governance, political economy, institutional development and economic regulation
It all began 300 years ago with the ringing command of “Koi hai?” — Is anyone there? This being how the ruling, colonial elite announced their arrival at home, in the office or, indeed, anywhere, if there was no one to receive them. The immediate response was a servant at home, or a peon in […]
Read More Government peons: nuts and bolts of a rusted steel frameworkParis in December is not quite what it is in springtime. But who cares if someone else is footing the bill! Paris is the venue of the next Conference of Parties (COP), from November 30 to December 11. An annual jamboree that has been trying, since 1992, to limit carbon emissions and save the planet […]
Read More Climate “warriors” head for the December 2015 Paris joustIt is just as well that Finance Minister Jaitley was away in Turkey rapping with the G20 about “India’s strong fiscal fundamentals”, even as a small part of that fiscal stability was compromised, with nothing much gained, except possibly 20 million votes that the armed forces represent. Faujis (armed forces) deserve better but not this […]
Read More Retired Generals win OROP: will the tail of pensions now wag the dog?Onions comprise less than 1% by value of India’s agricultural production. The average Indian consumes less than 800 grams of the stuff per month. Onion is a seasonal fruit. Supply traditionally dips during July to September as only the stored winter crop, harvested around March, is available for consumption. No dearth of onions photo credit: […]
Read More Some more onions pleasephoto credit: http://www.realhappiness.in The Ganga is pure liquid crystal, dazzling in its brilliance along a thirty kilometer stretch beyond Shivpuri in Uttrakhand, flanked on both banks by unblemished white sand beaches or towering, forested cliffs. This is the best known haven for white-water rafting in North India. Thanks to a bunch of intrepid environmental […]
Read More Shivpuri: riverine tourism on the GangaAbandoned Faujis Delhi. Fauji veterans agitate, unsuccessfully thus far, for implementing the One Rank One Pension principle. This is a promise, unadvisedly made to them, by both the previous and the present government. They boycott the celebrations commemorating the 1965 war. Even those who fought to win that war stay away effectively devaluing the event. […]
Read More Indian angstphoto credit: ex-servicemenwelfare.blogspot.com Ex-servicemen are angry that their attractively titled demand — one rank, one pension — is not being implemented by the government. OROP as a “brand” is a huge communication success, hitting all the right buttons — simplicity, easy comprehension and being evocative of equity. It is not surprising therefore that Prime Minister […]
Read More Soothe gussa fauji pensionersPhoto credit: http://www.avaxnews.net The defining feature of India today is bottled up, seething anger. It erupts unexpectedly anywhere — in the plush drawing rooms of the rich, on our choked roads, in crowded, middle-class colonies over parking rights or in the ramshackle dwellings of the poor, over imagined insults and petty money disputes. Saeed Akhtar […]
Read More Albert Pinto’s Gussa Reduxphoto credit: http://www.tumblr.com Who can say it better than Amitav Ghosh, the celebrated author of the Ibis trilogy, the master of evocative words and beguiling stories, when it comes to documenting the life of migrating Indians. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal (including Bangladesh) continue to supply cheap labour to the rest of India today, just […]
Read More “Brave heart” Indian migrantsGraphic credit: chloesimonevaldary.com Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage — playing in Mumbai and Delhi — makes us laugh at ourselves by stripping bare the self-serving hypocrisy underlying socially acceptable roles. Bleeding-heart Indian social liberals would do well to see themselves in the mirror via this play. Admittedly, we humans must get beyond our basically brutish nature. […]
Read More Bleeding heart liberals are social hypocrites
Opinion India 