On My Mind

Austerity, Anonymity, Ability, Empathy, Humility, Leadership, and Accountability are just some of the keywords that have been drilled into us during our short training period. Sometimes, it gets a little overwhelming. Only a few months ago, there was uncertainty in my life. I wasn’t entirely sure where I would be, what I would be doing! And today, I am supposed to be the embodiment of virtues of the highest order, carrying a legacy built slowly over the past decades by the doyens of the service. Will I be able to bear the burden of the immense responsibility entrusted to me? The answer to this question doesn’t come easy to me. But the various facets of the training over here at LBSNAA have something to offer for every doubtful soul. For me, it was the Field Study and Research program that took me to the Goshani village of Champawat district in Uttarakhand. I have lived in villages, but this was the first time I was in one as an Officer Trainee or, as I would like to call it, People...

Covid-19 struck us hard. The numbers tell only some of the story - number of cases, number of deaths, and many more statistics. These will be disputed, revised, and clarified, much like the rules deciding the Cricket World Cup 2019 final.  And just like that match led to a review of rules, the Covid-19 pandemic has to be thoroughly examined to make sense of the far-reaching implications it has had thus far. Economic System "The truth is we are all caught in a great economic system which is heartless." - Woodrow Wilson. The economic system has always been a subject of discussion. It has evolved over the course of history, and presently, neoliberal capitalist system in some countries coexists with the state taking the leading role in the economy in others. Economist Jayati Ghosh sternly criticizes the neoliberal model. "The crisis has exposed the weakness, the fragility, the hollowness of neoliberal capitalism, the fact that it does not deliver basic services to the people...

It was six men of great repute To learning much inclined, Who went to see the roots of India (Though all of them were blind), That each by observation Might satisfy his mind. The First approached the nation, And happening to strand But guided by its broad and sturdy side, At once begins to understand: "God bless me!- the ethos of the country Is very like a Hand!" The Second, feeling the pain of peasants, Cried: "Ho!- what have we bred So very oppressive and bland and dark? Grows hence my sense of dread This colour of the mystic land Is very like a shade of Red!" The Third approached the wild spirit, And in a manner very elegant Awoke the collectivity of outcastes, Which he found relevant "I see," quoth he, "Indianness Is very like an Elephant!" The Fourth reached out his eager hand, And found the other claims bogus "What most this wondrous civilisation is like Has come to my notice; 'T is clear enou...

India - a country, a feeling, a sense of identity - is a wonder for some people. An ancient civilization, and a rather tolerant one, this mystic land has fired the imaginations of people all across the globe. For the melting pot culture of the USA, India has claims on a syncretic culture of its own. In the loose dichotomy of India the nation and India the country, there is a subtle tinge of Indianness that most accept. It keeps being defined. It keeps being pointed out. Here's another attempt at the same. The Siddis are a lesser known group of Indians. At first, they don't give the impression of being Indian. They are, after all, an Indo-African tribal community that descended from the Bantu peoples of Africa. Their ancestors were largely brought to India as slaves by Arabs, followed by Portuguese, and the British. They settled in India starting from the 7th century and are currently found in isolated pockets of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. [1] Despite hav...

Indian Education System finds a place very often in news, mostly for all the wrong reasons. As India traces its path to development and economic growth, the massive demographic dividend that it carries lies on the borderline of becoming a demographic disaster. Among all the factors of production, the most valuable and cherished, in this era of globalization, is unarguably human capital. Humans are the most productive resources if invested well with education. Unfortunately, our education system lacks awfully in all aspects - coverage, quality, and content. Persistent Problems Enrollment Woes:  The Lower primary education or play school lags in its coverage. As of 2011, the enrollment rate for pre-primary schools is 58%.  [1]   The Gross Enrollment Ratio stands at 99.21% for Primary schools and 92.81% for Upper Primary Schools. [2] While this looks good, a cursory glance at its counterpart - Net Enrollment Ratio - highlights the issue of education system’...

Bahadur Shah Zafar  was the last Mughal Emperor. Accompanied by his wife Zinat Mahal and 2 sons Mirza Jawan Bhakt and Mirza Shah Abbas and daughter-in-law Shah Zamani Begum (wife of Jawan Bhakt), he was sent to Rangoon after the revolt of 1857 had been crushed and that his where he died. Bahadur Shah died on Nov. 7, 1862, at the ripe old age of 87. By 1872 Shah Zamani Begum became completely blind. Mirza Shah Abbas married a girl from Rangoon, a daughter of a local Muslim merchant. His descendants  still live in Rangoon  today. Zinat Mahal lived on alone, comforting her loneliness with opium. She died in 1886. Her body was buried near her husband’s grave. A few years later Mirza Jawan Bakht died of stroke. He was 42. Here in India,  Sultana Begum  lives in a slum area of Kolkata off a pension of around INR 6,000 per month. She is the  wife of Prince Mirza Bedar Bukht, the great-grandson of Bahadur Shah Zafar  who was secretly broug...

