Alien Invasion or Artificial Intelligence?

No doubt there are many positive aspects of AI – as in crime detection, nano-surgeries, medical diagnosis, weather forecasting, defending national territories, video gaming, etc.,

See the following news item from Tesla:

“The new Tesla Robot called Optimus will watch you sleep overnight and monitor your breathing, heart rate, sleep patterns and then offer you protection or assistance in case of any emergencies during your sleep. It will also protect you from any home Invasion by thieves and uninvited third party. And also, it will help you with everyday tasks, such as cleaning, cooking, and even making drinks.“

Looks impressive isn’t it? But the other side is really DARK! Through the same self learning algorithms, computer can outsmart human beings. While it may appear benign and may be even beneficial, it could sometimes become difficult to do any mid course correction – they will not listen to you – are we talking of a Frankenstein?? YES.. it is..

Today the technology is being exploited by the commercial behemoths only to nudge the customers to buy their products. It is only the beginning. They will make decisions for you that you could repent later.

The sad part of it is its acquiring communication – language and articulation skills – that remained hitherto the sole domain of political leaders, poets and philosophers but now these machines can outdo them.. they can now befriend and win any arguments.. better than a skilled orator (even Modi!) – after all this is what they precisely do in terror recruitment networks – tutoring, right??

This technology, if it lands In antisocial hands, they can cause havac as they can be instructed ‘to learn to destroy’ – it is worse than terror modules: they have only limited intelligence to escape complete detection. Even then once a while failure of spy networks, can be disastrous – like 11/9, 26/11… long list… isn’t it.. Human terror networks can make mistake – as to err is human but AI networks are blemish less! can the mankind afford this?

World is still struggling to limit the misuse of of atomic energy since its invention, close to eight decades, but the potential of AI is much greater than just to that.

Though leaders know the disaster of its dark side, they do not have the wherewithal to legislate in a world that cries for personal freedom – even actions against a terror toolkit in a social media ends in a court case – society does not realise that they are going to be robbed precisely of their own freedom!!

The question today is how to regulate the misuse of this technology under the existing legal framework – or do we have to engage AI experts for this too to guide us?

Religiously follow Science?

In what way science differs from religion?

Nothing is sacred in science; No dogma; No compulsion to be orthodoxy; Every law is truth only until it is proved otherwise! No wizard is so revered to be out of bounds of contradiction! There is no gospel truth, in short!

Hence – It is difficult for a true scientist to be piously religious for the simple reason it is an accepted principle that ‘science is not infallible’.

Science has institutions with self correcting mechanisms; old theories are discarded after radically propounded new theories replace them: for example, Newton’s classical mechanics gave way to Einstein’s relativity; Shechyman’s theory of quasi crystals got the Nobel prize citation as “the discovery was extremely controversial but eventually forced scientists to reconsider their conception of the very nature of matter” – Even the great Linus Pauling denounced the discovery as “there are no quasicrystals, just quasi scientists”; we know about the resistance to acceptance of quantum theory including Einstein. Niels Bohr had endless discussions with him that proved fruitless – Einstein summarily rejected it hand waving as “God does not play dice”;

But these discoveries once proved were accepted unequivocally in the realm of Science. Can we expect similar responses from Church, Ulama or Rabbis, when confronting their religious dogmas! No body can venture questioning Quran, or Bible without backlash and get away unscathed! Thus, Unless there is a mechanism in religious bodies to correct their past mistakes and change their stand, it is impossible for them to stand on par with Science!

Religions, in general, disavow dissensions as they risk social order. Leaving abrahomic religions, only in Hinduism, there is no restriction or backlash in discussing the religious scriptures, rituals and even Vedic verses.  Even today there are veda sathas in which they are debated rigorously. Many Hindu scriptures are open for discussions and there are no set of rules for one and all.  It argues on different hypotheses and leave the conclusion to the student.  That is how we have so many religious practices in Hinduism and “Acharyas/Gurus” who had given their own understanding to their followers. Whether one can call this a self correcting practice as in science? May be, this way, Hinduism is not a religion in the classical sense of the term!

But, myths are needed to instil confidence even if it is at the cost of truth. And only unwavering faith of ‘myths’ brings order! At the same time dissensions are not uncommon in science. Calling ‘a spade a spade is blasphemy’ in religions! Some religions even profess extremism to quell hereticism!

So keep off religion from science! Neither religiously pursue science nor scientifically search for truth in religions!

Who inserted wedge between Hindus and Muslims of India

Who sowed hatred between Muslims and Hindus? India has a long history of Muslim rule since about the 9th century AD in till about 18th when British took over. Though the invaders from Persia, Afghanistan, Turkey had to fight the Hindu kings initially, later on the fight was between the Muslim kings themselves to gain and retain the territories.

