Whither Independence for Adivasis
There are provisions in the Indian
Constitution, in its Fifth and Sixth Schedules, for Tribal Self Rule in
accordance with their own indigenous genius. These have mostly been honoured in
the breach by the Indian Central and State Governments, which have int...

Gate Keeping in the Interest of Capitalism
This is that time of
year when examinations hold centre stage in India, not only for students but
for their parents also. There are a plethora of examinations with the most
important being the school leaving and college entry ones. Primarily because
these a...

The Marginal Status of NGOs
A few weeks back I received an email from an organisation that arranges awards for various categories of people saying that our NGO Dhas Gramin Vikas Kendra had been selected for an award for its exemplary work in Madhya Pradesh. The mail went on to say tha...

Whither Rooftop Solar Power
The difference between hype and performance in national
policy implementation is nowhere more visible than in the rooftop solar energy scenario
prevailing in India and Germany. Germany decided two decades back to increase
the use of renewable energy and in ...

An Engineer First and to the Last
There is often criticism from various quarters that those who study engineering, especially those who have innovative potential, eventually end up doing something more mundane in life. For a considerable amount of time in India since independence, engineeri...

Discussion on Marx's Theory of Value
Recently a long time friend, Depinder Kapur, posted on his Facebook wall an article by Amartya Sen on Karl Marx's continuing relevance in the present context on the occasion of his birth bicentenary. While Amartya Sen singled out the concept of "false consc...

Gandhism in the Time of Late Capitalism
Whether it is Marxism, whose propounder Karl Marx's birth bicentenary is being celebrated this year or whether it is anarchism and its distinct Indian version Gandhism, whose propounder Mohandas Gandhi's birth sesquicentenary is also being celebrated this y...

Whither Public Health
One of my Adivasi colleagues in the mass organisation Adivasi Morcha Sangathan in Dewas. Saligram of Pandutalav village, was suffering from pain in his stomach for a few days and so he decided to go to the Community Health centre in the nearby Tehsil villag...

Tradition in Tandem with Modernity
We live in a time when often tradition and modernity come to loggerheads with each other, sometimes resulting in murder and mayhem. Yet in the Bhil homeland at least, the two are going hand in hand as a result of the huge mass mobilisation by the Adivasi Ek...

Modern Development Reaches the Interior
On a recent visit to Alirajpur, I succeeded in driving my 20 year old Maruti 800 all the way to Bhitada village on the banks of the River Narmada. Primarily because a macadamised road is now under construction to this village situated deep inside the Vindhy...