Let A Hundred Flowers Bloom
V. Ramani: The right to vote is an affirmation by the citizen of her dignity as an individual. She has the unfettered right to exercise her discriminating judgment each time there is an election.
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Author: Venkatesan Ramani
Bhasha On… Regardless!
Let states compete to attract the largest number of Indians learning their language, reading their literature, viewing their movies & settling on their soil.
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Reducing Child Malnutrition – Action Backed By Data
In the last 15 years, we have been snowed under with programmes designed to improve access to healthcare, employment & food. Most programmes to tackle child malnutrition have not fit in with the lumbering public service delivery mechanisms that are a characteristic of most Indian state governments.
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Bullshit And Suchlike Matters
Bullshitting is probably reaching an all-time high now, far higher than estimated by Frankfurt in 1986.
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The Lutyens’ Class Wars
Ever since the time of the Mahabharata, the area around Lutyens’ Delhi has been the epicentre of intra-class warfare
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Rushing In Where Angels Fear To Tread
The rush to push through major decisions has, no doubt, been influenced by the relatively narrow window before the 2019 general elections.
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The Strong Man Cometh
The emergence of the strong man in society after society comes at a time when liberal democracies are coming under increasing threat
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Himalayan Blunders in Healthcare – Gorakhpur and Beyond
“UP’s public health care systems do not reach many of its citizens, especially the most vulnerable.”
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The Indian Political League
Things have become far more exciting in the past four decades, ever since the Congress Party’s dominance in the political hustings was successfully challenged.
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When Silence Is Not An Option
At a time when fundamentalism and religious obscurantism are gaining a toehold all over the world, it behoves India, as one of the world’s most ancient, tolerant civilisations, to act as the beacon for guiding the world through increasingly stormy waters
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The Ten Commandments – A Survival Kit for the IAS Officer
“Remember always the fleeting nature of things and stay focused on the essentials. Be a friend and guide to your colleagues, especially in field postings, and a source of support to every member of the public who you meet day in and day out.”
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Intolerance for the Rule of Law
“The biggest hope for a healthy, flourishing democracy lies in a questioning, independent civil society that accommodates a diversity of views and encourages discussion and dissent.”
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Indian Bureaucracy – A Kafkaesque Drama
The CBI, of course, has developed the process of endless investigations into a fine art, leading the highest court of the land to wonder if it was a “caged parrot.”
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Oh! to be in Estonia
“Most of us today have virtual email addresses that have survived longer than our present residential addresses. So when will our beloved Bharat be rid of this medieval fetish for permanent addresses?”
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Maximum Government, Minimum Governance
“India is, and has been, through its independent history, afflicted by far too much government and inadequate governance.”
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