
HotPot Podcast — September 2019
By Melton Fellows Yunmei from China, and Sangeetha from India.
The HotPot podcast is the latest internetworking initiative of the Melton Foundation to bring together individuals from across boundaries to discuss issues of current affairs in their respective localities. The very first edition had S. Sangeetha, Alafia Stewart, and Shao Yunmei as the participants.
The first topic of the podcast, presented by Sangeetha, centered around the technological advancements for the benefit of the disabled community in India. Samsung, one of India’s biggest and most trusted brands has introduced two new apps; Good Vibes and Relumino. Good Vibes enables the deaf-blind community to have two-way communication with loved ones by using the technique of Morse code to text or voice conversion. Relumino allows people with vision disabilities to view better by magnifying images, highlighting image outlines and adjusting color contrasts. Samsung has partnered with non-profit organizations Sense India to promote and market the two apps across the country. The app has impacted hundreds of disabled Indian citizens. In view of the measures taken for the good of the disabled community, the discussion revolved around the culture of disability in different societies.
In China, Yunmei noted that changes have been implemented in college admission exams, with specially made papers for blind people being introduced. While stereotypical mindsets prevail around disability which projects it as societal stigma, Alafia stressed the need for recognition and appreciation for societies strive towards creating an even playing field. Shifting the conversation to the recent developments in China, Yunmei talked about the release of the Harmony OS Software.
The Harmony OS Software has been developed by Huawei. Huawei is famous for its innovative phones and devices and in China. In contrast, Harmony OS is an open-source, microkernel-based distributed operating system. The most amazing facet of the software is that it runs on only 100 lines of code. This brings in simplicity and security in the use of the software. The most amazing facet of the software is that it runs on only 100 lines of code. This brings in simplicity and security in the use of the software.The Harmony OS works across platforms and devices. It employs Internet of Things (IoT) devices. With Harmony OS, we can use our phone to control other things like television, airconditioner, etc. This makes our life much easier and presents a picture of our future in which it looks more like a science fiction movie than reality.
Chiming in about a similar development in India, Sangeetha spoke about Bharat OS, the Indian government’s very own operating system.
The next topic for the podcast, delivered by Sangeetha, was based on a global crisis that is grabbing headlines all over the world today. At a recent UN conference, it was announced that three species of animals have become extinct due to desertification in India. The three species are namely the Indian cheetah, the pink-headed duck, and the Great Indian Bustard. The information collated from the databases presents a matter of extreme concern.
Among the reasons debated for the growing phenomenon of desertification, agricultural expansion and indiscriminate cutting of trees figured large.
Acknowledging the efforts in China to increase awareness of the debilitating condition of our environment, Yunmei introduced the participants to the feature of Ant Forest in Alibaba’s Alipay. The idea behind the feature is to donate ‘energy green points’ to users each time they do a green activity, like using public transport or any other action which contributes to reduced carbon emissions. Once they have accumulated enough green points to create a virtual tree, this tree gets converted to a real one.
As the clout of technology in our lives grows larger, it is important to highlight the role of technology in saving our environment and preserving our flora and fauna.
The last topic, handpicked by Yunmei, was about the film ‘Ne Zha’ which has come to hold a special place in Chinese cinematic history.
The film has since become China’s highest-grossing animated film. The movie’s premise is based on a hero who learns martial art and magic and acquires superpower.
Destined to be evil by birth, the hero shuns the identity given to him by people and tries to find the good in himself. The message woven into the story is one basically of prejudice, something which is akin to a mountain and proves an impossible barrier for the society at times.
The success of the movie, accompanied by much fanfare, has given a great deal of encouragement to the Chinese animation industry. A talking point has been about the hero’s physical appearance, which has been portrayed differently from what was earlier thought.
This observation led the conversation into a discussion about beauty standards around the world. While in China, girls are expected to be skinny and have a specific outline of features such as eyes, nose, etc., in India many women are expected to sport long hair, have a certain shape of eyes and so on.
However, both these mentalities manifest as disturbing trends. Alafia aptly mentions the culture of exclusivity incorporated in such acceptance of standards, as such specifications can only be found in a minor percentage of the population. As human beings, we have an obligation to steer clear of such trends and encourage people to celebrate their differences, especially youngsters who, under dangerous influences, resort to eating disorders and in some cases, plastic surgery.
The podcast came to an end with some questions answered, and some left to reflect on — Take a listen to the full podcast below! Until soon!

