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
‘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. This call given by Hon Prime Minister Modi includes all this and much more. Have tried to share some of my views and perspectives on this and this was published in Indian Express, Jan 17, 2023. You can read this at https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/atmanirbharta-for-new-india-8385703/ The article is also
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. India is one of the few countries with the unique window of demographic opportunity wide open. Presently, we have one of the least dependency ratios in the world. What this means is we have the highest number of Indians in the productive age group. Today is the time for
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. From being a angry young man in the early eighties to feeling disillusioned at the ‘trickle down effect’ that never truly happened, to working inside Government in building the capacity of people and systems at the Capacity Building Commission, I have indeed