NB Blogs

This last month has witnessed new scandals. The likes of which occur, unfortunately, not rarely. Politicians involved in sleaze and scandals is not in itself news breaking. Neither is consumption of hooch. Howsoever sordid and unfortunate these are, nevertheless we need to recount them in passing, in some detail. To understand where they come from, in what spirit and with what intentions. The NEET-UG examinations exploded as a major scandal. Did one never suspect that papers get leaked? That there are cases of cheating rampant across colleges and universities, some were more notorious than others. But how organized these could be, how extensive an outreach these could have, assumed newer proportions. Imagine in a national level examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency, some 1500 plus candidates were given grace marks. These are on all India level, conducted in 13 languages; this year, over 24 lakh students took them. What was truly exceptional this year was that 67 studen...

A new book and its launch: Ambasador Nalin Surie’s wife, Poonam has been for long an avid China watcher. She has travelled and mixed with the ‘people’ extensively. She has published her third book, China: Modernity and Tradition. On the occasion of the launch of her book, Ambassador Shyam Saran was joined by another diplomat, a former ambassador to China, Ashok Kantha, and foreign policy and global affairs strategic analyst, Dr. Raja Mohan. We bring you a brief on what was said. And, a glimpse from Poonam’s unfolding of what inspired her to write her book. The excerpts: Shyam Saran Many of us, in what may be called the China fraternity, our focus is so much on the foreign policy aspect or the security aspect of our relations with China and China’s place in the world that we perhaps miss out on something which is absolutely critical to understanding China, which is the overall historical context, the overall cultural context. Also, the main actors in the drama that is taking place in Ch...

We have so much in common between us as South Asian neighbours. We must not let politics come in the way to building bridges between our people. Business wise, it is the lowest hanging fruit for all concerned, it is time to get started. So much is in the air on South Asia. Neighbours are precious family. We are talking about Bangladesh with their PM on a state visit; the South Asian heads of state attending the swearing-in ceremony of the current Lok Sabha; China in a recent book that has come out on understanding their people, the real people in China, a neighbour and friend of long standing. In our previous issue, we carried a story on how we need to shore up as good neighbours, among our South Asian fraternity. We ran a podcast and curated a discussion between professionals on the subject of bridging our nations together. All said and done, politics apart, there is no substitute to people to people connect. It is public opinion that will shape policies. It is public perception that ...

In a free wheeling conversation, we discuss with AKS Member, Hemant Bhasin, one of the few globally, among the Rotary fraternity, on why and how these clubs contribute to society. An interesting and informative read, that spells and shares the Rotary fundamentals. What inspired you to join Rotary? I joined Rotary about 12 years ago after hearing remarkable stories about the impactful work Rotary does globally and in India. I became a member of the Rotary Club of Delhi, South End, one of the most prestigious clubs in the NCR region, which is part of District 3011, comprising 137 clubs. Rotary’s commitment to various causes such as disease prevention and treatment, peacebuilding, environmental support, maternal and child health, water sanitation, and basic education and literacy truly inspired me to get involved and contribute to society. What has been your experience since joining Rotary? Did your involvement with the Arch Klumph Society (AKS) start your journey? My journey with Rotary ...