8th Edition of Young Thinkers Meet at Bhubaneswar, Orissa

The annual meet organised by the prestigious India Foundation, was held in Orissa this time. I had the honour of taking part in a scintillating session on 'Unease of Liberals With Indian National Identity' with co-panelists Shubhrastha and Anand Ranganathan. Here are some snapshots:

An engaging discussion with young medicos in Karnal

Shared my thoughts with members of National Medicos Organisation in Karnal, Haryana.
Here are some snapshots:

Seminar in Dubai on Democracy & Governance

Seminar: 'Delivering Democracy & Governance'

Spoke on how technology is being used to impact marginalised

With Prafulla Ketkarji and VK Malhotraji

Seminar organised by CGI, Dubai & ICCR

Participants included Emirati businessmen, professionals and expats

At BJP National Council Meeting in New Delhi

For those of us who feel a deep innate allegiance to the ideals of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the national council meeting held from January 11-12 in New Delhi was a special occasion. It was a time to meet like-minded colleagues, interact with senior leaders and to feel proud of the great family that we are - not united by family lineages but by ideals.
Here are some snapshots from the event.   

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Yuva Kumbh preparations

In the run-up to Yuva Kumbh in Lucknow, several meetings were held with various sections of society to ensure responsive participation and representation of all views. Here are the snapshots from one such meeting at Noida which was graced by Shri Sunil Ambekar ji, National Organising Secretary of ABVP.

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Moments from Shabd Utsav at New Delhi World Book Fair: Session on 'Indian Perspective and Politics'

Among the star attractions at the New Delhi World Book Fair this year was Shabd Utsav. Under this special initiative a series of discussions were held with writers and intellectuals on contemporary issues. The guest list for Shabd Utsav included an eclectic mix of thinkers like, former MP Tarun Vijay, former governor OP Gupta, former minister Dr Sanjay Mahavir Ram Paswan and Professor Rajkumar Falwariya, among others.

I had the privilege to moderate one of the sessions at this discussion forum. The subject of our session was 'Indian Perspective and Politics'. The speakers at this session were senior journalist and political analyst of India Today Uday Mahurkar, Indology Chair BHU Professor Rakesh Upadhyay and DU professor Dr Sangit Ragi. The speakers made some pertinent observations about a wide spectrum of related issues. Shri Uday Mahurkar talked about complete cultural revival and unconditional patriotism. He also spoke at length about the roadblocks in Indian politics. Dr Ragi talked about the need for Indianess in Indian politics and moving from western institutional format centered on individual to Indian institutional formal centred on duties. Shri Rakesh Upadhyay took the discussion through the origins and meaning of 'Bharat'. He said that comparison of a prosperous India to a 'golden bird' is not a figment of someone's imagination but a historic truth. 
Here are some snapshots of the event.

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Glimpses from my US Visit in October-November 2018

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