Stories from the grassroots | Thoughts on development | Lessons on leadership
‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ – one must have heard this call for action several times over the last few years. When I interact with Civil servants and citizens, I find that each one has a perspective on what it means. Most of them relate it to economic independence, self-reliance or producing goods and services within India.… Continue reading
January 12, 2023 is the 160th Jayanthi celebrations of Swami Vivekananda. The whole country celebrates this event as the National Youth day. What does the Youth day signify in a country with one of the youngest populations in the world. More than 50% of our people are less than 20 years. … Continue reading
A lot of people keep asking me about the last one year that I have spent working in the Government as an insider. From being a person outside the system constantly interacting with it and seeking their support for ensuring human development at the grassroots, friends including myself are surprised on how my journey has brought me here.… Continue reading
It has been nearly a year since I wrote anything either on this blog or in the newspapers that I usually write columns for. The energy to write was there, but my intent never did translate into anything concrete. But yesterday changed all this and I want to share the special fodder that my inner self got.… Continue reading
12 January is celebrated as the National Youth Day in India on the birth anniversary of the youth icon, Swami Vivekananda. While his life and message continues to inspire millions of young people around the world, one needs to appreciate how he was not just a Hindu monk. … Continue reading
I have spent the best part of my adult life (of nearly 26 years) with indigenous tribal communities. These are easily the best years of my life. The experiences that I have had, the lessons learnt, the wonderful men and women that I have met and known, the knowledge that I have gained – all this are something that i cherish. … Continue reading
There is so much interest amongst the younger generation in India for public policy. I have been involved in running workshops and teaching seminars across the country for more than a decade now and i find the interest only increasing. Prestigious schools like IIMs, National Law Schools and IITs too have joined this club and it augurs well to learn of the setting up of several policy schools across the country. … Continue reading
The Chicago address of Swami Vivekananda is not only globally acclaimed but serves as one of the best introductions to the Hindu way of life. Apart from captivating the audience with his memorable opening, Swamiji spelt out what Hinduism stood for and what India’s rich civilizational heritage had in store for the world. … Continue reading
The domain of education is abuzz with words like ’21st Century Skills’ and one can end up feeling that there is something magical that our children need to learn in order to survive in today’s complex world. While it is true that one needs a wide variety of skills to negotiate the world of today, one cannot but look to India’s glorious past and explore if there is something that one can learn from that. … Continue reading
Some time ago, Nitesh Batra the founder of the Mindful Initiative reached out to me through a common friend asking if he could interview me for a podcast that he runs. Having been interviewed several times in the past for newspapers and television, I was expecting this also to be similar to the ones that I had participated in.… Continue reading
We all are familiar with the popular adage, ‘Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it’. While this could be true in several situations, I feel that it may not be appropriate when it comes to learning from India’s civilizational past.… Continue reading
“Corruption has been blamed for many of the challenges India as a nation faces today, and rightly so. Corruption in public offices has reached a level where most people believe and indulge in it as if that is the norm.… Continue reading
A few weeks ago, a friend called to inquire about a US University to which his son had secured admission. He was concerned as this particular university did not figure in the top 100 Universities on the QS rankings. He was worried whether spending so much money on his son’s higher education was worth it and what exactly the significance of the QS rankings was? … Continue reading