[Reader-list] Price of documenting Individual identity in India-100 rupees

[Kshmendra Kaul]

Dear Taha
 
It has been fascinating to see the work you have been doing on the UID. I make it a point to read every post of yours (direct, connected or reflective) on this issue. Been educative.
 
Aspects you have brought out time and again:
 
1. FINANCIALS of UID 
    I am not commenting on that.
 
2. CREDIBILITY of exercise that would establish the UID and the ABUSE in doing so and thereafter.
    I am not commenting on that.
 
3. UID intruding into PRIVACY
    I am not commenting on that
 
4. UID and the philosophicals of IDENTITY 
 
    Is it possible to set aside for a moment the idea of IDENTITY in the nebulousness of it's totality?
 
    If that can be done then can we think of some aspects which form some sort of (allow me to call it) IDENTITY of SOCIAL CONTRACTS or SOCIETAL IDENTITY or OPERATIONAL IDENTITY?
 
    This certainly could not be considered to be the totality of the nebulousness of IDENTITY. This narrow and limited recognition of Identity could be said to be represented in the UID. It lends itself to being digitised because the information it contains is Names, Locations, Descriptions, Numbers, the "0" and "1" of a 'Yes' or a 'No'. 
 
   It is the 'Operational Identity' the 'Societal Identity' and the 'Identity of Social Contracts'.
 
   This narrow and limited recognition of Identity also is not frozen in time. Any or all of its components could change with time and such changes be incorporated in the digitised UID.
 
What I am attempting to do is to segregate some aspects of Identity from the "Totality of Identity" by putting them in the proper perspective where they do not presume to be the Totality of the Nebulousness of Identity.
 
Neither is this narrow and limited recognition of Identity (UID) frozen in itself nor can it force-freeze the Totality of Identity.
 
Excuse the ramblingness of my thoughts. If they are silly and uninformed please ignore them.
 
You know the limitedness of my intellectual capabilities so I might not be able to meaningfully engage with any feedback from you but I would love to be corrected/guided in my thinking.
 
Take care
 
Kshmendra     

--- On Mon, 5/10/10, Taha Mehmood <2tahamehmood at googlemail.com> wrote:


From: Taha Mehmood <2tahamehmood at googlemail.com>
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Price of documenting Individual identity in India-100 rupees
To: "Bipin Trivedi" <aliens at dataone.in>
Cc: "Sarai Reader-list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Date: Monday, May 10, 2010, 5:35 PM


Dear Bipin,

Thank you for your mail. I totally agree with your view that there
many advantages of technology. I certainly believe that technology
must be exploited the most to help the underprivileged people of our
country. In this regard the use of UID as a technology must be given
due consideration.

Central to the imagination of UID is the notion of -identity-. I find
this notion fuzzy. It is fuzzy because it is not clear. It is not
clear because till now although a lot of people have tried to define
identity, unfortunately no one has been able to come to a clear
conclusion. A conclusion which would withstand any test of proof. A
conclusion which could be applied universally.

Can you please define what in your learned view an -identity- means?
Or for that matter why do you think that the manner in which UIDAI is
defining identity is foolproof? By asking people to give information
on twelve counts is the UID not creating an imperfect archive of
impressions? How can a resultant memory which is formed of an
imperfect archive of impressions be correct? Would not lead the State
to display signs of forgetfulness?

Then what about the view of many other people who view that identity
of an individual accounts for much more and then there are many people
still more who view that identity of a human being is always in a
state of flux.

If by propagating this whole UID exercise the functionaries Government
of India wants us to believe that after the allotment of a number X,
A-for all times to come would be-A, then please tell me whether such a
logic is correct? Do people not change over time? If they do then how
come they can be represented by the same number? Were you the same
Bipin who was just a day old, to a young boy who was six years old to
an adult? Did you not go through a change in your self identity? Do
you think a number is correct signification of who you are?

Warm regards

Taha
_________________________________________
reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
Critiques & Collaborations
To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with subscribe in the subject header.
To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list 
List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>