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 …

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 …

In this brief response to a question at IIT Jodhpur last weekend, I make the point that Indians are not programmes to be corrupt – it is the system around them that makes us behave the way we do…
***

***
Here is the entire video of my talk and the Q&A:
***

***
If the video in the link above does not work, you can also click here or copy-paste this link in your browser address bar: http://j.mp/IITRjsthn

Also see: Sirji, Aap Karte Kyaa Ho?!

Dear All: Here’s something to spoil your Sunday evening reverie…a disturbing and thought-provoking guest post by Sh Haresh Raichura – an advocate at Supreme Court. The post first appeared on his blog here. Please read and share widely…We need to create more awareness around this and the need for fundamental reforms in the legal system. Please note emphasis has been added.
*** The Business of Filing False Civil and Criminal Cases in India by Haresh Raichura ***
The tile of this blog is somewhat unbelievable. Do I mean to say that some people …

A few weeks back, at one of my frequent sessions at Chanakya Institute of Public Leadership, I got the chance to share my thoughts on the proposed Communal Violence Bill with participants in the programme. We had a lively discussion against the backdrop of some slides I had prepared. Unfortunately we could not record the session…Below are the slides…Comments, thoughts welcome.
 
***
Communal Violence Bill – Presentation at CIPL, Dec '11
View more presentations from B Shantanu

 
***
Related Post: Losing sleep over communal violence and hate propaganda

This post has been some time in coming – and I am penning my thoughts on something controversial after a long time. It was prompted by the recent decision of government of MP to increase the punishment for cow slaughter. As many of you would know, the issue of cow-slaughter is not a new one.  In fact, the demand for a ban on slaughter of cows is more than a century old – and was first raised in modern times by Swami Dayanand Saraswati and the Arya Samaj. It has …

The question was prompted by these excerpts fom Salil Tripathi‘s “An excuse called Rushdie” (emphasis added):
Only one out of every six Muslim children entering an Indian school stays till his matriculation. I use “his” deliberately; the figures are worse for girls—only two out of five Muslim girls enter schools, and fewer than one-tenth complete secondary education.
These stark dropout rates explain the malaise affecting Indian Muslims, and unless that’s addressed, all other solutions are ineffective.
Such low enrolment figures and high dropout rates mean that only one of 25 undergraduate students, …

A thought-provoking extract from a post on FTI colleague Sanjeev’s blog:
I don’t know how this man Narayana Murthy gets the audacity to lecture to others about doing something.
For nine years now I have been trying to get him (or Nandan Nilikani) interested in CITIZENSHIP – namely, in the process of active participation in the affairs of their nation. Numerous email communications I’ve had with both of them ..I even met both of them. They pretend to be “supportive” of the ideas I advocate but then do nothing.
One of them even …

“I once more appeal to you to forget the past…You have got what you wanted.
You have got a separate state and, remember, you are the people who were responsible for it, and not those who remain in Pakistan
What is it that you want now?

…Now again you tell me and ask me to say for the purpose of securing the affection of the younger brother I must agree to the same thing again, to divide the country again in the divided part.
For God’s sake understand that we have also got some …

While reading Swapan Dasgupta’s take on the Rushdie affair, I stumbled on these lines (emphasis added):
Those who felt offended and let down by Rushdie’s absence from Jaipur were regarded as inconsequential members of the non-voting classes.
Their protests could safely be disregarded.
It struck me that this was also the reason why the government did the shameless “dance” on Lokpal Bill.. and capitulated in the case of Rushdie.
And then I came across this remarkable essay by Arun Shourie on Vote Banks (do read, if you have not already) in which he …