During the long centuries of their rule, inevitably, the two cultures got hybridised and so evolved Mughal architecture, music and other art forms. Monuments like Taj Mahal, Shalimar Bagh, Buland Darwaza, Buland Darwaza and so on are the result of such amalgamation of Persian, Turkic, Timurid Iranian, Central Asian, and Indian Hindu style of architecture.

The Moghul influence is reflected in introduction of new musical instruments and ragas, or compositions. Amir Khusrau is an example of a Bhakti saint who contributed to the development of such Hindustani music. Khayal singing style is due to this confluence.

As most of Indian Muslims are originally Hindus, the religious rituals got transformed which are not in the shariat. They can be seen in the rituals of three important events of life birth, marriage and death. Hindu influence can be seen.

Many of these would be inimical to the original Muslim faiths! These Muslims having born and brought up in the Indian soil, would only owe their allegiance more to the Indian nation than to the classical Islam.

But both Hindus and Muslims, of late have lost their old ways of living together in harmony. In the two centuries of British rule, they slowly poisoned Muslims and Hindus of their by creating awareness of the difference of their religions.

The mutual distrust having been fostered by them, grew to unmanageable proportions by vested interests in both the religions during partition. Though the neighbours share ancestral values continue their political animosity. These Muslims having been brought up and inherited and share the same medieval culture, should mend fences with Hindus. These Muslims are different from the Muslims of other countries.

It is high time, the mistrust between the two religions must be dispelled by well meaning neutrals! But some Muslim outfits in India, openly supporting a few militant groups outside the country inspite of their objectionable acts(1), gives credence to suspicion of their nationalism. Unless they take initiatives to clear this apprehension, this would be a utopian dream!

  1. https://www.livemint.com/news/watch-fugitive-preacher-zakir-naik-wanted-by-nia-gets-red-carpet-welcome-in-pakistan-11727748986218.html

நாடு எனும் சித்தாந்தம்

ஒரு தேசம் உருவாவதற்கும், அது நீடித்து நிலைப்பதற்கும் ஏதாவது ஒரு காரணம் வேண்டும். அது பாதுகாப்பு, பொருளாதாரம் மற்றும் வெளி உறவு மட்டுமே இருக்க முடியாது. பூகோள அடிப்படையும் காரணமாக இருக்கமுடியாது. இணைக்கும் இழை இல்லாமல், ஒற்றுமையாக ஒரு நாடு நிலைத்திருக்க முடியாது.

இனம், நடை உடை உணவு சம்ப்ரதாயங்கள் பொதுவாக இருந்தால் மட்டுமே நாடு உருவாக முடியும். பொதுவான கலாச்சாரமும் ஒரு வலுவான மற்றும் முக்கிய காணமாகலாம். மொழி, இலக்கியம், காவியங்களும் ஒரு சமுதாயத்தை ஒன்றிணைக்கும் பாலங்களாகும். இவை யாவையும் கலாசாரத்தின் அங்கமே! நாடு உருவாக இப்படி பல காரணங்கள் இருந்தாலும் ஒன்றிரண்டு வலுவானதாக இருந்தால்தான் அந்த நாடு நிலைக்கும்.

இரண்டாம் உலகப்போரின் முடிவில் 1945இல் அரசியல் காரணங்களுக்காக ஜெர்மனி இரண்டாக பிரிக்கப்பட்டது. ஆயினும் வலுவான இன ஒற்றுமை விளைவாக 1990இல் மறுபடியும் ஜெர்மனி ஒரே நாடானது. 1922இல் லெனினால் பலநாடுகளை அரசியல் ரீதியாக இணைத்து உருவாக்கப்பட்ட சோவியத் யூனியன் 1991 இல் திரும்பவும் உடைந்தது. சீன மலேயர்களுக்கிடையே நடந்த போராட்டத்தால்தான் சிங்கப்பூர் உருவானது. ஆனால் தாய்வான்-சீனா, தென்-வட கொரியாக்கள் அரசியல் அடிப்படையில்தான் இன்னமும் பிரித்திருக்கின்றன. எவ்வளவு காலம் இது நீடிக்கும் என்பது தெரியவில்லை.

ஒரு பொது எதிரியை விரட்ட ஒன்றுபட்ட மக்களாலும் ஒரு நாடு பிறக்கலாம். இந்தியா என்ற ஒரு நாடு உருவாக ஆங்கிலேயர்களுடன் நடத்திய சுதந்திர போராட்டத்தின் வெற்றி ஒரு முக்கிய காரணமாக இருக்கலாம். போராட்ட காலங்களில் பல சமஸ்தானங்களாகவும் ராஜதானிகளாகவும் இருந்ததுதான் இந்த இந்தியா என்ற ‘ஒரு நாடு’.

