It is said that Indian elections are the greatest experiment in democracy. In a nation of 1.3 billion people and over 900 million eligible voters, that does mean a grand pageant. Some observers, talking to Matthew Amroliwala on BBC World News, even called it a great “festival of democracy”. If you watch the news and… Continue reading Indian Elections 2019: Theatre of the Absurd
At the moment, India is in the grip of election fever and it is not surprising that each political party is promising sops to the farmers and the poor. Well, the ruling party started doling out a farmer income support programme called PM KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) from December last year which promises… Continue reading Universal Basic Income: A Gift for All?
March-April usually means the start of a new financial year and new opportunities at work in India. Appraisals, new assignments, new responsibilities. My mind turned to the rather high rate of joblessness in India (a subject of much debate) and whether it will be an important issue in the elections that are just a few… Continue reading Jobs Going This Time Aren’t Coming Back
Against the backdrop of recent tensions between India and Pakistan, forthcoming elections in India and all the warmongering that is going on, including by our leaders, I thought I would share this for today. Hope cool heads and better sense will prevail.
“The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom… You never what is enough until you know what is more than enough.” - William Blake. This might be a strange note on which to begin the new year, but not if one looks at the signs all around us. Listening to some world leaders, you might… Continue reading A Decade of Excess, and the Scars are still Visible
Right now, looking out of the window of our first floor flat, I see what I am told is a fig tree. It has shed all its leaves and is busy sprouting tiny, new, green ones. Strange for this time of the year in Goa, where we have just bid goodbye to the South West… Continue reading Green shoots, really?
Peripatetic Perch 