Doosri Nazar ... My Perspective

On March 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to national television and announced a one-day “Janata Curfew” – an announcement asking Indians to stay at home from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm on March 22. He requested people not to go out of their homes and prepare for ourselves for what was to come in the days ahead.  He also appealed citizens to recognize the efforts of those working on the frontlines of battling this virus –all categories of healthcare and hospital workers, media persons, airport staff, transport services providers, security forces, and others – by coming to their balconies and doorsteps, clapping and banging utensils as a mark of appreciation.  While people mostly stayed home on this Sunday, several came out in groups at 5:00 pm in response to the PM’s call to applaud the service providers.  In doing so, they inadvertently defeated the purpose of staying indoors the entire day! On March 20, India reported 236 positive cases and four deaths.  O...

Karnataka’s attempt to monitor the functioning of private healthcare providers through an amended law has left both practitioners and patients at a loss.   A simple Internet search will throw up scores of news reports of alleged medical negligence and malpractice India -from botched surgeries, to wrong diagnosis and treatment leading to permanent damage to patients, and even death.   Several such instances of medical negligence also led to violence against practitioners and health care providers by kin of those affected. These situations point toward a deep malaise that affects India’s healthcare system. Consider this: India has a shortage of an estimated 600,000 doctors and two million nurses. [1]   This has led to a proliferation of the private healthcare industry.   Around 70% of healthcare in India is provided through the private sector, thus creating a virtual monopoly over services offered. [2]   Moreover, the patient always has to trust the doct...

A Decade of Protests The last decade saw a series of mass protest movements across the world.  Reasons for these protests were varied.   In Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, France (Yellow Vests), and the United States (Occupy Wall Street), these protests were against the economic policies, rising prices and excessive taxation that affected the common masses. [1]  Protests in the Middle East and North Africa saw pro-democracy uprisings in Tunisia (“Jasmine Revolution”), Egypt (the famous Tahrir Square in Cairo), Syria, Morocco, Libya, and Yemen. [2]   Tahrir Square on July 29 2011 during the Friday of unity (Wikipedia) India too witnessed its share of mass protests during this period.   The anti-corruption movement in 2011 (named among the “Top 10 New Stories of 2011” by Time magazine) brought together thousands of people protesting the scams under the then UPA-2 government and demanding the passing of the Jan Lokpal Bill.   In 2012, the brutal ...

(Image from Internet) The Indian higher education sector has witnessed a dramatic growth of educational institutions, especially in the private sector, making India the third largest in terms of student registration, next only to China and the United States. Today, the country has close to a 1000 universities and over 39,500 colleges. [1]   Of these about 38% universities and over 77% colleges are privately managed. [2] That said, all these institutions - public or private - are closely regulated by government approved bodies.   Despite these figures, India’s Gross Enrolment Ratio was 25.8, compared to the world average of around 27. [3]   In terms of international standing, not a single Indian higher education institution (HEI) in the country figured in the top 100 of the internationally-acknowledged QS World University Rankings for 2020. Several factors inhibit the growth of Indian HEI.   Some of these include the dearth of quality teachers, academic ...

Citizen protests across the country over the Citizens Amendment Act, coupled with the proposal to implement the controversial National Register of Citizens, has kept the media and masses distracted from pressing economic issues.   I n 2019, when the NDA government was voted back to power with a thumping majority, commentators had presented Prime Minister Modi as India’s best-chance for economic reform.   This positivity was largely based on the track record of PM Modi’s first term, which focused on economic reforms including the passing of the much debated GST law, deregulation of fuel pricing, and implementation of bankruptcy laws.   However, six months into its second innings, the current government has come in for a fair amount of criticism for its handling of the economy.   Modi government’s first Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian recently described the economy as heading for the intensive care unit. If I had to focus on one issue that the govern...

You’ve seen these pictures before - email forwards, blogs, facebook! Here is a chance to see them live! U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad in association with the Sarojini Naidu School of Performing Arts, Fine Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad bring to you American street painter Tracy Lee Stum. She is best known for her spectacular 3D anamorphic and interactive street paintings. Come, watch her paint and learn more about this fascinating artist. November 16-18, 2009, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at DST Auditorium forecourt, University of Hyderabad. To know more about Tracy visit her website http://www.tracyleestum.com/ ( All pictures from Tracy Lee Stum's website)

As the ‘Great Indian Election Jamboree 2009’ draws to a close and everyone waits with bated breath for the results to come out on May 16, 2009, poll analysts are working overtime to analyze who voted for whom and who will come out trumps. From politicians, political parties and their supporters to the ubiquitous media crews, it has been a tough two months for everyone involved. Campaign tours have been rhetorically charged. On several occasions it was difficult to say what was generating more heat – the election speeches or the torrid summer! As the decibel levels at election rallies and television studios increased, one question that everyone was asking was “who would the Indian Muslim vote for?” This is one question that never ceases to amuse me. In fact it always brings forth a counter question – Is there an Indian Muslim vote? Let me try to answer this one. The ‘Muslim vote’ theory is an extension of a common myth – that the Indian Muslim community is a monolithic block...

Today I want to tell you about an Indian who makes us all feel proud. So just take a little time out and read what I have written. His name is Suneel Yadav. A few of you here reading this blog might know him personally or might have heard about him from other Picketians. Suneel joined me in Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket, Secunderabad in 1988 in the eighth. His father was a soldier in the Indian Army. Suneel was an average student in school and Maths was his Waterloo (like for many of us here). But he was a sportsman par excellence. He was especially good at cricket and kabaddi. He was keeping wickets for the school senior cricket team in the 9th standard itself. After his 10th he joined the Humanities stream (finally getting rid of Math!). He was the Sarojini House captain in the 12th and continued his good work on the cricket field leading the school team and later the regional team, finally playing the KVS Nationals. Despite participating in various sports, Suneel cleared the 12t...