சுதந்திரத்தின் போது இந்த ஒரு நாடு ஏன் மத அடிப்படையில் இரண்டாக பிரிக்கப்பட்டது? ஒரு வேளை பிரிக்கப்படாமல் இருந்திருந்தால் மக்கள் ஒற்றுமையாக இருந்திருக்கமுடியுமா? முடியாது என்றே தோன்றுகிறது.

கலாசாரத்தாலும் இனத்தாலும் முற்றிலும் மாறுபட்ட இரு மதத்தினர் ஆண்டாண்டுகாலமாக போர் புரிந்து எதிரிகளாகவே இருந்தவர்கள் – எப்படி எல்லாவற்றையும் மறந்து ஒற்றுமையாக வாழ்க்கையை தொடர்வர்? அது கடினம் மட்டுமல்ல. அவசியமும் இல்லை தான். அவர்கள் நீண்ட காலம் ஒற்றுமையாக ஒரே குடையின் கீழ் வாழ முடியாது. 1947இல் இந்தியாவை பிரிக்காமல் இருந்திருந்தால், பரஸ்பர அவநம்பிக்கையால் அரசு இயந்திரம் முடங்கி கலவரங்கள்தான் தொடர்கதையாக இருந்திருக்கும். இந்தியா இந்த அளவுக்குகூட முன்னேறியிருக்க முடியாது. இப்போது கூட தங்கள் நாட்டுக்காக இந்திய வீரர்கள் போரிட்டதை வங்கதேசம் மறந்துவிட்டு, இந்த வருடம் இந்துக்களின் துர்க்காபூஜைக்கு கடும் எதிர்ப்பு தெரிவித்துள்ளனர். பழைய போராட்டங்களை மறந்து இத்தகையவர்களோடு ஒற்றுமையாக இருக்க வேண்டும் என்று எதிர்பார்ப்பது மூடத்தனம்தான்.

இப்போதே சிவில் சட்டமுறையை ஒருமைப்படுத்துவதில் அவர்கள் பலத்த எதிர்ப்பை தெரிவிக்கிறார்கள். மற்றநாடுகளில் அவர்களுக்கு இந்த ஒரேமுறை ஏற்புதான். ஆனால் இந்தநாட்டில் நீக்குபோக்குடன் இருக்க அவர்கள் தயாரில்லை. இந்துக்கள் தான் விட்டுத்தரவேண்டும் என எதிர்பார்க்கிறார்கள். இந்த முறண்பாடு நடைமுறையில் ஏற்புடையதல்ல.

ஒரு நாட்டின் கலாசாரம் மதத்தை சாராமலும் இருக்கலாம். ஆனால் அதற்கு வலுவான அடக்குமுறை தேவை – சைனா போல. கலாசாரம் என்பது மதவெறி அல்ல. அது மூடநம்பிக்கையும் இல்லை. வாழ்க்கை நடைமுறை. இந்துமதத்தில் பலவேறு ஜாதிகள் இருந்தாலும் கலாசாரம் ஏறக்குறைய ஒன்றுதான்.

கலாசாரத்தால் ஒன்றுபட்ட பெரும்பான்மையினரால் மற்றவரையும் அரவணைத்து அமைதியான மற்றும் வலுவான நிர்வாகத்தை ஜனநாயக குடியரசை நடத்திச்செல்லமுடியும். காலம் காலமாக மற்ற மதத்தினரை அனுசரித்து நிர்வகித்த இந்த கலாசாரத்தால் தான் இந்தியாவை வலுவாகவும் ஒற்றுமையாகவும் வைத்திருக்க முடியும். எனவே இந்துக்கள் தங்கள் கலாசாரத்தை ஒருபோதும் இழக்கலாகாது. கலாசாரத்தை துறந்தால் நாடு துண்டுதுண்டாகிவிடும்.

மக்கள் தொகை அடிப்படையில் நிர்வாக காரணங்களுக்காக ஒரு பெரிய நாட்டை பிராந்தியங்களாக பிரிக்கலாம். அது மொழி அடிப்படையிலோ அல்லது பூகோள அடிப்படையிலோ இருக்கலாம். இந்த பிராந்தியங்கள் அல்லது மாநிலங்களிடையே கலாசார ஒற்றுமை தேவை. இல்லாவிடில் மாநிலங்களுக்கு இடையே அவ்வப்போது வரும் சச்சரவுகள் கூட பூதாகாரமாக ஆக்கப்பட்டு அமைதிக்கு களங்கம் ஏற்படலாம். கலாசாரங்களாலும் மாநிலங்களிடையே தடையில்லா போக்குவரத்துகளாலும் நல்லெண்ணங்களுக்கு வித்திட்டு பரஸ்பர பொருளாதார முன்னேற்றத்துக்கு வழிவகுப்பதுதான் நாட்டின் ஒற்றுமைக்கு முக்கிய காரணமாக விளங்கும்..

வேற்றுமையில் ஒற்றுமை என்ற கோஷத்தால் மட்டுமே ஒரு நாடு நீண்ட காலம் ஒற்றுமையாக நீடிக்க முடியாது!

