siddharth venugopal

Constantly evolving!!

[Bill Ackman @BillAckman]

Perspective on the Artemis 2 journey. Respect for the engineers, scientists, manufacturers, astronauts and others who make this possible. Incredible.

[Ramesh Srivats @rameshsrivats]

I think the difference between a developed country and an undeveloped country is not income inequality.

It is power asymmetry.

In undeveloped countries, people in government, be it politicians, civil servants or judiciary, have an extraordinary right to trample on citizens and their rights.

That's the problem in India today.

Call it VIP culture. Call it unaccountability. Call it arrogance. In fact, call it toll exemptions, security clearance, whatever.

It all stems from a core belief that people in power are somewhat superior. So, they can get away with doing anything to people who don't have power.

The recent police videos and the SDM video are all examples of that.

It's only because of social media that these things even come to light - probably less than 0.001% of the daily sapping, brutal exercise of power.

So, if we want "Viksit Bharat", we need to do two things.

The first is, of course, financial growth, infrastructure, and all that.

But that still won't be enough.

We have to get rid of the power asymmetry. That will truly make a difference.

Less discretionary power, less perks, less privileges, less "exceptions". And more transparency thru social media.

We become a superpower when 1.4 billion people have power.

[The Kaipullai @thekaipullai]

A lot of people ask why so many Indians run abroad the first chance they get? Why some states have temples dedicated to foreign country visas? Why some people are so desperate to get away that they even risk death by drowning or freezing to illegally enter other countries?

Why are Indians so desperate to immigrate?

Because in the countries these people usually move to, they value life. They value people. They value you.

Unfortunately, that particular concept is virtually unheard of in India.

Here, lives are as important as money is to a sacrificial lamb.

Because In India:

The government doesn’t give a damn about you.
The judiciary thinks you don’t even exist.
People, in general, treat others like a piece of crap.
And if you treat someone nicely, chances are they’ll backstab you at the first opportunity.

Most of us have our souls and self-confidence destroyed, respawned, and then destroyed again on a daily basis. We get treated worse than a car in a Rohit Shetty movie.

So why would anyone stay?

In India

A two-bit clerk in an obscure municipal department can make your life miserable.
Any random ticket giver or clerk can abuse you.
A part-time watchman outside a private building treats you like a criminal.
Store workers treat you like a thief.
Everyone treats you like a shirker.

Your life is essentially a never-ending hurdles race that lasts for 70 years, if you make it that far that is.

So why would anyone stay?

In India

You risk your life every single time you step out of the house.
You can die when an illegal concrete slab, which was permitted by a corrupt babu, falls on you.
You can drown in a sewage tunnel because some random bozo has stolen the manhole cover.
You can burn to death in an illegally modified bus that the corrupt RTO has permitted to operate.
You can be run over by a drunken idiot who’s been given a license by that same RTO.
You can be crushed to death in a stampede caused by the incompetence of the police, who can’t handle a crowd.
You can die after consuming poison labelled as medicine because the babu who was supposed to prevent it took a bribe and looked the other way.
You can fall to death from a train because the railway authorities, after taking lakhs of crores in the name of safety, have blown it all away on "other things".

At any point in time, you can get impaled, burned to death, crushed, fall off a cliff, or be killed by a guy with a sword, sometimes all of the above.

Here, life is like the game Prince of Persia, except, unlike in the game, you don’t get three lives, nor can you restart. Once you are dead, you are dead.

So why would anyone stay?

And then comes the worst part.

In India,

Nobody is held accountable.
Nobody faces consequences.
Nobody gets punished.
There’s nobody you can complain to — and where you miraculously can, nobody listens.
People whose incompetence caused your death get promoted.
Some even run important departments that enable them to kill more people.

Every second of your life here is a herculean effort against the system, the process and the people.

However, Hercules had 12 labours in total.

In India, you face 12 labours everyday

So why would anyone stay?

Therefore, when someone actually gets a chance to get out, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they take it with both hands.

P.S.: In the last six months, 22 children died because of fake medicine, 40 people were burned to death in illegally modified buses and 51 people died in stampedes.

