its own. In the hands of people with brains and deep pockets-
it has the power to create a maya-jaal (net of magic), common people are too naive
to even realise its existence - let alone understand it.
So brace yourself for a ride through the maze of
maya.
Swami Vivekananda
Swami
Vivekananda, the monk extraordinary, was born on 12 January 1863. His birthday
has been celebrated as National Youth Day since 1985 in India. Swami
Vivekananda not only played a key role in introducing Indian philosophies of
Vedanta to the Western world, he ignited the spirit of nationalism and
modernity in a country still under foreign rule and steeped into dogma and superstition.
He brought in the freshness of freedom and modernity.
Known
in his pre-monastic life as Narendranath Datta, he was born into an affluent
Bengali family in Calcutta. From an early age, he showed a keen interest in
spirituality and meditation. In his quest for spiritual knowledge, Narendranath
came across the saint Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886). This meeting had
a profound impact on him, and he became one of Ramakrishna's most devoted
disciples. Under Ramakrishna's guidance, he experienced deep spiritual
awakening. After Sri Ramkrishna’s passing in 1886, Vivekananda renounced the
world and crisscrossed India as a wandering monk, deliberating on Vedanta
philosophy and preaching oneness of all religions.
Swami
Vivekananda gained international recognition when he represented Hinduism at
the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893. This marked the
first time that ancient Indian philosophy was introduced to a Western audience
on such a large scale and had a deep impact. In fact most of the Vedanta
societies, which were founded in America and Europe up through the 1930s can
trace their origins directly to Swami Vivekananda.
After
the Parliament of Religions, Swami Vivekananda spent several years traveling in
the United States and Europe, delivering lectures on Vedanta and Yoga. He aimed
to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western philosophies and promote the idea
of universal religion.
He
returned to India in 1897 and founded the Ramakrishna Mission in 1898. The
mission aimed to combine spiritual ideals with social service- helping people
during calamities, spreading education and providing health care.
Swami
Vivekananda passed away on July 4, 1902, at an early age of 39.
In just
16 years of public life (he formally accepted monastic vows in 1886), he had
remarkable contributions in the field of philosophy and social service.
However, it was his capacity to blend oriental with occidental, tradition with
modernity, individualism with collectivism; and his holistic vision and world
view- that made him an exceptional thought leader.
2024
The United Nations declared
2024 the International Year of Camelids (camel like animals) (IYC 2024).
2024
will celebrate the birth centenary of two legendary Indian cartoonists: Sri
Gopulu (18 June 1924- April 2015), illustrator and cartoonist and Abu Abraham
(11 June 1924 – 1 December 2002), the legendary cartoonist who fearlessly
questioned those who were in power.
It will
also celebrate the birth bi-centenary of Dayanand Saraswati, the saint philosopher
and one of the makers of modern India, Harish Chandra Mukherjee, the legendary
editor of Hindoo Patriot, who were among the first intellectuals of India to
raise the issue of self-rule and Michael Madhusudan Dutta, poet and playwright.
2024 is the Year of the Dragon
according to the Chinese zodiac. My friend Sudhansu Deo, who has keen interest
in astrology tells me- it is also the year of Shani the god of karma,
justice, and retribution, who delivers results depending upon one's thoughts,
speech, and deeds. He advises me to feed black dogs to please Him. As I started
looking for a black dog, I was told the price of a pure black dog has gone up
manifolds in the canine market.
15 Years of YouTube in India
YouTube just completed 15
years of its existence in India. In just one and a half decades it has occupied
a significant space in the media ecosphere of India. From computers and mobiles
it is now taking over the drawing room television- through what is called
connected TV (watching content off YouTube on television. This
segment is going through the same phenomenon that made internet usage grow
…falling prices of smart TVs and the rising penetration of fixed-line
broadband.
Another area which is
growing is called ‘shorts’ - small videos usually created by the users of
YouTube. More and more people are creating and consuming shorts. The rate
accelerated as YouTube announced monetising Shorts in February 2023.
Content in regional
languages in YouTube is also growing at a phenomenal rate- drawing in more
viewers and creators.
YouTube at 15 - is having a bullish time.
2023 Person of the Year
Times
of India 2023 Person of the Year is no person. Matlab- no human being or
even animal- lion or rat, or bird- crow or parrot, or mosquito. The TOI Person
of the Year is no living being. It is CHATBOT.
Welcome
to the new world - the metaverse, where real and virtual not only co-exist, but
coalesce.
++
A
compilation of all the episodes of Window Seat published in 2023 is being
compiled into a e-book. It will be sent to interested readers for free.
Interested persons may send their email to mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
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