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Patriotism vs. humanity OR Patriotism and humanity- that is the question!
Recently, I saw a video where an American suddenly stopped his car in the US on spotting an Indian couple. He confronts them by saying “India is so incredible! Why you just don’t stay in India? Why do you have to come to America?” The Indian man answers with a smile- “To explore world”, to…
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The internal resistance to change- but can it really stop reform?
Long-time back I read a book called “Who moved my cheese?” by Dr. Spencer Johnson. It was a short book telling the interesting tale of two mice, Sniff and Scurry, and two “littlepeople” (of the size of mice) Hem and Haw. This tale was about acknowledging that- “Change is the only reality in life that…
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Acknowledgement of failure- the first step towards accountability
In a risk-averse society as ours, there is a general inhibition to acknowledge and accept that there was some failure or error or act of omission or act of commission on our part which led to some bigger failure later. Take a simple example, when you were a kid and you went to someone’s home…
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When vote becomes the commodity, then democracy becomes the tragedy!
What is the most essential feature of democracy that connects a citizen to his/her government directly? It is the “power to vote for the government”! This power to vote is the most basic thing that determines the formation of government in a democracy. It is the outcome of the essential fundamental right to express one’s…
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Vanished in a second! When passion is more powerful than even life!
The Ferrari boys who gave up their life for racing Peter Collins- gone too soon…. Image courtesy: Museums Worcestershire Yes, that’s what it takes to take your life- just one second! Things move here and there, bizarre and unexpected, and wooooshhhh!!!! Before you could even think what happened, life’s gone out of the mortal body!…
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Frugality- the need of the hour, not a curtailment of freedom!
The PM’s speech highlighting the importance of cutting down “unnecessary expenditure” to save the precious and limited forex reserves has garnered mixed reactions from different quarters. But, I would like to look at it from a positive point of view, as it is not only in the interest of the nation as a whole, but…
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Everything in the name of God, but who cares about the substance?
In this period of Ghor Kalyug, the alacrity and frequency with which the names of Gods are used, misused and abused has risen manifold and to alarming proportions! In a way, one can be optimist that atleast the names are being used in everyday life, so that people would be “closer to God”. Now-a-days infact,…
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The legend of Bansal Sir of Kota- Part 2
This was the target sheet that I got when I started my journey of 2 years in 2006 with the Bansal Classes, as I entered 11th standard. Look at the dates carefully- TARGET JEE 2008, which was our sole aim at that point of time in life. Although I lost this sheet, but somehow got…
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The missing “safety culture” in our society- Who is to blame?
The recent tragic cruise capsizing incident in Bargi dam, Jabalpur, again raises some very pertinent questions about the safety culture in our society. We cannot control the vagaries of the nature like storms, cyclones etc., but certainly we can be better prepared to face such incidents in case they happen. In this particular incident, from…
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When life poses two options (दो बातें होंगी), which one would you choose?
If you are a millennial, then the odds are in favour of you having watched the famous TV serial “Office Office”. In that serial, there was a famous character called Mussadilal portrayed by Pankaj Kapoor. I loved the nuanced, typical and humourous manner in which the conduct of officials in the office, work culture and…