The big story this week has been the Nobel (and patrticularly one more than the other Nobels). 'Ill-deserved,' 'but, what did he do to get it?', 'oh! this is just a recognition of the aims rather than achievements', 'the Peace Nobel has always had a political twist to it', 'the UN wanted to bring the two wars into focus'.... so on and so forth. These are just some of the comments I heard and overheard in the University.
My interests in all things Nobel started with chemists whom I read about in College. There was something novel about what they did and how they did it. And not just that, many Nobel winning works have also led to tangible results. I am not well read in Economics, but I don't think I would be straying far from the truth in saying that the theories and works of Nobel winning Economists have had far reaching effects on people. This should have been most true for the Peace Nobel.
People in India have always said that the Nobel missed Gandhiji. In fact, the Nobel committee did not give a Peace prize the year he died, citing the lack of a deserving candidate. A similar act here would have looked different and worth appreciation. People have often questioned as to why Gandhiji was overlooked for the prize. It has been suggested that he was only a nationalist, concerned with all things Indian, did not have a global impact, had not held any peace congresses, possessed fluctuating styles of work, went far deep into his principles of non violence and led an enormous mass of population, most of which had no clue of his ideology. If similar arguments would be applied in this year's prize, I don't see a single case being satisfied.
This issue aside, I admire the President for his earnest handling of issues and hope that he delivers the goods. It remains to be seen whether the prize does more harm than good to his image as a leader. This has definitely uncovered some of the issues any committee might consider while deciding an awardee.
News from home: An upcoming Diwali dinner with some friends. Really looking forward to some yummy food and meeting new people. Had a nice chat with Chasha, K Bhai and Saikat after a long time. Nothing like speaking to friends!
More later.
My interests in all things Nobel started with chemists whom I read about in College. There was something novel about what they did and how they did it. And not just that, many Nobel winning works have also led to tangible results. I am not well read in Economics, but I don't think I would be straying far from the truth in saying that the theories and works of Nobel winning Economists have had far reaching effects on people. This should have been most true for the Peace Nobel.
People in India have always said that the Nobel missed Gandhiji. In fact, the Nobel committee did not give a Peace prize the year he died, citing the lack of a deserving candidate. A similar act here would have looked different and worth appreciation. People have often questioned as to why Gandhiji was overlooked for the prize. It has been suggested that he was only a nationalist, concerned with all things Indian, did not have a global impact, had not held any peace congresses, possessed fluctuating styles of work, went far deep into his principles of non violence and led an enormous mass of population, most of which had no clue of his ideology. If similar arguments would be applied in this year's prize, I don't see a single case being satisfied.
This issue aside, I admire the President for his earnest handling of issues and hope that he delivers the goods. It remains to be seen whether the prize does more harm than good to his image as a leader. This has definitely uncovered some of the issues any committee might consider while deciding an awardee.
News from home: An upcoming Diwali dinner with some friends. Really looking forward to some yummy food and meeting new people. Had a nice chat with Chasha, K Bhai and Saikat after a long time. Nothing like speaking to friends!
More later.
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