Would you hit a century?

How long you would live? It might depend on the country you are living apart from your genes..

it is interesting to see that Japan leads the list of centenarians followed by USA, China and India. If you factor in the population, the numbers throw surprising facts.. Very small countries of Europe have large number of centenarians.. Even in Asia, Thailand Vietnam people live longer.. But nothing to beat JAPANESE! It is one tenth of population of india but number of people who have scored centuries are more thrice, with one in 800!

Look at Hong Kong – the figures are close to Japan – for a population of just 75 lakh, that is nearly half of the population of chennai, the number is nearly 7000, that is one in every thousand!!!! Perhaps this country would score the top of the densest centenarian population!

The life expectancy estimates of india is 72.2 years while that of Hongkong and Japan is well over 85! In that Hong Kong tops the list!

Why do some cohort live longer than others? There is some evidence that Japanese people have good genes which aid their longevity. Studies have suggested two genes in particular – DNA 5178 and the ND2-237Met NDgenotype – help the Japanese live longer by protecting them against some adult-onset diseases.

Other than just genetic factors, personality (especially characteristics such as conscientiousness, openness and being extroverted) also seem to be important. They contribute to longevity through beneficial health-related behaviours, stress reduction, and adapting to the problems of growing old.

Hmmmm… You are in India – so you are destined to live 72.. any addition is a bonus…. That is what the science says… !!! Pray for your next birth (if you believe in one) in Japan!! But learn to live with frequent tremors!!!

ஜோதிடமும் கடிகாரமும்

கடிகாரம் நம் வாழ்க்கையில் முக்கிய பங்கு வகிக்கிறது. மில்லி செகன்டின் மதிப்பு ஒலிம்பிக் போட்டியில் வெள்ளிப்பதக்கம் வென்றவருக்கு தெரியும். வினாடியின் மதிப்பு விபத்திலிருந்து தப்பியவருக்கு தெரியும். ஒரு நிமிடத்தின் மதிப்பை ரயிலைத்தவரவிட்ட பயணிக்கு தெரியும். இந்த வேகமான வாழ்க்கையில் மணிகளை அளந்தால் போதாது. மணித்துளிகளை துல்லியமாக அறிய கருவிகள் தேவை.

ஒருகாலகட்டத்தில் சூரியன்தான் நமக்கு நாட்காட்டி மட்டுமல்ல நேரம் காட்டியும் கூட. சூரிய உதயம் நாளின் துவக்கம். சூரிய அஸ்தமனம் வரை உழுலுவதுதான் வாழ்க்கை. நிழல்களின் நீளம்தான் நாளின் பகுதி. இரவை கணக்கிடவேண்டிய அவசியம் இல்லை. ஏனெனில் திருடனையும் காவலரையும் தவிர்த்து! அவர்களுக்கு நிலவும் இரவில் கூவும் பறவைகளும் ஒருவேளை நேரம் காட்டி இருக்கலாம். மின்விளக்குகள் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டபின் இரவின் அவசியம் வெளிப்பட்டது. அமாவாசை பௌர்னமியை கணக்கிட்டு வருடங்கள் கணக்கிட்டார்கள். ஆனால் நாளை எப்படி பிரித்து அளவிட்டிருப்பார்கள்?

எந்த காலகட்டத்தில் இந்த நவீன வகை கடிகாரங்களின் தேவை உணரப்பட்டது? தொழில் மயமாக்கத்துக்குபின்தான் நேரத்தை கணக்கிடும் தேவை அதிகமானதோ? ஒரு காலகட்டத்தில் வர்த்தகத்தைக்கு கடல் பயணத்தின் தேவை அதிகரித்தது. அப்போது கப்பலின் வேகத்தை கணக்கிட மணல் கடிகாரமும் முடி நூல்கயிறும்தான் உபயோகப்பட்டதாக வரலாறு. அரைமணி அளவுக்குத்தான் ஒவ்வொரு மணல்ஜாடி இருக்கும். கடல் போக்குவரத்துக்கு knot என்று வேக அளவிடும் வழக்கம் பிறந்தது இதனால்தான்.

14ஆம் நூற்றாண்டுகளில்தான் இயந்திரவகை நவீன கடிகாரம் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது. பீட்டர் ஹெனின் என்ற ஜர்மானியர்தான் 1541இல் முதல் கைகடிகாரத்தை கண்டுபிடித்தார்.

17ஆம் நூற்றாண்டில்தான் pendulum வகை கடிகாரங்கள் உபயோகத்துக்கு வந்தன. மணியை O’ clock அதாவது of the clockஇன் சுறுக்கத்தின் புழக்கம் அதற்குப்பின்தான் வந்தது. உதாரணத்துக்கு 3 O’ clock அதாவது 3 மணி of the modern clock என கூறும் பழக்கம் ஏற்பட்டது.

