What this website is.
I grew up in India where silence is hard to come by. And I'm not talking about the deafening sound of automobile horns, but the sound of peoples' voices. Especially in small town India, everyone talks to everyone. Everyone. You could start out buying mangoes from a fruit vendor on the street but find yourself in a heated discussion about the current political incumbent, with random passers-by pitching in!
Today, that street scene from India seems to have been transferred onto the internet. What an explosion of global conversation in the past few years! The goal of this website is to contribute to this global online conversation by focusing on issues of social and economic development, politics, and governance in India. These issues are not 'political' for me, they are deeply personal. It's hard not to have them be personal when you belong to a developing country and constantly come across stark reminders of the deprivation millions of people still undergo.
Today, that street scene from India seems to have been transferred onto the internet. What an explosion of global conversation in the past few years! The goal of this website is to contribute to this global online conversation by focusing on issues of social and economic development, politics, and governance in India. These issues are not 'political' for me, they are deeply personal. It's hard not to have them be personal when you belong to a developing country and constantly come across stark reminders of the deprivation millions of people still undergo.
Blog: Social Sector & Social Change
In the blog called 'Social Sector & Social Change' I write about the development related social sector projects that I am involved in, or find interesting. This is also where I chart the progress of the nonprofit that I am trying to start with my friends back in India. Very broadly speaking, the nonprofit's goal is to create collaborations at the grassroots level between India and the United States. Given how so many young people all over the world seem to be frustrated about their seemingly limited power to change the world, I thought maybe writing about my own journey toward this same goal might help. It is especially on this blog that I welcome comments from readers, since I am completely inexperienced at setting up a nonprofit and still in the learning phase.
Blog: Personal & Political
The blog where I write about a whole range of miscellaneous issues, both personal and political: Personal & Political.
After spending my early twenties trying to understand where I really wanted to head in life, my late twenties are finally seeing me start to figure it out. This is where I document aspects of my social science research, my transition from research to practice, my slowly maturing opinions on governance and equitable development and my understanding of the life I'd like to create for myself. This may comprise irreverent takes on things I consider important, or long pieces of prose because I love writing.
After spending my early twenties trying to understand where I really wanted to head in life, my late twenties are finally seeing me start to figure it out. This is where I document aspects of my social science research, my transition from research to practice, my slowly maturing opinions on governance and equitable development and my understanding of the life I'd like to create for myself. This may comprise irreverent takes on things I consider important, or long pieces of prose because I love writing.
Facebook Page : The Governance Adda
Besides the nonprofit organisation that my friends and I are currently trying to start, we also decided to start a Facebook page that explicitly addresses issues of governance in India and attempts to initiate conversations about people's opinions and experiences in India. The page is called 'The Governance Adda'. It is meant to be an online platform for swapping stories and articles about Indian politics, governance and the government. But perhaps it will become the platform where as the nonprofit evolves, it is the stories of our practical problems (or 'trial & error' process) that get shared. This is very much a work in progress, so I do welcome everyone's comments and suggestions...
p.s. What is an "adda" ?! It is a word shared by a few different Indian languages (off the top of my head, Bengali and Hindi) that means a particular kind of gossipy conversation which is hard to define. In India, conversations with people are very important and the word "adda" brings to mind steaming cups of tea, spicy snacks and a bunch of friends sitting together gossiping, sharing their day's experiences, and endless, loud chatter about everything under the sun. How wonderful if we could make chatter about political issues as much fun as that!!
p.s. What is an "adda" ?! It is a word shared by a few different Indian languages (off the top of my head, Bengali and Hindi) that means a particular kind of gossipy conversation which is hard to define. In India, conversations with people are very important and the word "adda" brings to mind steaming cups of tea, spicy snacks and a bunch of friends sitting together gossiping, sharing their day's experiences, and endless, loud chatter about everything under the sun. How wonderful if we could make chatter about political issues as much fun as that!!
