POLICY CENTRE AND GENDER LAB

Seventy-five glorious years have passed since the dawn of 15th August 1947, when a young nation was born out of a long story of struggle written with the blood, sweat and tears of its people. The year 2022 commemorates the 75th year of India's Independence from the British Raj, 75 diamond years of the country's path toward a dream cherished by its 1.3 billion people. They embarked on a challenging journey to build a nation that will shine brightly, embrace diversity, and uplift the underprivileged. It was believed that this young nation would not be able to stay united or develop from the shackles of poverty and inequalities. Nonetheless, the developmental journey of India proved all critics wrong. The National Movement was as glorious as the sacrifice made by the people of India. The brave and unabashed fight put up against the colonial rulers was a force to reckon with. From the radical actions of revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh to the non-violent satyagrahas of Mahatma Ga...

“NOTHING CAN COME OF NOTHING,” wrote William Shakespeare in his tragic play “King Lear.” I read these lines sitting in my balcony, overlooking the luscious green Ashoka trees, thinking plausibly how I could enlighten others with my radiance and bring a new morning in the broad daylight. I couldn’t help but ponder, what could possibly come of nothing if we continue with our relentless raptorial exploitation of the natural resources, literally leaving nothing for our future lineage. While global warming threatens more and worse cyclones, droughts, avalanches, floods with catastrophic consequences for food, water and livelihood, we decide to take offence at Ranveer Singh’s unclad pictures. We are celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav but where do ”we” as a society actually stand in our 75th year of Independence ? It is time to panic. The natural environment, the biodiversity, the ecological systems that sustain all forms of life are collapsing. We face criss crossing crise...