சன் டயல், நீர் – மணல் கடிகாரங்கள் புழக்கத்தில் இருந்திருந்தாலும் வீட்டுக்கு வீடு அவை உபயோகப்பட்டிருக்குமா என்று தெரியவில்லை!

ஜாமம் என்ற சொல் உபயோகமும் ஒரு தோராயமான நேர கணக்குதான். சங்க கால தமிழ் இலக்கியங்களில் கண் இமைக்கும் நேரத்தை ஒரு “மாத்திரை” என்று அளவிட்டிருந்தாலும், நாழிகை அல்லது ஜாமம் போன்ற கால அளவுகள் எப்படி கணக்கிடப்பட்டு உபயோகத்தில் இருந்தது என்பதற்கு குறிப்பு இல்லை. இந்த விதத்தில் பார்த்தால் ராகு காலம், யம கண்டம், குளிகை என வகைபாடுகள் எப்படி கணக்கிடப்பட்டிருக்க முடியும்? ஒரு வேளை மெதுவான அந்த காலகட்டத்தில் எல்லா நேரமும் நல்லநேரமோ?

என்ன ஆச்சரியம் என்றால், ஜாதகத்தில் நிபுணத்துவம் வாய்ந்த நம் வேதவித்தகர்கள், ஒரு நாழிகை அதாவது 24 நிமிடத்தை எப்படி அளந்திருக்க முடியும்? அதுவும் சூரிய உதயத்திற்கு பின் – அதுவும் ஒவ்வொரு பருவத்துக்கும் வேறுபடலாம்! பிறந்த வேளை, முகூர்த்த நேரங்கள் போன்ற பலவற்றை இதைவைத்துத்தானே குறிக்கிறார்கள். நவீனவகை கடிகாரம் இல்லாத காலகட்டத்தில் எப்படி துல்லியமாக கணக்கிட்டிருக்க முடியும்? இதற்கு அறிவு பூர்வமான மற்றும் யதார்த்தமான விளக்கங்கள் இருப்பதாக தெரியவில்லை!

எனவே வேதகாலத்தில் உருவான ஜாதக கணிப்பே ஒரு தோராயமோ என தோன்றுகிறவில்லையா? இந்த கேள்விகளுக்கு விளக்கம் இல்லாதபோது பிறக்கப்போகும் குழந்தைக்கு நல்ல எதிர்காலம் வேண்டி சிசேரியன் ஆபரேஷனுக்கு நேரம் குறிப்பவர்களை என்னவென்று சொல்வது? சரி. இதை சாஸ்திரங்களை வினவும் பகுத்தறிவு வாதிகளின் கேள்விகளுக்குதான் என்ன அறிவு பூர்வமான பதில்?

Brahmins of Boston and India

‘Boston Brahmins’ – the word was once coined by Dr. Holmes both in his novel Elsie Venner and in an Atlantic Monthly as early as 1860! Did he create a caste system with this phrase or he was just inspired by the Oxford English Dictionary, that describes the term Brahmin “a member of the highest or priestly caste among the Hindus in India”?

Yes.. Holmes used the term to refer to families who produced generation after generation of scholars whose aptitude for learning was “congenital and hereditary” and counted himself as belonging to one of them.

Boston Brahmins considered themselves as the original English settlers and had a hostility to the Irish and other immigrants. They perceived themselves to have the moral high ground, and they built a reputation for being xenophobic.

From the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, this class of people were often associated with a cultivated New England accent, Harvard University, Anglicanism, and traditional British-American customs and clothing. Descendants of the earliest English colonists are typically considered to be the most representative of the Boston Brahmins. They are considered White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs). Holmes contrasted with what he called “the common country boy, whose race has been bred to bodily labor.” However, he also thought “there was room in elite circles for hearty country boys who had gained an education”.

Many of the customs Dr Holmes pointed to as defining the Boston Brahmin resembled those of the British gentry, like requiring women to attend “finishing schools” and to marry into respectable white families, which often directly descended from those same British landowners. In other words, wealth or knowledge alone didn’t guarantee one entry into Holmes’s circle; a true Brahmin needed the right blood, or, as the writer put it, had to be attached to a “race of scholars” with a particularly virtuous nature.

Today it is very hard to find a whole 3–4 generations of one family living in one place let alone for 200–400 years. The combined effects of economic, demographic, political, and social changes eroded the once dominant position of the Boston Brahmin elite in the United States by the mid-20th century, leading to the eventual decline of their exclusive social and cultural influence.

Ironically, the decline of the cohort from its primacy has many similarities with Hindu Brahmins! And that too without RESERVATION!

