Germany 43938 infected 267 dead=0.6%

United Kingdom 11812 infected 580 dead =5.18%

France 29566 infected 1698 dead=5.7%

It is just like WWII. The English could not fly, the French could not fight and the Germans could not win.

@Kabir
Thanks.

LUMS is one of the best universities in Pakistan though it does mainly cater to the upper-class. It is comparatively expensive–though there is a scholarship program called the National Outreach Program, which provides full scholarships to students from distant parts of Pakistan who do particularly well on the SAT. It started as a management school but now it has faculties of arts and humanities, business, engineering and law.

One good thing about LUMS is that it tolerates all kinds of people. You have very religious types in niqab (for girls) and full beards (for guys) but then there are also people dressed like they would be in London or New York.

On a different note: Here is some “Pakistani classical music”: Ustad Amanat Ali and Fateh Ali Khan performing Raga Multani
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9B4Nt-G7oA

That’s why I was(am?) trying to poach you to come and teach us in India.
But I am pretty hopeless about the state of liberal education/humanities in India. Whatever little is imparted gets lost in the poor pedagogical skills of the tutors. ‘Technical’ disciplines are equally poorly taught but the objective nature of material (remembering stuff, mathematical manipulations etc) leads some form of understanding to survive.
How is LUMS ? I have met a few students from there in my current (American) university. All of them are from much richer families than (their counterparts?) students from India (IIT/NIT people who get educated for free). Is the entrance not competitive ? Or is the fees high? Most have been quite religious (on Indian standards, as expected) too. Another interesting thing was that they are all in experimental chemistry, bio chemistry kind of sciences thing (plus the odd computer science, mechanical engineer) unlike India where we are overwhelmingly into engineering/mathematics. It is my impression that Pakistanis are under lesser pressure from their families/society than Indians/Bengalis to do excel in school. I could be wrong and overgeneralizing so feel free to correct me.

Sure, but there is no reason why those engineers and IT people can’t be exposed to the arts and humanities as well. Some of the IITs have now introduced required humanities education, I gather.

For one thing, greater training in humanities would inculcate some critical thinking and stop people from being so susceptible to the anti-intellectual views of the Hindu Right and WhatsApp University. Some people are very good at their professional work but have never been taught how to think.

‘This is not the case in the Indian education system I believe (and certainly not the case in Pakistan). We are too concerned about creating doctors, engineers, and IT people rather than good well-rounded citizens. Of course even in the US there is now a lot of emphasis on STEM.’
I used to think on similar lines but then I saw the job market (for non-professional degrees) in India. Recruitment exams with selection rates almost never above 0.5% and number of candidates running into 10s of millions (50 million + for railways recently). It is best if Indians continue producing engineers, doctors and IT professionals for atleast a few(2?) more generations. There is no other way.

Here is a typical view on Carnatic music being “purer” than Hindustani:

“Absolutely.

Hindustani music being the predominant form of music in Northern India has changed dramatically. Prior to the 15th century the main musical tradition in India was based on the Samaveda. However after the arrival of Muslim invaders from Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia: changes where made to the music to suit the taste of the foreign invaders. An example of this is can be seen in the changes made to the Tritantri Veena, which later became the Sitar.

Hindustani Music became a degraded tradition through its contact with Persian and Turkic influences. Whereas Carnatic Music, which shares Vedic origins with Hindustani Music has maintained its purity. Virtually unaffected from the influences of foreign Muslim hordes, it remains to this day a legacy of the ancient Vedic people.”
https://www.quora.com/Is-Carnatic-music-a-purer-Indian-musical-tradition-compared-to-Hindustani-music

I’m not defending this view, but it is certainly out there.

I have a degree in Ethnomusicology. Trust me, you can’t win any arguments with me on this topic.

@kabir
As usual your comment is wrong on so many fronts.
Indian music, dance and drama were not restricted to the temples but were also part of grand public rituals and festivals.
On the other hand ‘muslims’ kept the art only for themselves.
The ‘muslims’ also effectively killed Indian theater.