🧠 Breaking the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Monopoly: Why Humanities and Social Science Research Deserve Equal Funding

🌍 A critical thread on the importance of comprehensive research support in Tamil Nadu. 1/16
#ResearchMatters #SHAPE The Chief Minister's Research Grant is a positive approach to promoting research in state HEIs, but it raises a crucial question: Are we undervaluing the transformative power of humanities and social science research? Research is more than just STEM. 2/16

Listened to ANI EP-269 "Samosa Caucus 5.0" w/ Smita, Abhijit, Ranganathan, Sushant & Tehseen. Disclaimer: "Light-hearted, no intent to hurt." Cool, here’s mine: This thread’s sharp, not to harm, just to shred their divisive stupidity. Buckle up. (1/20) Smita starts: "TN & Karnataka so sensitive about language." Yeah, it’s called identity, not a circus act for your joker crew to prop up Union’s Hindi fetish. Trivializing it isn’t satire—it’s bias in a clown wig. (2/20)

Yuvaraj, convicted of beheading Scheduled Caste youth Gokulraj in 2015, is on parole for a family event. His casteist followers reportedly celebrated his arrival. This reflects a sick caste pride mentality & sets a dangerous precedent. Tamil Nadu must tackle this. (1/13) Madras HC upheld life sentences for Yuvaraj & 7 others in 2023, calling it a case of caste bigotry & inhumanity. Yet, his parole celebration shows casteist hegemony persists. Fighting Brahminical dominance isn’t enough—we must dismantle all caste power structures. (2/13)

Bad roads aren't just an inconvenience—they're a public health crisis.

🚨 In #Madurai, the 2.93 km stretch between #Jainhindpuram and #Keerathurai (which I have observed) has remained a mud road for ≈3 years, according to a resident who has lived in this locality for 2 decades!

Here's why this should concern us all. 🧵 (1/16)
Endless pipe-laying work has left this vital road untarred⁉️

The traffic on this stretch is heavy. Even in non-peak hours, at least: 🚗 1 car 🚖 3 autos 🏍️ 6 motorbikes …pass through every 10 meters.

During peak hours, these numbers increase 5–6 times, kicking up even more harmful dust. (2/16)

1/ The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are home to some of the world's most isolated and unique indigenous groups, including the Shompen, Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, and Sentinelese. These communities are living links to our ancestral past. 2/ These tribes have lived in harmony with their environment for millennia, practicing sustainable lifestyles through hunting, gathering, and deep spiritual connections with their land. Their knowledge and practices are invaluable for understanding human history and ecology.

1/16🚗 Let's talk about the fascinating world of statistical sampling and why a snapshot isn't always the full picture. I observed traffic at a Chennai highway (from #Guindy Metro Station) for just 30 seconds today. Here's what I found and why it matters for research.🧵 2/16 On Friday, Jan 3, 2025, at 8:36 AM, a 30-second traffic video captured the following ~counts:
🚗 Cars: 37
🛵 Motorbikes: 74
🚛 Large commercial: 1
🚚 Small commercial: 10
🚌 Buses: 4
🚲 Bicycle: 1
🚕 Auto/Share Auto: 7
🚐 Van: 1
That's 135 vehicles in 30 seconds! 🚦
But can we use this to predict annual #traffic patterns? Let's explore the complexities.

If you don't have the patience to read 20 tweets, please don't engage here.

1/20 As a student of criminology, I must address the concerning public discourse surrounding the recent campus assault case in Chennai. The focus has deviated from the core issue: a violent crime.🧵 2/20 First, the troubling obsession with the accused's political affiliation. This reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of criminal behaviour. Crime exists across all social, political, and economic strata. No group has a monopoly on criminal conduct.
#AnnaUniversity

A striking paradox emerges in the #CivilServices Exam (CSE). Of those becoming IAS officers, 77% are engineers, yet their Mains optional subjects are dominated by humanities and social sciences. This isn't just strategy—it's a telling commentary on our academic and competitive system. 🧵1/10
Vajiram & Ravi's data on popular optional subjects includes:

Public Administration
Geography
Sociology
History
Philosophy
Anthropology
Political Science & IR

Notice anything? Except Geography (partly physical and social science) and Agriculture, the rest belong squarely to humanities. No engineering subjects! 2/10

