Bala Variyam

Try searching for a song in iTunes…

@BuddyNoLove @peeleraja Try search in iTunes - not much can be worse than that…

The search function in Outlook might be some of Microsoft’s worst work. My God its unbelievably bad.

@JaipurLitFest @DalrympleWill He has been a vocal supporter of Israel’s atrocities in Gaza…

From transforming a scrappy online experiment into one of the world’s most trusted global utilities, Jimmy Wales has redefined how humanity accesses knowledge. Named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People, the co-founder of Wikipedia and founder of the Wikimedia Foundation now turns his attention to a crisis shaping our future: the erosion of trust. In his latest book, ‘The Seven Rules of Trust’, Wales draws on decades of building one of the most collaborative projects in history to reveal clear, actionable principles for safeguarding trust in communities, institutions, business, leadership, and everyday life. As misinformation overwhelms the digital world, his insights illuminate how trust becomes a superpower that strengthens relationships, fuels creativity, and builds systems that last. Join Jimmy Wales at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2026, presented by Vedanta. Book Now: bit.ly/47iM1gx 15th - 19th January, 2026 Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur #JaipurLiteraturefestival2026 #JaipurLiteratureFestival @jimmy_wales @TeamworkArts @SanjoyRoyTWA @DalrympleWill @NamitaGokhale_ @JLFLitfest

Sangh invites Sanghis. Nothing wrong there

@peeleraja They should all take Vande Bharat, don’t you think?

You voted for crony capitalism. Now its hurting you.

@UnamPillai @Arpo_IN Brilliant episode, once again. Quick feedback - during frames where Manu is giving a commentary/ monologue, the bgm could be dialled down a bit, so that it is easier to hear his commentary… (@sruthinlal tells me several people have given similar feedback)

Episode 2 of my SAGA series with @Arpo_IN is on the stunning Mishkal Mosque in Kerala, and on Mappila Muslim culture. Watch it here youtu.be/F9MSvlDsxSU

@dhanyarajendran Boby Chemmanur?

Dear @tavleen_singh You keep saying “the biggest threat to Indian democracy is a weak Opposition.” Fair enough. But here’s the real question you never answer , Who weakened it? Opposition parties didn’t randomly collapse they were systematically drowned by a media-industrial complex that now functions as an extension of power. And yet, your columns act as if this imbalance doesn’t exist, as if the battlefield is fair and only Congress forgot to show up. You blame Congress’s “dead grassroots,” but conveniently ignore how institutions, agencies, and primetime propaganda have been weaponised to choke political space itself. You talk of democracy’s decline, but stay silent on the structures that ensured it media capture, selective vigilance by the Election Commission, targeted raids, and narrative manufacturing on a scale India has never seen. So tell us, @tavleen_singh , how is a weak Opposition the danger, but the forces that deliberately weakened it are not? How is Congress the problem, but a system that punishes dissent, destroys credibility, and amplifies only one voice gets a free pass every time you write? Your column lectures the Opposition, but not the ecosystem that ensures only one party can ever dominate the narrative. That’s not political wisdom that’s political convenience disguised as analysis. If democracy is under threat, Tavleen, then the Opposition is the symptom. The ecosystem you refuse to name is the cause.

@stevenstrogatz Very much…

I haven't been very active here for several months, because I've been working on a new book. Soon I will be able to tell you about it. Is anyone out there interested?

Brilliant Gauri Gill took these viral photos of @MiraPagliNair and @ZohranKMamdani. She's being ripped off, they're being circulated without credit. These have her name on, let's share these and fix it.

@prempanicker But then propaganda was never to make a profit but to please those in power. So, I suppose, WhatsApp will continue to write movie scripts…

Curious: Anyone here actually saw The Taj Story? It collected just under 12 crore net, so someone must have, no? (how many more of these before the ecosystem realises that WA forwards disguised as feature films don't work?)

@UnamPillai @prempanicker In fact you both looked like each others’ doppelgänger :) Excellent episode and looking for ward to the remaining series. Always in awe of Arpo and the work they do.

@prempanicker Also tbh i'd have been a bit in awe of someone older and that would have been obvious on camera. With Deepu, though we were meeting for the first time, i had a hunch we'd be at ease with each other. Similar age and all that, plus he seemed to have a pretty relaxed vibe.

The excellent @UnamPillai 's new Archival & Research Project opens with the chenda -- the temple drums of Kerala, that fuses thunder and heartbeat into one. For me, this sound is the soundtrack of my earliest memories, of a time when rhythm was ritual, and music. Watch. Listen: youtube.com/watch?v=e6Esi6…

- Kapil Dev in 1983 - MS Dhoni in 2011 - Harmanpreet Kaur in 2025. KAUR JOINS THE ELITE LIST OF INDIAN CAPTAINS TO WIN CRICKET WORLD CUP 🥹

After recapitalization, OpenAI is now OPENAI

Well, this doesn’t surprise me. Only journalists are not allowed; Sudhir, etc are ok

The way these news channels vilified an entire industry and esp an innocent woman should have brought an end to the professional lives of these so called journalists. If only the world was a fair place.

@Padmasree Awesome. Congratulations to him… 👏🏽👏🏽

Couldn’t be more proud of my son 😭😍❤️

🚨NEW: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has rejected the Trump Administration’s offer of federal funding in exchange for aligning with Trump’s agenda. This is the first university to do so. RETWEET to thank MIT President Sally Kornbluth for standing up to Trump!

@zoo_bear Oh, would’ve loved to see you and thank you. Missed you…

With 'Soros Funded' deep-state agents. 😁

At The Media Rumble put together by @thenewsminute and @newslaundry. Great set of sessions are lined up. It would’ve been nice to have a session by @AltNews as well…