Stories from the grassroots | Thoughts on development | Lessons on leadership
My article in today’s Bodhi Vruksha – a supplement in Vijaya Karnataka newspaper that focuses on life, living and spirituality: Bodhi Vruksha 30 Jul 2011
The English version of the article can be found here: Swami Vivekananda and my own journey
– Balu
The COVID-19 pandemic is now a household word. Whether it is the television or the newspapers, the drawing room conversations or WhatsApp chats, the topic revolves around this and how it is affecting our lives. We are constantly bombarded with information from all sides and updates on the crisis and how people are responding – whether it is in China, South Korea, France, Germany, USA or India keep getting thrown at us. From the reassuring message of the Prime Minister of Singapore to his people or Indian PM Modi mobilizing the SAARC and G20 nations to fight this together, President
Some 30-odd years ago, as a young doctor setting out to change the world, I was thinking of building a hospital for the tribal communities near Mysuru. I was all of 22 years old and believed a hospital was indeed the solution to address the healthcare needs of the community. So, when a kind person offered a piece of land as a donation to build the hospital, I quickly accepted, despite a close doctor-friend, who was familiar with rural realities, cautioning me that the proposed location was relatively inaccessible and therefore unsuitable for a hospital. But I went ahead and built that
The word ‘Leader’ is usually associated with the CEO of a Corporation or with the head of State, a Government organization, NGO or political party. It is used synonymously with a person holding a position of authority and is seen as a person with influence and power. It is rare that one can conceive of a religious figure or head of a faith-based organization as a leader, in the same breath as people from the private or public sectors. I had the good fortune and privilege of interacting closely with a monk for over three decades, during which, my understanding