As India celebrates its 75th Independence Day on August 15, it is an opportune moment to take stock of this sufficiently long journey. Listing the achievements, failures and missed opportunities is in order. It is more important to identify the ‘reset’ required to make up for the lost time, and fully tap the promised potential of our nation.
GUEST COLUMN M. VENKAIAH NAIDU
The long and hard-fought freedom struggle was all for self-rule, with the people as the masters in shaping their destiny. The stated goals of this struggle were ensuring ‘free’ Indians a life with dignity, encompassing basic rights, equality, socio-economic justice and prosperity. It is time to assess the gap between this stated mission statement and the ground reality.
THE BIRTH PANGS
Free India launched its journey as an illiterate, poor and iniquitous entity, against the backdrop of the painful partition. But we had a comprehensive socio-economic, political and philosophical mission statement in the form of the Constitution of India. Building a modern India out of the diverse, hierarchical and unequal socio-political and economic complexities was the main challenge. Poverty eradication, improving the quality of life and meeting the aspirations of a rising number of Indians through economic development have been the broader contours of this journey. Policy modifications and re-prioritisation, from time to time, have defined this arduous journey.
This story is from the August 22, 2021 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 22, 2021 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
