This is what I am hoping to read this weekend…(Update: Excerpts added)
Ramasetu: Protecting heritage and coastline (A ppt presentation, 31 March 2012) by Dr Kalyanaramam
Who’s Responsible for Meeting the Cyber Threat? by Alan Woodward
So what have governments done in response to this situation? Well, they have acted in remarkably different ways.
For example, you might imagine the all-out attack on Estonia in 2007 would have led to an aggressive response. Instead it led to the formation of the Co-operative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD COE). The purpose of CCD …

Those of you who have interacted with my FTI colleague Sanjeev will know that he rarely minces words…And when it comes to the state of affairs in India, he is as blunt as can be..so while this post of his may ruffle a few (lot) feathers, I think it is worth reproducing in full – since I am certain it will provoke some thought… and perhaps prompt some action..
From let us thank our corrupt parliamentarians and blame ourselves…(emphasis as in original by Sanjeev)
There has been, once again, a great amount …

..and why some days I get really angry. Have you ever read something sometime that almost forces you to put pen to paper? Something so outrageous that you drop everything and get yourself on the keyboard to express your anguish and rage? Something so unbelievable that you check and double-check to make sure you have your facts right? It happened to me today – in fact just a few minutes earlier (thanks to Radha-ji for alerting me to this). I don’t know how many of you read this bit of *news* …

Dear All: Today I am proud to unveil a modestly ambitious (modest by almost any standards but ambitious for me!) project in which I seek your cooperation and support.
I am looking for help from 25 volunteers (in five cities to start with) who are willing and ready to go to 2 schools each, print/photocopy four copies of “Saluting our Heroes: The Param Virs of Bharat” for the school library *and*  read one chapter (of their choice) in the school’s morning assembly or to a class of students. I would …

From a link that I stumbled upon during a lazy Sunday evening…
The UPA has gone a step ahead by clearing the decks for a National Data Base (NDB).The NDB will be a central body storing and disseminating all data of all of India’s socio-religious categories. The agency will thus be to all socio-religious groups what the Sachar Commission has been to Muslims. The decision to form the NDB—which may easily be called termed as UPA II’s ultimate political carrot dangled before the minorities—was taken at the highest level, including the …

Courtesy, Freedom First (thanks to Sh SV Raju), here is an insightful article on “India’s Growing Leadership Deficit” – written 43 years ago by Sh M R Pai. It still rings true – which is probably the most damning indictment of our leadership (its failure) and its inability to improve the lives of hundreds of millions in India, 60+ years after Independence. As Sh Raju noted, “Right leadership is the key to good, transparent and effective governance.” This matter therefore deserves continuing attention…Without further ado (emphasis added),
*** India’s Growing Leadership …

or something like that…
I don’t know how many of you read this bit of “news” today morning (emphasis added, throughout)…
We will Close Down All Illegal Mines in Goa: Parrikar
Proposed move could further impact the iron ore industry and drag down mining growth in the country
Read it again…India’s largest selling English newspaper would have us believe that attempts to “close down illegal mines in Goa” will hurt mining industry and “drag down mining growth in the country“. Wait there is more…
..A dip in its production due to the closures will hurt …

This post was triggered by a discussion on FTI (internal) forum in the context of preparing for a political career and the difficulties that lie along the way. Here are some of my thoughts on this matter…Pl note what I am sharing is my personal opinion – based on personal experience. It may or may not apply in all cases – and may not match your own personal experience(s). But I hope it does provoke you to think..
The “cause” that we are fighting for – a fundamental reform of the …

Dear Friends: It is my great pleasure to announce the third online text chat this year – this time on “Itihaas”, covering aspects related to Indian history. As you know, the span of Indian history and its breadth is impossible to cover even in weeks, let alone the 2 hours we have on the chat..What we will discuss is therefore a selection of topics related to Indian History..

This will very likely be a 2-part chat. The topics that I intend to touch upon are:

An Overview of Indian History
Why Bother with …

This is the story of one indefatigable man and his diligent quest for truth…
How many of you remember this “news” from almost two years ago? Praful Patel’s daughter pulled out scheduled AI flight for IPL (emphasis added)?
A Delhi to Coimbatore Air India flight, IC 7603, scheduled to leave at 5.20am on April 20, was aborted less than 12 hours before its departure to allow the aircraft to be deployed as a chartered flight for ferrying civil aviation minister Praful Patel’s daughter, Poorna Patel, and some IPL players from Chandigarh to …