Those were 113 easily preventable deaths. Deaths mind you. DEATHS

113 innocent Indian citizens lost their lives.

What happened after that?

How many government officials were arrested? How many were punished? How many were sacked? What were the actions taken? How quickly we forgot everyone?

The answers to these questions will tell you why many people don’t want to stay in India anymore.

[Anirudh Ravichander @anirudhofficial]

50 years . 1 throne. 1 man.

Let us all celebrate the golden jubilee of Thalaivar Superstar @rajinikanth with #Coolie from tomo 🔥

With the blessings of the almighty and the love from all of you 🙏🏻

[Secretary Marco Rubio @SecRubio]

We extradited Tahawwur Hussain Rana to India to face charges for his role in planning the horrific 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. Together, with India, we've long sought justice for the 166 people, including 6 Americans, who lost their lives in these attacks. I'm glad that day has come.

[Gukesh D @DGukesh]

18th @ 18!

[The Kaipullai @thekaipullai]

In 2024, Indian people have given a verdict that will be remembered for a very long time in Indian politics.

They have given BJP and partners a victory that feels like a defeat.

They have given the Congress alliance a defeat, that feels like a Victory

[℘ཞı 🌷💝🧘‍♀️ @priyank65601552]

4 languages
1 emotion~ #Ilaiyaraaja

What a beautiful composition ❤️🛐

#HappyBirthdayIlaiyaraaja @ilaiyaraaja

[Lokesh Kanagaraj @Dir_Lokesh]

We love you Thalaiva @rajinikanth ❤️
#Coolie 💪

https://t.co/z9cVIUpTWL

@anirudhofficial @anbariv @girishganges @philoedit @ArtSathees @sunpictures @Dir_Chandhru @PraveenRaja_Off

[Ilaiyaraaja @ilaiyaraaja]

அன்பு மகளே...

[Rajinikanth @rajinikanth]

After 33 years, I am working again with my mentor, the phenomenon, Shri Amitabh Bachchan in the upcoming Lyca’s "Thalaivar 170" directed by T.J Gnanavel. My heart is thumping with joy!

@SrBachchan @LycaProductions @tjgnan
#Thalaivar170

[Amitabh Bachchan @SrBachchan]

T 4709 - Back with the great THALAIVAR .. the Leader, the Head, the CHIEF .. @rajinikanth on his 170th film .. what an honour and a huge privilege .. after 33 years .. !! and you haven't changed a bit .. still the GREATEST 🙏
Thalaivar 170 🌹

[Tim Urban @waitbutwhy]

Some mantras for political thinking:

Truth is hard.

Humility is hard.

Independent thinking is hard.

Resisting tribalism is hard.

Over and over, you will forget that these things are hard, and that's probably when you'll fail at them.

1/5

[Cricinfo @cricinfo]

A moving tribute ♥️

@mcjnicholas says goodbye to his friend, Shane Keith Warne

[Nistula Hebbar @nistula]

This thread reveals all the racism black, brown and non Caucasians have been subject to for years where our lives have weighed feather light in largely white run narratives and military action.Sab yaad rakha jayega…..

[Siyandawrites @SiyandaWrites]

In November, the @nytimes published an article about efforts in Asia to fight back COVID. They mentioned specifically 3 countries (Hong Kong, Korea and Japan) and outlined long histories of policy implementation by health officials in these nations trying to combat infections

[Narendra Modi @narendramodi]

Popular across generations, a body of work few can boast of, diverse roles and an endearing personality...that’s Shri @rajinikanth Ji for you.

It is a matter of immense joy that Thalaiva has been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Congratulations to him.

[Rajinikanth @rajinikanth]

My heartfelt thanks to the government of india, respected & dearest @narendramodi ji, @PrakashJavdekar ji and the jury for conferring upon me the prestigious #DadasahebPhalkeAward I sincerely dedicate it to all those who have been a part of my journey. Thanks to the almighty 🙏🏻

[George Mack @george__mack]

Francis Ngannou is fighting for the UFC heavyweight belt this weekend.

His life story >>> Any movie that exists

It's criminally overlooked.

THREAD...