App Ban and our brethren

This week India blocked 59 phone apps for reasons of national security and related reason. Reaction to it range from mirth to it being a master stroke. Reality is more nuanced and as usual the extremes are more appetizing, but full of empty calories. The move helps some Indian companies in short term and in long term possibly have significant capital allocation may happen to Indian app providers.  Some of the banned app companies will face significant to nil losses in near term and loose access to a huge market in long term.

What continues to amaze me our ability to seize each event as next biggest thing in society. Yes, the move has its merit and possibly should have been done few years ago. But to say that this will restore our greatness is also…………

 

The discussion & commentary around the event reinforces all stereotypes that we can possibly imagine for ourselves.

1.      Crab culture: Good or bad we need to pull each other down to the extent that the real impact is lost in the Mela(fair). Never to be found again as we know of things lost in Mela. SO hard has been the pull down from either side that it feels like Govt announced discovery of new Quantum machine equipped to solve all problems and turns out it is fraud

2.      Laughing at our own: Easily done by us, every time an Indian startup rolls out something the smart  analyst (who continue to use an platform which is unable to provide an edit function) will bring out to their worst possible comments on weakness exhibited. Common guys we can give some space to these hard-working people.

3.      Lack of framework: both criticism and praise are in air with no framework of engagement or solution. For an entrepreneur already fighting immense odd it becomes the chance for switching off and doing something less strenuous like a Naukri(job) or sell Bhajiyas(pan cakes). With no modicum of dialogue or communication the innovation shuts down fast.

 

I yearn for a day when I can switch on a TV (I stopped watching it around 10 years back) and watch a civilized debate on anything possible. Maybe some day, I remain an optimist about us as a society.

 

Here are some commentaries and observations which I found interesting on app ban and broader border impasse.

 

1.      India must prepare for a shooting war & simultaneously reinvent ties with old and new friends

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4DYMPjlMIE

2.      https://twitter.com/Hemantss/status/1278995570808418304/photo/1

3.      https://twitter.com/sonaliranade/status/1278850318579597312

4.     https://www.caixinglobal.com/2020-07-02/tiktok-owner-predicts-over-6-billion-in-losses-from-india-apps-ban-sources-say-101574834.html?cxg=web&Sfrom=twitter

5.      https://t.co/fffi6SI7d5?amp=1

6.       https://youtu.be/x-WdgL9N9dQ

7.       https://theprint.in/opinion/indias-options-against-china-shrink-to-two-limited-war-or-another-wuhan/452796/

8.       https://theprint.in/opinion/modi-govts-silence-on-china-gave-satellite-warriors-a-free-run-india-will-rue-the-damages/453519/