Do it yourself

Thought for the day “We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.” -           Swami Vivekananda (India, 1863-1902) Word for the day Cognizant (adj) Aware (usually followed by of). (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day Smearing ink and hurling shoes - are these methods of registering protest (a) violent; (b) non-violent or (c) neo Gandhian? Note that giving a ride on donkey - face smeared with black paint and garland of footwear is still the most popular method of social castigation in Indian folklore. Utopia: The economic solution-II Trust your people In my view, the most valuable resource for India is her people. In not implementing the recommendation of Balwant Rai Mehta committee (1957) on local self governance, our political system has been unable to develop an environment of mutual trus...

Thought for the day “History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them.” -           B. R. Ambedkar (Indian, 1891-1956) Word for the day Cockalorum (n) A self-important little man. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day If we go by the opinion polls – presently Congress is the only party in “no loss” situation. Should Rahul Gandhi use this “advantage” or “let it go”? Utopia: The economic solution In my view, the sustainable solution for India’s economic problems could be found only by looking within. Borrowing from the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, economics needs to follow ethics and not the vice versa. The primary consideration needs to be “man” and not “money”. To achieve this means Gand...

Thought for the day “The happiness of society is the end of government.” -           John Adams (American, 1735-1826) Word for the day Hoodwink (v) To deceive or trick. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day Should we do away with the “session” system of the Parliament? Utopia: The economic problem-III In my view, the root of the economic problems of India could be easily traced to the continuation of the exploitive colonial economic model post independence. We have consistently failed in exploiting our strengths and allowed outflow of precious resources both natural and human. Even after 66years of independence from British rule, India continues to be mostly an exporter of raw material and cheap labor and importer of technology and end products. Though in recent past we have excelled in a few areas like automobile, pharma and space research, still most of our indus...

Thought for the day “The rich will do anything for the poor but get off their backs.” -           Karl Marx (German, 1818-1883) Word for the day Caveat (n) A warning or caution; admonition. (Source: Dictionary.com)   Utopia: The economic problem It was a beautiful afternoon. Spring had just handed the baton out to summer. Farmers fresh from celebrating their harvest were preparing the fields for sowing the next crop. Everything seemed perfect. A young man was lying idle under a banyan tree when a wise man passed by. He wondered why such a young man is wasting precious time when everyone else is working in the fields. He approached the young man and queried “why are you sitting idle?” The young man countered with an assuring grin on his face “what am I supposed to do?” “Do not waste time. Go, find yourself some productive work”, the wise man suggested. “Why should I do th...

Thought for the day “All the people like us are we, and everyone else is They.” -           Rudyard Kipling (English, 1865-1936) Word for the day Epitome (n) A person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day AAP party leaders always talk about “changing the system”. Do they mean to change the same “system” that allows a rookie like Arvind Kejriwal to become chief minister of a state; and allows a common man to hurl explicit abuses at almost everyone not publically supporting AAP? Utopia: The economic problem Have you ever wondered: ·          Despite having a rich culinary tradition for centuries, millions of connoisseurs, and thousands of great eateries – why we could not create a McDonald, Dominos or Pizza Hut in India? ·    ...

Thought for the day “The thing about democracy, beloveds, is that it is not neat, orderly, or quiet. It requires a certain relish for confusion.” -           Molly Ivins (American, 1944-2007) Word for the day Sciamachy (n) An act or instance of fighting a shadow or an imaginary enemy. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day Heard Sanjay Nirupam talk about secularism! Utopia: The political solution “It is Swaraj when we learn to rule ourselves. It is, therefore, in the palm of our hands. But such Swaraj has to be experienced, by each one for himself. One drowning man will never save another.” “I believe that you want the millions of India to be happy, not that you want the reins of government in your hands. If that be so, we have to consider only one thing: how can the millions obtain self-rule?” [M. K. Gandhi, Hind Swaraj] I have been highlighting si...