Art

I obtain a certificate from UoM after attending the Anou Mont Lor Lasenn workshops

7 September 2024 By Avinash Meetoo Leave a Comment

From 23 to 25 July 2024, the University of Mauritius Theatre Lab, co-managed by Yannick Bosquet and Christina Chan-Meetoo, organised the performing arts festival “Anou Mont Lor Lasenn” to celebrate the life of Dev Virahsawmy with Kimberly Oxide. During the three days, we watched “Li”, “Kontign Larout Depi”, “Bouke Larkansiel” and “Fouka Zame Ti Pagla” and it was a resounding success.

Prior to the festival, a number of performing acts workshops were organised in order to introduce the various aspects of performance (e.g. acting, dancing, singing, music making, etc.) to the public. I attended most of the workshops and I felt deeply enriched.

On Saturday 7 September 2024, as one of the workshop attendees (but I was not able to participate in the plays for professional reasons), I received an official certificate. Interestingly, this is the first time in my life I have obtained a certificate from the University of Mauritius where I was a Lecturer in Computer Science a few years ago.

A big thank you to all the organisers, Yannick, Kimberly and Christina of course, but also to Arnaud Carpooran and other UoM senior management.

Emerging Technologies for a Sustainable Future during the National Science Week 2024

28 March 2024 By Avinash Meetoo Leave a Comment

On Thursday 28 March 2024, I was invited to make a presentation on “Emerging Technologies for a Sustainable Future” with the important subtitle of “And how important young people are for Mauritius”. This was during the National Science Week 2024 organised by the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre at the Côte d’Or National Complex.

During my talk, I explained to a large group of young students of Grades 10-13 (Form IV to VI) what Vision 2030 is for Mauritius, how technology and innovation are important enablers to achieve this vision, how the country is facing major challenges (as is the rest of the world) and how, if we want to achieve a sustainable future, we need to have a critical mass of young professionals in green technologies and also in emerging technologies. I told the students that they are the “peopleware” of Mauritius and they are more important than hardware and/or software.

At the end, I also told them that while Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths are essential subjects, it is also important for them to develop their soft skills. Finally, I also told them to develop an artistic side in order to see further ahead…

A big thank you to the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre for organising such an interesting event with a special mention for Dr Ellora Dhunnoo, Dr Aman Maulloo, Dr Bhamini Kamudu and Ms Natasha Nastali.

The Rise of the Dopamine Culture

19 February 2024 By Avinash Meetoo Leave a Comment

Here is a very interesting article on the rise of the dopamine culture in the world.

The author argues that everything is being replaced by mindless and endless scrolling and the effects might prove to be very detrimental for kids and also for adults, at home, at school and at work.

He also argues that people should start raising their voices against the likes of TikTok, Facebook and Instagram (Meta), etc. (and also YouTube (Google)) before it is too late.

My opinion

I’ve always been an adept of long form writing (e.g. this blog and my family blog but also my journal and my Obsidian second brain). I also love having long conversations and debates (ask my friends and family members!).

Therefore, you can easily guess that I am pissed these days by the lack of long interactions. Most just say hello and go back to their phones. Few wants to speak. Few have original thoughts that they want to share with others.

I know teachers are finding it incredibly hard to work with kids today because of their lack of attention span. I also know that businesses are having major issues dealing with their new recruits for similar reasons.

I think that the author is right to say that the only solution is to do a detox from time to time. People need to stop using TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc. to watch endless clips, say, during a whole week and this will give their brains time to reset a bit. He writes:

“Unplug yourself from time to time, and start noticing the trees or your goofy pets. They actually look better in real life than in the headset.”

I agree.

What do you think?