A Delicious Irony
Ex Machina
The Government of India seems hell bent on applying technology to everything it can lay its hands on. As much as it might feel like the government has gone overboard with its embrace of all things technology, this enthusiasm is relatively recent. At Indian Independence, Nehru had the opportunity to guide the country down a path that would allow it to come on par with the other nations of the world. But the path we trod was long and winding and it was almost only by accident that we ended up where we are.
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Platforms for Society
Ex Machina
Over the last decade, the single greatest change that technology has wrought in India has been the proliferation of platforms for society. Starting with Aadhaar, to UPI, eSign and the entire India Stack, their impact on the way in which society functions is undeniable.
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The Sharing Solution
Ex Machina
Very early on at the dawn of India’s tech boom we gave the world its first shareable handheld computation device. But despite its promise, the Simputer never made it big. Today, India has the opportunity to change the world yet again in its own unique way, this time in the arena of urban mobility. But in order to do that we will need to fundamentally change the way we think about commuting.
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The Incurable Disease
Ex Machina
There are certain rare diseases that have long thought to be incurable. But today radical new therapies are being developed largely on an experimental basis in laboratories in the developed world. In this episode, I bring you the story of one family’s heroic effort to find the cure for an incurable disease, racing against time to try and save their son’s life.
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Data Privacy with Justice Srikrishna
Ex Machina
Rahul Matthan interviews Justice Srikrishna on data privacy and much more.
info_outlineOver the last decade, the single greatest change that technology has wrought in India has been the proliferation of platforms for society. Starting with Aadhaar but rapidly expanding to include UPI, eSign and the entire IndiaStack, the impact of these platforms on the way in which society functions is undeniable.
As with any technology that has an oversize impact on society, these platforms have deeply divided the nation. The vocal opposition to Aadhaar culminated in its challenge before the Supreme Court and the articulation of the fundamental right to privacy. All of the other platforms have been accused of technology solutionism with opponents citing instances of exclusion, data surveillance and over-reach.
While the government’s arguments before the Supreme Court, in favour of Aadhaar, were enough to ensure its survival, not enough is known about the way the project was designed and the motivations that spurred the team of volunteers that build it. I have been involved in the Aadhaar story in different ways and have heard these stories from different perspectives. They are stories worth telling.
In this episode of Ex Machina, I sit down with Pramod Varma, Chief Architect of Aadhaar in a wide ranging interview that covers his motivations for getting involved in Aadhaar and how the various elements of India Stack came to be. We get into what he feels about the allegations of exclusion and the claim that a small group of technocrats have hijacked the agenda.
Not everyone will agree with his point of view but I doubt anyone will fault his candour.