Stories from the grassroots | Thoughts on development
A few months ago, I saw a tweet from a recently elected Member of the Indian Parliament (MP) expressing his happiness at the address of the Indian Prime Minister to the newly elected members. In his address, Prime Minister Modi reminded the MPs that being a MP should not be seen as a position of power but should be regarded as an opportunity to serve their constituents and the Nation.… Continue reading
If there was any recent event that attracted more eyeballs that a cricket match that India played in, it was the watching of the final stages of the Chandrayaan-2 (moon mission) on September 6, 2019 as the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) tried to get the Vikram Lander to have a soft landing on the South polar region of the moon.… Continue reading
Manikarnika (name changed both for privacy and security reasons) was a lively sixteen year old studying in a college near her village which was located 200 kms from the state capital of a eastern state of India. Being a tribal girl was not easy and she was lucky to have a father who ensured that all his four children got a decent education.… Continue reading
Traditional thinking associates leadership with authority and it is intuitively interpreted as having the power to lead people and organizations to bring about the change that one desires. Occupying positions of authority reinforces this understanding and people start relying more and more on the ‘power’ that goes with the position.… Continue reading