Writing a book is indeed a long drawn, at times painful and at most times a very fulfilling event. My 6th book ‘Voices from the Grassroots’ took a few years in the making. From being disparate blog articles written on the spur of the moment to stringing them all together took time.… Continue reading
An interview of mine that appeared in the ‘Weekly’ published by La Sentinelle, Mauritius
Please read ‘a year’ as ‘a decade’ in this interview. Sorry for the inadvertent typo in the article.
Most memorable moments for me…
Something wonderful happened today as I was interacting with 3 students from the University of Iowa – Ashley, Isha and Sarah who were here for a program at our Vivekananda Institute of Indian Studies. Sarah wanted to know what was the most fulfilling achievement in the last 33 years since I founded SVYM. … Continue reading
A politician and a gentleman…
A few days ago, I was at the Global Communication Association’s (GCA) annual conference that was being held at Mysore. This conference was being held in partnership with the University of Mysore as part of its Centenary celebrations. Apart from delivering one of the keynote addresses, I was receiving the award representing GRAAM which was being conferred the GCA Award for Communication in the NGO category. … Continue reading
Celebrating the National Youth Day 2016
January 12th is a very special day for all of us. Apart from being the day when our icon at SVYM and the very reason for our existence was born in 1863, it is also the day when we Indians celebrate as the National Youth Day. … Continue reading
My talk on ‘A Development Vision for India’ at IIT, Roorkee
This is the video recording of my talk ‘A Development Vision for India’ given as part of the Institute Lecture Series at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee on 1st October 2015. I forcefully argue how focusing on building human and social capital is more important than mere economic growth for the India of today and the future.… Continue reading
Article on ‘i, the citizen’ on the GPSA blogsite of the World Bank
This is the article that appeared on the blog of the Global Partnership for Social Accountability Initiative of World Bank about my book ‘i, the citizen’.
http://gpsaknowledge.org/blog/i-the-citizen
– Balu… Continue reading
The book launch at Bengaluru and New Delhi
The book launch of ‘i, the citizen’ was indeed memorable for more reasons than one. It was organized with clinical efficiency by the GRAAM team and every small detail was thoughtfully planned and executed. The venue of the event could not be more appropriate and was held at Gandhi Bhavan at Bengaluru.… Continue reading
Launch of ‘i, the citizen’ at Delhi
The book ‘I, the Citizen’ will be launched at the Prime Minister’s office at New Delhi on the 30th of September between 2 and 3 pm. This event is being organized by Vision India Foundation, the co-publisher of the book. Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State at the PMO will be doing the honours.… Continue reading
Launch of ‘i, the citizen’ at Bengaluru, India
I am happy to inform all of you of the launch of my latest book, “i, the citizen’ at Bengaluru, India on the 28th Sept at 5.30 in the evening. The invitation for the same is below:
I would like to request all of you to come and participate in the launch event and support us in spreading the message of citizen engagement.… Continue reading
The US book launch
It was an exhilarating moment for me for more reasons than one. First it was the formal launch of my latest book, “I, the Citizen’. This book, which took nearly 6 years to write and 1 year to compile and edit, is being published by GRAAM and co-published by Vision India Foundation.… Continue reading
The launch of “I, the Citizen” in the USA
It is finally done…My book, “I, the Citizen” is finally ready for launch. The response to the book till date has been very good. We are receiving orders for the same and it will start getting processed soon. The formal launch of the book in the United States will be taking place next week at Cornell University after which it will be available for sale there. … Continue reading
Grassroots democracy in Action…beginning of a silent revolution!
Working with indigenous tribals has been one of the most fulfilling things in my life. From a small clinic at Brahmagiri to all the diverse projects that SVVM is running, it has been a very enriching experience till now. I have always maintained that development has to be about an expansion in the human and social capital of people and communities, for it to be sustainable and meaningful. … Continue reading
Beginning the Financial year differently…
The financial year in India runs from the 1st of April to the 31st of March. The year usually ends with its own demands – books have to be balanced, receivables managed, creditors answered, salaries paid, reports to be written, donors to be spoken to…the list is indeed endless. … Continue reading