The death of S A Basha, founder of the banned outfit Al-Umma and a key figure in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts, has sparked sharp reactions online. While some leaders have shared condolences, many have criticised them for mourning a man they label as a 'terrorist.' 1/10 From a criminological perspective, it's important to remember that the law mandates punishment for crimes, not perpetual condemnation of the person. Basha was convicted and spent close to 25 years in prison. At 85, he died while on parole, having served the sentence prescribed by law. 2/10

Long read, but please do read!
1/ The efforts by the #TamilNadu Forest Dept. to involve a manpower agency for anti-poaching watchers (APWs) led me to write this thread. Having spent months with APWs in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) for my PhD, I feel obligated to stand with them. Everyone should. #Solidarity
2/ APWs are crucial for protecting and conserving our forests and wildlife. The TN Govt. calls APWs the “eyes and ears of the forest.” And the heroes of most field-level operations. Most APWs are from tribal communities, possessing vast knowledge of forest terrain and wildlife behaviour.
#ForestProtection #TribalKnowledge

🚫 #Thread: Why Parandur Airport Project Needs a HARD NO! 🧵

1/8 Let's talk about the elephant in the room - the massive 4000+ acre land acquisition for #ParandurAirport. This isn't just numbers, it's about 3000+ families' ancestral lands & livelihoods! We lack the #Anthropological and #Sociological perspective!
👨🏾‍👩🏾‍👧🏾‍👦🏾 2/8 "Market value compensation and rehabilitation" is a myth! ₹₹₹

Existing #research on development-induced #displacement shows only about 42% of displaced families achieve full rehabilitation. The existing governance system has a demonstrable inability to #rehabilitate people!

1/11📢Today, as part of my work, I visited the Deputy Commissioner's office in Adyar to get permission for a program at Besant Nagar Beach. During my visit, I witnessed a heartening example of professional policing. This incident challenges negative stereotypes about law enforcement. #PoliceProfessionalism @ponkarthik_r 2/11🕵️‍♂️ As a student of criminology, I believe it's my duty to highlight not just the challenges but also the positive stories within our police force. Here’s a story that deserves recognition. #PositivePolicing @chennaipolice_ @tnpoliceoffl

1/12 The quantitative data analysis of #NEET2024 scores may pass the initial test, but what are its possible limitations?

Here's a thread based solely on the executive summary of the detailed report submitted by IIT Madras. #NEET 2/12 The Bell Curve Conundrum: Huge reliance on a bell-shaped distribution curve may not suffice to rule out malpractice. This approach assumes cheating would disrupt the normal distribution. However, sophisticated cheating methods could potentially maintain this distribution whilst altering individual results. If cheating were widespread but subtle, it might shift the entire curve without changing its shape.

In the quiet hours of early this morning, my bus journey took an unexpected turn. I was on bus TN 47 AM 8809, en route to #Batlagundu to attend my friend’s wedding. Suddenly, the tranquility was shattered by a loud crash. #LifeEvent 🚌💥 (1/n)

The bus had collided with a lorry loaded with cement sacks near #Ulundurpet at around 02:50 AM. INCLUDING ME, ALL OTHER PASSENGERS WERE COMPLETELY SAFE. #Accident #Safe🙏 (2/n)

In my #applied #research on #environmental protection, I've analysed the @Tnpcbofficial's functions under specific parameters between 2017 and 2022. Check out the study report for @CAGChennai here:

Key insights from the report, a #thread🧵👇🏽(1/n) bit.ly/TNPCBstatus
⏳Board stability is key! Frequent member changes in crucial departments like Town Planning, Finance, and Environment over 6 years may have potentially disrupted decision continuity. A lower frequency of change corresponds to a longer tenure on the Board. #BoardStability (2/n)

Doping is often PERCEIVED as a norm in sports. By capitalising on this PERCEPTION, here an attempt by @enhanced_games to normalise it under the pretence of creating a ‘level playing field’ and advocating for athletes to be paid. However, could this be a malicious attempt. 1/n Claim: "combination of science, athletic achievement, and capitalism, will return sports to their true roots." But since when did CAPITALISM become the foundation of sports? In countries like India, sports often offer hope for social mobility in disadvantaged communities. 2/n