OPINIONS

In his previous column, Dr Anantpal Singh talked about his experiences as a healthcare innovator in Bihar. This piece in the series explores Uttar Pradesh. The importance of this State zooms across time and civilizations. The great Indus Valley civilization and Harappan civilization are historic. Novelist Ruskin Bond once said: “I had been to other countries...

It’s almost a year now since the #metoo hashtag broke through whisper networks on sexual harassment and initiated a worldwide movement. While the initial exposés were instances of assault and misogyny by men in high places in Hollywood, subsequent revelations have come in waves from women across the world in various kinds of workplaces...

2015 was a watershed year that witnessed 193 nations coming together to form a set of 17 “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs) to address contemporary developmental challenges and ensure a sustainable future. These global goals have played a crucial role in charting out a roadmap for nations to re-align economic policies and financial systems to...

Rural women make up over a quarter of the world’s population. October 15 is commemorated as the International day of Rural Women by the United Nations. A substantial proportion of rural women has been involved in the agricultural labour force and informal work including care and domestic work within families and households. According to the...

Bihar is a beautiful State with beautiful people and a rich culture and glorious heritage. It is a state that manufactures the most academicians, IITians, doctors, IAS, IPS and IRS officers. However the ground reality is different. Bihar comprises three distinct regions, Magadh, Mithila and Bhojpur, each having its own distinct culture and history. Historically, Bihar...

"Women are not dying because of diseases we cannot treat… They are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving." – Mahmoud Fathalla, Chair of the WHO Advisory Committee on Health Research Inclusive growth is now perhaps the strongest buzzword in development discourse. We have all been talking about growth...

India regained its status as the world’s fastest-growing major economy at the end of  2017, posting a growth in GDP of 7.2%. Its population of 1.3 billion is also growing fast, as the country added 15 million people last year. Although welcome in their own right, these growth rates raise significant problems for the...

Emphasising on the importance of reaching out to others in need of help, Mahatma Gandhi had once rightly stated, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Such socially oriented volunteering not only benefits underprivileged communities but also rejuvenates volunteers. An increasing number of corporates, nowadays, are taking...

India recognizes its growing leadership in tackling global climate change. On the World Environment Day 2018, India committed to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the citizens to shun low-grade polythenes and plastics. These initiatives would certainly help curb the negative impact of plastic pollution on the environment. It is important...

India has historically had a challenging ecosystem with difficult terrains all across the country, from the north to the south and east to the west. Equally challenging have been the diverse cultural heritage and habits in different areas and the socio-economic disparity between the different strata of society. In the 21st century, as India finds...

The story of Lagaan is an interesting one. What is essentially a tale of the British Raj going about with its business in what is the crown jewel of her majesty’s colonial empire, suddenly turns into the ultimate underdog story. Central to the movie’s narrative is also the British officers using all means to...

Andrew Carnegie, steel tycoon and one of the greatest philanthropists whose business ethos was to "do well in order to do good" was one of the early advocates and steward of CSR. Mahatma Gandhi’s theory of trusteeship intended to avoid the evils and combine the benefits of capitalism and communism, to socialise property without...