Fond recollections, bittersweet memories, or markers of a forgotten past? uncultivated foods in rural Chintamani, Karnataka

Some experts consider “food” as the most critical issue of the 21st century. Countries such as India are experiencing what has been described as a triple burden of malnutrition – characterised by high prevalence of undernutrition, obesity, and micro-nutrient deficiency. These are a result of inadequate access to healthy foods, increased use of highly processed foods, and low dietary diversity, besides factors related to sanitation. Changes in the practice of agriculture has resulted in a reduction in agrobiodiversity. The challenges to accessing food during shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts in various parts of the world demonstrated the importance of local food security and reminded people of the importance of local food sources, including uncultivated or wild foods

Patterns & pre-algebra

Mathematics is the study of patterns - in numbers and in geometry, more commonly - but also in the most unexpected places. Patterns are beautiful and catch our attention. All of us notice them either in our surroundings, in clothes, in constructions, and so on. How do we describe these repetitive patterns? Some are visual patterns which share some common characteristics. Some of these are number patterns with sequences based on addition or subtraction. Some patterns are based on multiplication and division. If we know the first few numbers, we are able to predict the next number or other numbers in the sequence

Taste formation in classical political economy

Owing to the mainstream interpretation of classical economics as being supply-side, studies examining the analytical role of demand and consumption have been scarce. In this paper, I bring together such passages in Cantillon, Steuart, Smith and Ricardo and forge an analytical link between social tastes and consumption— an attempt at reconstructing a classical theory of taste formation. A classical theory of taste formation has as its foundation methodological holism—viewing social classes as the fundamental unit of analysis. Through a discussion of necessaries and luxuries in the above classical economists, the social division of commodities is highlighted. By drawing on social classes and the social division of commodities, it is seen that taste plays a critical role in the determination of economic growth by influencing consumption expenditure. Finally, it is demonstrated that taste is both a cause and consequence of foreign trade

Paternalistic Prejudices, Parochial Interventions and Rigid Social Structures: Impediments to Puroik Social Mobility

Why does the Puroik community find it increasingly challenging to fight the paternalistic prejudices and social structures that also impact their access to opportunities of social mobility

Construction sector and air pollution: Evidence from India

The construction sector has emerged as a significant yet often overlooked contributor to worsening air quality in India. Exploring the link between construction activities and air pollution, this article shows that heavy-duty diesel equipment used on construction sites lead to NO₂ emissions. This highlights the need to incorporate NO₂ reduction targets into national policies, which currently mainly focus on particulate matter

The silent crisis: pandemic learning losses that could haunt a generation

School systems in some states had enlightened responses while others were in denial of educational gaps left by covid-disrupted schooling. India can’t afford not to complete the job of learning recovery

Crafting questions for diverse learning goals

Many children find mathematics tests ‘scary’ because they perceive them as high-stake assessments of their capacity to handle complex methods and formulas. Usually, tests and exams include questions designed to assess a student's understanding of a specific topic. But are questions only for testing and evaluation? A closer look reveals that questions have the potential to accomplish much more. For example, Socrates used questions to explore complex ideas, challenge assumptions, and pursue wisdom