Vipanchi

"Gandhi was a tough man. He would let every thought flow through him but never let them wreck his own convictions" I grew up learning Mahatma Gandhi as 'The Father of The Nation'. I remember giving alms to old people and kids dressed up in the dhoti with a glaring silver paint on them almost looking like the ubiquitous statues of Gandhi in India. Yeah, I have seen him on currency notes and heard at least a road named after him in many towns. As I explored a bit deeper, I was awestruck by the stature of Mahatma world over. The British who must be his prime contenders have constructed his statue in the parliament square. They see him as the symbol of peace and non-violence. Then I asked myself,   How much do I know about Mahatma? Is he relevant to modern India? Modern India can be comprehended into an English speaking , Market-driven, society laying fast track trains, living in bustling cities sending humans to the outer space on one side,...

India is the world's largest democracy. We are among those few newly independent nations where democracy survived all odds. People cherish this. But there are people who say, democracy is leading us to nowhere. So, what are the reasons for this? Lets see, why democracy failed India. Immature electorate: People are poor and illiterate. They vote for leaders who give them money, liquor, and in some cases TV sets! So there is a fundamental flaw in electing the leader itself. We can't expect such leaders to be genuinely concerned about the well being of people. Corrupted politicians:  Most of the politicians have a powerful background. They use wealth and muzzle power to come to power. Further, promote their interest by holding power. Common man is helpless in this situation. Then democracy is nothing better than an oligarchy/dictatorship. Poor state of development: India is a poor state in many aspects. Poverty: India's poverty rate is 21.9% according to 2011 census....

According to the provisional data provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 11,370  farmers committed suicide in 2016 . At least one farmer commits suicide every  hour in India. So let me breakdown the reasons that drive farmers to commit suicides. Why people commit suicide? According to mental health daily, people commit suicide when they view  their current situation as being completely hopeless and feel as if they have no way to change things for the better . Common causes of suicide include : Depression Drug abuse Financial problems Relationship issues In the case of Indian farmers, depression, due to financial problems is the telling cause. Why Indian farmers are depressed? 50-60% of population depend on agriculture as a means of livelihood. Most of them are small and marginal farmers, meaning, they hold a meager 1-2 hectares of land. Almost entire agriculture on India is rain fed. However, monsoons are not consistent.Climate chang...

There is a widespread dialogue that India is heading towards Universal Basic Income.I think this is the right time to analyze this concept and understand whether this is the right time for India to adopt it. So, what is UBI : It is an unconditional basic money that is given to every citizen of the country to live a dignified life even if she/he is involved in a low paid job or preferred not to work. Western countries are looking at this option to protect their citizens from the disadvantages created by globalization(immigration-loss of jobs) and technological advancement(artificial intelligence -job loss). Does India need it? I do not think that the time is ripe for India to go for UBI. There is immense income inequality in our country.Any welfare scheme that treats the rich and the poor equally will prove to be regressive and it would also result in decreased resources from the poor's share. The unemployment question in India is something that is to be answered by investin...