Nita K

@nitajk

Author of The Hawa Mahal Murders, (PILF prize-winner) & The Rajwada Poisonings. Ex-Journalist.📍Pune India. Passionately interested in World Affairs, Health, Environment, Books. Working on the third book.

327 Following1,615 Followers3,186 Posts

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Nita K@nitajk· 13d

Was never a book snob. At 15 read Lin Yutang & Leon Uris with equal fervour. Enjoyed Gone with the Wind as much as Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Here's a small published piece of mine, published in the Deccan Herald two decades ago. Yep...that long ago! #booksky 📚💙 #writingcommunity #humor

A newspaper clipping of an old piece of mine

Nita K@nitajk· 16d

"You can silence 50 scholars with one fact.
But you can't silence one idiot with 50 facts."
- The Stoics

Nita K@nitajk· 20d

Some sc/st entrants can certainly afford them. 5-10% of sc/st are rich and as many as 60% are not poor, meaning middle class. Average middle class parents make sacrifices for their children but anyone from sc/st does not have to. So there should be

There is no income cut-off for the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) quotas. A student from these categories receives the full reservation benefit regardless of how wealthy their parents are. Vajiram & Ravi +2

Nita K@nitajk· 20d

Here is some info and it’s unfair.

Nita K@nitajk· Jul 12

Countries should manage their inherent demographic balance otherwise there will be strife. That’s why India enacted the CAA, an Act restricting immigration of a certain community. Singapore’s been doing it for ages. It’s common sense but people living in their own intellectual bubble can’t see it.

Singapore actively manages its citizenship and immigration process to reflect and maintain its existing demographic balance. The government utilizes the CMIO framework-which
categorizes the population into
Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Others (Eurasian)—to ensure that the intake of new citizens closely aligns with the national average, preserving the country's multicultural foundation. o

Nita K@nitajk· Jul 3

Here's a map showing the number of seniors in the world, country-wise. Surprised that so few seniors are present in Saudi, which is a rich country. Generally one expects that rich countries have good healthcare. Japan obviously does as longevity is high. Or is it their diet and lifestyle?

This is a map showing longevity in the world

Nita K@nitajk· Jun 26

Now apparently #AI firms are hiring philosophers! What next! Below is an excerpt from an editorial in The Economist.

AI models' values are very different from those of most people, The Economist's data team has found. Big Al firms are hiring philosophers to help make their models wiser, which may help.
We suggest principles that governments should apply to reduce the risk of catastrophic harm from AI and to deal with the social and economic consequences as they become clearer. But there is a risk that, as the topic becomes politically explosive, politicians will impose clumsy rules, making it harder to reap the technology's vast potential benefits, or allowing China, which is only a few months behind, to get to superintelligence first and become the world's dominant power.

Nita K@nitajk· Jun 20

I grew up in a milieu where cousin marriages were illegal & taboo, although I knew certain communities were allowed by law to do it. There's debate in the UK of late, & to my surprise, cousin marriages are legal in many parts of the developed world. China bans it completely for ALL communities.

A graph showing that cousin marriages are legal in Australia, S. America, and in many parts of Europe and America while completely banned in China. Hardly any countries criminalise it although it's a crime in India for Hindus in many parts of India.

Nita K@nitajk· Jun 9

It’s been found that a Pakistani hiding in Canada orchestrated the anti-Indian hate on X-Twitter. He made bot farms. Illegal in #Canada but he is still not arrested. Instead X threatened the Indian kid (Acyuta) in India with suspension -the kid who hacked and discovered the bot farms.

Nita K@nitajk· Jun 3

We all know that America over-extended itself in the #Iran war. This snippet gives it a historical spin, explaining what happened to powerful empires when they over-extended. Whether this happens to the US or not, one doesn't know. Depends on whether the foolishness stops.

The United States' current strategic approach toward Iran is being compared to the historical decline of the British Empire. According to analysis by Fareed Zakaria, the U.S. is repeating the "strategic folly" of overextending its power on the periphery while neglecting its domestic core, a pattern that historically undid British dominance.
This comparison is rooted in the theory of cyclical power decline, which suggests that great powers often fall not to foreign armies, but to the self-imposed burden of expansion. In the 16th century, Spain faced a similar trajectory after gaining control of global money supplies through silver mines, eventually seeing its dominance struggle under the weight of maintaining a vast, overstretched military force. Currently, as the United States and Israel engage in strikes that have killed high-ranking leaders like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the conflict has expanded to nine countries, raising concerns that the U.S.has underestimated the scale and duration of the war.

Nita K@nitajk· May 26

Pune has failed to enforce the helmet rule. Cops are either afraid of the public or they don’t like wearing helmets themselves. Both things are true because Pune cops are often found riding without helmets.

A street scene showing people riding bikes without helmets

Nita K@nitajk· May 19

My card wasn't working on name.com. They cd not solve it but insisted on a rating. The google chatbot solved it in seconds (attached). Same card worked. When I told name, they refused to acknowledge their poor support. If a chatbot has the answers, why can't the name support team just google it?

