Whispering Thoughts (No 6)

May 2023                                                                                                        ARTICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND HIGHER EDUCATION Part II: Opportunities and Challenges Many scholars believe that the development of AI has the potential to change the face of Higher Education (HE) for the better, more than any other technological advances. Some of the possible opportunities include improved access, lower costs and a decrease in […]

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Europeans in India Part 10 Anglo-French Rivalry Section II: Robert Clive Arrives on the Scene

Canberra, 26 May 2023 With Salabat Jang on the throne, French primacy in the Deccan was assured. The English displayed a surprising apathy to the developments that were steadily pushing them out of the competition to an extent where their continued trading presence in India itself was starting to be in doubt. Muhammad Ali, nominal […]

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Whispering Thoughts – On This and That (No 5)

MAY 2023 ARTICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND HIGHER EDUCATION Part I: Introduction to the Interface At the outset I must start with a confession—I am not technology-oriented in my thinking although I am not technology-challenged. I lack the inherent curiosity that marks a scientific mind, my own thinking being far better aligned to the more prosaic […]

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Europeans in India Part 10 Anglo-French Rivalry Section I: First Carnatic War – French Ascendancy

Canberra, 15 May 2023 The 18th century was one of enormous changes for the English East India Company—it was during the first half of this century that the Company started to evolve from being a global trader to becoming a State by itself. This period also witnessed increasing government oversight of its revenue and political […]

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Whispering Thoughts – On This and That (No 4)

MAY 2023 PILOT ERROR? ‘The readiness to blame a dead pilot for an accident is nauseating, but it has been the tendency ever since I can remember. … Safety lies in the judgement of chances one takes. The judgement, in turn, must rest upon one’s outlook on life. … Why should we look for his […]

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Europeans in India Part 9 The French Arrive in India Section IV: Governor-General Joseph Francois Dupleix

Canberra, 3 May 2023 Francis Dupleix’s tenure as Director in Chandannagar was a great success. Nominally functioning under the Governor–General of Pondicherry, he was practically independent, acting on his own responsibility. His promptness in action was such that at times they were construed as rash and precipitate by his superiors in India and France. Dupleix […]

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Whispering Thoughts – On This and That (No 3)

April 2023 ISRAEL: THE VANISHING BEACON ON THE HILL ‘Israel was not created in order to disappear – Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralised by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honours the […]

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Europeans in India Part 9 The French Arrive in India Section III: Benoit Dumas

Canberra, 14 April 2023 On 19th September 1735, Lenoir was succeeded as Governor–General by Benoit Dumas (1668–1745). So far, the French had maintained very cordial relations with the local rulers; Lenoir had furthered the associations and contacts that Martin had established. However, the prevailing tranquillity was about to be shattered by emerging events in South […]

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Whispering Thoughts – On This and That (No: 2)

April 2023                                                                                                     THE HISTORIAN’S TOIL Many of you are aware that I have been attempting to narrate the history of India, starting from the earliest times, for the past 15-odd years with varying degrees of success. I must admit, to put it mildly, it has not been an easy journey. Doubts assail the historian at […]

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Europeans in India Part 9 The French Arrive in India Section II: The Rise of French Power – Early Period

Canberra, 6 April 2023 In 1664, the 50-year monopoly granted to the French East Indies Company by King Louis XIV of France came to an end. Even with the royal authorisation of a monopoly, the company had not been functioning well and was forced to rely on private speculators to continue trading in the East. […]

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