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The Series Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (considered as Nobel Prize for Economics) for 2020 to 72-year old Paul R. Milgrom and 83-year-old Robert B. Wilson of Stanford University for the 2020 is for their contribution to Auction Theory, precisely “for improvements to auction theory and inventions of new auction formats”- dealing with how people act in auction markets, aside from research investigations into the properties of auction markets.

This year’s Nobel prize for economics has been awarded to two academics who have made a great deal of difference to sale of publicly owned resources. If the precepts and formats suggested by the economists are genuinely followed, then many of the political controversies in this country could be avoided.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, RBG as she was known, has passed on. At 84, she said that she was amazed that people wanted to take pictures with her. This coded remark probably sought to undo several stereotypes–that only young, blond woman are attractive and that age was a disability in public life. RBG was capable of disarming anyone in a quiet way and was capable of subverting the status quo from within the status quo.

On a foggy June morning of 1987, in his famous speech President Ronald Reagan had famously implored (and rightly so) General Secretary Gorbachev of, what was then, the Soviet Union to tear down a certain wall. The wall that he was referring to was the Berlin Wall. President Trump controversially talks of walls too, to keep the ‘savage other’ out. It seems as if American politics, very much like the American dream, is like running from pillar to post, always in a constant state of flux. Err…or should I say running from ‘wall’ to ‘wall’?!

Covid-19 deaths are indifferent statistics. Till when one of the numerals indicates the passing away of someone who was close acquaintance, a relative or workplace colleague. Then, the number takes shape in flesh and blood. And, then, all of a sudden, the coronavirus is too close home for comfort! The fact of the matter is, the coronavirus has so far killed only an infinitesimally small number. But every life lost is a tragedy and leaves a void behind.

Extreme situations bring forth extreme thinking. When the world is facing economic crisis from coronavirus pandemic and government spending is shooting through the roof, Modern Monetary Theory —or better known now-a-days as MMT— is putting forward an alternative viewpoint — don’t bother about rising deficit in government budget.

World Environment Day is observed every year on 5th June. The COVID-19 Pandemic has made us to think that the issue of environmental degradation and climate change cannot be just a ritual discussion but it has to be taken very seriously.

People, out of their despair and hope have begun to ask “will socialism come back?". Many of them do it out of sincerity and eagerness. Certain others may not be so enthusiastic. Coming back of socialism cannot be ruled out. With the same emphasis it needs to be stated that it cannot happen in a dramatic way. Re-emergence of socialism in the new world order should have to be a historical process in which various factors such as economic, political, ideological, social and environmental questions are to be addressed. It is not at all a simple task as many may wish.

“When you can uproot all the grass of Vietnam, only then will there be no anti-French fighters left in Vietnam”. It was told by Nguyen Trung Truc before he was killed by French colonialist when they invaded Saigon region in the year 1859. That was the spirit of the Vietnamese people from the very beginning against all occupiers that include the Chinese domination from 179 BC to 938 AD, French domination from 1884-1945 for some period of Japanese occupation and later on US aggression from 1961 to 1975.

What we are experiencing today due to Covid-19 crisis is the most unprecedented occurrence of our times. Who would have imagined in the month of February that our fast paced life would suddenly come to a standstill? All our plans will remain in our planner and the milestones we needed to cover will have a new name - ‘Social Distancing’! We are in this situation for almost two months now but helpless against this small but shrewd virus that overruns the world, every nook and corner, the mightiest to weakest, the richest to the poorest. All nations, developed or underdeveloped, are being treated equally by this most undiscriminating virus. In India, even with the recent leniency in the lockdown with the Red, Orange and Green zones, we are still sitting at home, helpless and desperate, waiting for this fury to calm down.