My Blog

Our water consumption is increasing by the day, and the Earth no longer has enough water to meet everyone's needs. As a result, a circular economy is required, in which the water we use from various sources such as bathing, laundry, wash basin is treated, recycled and utilised at the decentralized level for non-potable uses.  The traditional methods of treating wastewater (for reuse), such as particle settling and chlorine disinfection, are both time-consuming and inefficient. To be honest, wastewater composition is highly complex, influenced by a range of chemical, physical and microbiological factors, resulting in several uncertainties in wastewater treatment systems. These uncertainties lead to changes in effluent water quality, operating expenses, fluctuate the removal efficiencies and contaminate the waterways, exacerbating the problem. The effective solution to this is Nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is one of the many technologies that have proved to be an excellent way for ...

Imagine, it is the year 2165 and human technology has greatly advanced and our civilization has taken a massive leap in inhabiting the Moon. It has already been about two hundred years since humans first stepped on the Moon and a lot of development has taken place.  I am a kid born and brought up in the Lunar environment and I shall be describing my life to you all, the inhabitants of Earth! Dear friends, I know, you have always heard about the Moon being an unoccupiable environment with extreme conditions, however, with the lapse of time, life has also been possible on the Moon now. Hey there, writing to you from the surface of the Moon. For us, the Moon is our Earth, the Moon is our home. Though, compared with Earth, it is not a very pleasant place to live in but as the saying goes, need is the mother of invention - we are, with each passing day making the conditions more livable. You might be horror struck with some facts I share, but they are true. It’s just that they can’t be ...

A few days back I was attending a data analysis webinar and on the first day, instead of teaching us how to use the SPSS software for data analysis, they focused on probability, multivariate analysis, and calculus. My mother was also attending it, and I asked her, mom, I am here to learn data analysis, and how to use the software. Why are they teaching probability and all those mathematical concepts here?  My mother then gave me, perhaps, the best piece of advice and at the right time. She said - The very existence of AI depends on the mathematics of computation.  Now you tell me, The data that you collect contains noise, null values, outliers, and other anomalies. You, first, have to clean the data and transform it into meaningful observations to develop the foundation for further analysis of data. Right. Libraries like Numpy, Pandas that you use for such tasks also rely on predefined mathematical functions .  Only when you have understood and analyzed the data, will ...

Should we save money and lives by ending manned spaceflight or will machines never match the experience and inspiration of sending men and women into space? If we look at the greatest discoveries and scientific research that have already been made in the solar system's exploration, the vast majority have been made by robot probes alone. The discovery of the great hydrocarbon lakes on Saturn's moon, Titan, and the discovery of the underground ocean on another of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, are good examples. Automated spacecraft cost far less and they’re getting more capable every year; and if they fail, nobody dies! I therefore believe that unmanned space flights are a better alternative to manned missions. “It’s the robot probe that is capturing interest today.” This issue needs to be looked at from two perspectives - science and that of human curiosity. From a science perspective if the confidence of a mission to a particular planet or celestial body is untested, safety b...

We've all been taken aback by the torrential rain and snowfall in the city. We have witnessed the lowest maximum temperature in the capital. From the last few days, North-West India has been witnessing a series of wet spells with temperatures as low as 3-5 degrees Celsius. It's worth noting that last year was a La-Nina year, with the coldest winter in 23 years. Following the strong wet spells in numerous parts of the country, minimum temperatures in Northwestern India are expected to drop further. It is expected that Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh and Madhya Pradesh will see a drop in minimum temperatures in the following days. We just learned of the tragic news of some individuals, especially children, dying as a result of the harsh winters in Pakistan. This winter has been particularly unbearable. Every morning, I struggle to get out of my blanket, but I have no choice! You see, there are classes. Sorry! I digressed.  But why is Northwestern India experiencing ...

Outer space is an environment that has long fascinated mankind, who have, from the dawn of time, tried to interpret its significance. We humans are, by nature, explorers, motivated by curiosity. This is a uniquely human quality. This insatiable curiosity is what drove explorers to prove the Earth is not flat and it is the same instincts that sends us to the stars at the speed of thought, urging us to go there in reality. And whenever we make a major breakthrough, we raise mankind, unite people and nations, and usher in new discoveries and technologies. We have an unlimited imagination, and should therefore keep making efforts to explore, research and develop new opportunities. Since time immemorial, we have always tried to protect our territory by maintaining and sacrificing for it. Why? - Because national boundaries give identity to people. They are an essential tool for navigating the modern 21st century world. The key to keeping things peaceful in this unexplored field is to get the...

This is in reference to Gopalkrishna Gandhi's South Africa's parliament will rise from its ashes, (January, 7).  On Sunday, fire broke out and entirely destroyed South Africa's parliament in Cape Town. A suspect has been apprehended, charged, and put on trial. There are many questions like, what the cause of the fire was, who had done this, however, the ultimate goal is not to investigate about this, well that surely needs to be done, however, the primary target is to rebuild and develop the edifice (National assembly/parliament house) back. South Africa's parliament house in Cape town is much more than just a building augmented later to house the National assembly. It is a model for democracy, a sign of optimism in the face of despair, atonement in the face of hubris, and vision in the face of stagnation. It is a country that we have followed and held up as an example of how to achieve democracy. The constitutional guarantees, such as not treating anyone as a demon, op...

Well! This case requires no description! It is something that has horrified everybody. On the New year, scores of Muslim women woke up to find their photographs on a webpage, hosted on GitHub. This was done with the intention of selling them at auction. According to sources, this wasn't the first attempt; it happened last year in July as well. The Mumbai police have already detained three people suspected of being involved in the crime. However, there are speculations that these young people were aided in spreading hate by a more organized and larger group. This hate crime was committed with the intention of defaming Muslim women activists, professionals, and public figures. There seems to be a bigger nexus behind the webpage and such cyber crimes should be halted, this very instant. If the larger network that promotes such hatred is not brought to justice, the anonymity that the internet and social media provide will continue to incubate and even increase the freque...

This is with reference to Mark Tully's Tutu: In the steps of Mahatma Gandhi, (January 2). I fully agree with the author. Desmond Tutu, the archbishop of Cape town and Mahatma Gandhi had a variety of things in common - goal, ideologies, beliefs, etc. It was really warming to see the Indian and South African cricket team observing a minute of silence in honour of Archbishop Desmond Tutu before beginning with the test match. This symbolized India's recognition of the link between the Archbishop and Mahatma Gandhi - a physical as well as political link. Both Tutu and Gandhi adopted non-violence to battle apartheid and the independence movement respectively. Both of them were deeply concerned about their country and worked tirelessly till their last breath to achieve what they had always dreamed for. As for Gandhi, it was a place where the minorities were as much valued citizens of the state as the majority of the state. And for Tutu, he wished to make his country, a multiraci...