July 2026
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…