January 2025
Several years ago in a workshop, I was asked the question, what do I think is the most important lesson I can learn from Gandhi? I had listed the following 3 characteristics –Never give up faith in the capacity of the ordinary people (Indians in his case)Never stop engaging with the adversary at a human level even under the most trying circumstances Retain a sense of humour Isolation, Exclusion, and Discrimination based on aggregated identities of religion, nationality, race, culture, etc., doesn’t seem to be a smart strategy when the same destructive practice of the past is…
I had learnt to love and have a lot of pride about India from reading Swami Vivekananda in my youth days. I got introduced to his works through service activities and subsequently through him discovered his guru and my own spiritual pathway.So, it was with a pleasant surprise that I accepted to be a speaker and give a TED talk on Social Entrepreneurship in the workshop titled Swami Vivekananda & Start-ups in the RKM residential college in Narendrapur, Kolkata on 18th Jan 2025.
The visit itself turned out to be quite wonderful and filled…
Greetings on the New Year 2025.What gives us hope in a year where continuation and institutionalization of several disasters are predetermined? Million unassuming people making one small change in their lives each day asserting their sense of what is right by the planet is what gives me hope. Farmers, Rural Women, Artisans, Entrepreneurs, Intellectuals, and Students are taking that one small step of change every day to make the planet a better place. They don't pretend to change the world, they are not going to be glossily presented to us or…
What is the most essential capacity we need to build with our children today? - Recent interaction with a young friend on parenting essentials got me thinking on this a lot. Most of us love our children a lot and want to also capture every moment on camera - first steps, first day to school, holidays, etc.,Photographs that were earlier meant to capture and retain special occasions have now become tools to capture daily routine. Obviously, the personal memory combined with need for instant gratification has pushed every sacred private occasion as something to be shared with others for getting…
Q: what do you have against Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?Me: Nothing personal, I have found it rather limited empirical in time and space to come in with such far reaching conclusions and am surprised that despite so much evidence to the contrary, it is still held as valid and becomes the base for many subsequent constructs. Q: can you cite a easily understandable evidence?Me: why one, I will give you 250 million! Think of the Indian Farmers. Why should they continue to cross subsidise the life of those who don’t care for them and their own basic needs are not met? With nominal…