Anti-matter and Atheists

Anti-matter constitutes the same things as matter except possessing an opposite charge. For example, the electron is a particle that is very small and exudes a negative charge, the anti-electron, also known as the positron, has the same mass, the same spin, except it has a positive charge instead of a negative one (per the name positron). Some theoretical physicists who study anti-matter even theorize that there are entire galaxies made up of anti-matter, meaning that there could be beings that are us, but opposite.  After being exposed to all of this new information your most pressing question is probably, “So, why haven’t we seen any anti-mountains?” One reason is that the natural generation of anti-matter is sparse. Its natural sightings are from cosmic ray collisions, gamma rays from thunderstorms, or the radioactive decay.

Now dark matter! Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that is thought to make up about 85% of the universe’s total matter. It’s a strange and elusive substance that doesn’t appear to interact with light or electromagnetic fields, but it’s important for understanding the origins and evolution of the universe.

To understand the influence of dark matter in the solar system, a study calculated the “galactic force,” the overall gravitational force of normal matter combined with dark matter from the entire galaxy. It found that in the solar system, about 45 percent of this force is from dark matter and 55 percent is from normal, so-called “baryonic matter.” This suggests a roughly half-and-half split between the mass of dark matter and normal matter in the solar system. The relatively small contribution of the galactic force due to dark matter felt in our solar system as compared to the force due to the normal matter, is explained by the fact most of dark matter is in the outer parts of our galaxy, far from our solar system. For example, after traveling billions of miles, the path of a spacecraft like Pioneer 10 would only deviate by about 5 feet (1.6 meters) due to the influence of dark matter!

Where the properties of dark matter and antimatter diverges is that dark matter is an entirely new, different, form of matter. Antimatter is the same as observational matter except it has an opposite charge and thus can not productively interact with matter. Dark matter interacts with matter through gravitational forces which can be characterized as a binding force for the matter. Dark energy pulls matter apart, being the characterization of the ever-expanding universe. More on dark matter refer https://www.nasa.gov/universe/dark-matter/how-dark-matter-could-be-measured-in-the-solar-system/

So, in a nutshell, what we know about the universe is very little. And, what we know about what we don’t know, is even smaller. Understanding dark matter and dark energy are important to have a fundamental understanding of the shape, structure, and properties of our world, our galaxy, and our universe. The continued theorization of these types of matter will eventually produce an answer that radically changes how we view space.

There is nothing in science that is the absolute truth! In the Renaissance period, we didn’t know anything about gravity. It was only in the 16th century that we knew that the sun was at the centre. Science takes time, but it gets there. And then, the whole understanding gets are rewritten. Until the discovery of theory of relativity, no one would accept the space has the fourth dimension, the time, before the Einstein era!

Same is true in many other areas – new discoveries disprove erstwhile understanding. Most of the times, science has proven to be ‘NOT’ a gospel truth! New discoveries totally shatter erstwhile understanding. That is why such of those physical quantities which today’s science can’t quantify, are declared BDL, below detection limits! Science that can’t fathom certain correlations between events, are categorised under statistical freaks, as they refuse to accept “God Won’t Play Dice”!

On such a weaker footing, could scientific reasoning be a reason for rationalists to be atheists? Should we not be reasonable and humble to accept that there are many facets of life that remain dark in the realm of unknown!

Growth Story of Two Asian economic Giants

The story of economic resurgence of two most populous nations in Asia, China and India, is indeed interesting. Both were ruling the world not long before Industrial Revolution. But when west colonising most of the world over hundred years and filled their coffers ruthlessly, these two became poverty stricken. They began rewriting their history since 1947. Their journey started almost at the same time: People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded in 1949, almost the same year independent when India was born. Both adopted socialist pattern of governance, China embraced communism while India democratic socialism.

With the end of Mao rule in 1978, China has been transitioning from a socialist economy to a mixed economy. Though Nixon-Kissinger administration began to make peace with the world’s most populous country, that is China in 1970 during Mao’s regime, it was only Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect, who built bridges with that opened up the country to the world economy. Beginning in 1978 and running through 2007, was the golden period – China’s economy grew by 10% annually and per capita income increased tenfold. Thereafter until Covid struck the world, it had an annual growth rate of 6 to 7%. This sustained high growth rate for well over four decades, propelled the country from an impoverished status to world’s 5th largest economy in 2005 and to the second position in 2009.

In contrast, india struggled in its growth till about 1991. With a slew of economic reforms starting from Narasimha Rao – Manmohan Singh regime, it grew annually at close to 7% and gained in economic stature and became the tenth in 2012 and shot to the 5th position in 2022.

China’s development strategy is its Great Leap Forward program which aimed at the high-scale industrialization of the economy. China relied on manufacturing sector for its sustained growth with west’s investment and China’s cheap labour. This was a win-win situation which kept the inflation under check in the west with cheap Chinese imports while China’s economy grew. The bilateral trade between west and China soared which was responsible for China’s present economic stature.