Indian Judiciary has come a long way from being a colonial institution to one that serves as the guardian of the Constitution of a sovereign India. The journey hasn't been easy and it's only imperative for us to judge one of the pillars of our democracy at a time when the distrust between executive and judiciary is paramount. Indian Judiciary has no doubt done a commendable job but it faces certain inherent problems, which show the weaknesses and defects of the system, and which require immediate reforms and accountability. Challenges faced by the Judiciary Judicial Backlog : A mindboggling 3 crores cases are pending at different courts in India. Over 21 lakh cases being at least 10 years old. This doesn't inspire confidence in a judiciary which is the hope to many in a country marred by corruption, inequalities and what not. Vacancies : With so many pending cases, it's only logical to believe there must be lot many vacancies in the courts which indeed i...

Development of Jainism as a religion is seen as a response to the then Brahmin dominated Hinduism. It attracted followers initially but soon lost the steam. Some of the major reasons are: Austerity : Jainism is a tough religion to practice. Apart from the very tough conditions for monks which included absolute control over senses, renunciation of physical objects etc., the households didn’t have it easy either. Lack of Patronage : Jainism initially had the patronage of some great kings including Chandragupta Maurya, Kharvela and Ajatshatru. But it isn’t easy being a king and strictly following the ideals of nonviolence and hence Jainism soon gave way to Buddhism and Hinduism. Advent of Buddhism : Buddhism rose at the same time as Jainism. Thus Jainism had to compete with a religion which was less demanding from the followers. Buddhism looked more practical to those who wanted to escape the Brahmin dominated Hinduism. Division into sects : Jainism divided into two sects: Digambar...

If you happen to work for someone who is under the scanner of public a lot, you would've realized how important it is to have a well-functioning Public Relations cell.  Central Government of India comes first to my mind in this regard. Ours is a welfare state, where apart from the necessary functions of maintaining law and order, the government takes care of the welfare of its citizens. Besides passive subsidies, there are more active plans in the sector of education, health, financial inclusion, food distribution etc. It is in view of spreading awareness about such schemes (I know, political gains too) that government has been allocating a good chunk to Advertisement and publicity. Have a look at recent data. (src: https://factly.in/the-central-government-spent-more-than-6000-crore-on-publicity-in-the-last-11-years/) Taking into account the size of the economy, this isn't an amount to cringe about. More often than not it is one of the most important parts of ...

Sair-e-Gulfaroshan This is one of the most iconic symbol of  communal harmony  in India but unfortunately, not many people know about it. The festival is also known as “Phoolwalo ki sair” (English: Procession of those carrying flowers). It is the annual festival of flowers conducted in Old Delhi.  The event involves a procession led by  shehnai  players bearing floral  pankhas, chadars and chhatras.  These are offered at the ancient  Devi Yogmaya Temple  and the  Dargah of Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaaki  in Mehrauli. The festival owes its origin to Queen Mumtaz Mahal who was the wife of Mughal Emperor Akbarshah II.  It was stopped by the British but was reinstated in 1962 and has been celebrated ever since then with celebrations getting pompous each year. "Out  of clutter, find simplicity." - Albert Einstein

There  exists a township in India  which  envisages the idea of a world without boundaries . Auroville Township Auroville  ( City of Dawn ) is an experimental township in Viluppuram district mostly in the state of Tamil Nadu with some parts in the Union Territory of Puducherry in South India. It was founded in 1968 by  Mirra Alfassa (known as "the Mother")  and designed by architect Roger Anger. As stated in Alfassa's first public message in 1965, she states, that  Auroville is meant to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics, and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity.  The city is dedicated to the vision of Sri Aurobindo. Currently, it is managed by Auroville Foundation and  over 2400 people from as many as 50 nations live in Auroville.  It is recognized as International living experiment in hu...

Dr. Manmohan Singh , the 13th Prime Minister of India, only 2nd after Late Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru to hold this office twice in succession! Sometimes I wonder what went wrong, what lead to the downfall of this resilient Sardar. The 2004 general elections threw something unexpected. BJP was thrown out of power and Congress led by Sonia Gandhi had managed to turn the BJP's India Shining campaign to its favor. The results were a surprise, exit polls were refuted; politics pandits were nowhere to be seen. However, we did not have a Prime Minister. The idea of Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister was vehemently opposed partly because of her Italian origins. What then followed has always been a proof of Sonia Gandhi's sharp political acumen. Dr. Manmohan Singh, a lesser known name amongst the Indian households, was nominated by UPA as the Prime Minister. Barely a politician, this man had already proved his mettle as a brilliant economist and bureaucrat. Having served as the Governo...