Editors’ Note — Issue 3, Decode

Sometimes, it is good to take a step back. To look around, carefully examine what we see, make sense of our surroundings and emerge fresher, wiser, stronger. This issue is an attempt at such an examination.

We have been in a whirlwind of activity since we started publishing Tech People. The pandemic threw up new challenges every day, and we responded. Now that we have learnt to take Covid-19 in our stride, we thought it was a good time to analyse the world we inhabit as IT workers.

In this issue — called Decode — KC Gopikumar writes for us on behalf of the National Coordination Committee of IT and ITeS Employees’ Unions. He traces a history of the IT sector in India and outlines the challenges that lie ahead for us. As IT employees, it is imperative that we understand the developments that led to the sector as we know it today.

A member from Bengaluru writes about his journey from a student to an employee. He takes a slow, considered look at the education system and where it failed to prepare him for work. A member from Gurgaon writes about how the IT sector can be alienating, how caste can affect work in the sector, and why the union matters.

After these personal reflections, a member from Goa writes about Android fragmentation from the point of view of an app developer. He takes a complex problem and breaks it down into simple, relevant points. Our members from Hyderabad and Delhi present deep-dives into the farm bills and the Delhi Police’s case in the North East Delhi riots. We send one message through both these articles: not an inch back. The struggle continues despite all repression.

This month, we are also introducing a new feature: Last Month in Tech News. This is a quick look at what happened in technology over the last month, and our opinion on these developments.

We hope this issue enables you to take a deep breath and decode the world around you. Happy reading!

Warmly,

Tech People Editorial Team