Though till recently India relied mainly on its service sector for exports, manufacturing got a push with Make In India initiatives in Modi’s regime. Phenomenal Investment in infrastructure and policy framework provided the needed fillip to become an attractive destination of not only foreign entrepreneurs but Indian startups too!

The top five economies as of today are, USA, China, Japan, Germany and India. Projections indicate that India is poised to surpass Japan and Germany, positioning itself as the world’s third-largest economy by 2027. But it is still far behind China. India’s $3.5 trillion economy is still dwarfed by the $17.8 trillion behemoth, that is China, and economists say it would take a lifetime to catch up.

But there is another side to this dismal projection. Some prophecise that the so-called ‘miracle’ phase of China’s expansion is now in the past as property crisis coupled with growing Western concerns over China’s dominance of supply chains and advances in sensitive technologies. Off late, the GDP growth rate is cooled and is only at a modest 3 to 4%.

There is a strong push from the west to decouple from China which would create a favourable climate for India. China is considered as an adversary not as a trade partner anymore. West fears that China’s state protection of private sector would unfairly affect the export market of the west. Not just that – there is a fear of state sponsored industrial espionage both in technology and in national security. Though the Trump’s Republican administration laid down several trade restrictions, even the democratic Biden administration pursued the same path. The case of bans on Huawei and ZTE with Japan, South Korea and Taiwan alongside are a few glaring examples. This bipartisan trend is likely to continue for some more time. Though it is too early to conclude whether such bans would fructify into taming the dragon, it would favourably affect Indian economy. India is considered a docile market place to shift manufacturing bases out of china! Though it is happening, it is taking off only sporadically!

In Bloomberg Economics’s base case scenario, India’s economy will accelerate to 9% by the end of the decade, while China slows to 3.5%. That puts India on course to overtake China as the world’s biggest growth driver by 2028. Even in the most pessimistic scenario — in line with the IMF’s projections for the next five years in which growth stays below 6.5% — India overtakes China in 2037!

Would india make hay when the sun shines?

Story of messed up opportunities – India’s IC saga

When Texas Instruments and Fairchild were expanding their chip assembly capabilities in late 60’s, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore grabbed the opportunity. Today Taiwan has become so integrated in the international supply chain, that it has become a political insurance against Chinese aggression. US would go to any length to protect its business interests in tiny Taiwan at any cost. But sadly India lost in this game why?

In the 1960s, at the beginning of the silicon revolution, Fairchild Semiconductor considered building a fab here, but bureaucratic lethargy chased them away to Malaysia.

After the 1962 war, Bharat Electronics Ltd. set up a fab to manufacture silicon and germanium transistors. When cheaper integrated circuits (ICs) from China, Taiwan, and South Korea entered the market, BEL couldn’t match global quality and price standards, and many of the fab units had to be shut down.

In the mid-1980s, Metkem Silicon Limited which, in partnership with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), produced polysilicon wafers for solar cells and electronics. This could have catalyzed an electronics revolution in India. Unfortunately, without governmental support, especially the promised supply of subsidised electricity, Metkem couldn’t produce high quality polysilicon wafers.

The most tragic story is that of Semiconductor Complex Ltd. (SCL), Chandigarh. Starting with a 5000 nm process in 1984, SCL rapidly advanced to the 800 nm technology, which was the cutting edge only a year or two before. At that time China and Taiwan had not even entered the fab space. Intriguingly, the entire complex was gutted in a devastating fire in 1989, and our semiconductor progress was set back by a decade! ISRO revived SCL and used it for low volume manufacture of chips for its programs, but it is only a shadow of what it could have been.

DRDO’s fabrication and packaging units, GAETEC, STARC, and SITAR were set up for strategic use by Defence and ISRO. “Unless fab is made on a large scale it’s not economical. There is no state-of-the-art fab for high-end, commercial semiconductors. Equipment was imported and each time there was a failure we had to depend on experts from abroad. We made just 5,000- 10,000 chips per year”, says Dr. K.D. Nayak, former Director-General DRDO.

In mid-2005, a major multinational semiconductor company started operations in South India, hired seasoned experts, and set up a class100 cleanroom for checking impurities of semiconductors. Facing roadblocks at each step, the endeavor became a stillborn child. Equipment imported from the US was stuck at the port for several months. Leave alone any concessions, they were levied heavy import duties and had to pay huge sums as demurrage. Several trips to South Block to convince the government did nothing to move the bureaucratic needle. Eventually, the equipment left India without touching its soil. China grabbed this opportunity and welcomed the project, giving the company everything it needed. India not only lost a good semiconductor facility, but also gave away 4000 jobs to China. Another multinational semiconductor company in the process of setting up their fab here withdrew after seeing the horrific experience of this MNC! As for the cleanroom, it was sold as scrap.

Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government allocated Rs. 39,000 crore in 2012-13 to build two fabs. JP group, along with IBM and HSMC bid for it. The Gujarat government readily offered all the infrastructure and allocated 300 acres land around Gandhinagar. Unfortunately, HSMC could not assure their investors an encouraging market in India, and the bidders withdrew. An earlier plan in 2005 for an impressive 200-acre fab city outside Hyderabad, which would have created an ecosystem for fab and other semiconductor companies failed miserably. The land allocated then became a lucrative real estate deal!

“Every ten years, there is a fab cycle and if we miss it now, we will miss it for the next ten years”, cautions Uma Mahesh, co-founder of Innatera. “This is a mammoth business, technology changes fast. Intel was almost catching up on everything till 14 nm and they couldn’t get to 10 nm fast enough. TSMC overtook Intel and announced their 7 nm chip. Soon they will be ready with their 5 nm and 3 nm chips. In the semiconductor business speed matters, we must drive our R&D aggressively. Partnering with academia and a relook at the curriculum in our technical institutions is important”, says Shiv Turmari, semiconductor expert and consultant.

Governmental support is vital. US has offered $25 billion to TSMC to set up a fab in Arizona and proposed $52 bn in funding through the CHIPS Act to subsidize companies to make their chips in the US. Chip shortage, global pandemic, supply chain issues, and geopolitical tensions in Taiwan have made an alternative fab location an attractive proposition. India must seize this opportunity to reenter the chip manufacturing game. In December 2021, the Indian government announced a funding of Rs 2,30,000 crore ($30.7 billion) towards semiconductor manufacturing, aiming to position India as a global hub for electronics manufacturing. Now, semiconductor experts are upbeat.

“Four well thought of schemes were announced in December, giving a push for ‘make in India’, laying out a red carpet to investors. MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) secretaries are personally in discussion with anyone who shows interest. I’m seeing a very positive environment to attract industry” says Sanjeev Keskar, semiconductor veteran and CEO, Arvind Consultants.

Many nations, including India, are wooing TSMC, the largest chip manufacturer. Reports suggest that TSMC might partner with Tata Group to set up a fab in India, with the possible involvement of Raja Manickam, founder-CEO of Tessolve. “We must create an ecosystem for TSMC to want to come to India. Tatas carry the stamp of credibility; the world trusts them. TSMC partnering with Tatas is the best thing that could happen”, says Uma Mahesh. “In my 35 years of being in DRDO, this is the first time I’m seeing a policy from the government towards the semiconductor industry. This also needs political stability, in the next few decades whichever government that comes in, they must handhold the industry and make it succeed”, says Dr. M. U. Sharma, former Director, SSPL.

In 1987, India was just two years behind the latest chip manufacturing technology. Today, India is 12 generations behind!

Is it a reason to lament – may be not. Advocates of the chip manufacturing dream point to China not getting a break through in this tiny world of chip fab. Through huge tax breaks, upwards of $50 billion in semiconductor funding in just the last decade, and over two decades of persistence, China has gone from manufacturing none of the world’s chips in 2000 to 16% in 2020! It is unlike China in other fields!

Yes China’s story is less inspiring on closer examination. Chinese chip manufacturers are at least five years behind the leaders in terms of technology, despite investment and time. Chinese chips are mostly commodity memory chips as opposed to high-end semiconductors. U.S. and E.U. export controls on semiconductor technologies may only widen the gap. China may be able to develop some of these technologies domestically, but doing so may require at least a decade. If anything, China serves as a cautionary tale for new entrants, demonstrating that decades of effort and billions in capital investment aren’t enough to assure success.

With proper support, such as preferential access to a domestic market, India could build a thriving, cutting-edge local fabless chip design industry, much like Israel’s. These firms would design and sell their own chips, but outsource manufacturing to a third-party. Such a move would help India climb the semiconductor value chain, while also making its electronics sector more trustworthy and provide some cushion against export controls.

In addition, recently-developed strengths in assembly and testing should be leveraged to develop world-class industries in Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) and Assembly, Test, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) industries. OSAT tests and packages manufactured chips, which are then shipped to ATMP houses that assemble the chips and create working electronic systems.

Combined, design, OSAT, and ATMP represent over 50% of semiconductor supply chain revenue. These parts of the supply chain also employ more people and are cheaper to set up, making them a much better fit for India. 

So, the present strategy of Indian government to set up fabrication plant may not necessarily be the only sure and safe bet of becoming a significant player in this business. Down the line, the strategy can be tweaked, anyway, to suit the market.

Both the U.S. and the E.U. are looking at new supply chains that exclude China. India can use its relationships to plug into these non-manufacturing components of the supply chain. That approach might be far more likely to pay off for India than chasing the chip manufacturing dream.

This is the story of how India missed the bus due to bureaucratic muddle. But anyway, India was that way then! Let us at least hope at least now, India would catch up in this technology that is going to be the vital key in the coming decade! It is not an impossible task!