Stories from the grassroots | Thoughts on development | Lessons on leadership
Writing a book is a labour of love. It took me more than a year of writing, months of editing & revising and the manuscript is now finally a book. Even though this is my 7th book, the excitement is still palpable.… Continue reading
I always begin reading any book by first taking a look at who the book is dedicated to. Sometimes, the authors dedicate the book to their family members, loved ones or someone who may have inspired them to write the book. … Continue reading
Writing a book is a long drawn but fulfilling process especially when you are able to hold the sample copy in your hand. It is not just the author who looks forward to his book. I realized that there are large number of people cheering for you and supporting you in bringing it out.… Continue reading
Video of the webinar on the same subject is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnP0kZoF6wM&feature=youtu.be
The meaning of crisis itself has altered so much during this time of the pandemic. A few years ago, our experience of a crisis would have been limited to a family, a neighbourhood or sometimes a country or the crisis faced during a terror attack or an economic downturn.… Continue reading
During these times of crisis and lockdown, it is indeed easy to get consumed by negative thoughts. Watching television, seeing our WhatsApp messages and reading the newspaper – everyone of them can become instruments of negativity. … Continue reading
The journey of leadership will not be complete without the journey of personal learning. It is about our ability to constantly expand our skill sets, build on our competencies and demonstrate the ability to exercise leadership in uncertain times like these. … Continue reading
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.… Continue reading
Watching the young 17-year-old move menacingly with a drawn gun in his hands towards a hysterical mob would have made any sensible person see the crisis that is now evolving around the country. Whatever the explanation this young man gives himself and to the police, it is no different from the raving of another doctoral student from one of India’s prestigious educational institutions talking about breaking India apart and laying siege to the north east part of the country.… Continue reading
Leadership is a process of listening, interpreting what we listen to, and then intervening with the appropriate action. Most people equate intervention and action as the expression of leadership without recognizing that socially productive leadership action can be optimal only when they are based on deep listening that goes beyond its traditional appreciation.… Continue reading
One question that people keep asking me is what prompted me to start the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement when I was just 19 years of age.… 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
When one reads the several tweets that are flooding the social media space about the ongoing political drama in the state of Karnataka, one worries on how people are interpreting ‘Leadership’ and how they see the state being led.… Continue reading
This is an article that appeared as my regular fortnightly column on Leadership on 3 June, 2019 in the Star of Mysore
This article of mine was published in the Star of Mysore, 20 May 2019
