Blog
Read more about the Samanvaya Freedom Dialogue here on AI & Ethics in the Indian Context. The registration for this event that has already got an incredible lot of people committed to joining is here.
This is often not said these days – teaching status quo particularly in economy, management and entrepreneurship is easy compared to teaching that which is challenging the status quo.Status quo is reiterated by the day-to-day engagements of the learner - the way they commercially transact for day-to-day needs, the way they seek out services, even the visuals of the market communication that is all around. Daily news of policy that facilitates status quo economy, the advertisements of what is termed as ‘success’ in the existing market space, their products and services promotions, etc., also…
India's new rural employment framework promises scientific planning. It may instead be quietly rewriting the relationship between democracy, technology and the Indian village.The political debate surrounding the replacement of MGNREGA has been remarkably limited with much of the real issues being flagged by the civil society. The Government celebrates a larger vision of Viksit Bharat, longer employment guarantees and technology-driven planning. The Opposition has largely focused on the disappearance of Mahatma Gandhi's name. Both debates miss the more profound transformation now underway. The…
The Indian Grammar of InnovationHow adaptation, substitution, and self-reliance created a civilizational culture of innovationInnovation did not arrive in India through incubators, venture capital, or start-up ecosystems. It has always existed in our villages, workshops, farms, and homes.What made it possible was a civilizational way of thinking.Indian knowledge traditions are rooted in the idea of reducing suffering, living in harmony with one's surroundings, and making the best possible use of what is available. From this emerged three powerful principles that quietly governed everyday life…
23/05/2026: Recently while have a dialogue around poverty we were discussing the 2-dimensional nature of measurement and addressing of poverty. This morning’s newspaper story caught my eye as an example of how poverty can be a complex difficult phenomenon to understand in the Indian context. (this is version 2 of this article, the first version was re-written for more contemporary audience placing the story in a larger perspective)Somewhere in the expanding outskirts of Chennai, where the airport lights blink all night over old villages that no longer remember themselves, a sack lay by…
2nd April 2026: "Money is a Demon, Laxmi is a Goddess" - excerpts from the chapters of this book by Vinobha Bhave was read and discussed. Vinobha outlines his vision for Sarvodaya in this compiled book starting with a critical analysis of Communism and leftist position on various issues. He differentiates the leftist position against that of the Gandhian one and highlights how by being non-violent, inclusive, labour dignity driven and decentralized the later is far more superior than the State Capitalistic Communism of modern times. His assertions and analysis are proven in time as the…