Instructions from google chatbot. It said that one-time payment, without actually saving the card could work. And it did.

Nita K@nitajk· May 18

Not just a toll for ships - Iran wants to weaponise every layer of Hormuz. It’s signaling it’ll target a critical global artery- subsea internet cables carrying fin transactions, cloud services & digital communications between Europe, Asia and the Gulf. gulfnews.com/world/mena/d...

Nita K@nitajk· May 13

The big day looms. Very excited. Anyone here on Bluesky who lives in Pune is welcome to attend. #books #writing 💙 📚

An invite to the book launch of the Rakwada Poisonings

Nita K@nitajk· May 9

In Sweden 57% of people have traveled to 10 or more countries; US it's just 11%; Japan 8%. Of those who have never left their home countries – 95% Indians, 87% Brazilians, 34% from Japan, 10% of Aussies, 23% Americans, just 3% of Germans & 1% from the Netherlands, . #travel From Pew Research

A map from Pew research showing what % of people have done international travel.

Nita K@nitajk· May 8

Editorial in The Economist is worth a read. But it's not superpowers who are holding the world to ransom. It's two humans who think that running their countries is about winning and losing...they stack up wins like one stacks up casino chips or gaming tokens. Let the world lose. They don't care.

Nita K@nitajk· May 4

Busy preparing for a book launch on 15th May. Also immersed in translating my 1st novel -The Hawa Mahal Murders - into Marathi. Am bad at marketing but this time determined to do several on-the-ground activities. #books #crimefiction #therajwadapoisonings #thehawamahalmurders 📚💙

Back cover of the book The Rajwada Poisonings

Nita K@nitajk· Apr 23

There's this #democracy map by The Economist. Countries like China, Russia and N. Korea, M-E countries, and some in central Africa haven't changed much. Others have fallen, but not that badly, not yet.

Nita K@nitajk· Apr 12

The Tesla Files - the inside story of Musk's empire, tells us how rotton his empire is from the inside, never mind the profits. Poor attention to safety, humiliation of employees, toxic work atmosphere....the list goes on. #booksky 💙 📚 www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/bo...

Nita K@nitajk· Apr 9

This graphic compares initial public approval for major U.S. conflicts since '41 (data fr NYT). U.S. support for new wars rapidly falling. WWII saw backing at 97%, vs just 41% for Iran in 2026. What beats is why even this much? Why should any people support wars unless they are defensive in nature?

Graph showing attitude to different wars in the US

Nita K@nitajk· Apr 6

Kids have ambitions which are unreal, never meant to be realised. Mine was to be an astronaut. Had this in my head till the age of 13. Maybe that's why I became obsessed with Sci-Fi later on. Read the Foundation series thrice. Been enjoying this image for 2 days now...latest from NASA.

Nita K@nitajk· Mar 31

I love wine and I guess that means I am not young anymore.While production has been hit due to weather disruption, consumption has fallen quite a lot. The younger generations are not drinking wine. Too many alternatives. Overall younger generations are not drinking that much. (chart from voronoi)

chart showing wine production and consumption decreasing decade by decade.

Nita K@nitajk· Mar 23

Global nuclear warheads are at 9,614. Since 2020, China has increased its stockpiles from 350 to 600 in 2025, and by 2030 it is projected to have 1,000 nuclear weapons.

Nita K@nitajk· Mar 19

Casualties of the US-Israel-Iran war till now:

Map showing the dead and injured in the US-Israel-Iran war.

Nita K@nitajk· Mar 16

This is what we are usually treated to on our evening walks…it’s not just the peacocks…the bird sounds are wonderful to hear. #nature #birds #wildlife

Nita K@nitajk· Mar 7

We all know that the Japanese live the longest but surprising that so many countries in Europe are not far behind. China doesn't fair too well and nor does India. Physical activity is the critical factor for a long life...as is wealth...wish we could compare it to African countries though.

chart showing life expectancy. Japan has the highest life expectancy among the world’s largest economies, at 85 years.
Indonesia, ranked 17th globally by GDP in 2025, has the lowest life expectancy at 72 years.

Nita K@nitajk· Mar 3

In Iran the people haven’t started to rise up because the RSF is still succeeding in keeping them in check,!despite its head being cut off. So will America actually put boots on the ground?

Screenshot of a guardian article which quotes trump saying America will put boots on the ground.

Nita K@nitajk· Feb 16

Being comfortable doesn't make you happy, but feeling loved does. That's why you find happy faces in countries with a low happiness index & fewer happy faces in the "happiest" ones. So don't believe those indexes. How to Feel Loved by Lyubomirsky & Reis, is a book about happiness. #booksky 💙 📚

Nita K@nitajk· Jan 26

China and Brazil account for maximum deposits of rare earth minerals, but China is by far the largest producer. Brazil doesn't produce much though it has large reserves. I guess that might change soon.

China produces the max rare earth minerals in the world, followed by Myanmar, Australia, and Thailand.

Nita K@nitajk· Jan 23

Wanting #Greenland is less to do with security and more to do with looting. www.bbc.com/news/article...