Dear Colleagues

This past month had three long weekends and four festivals in this part of the world; yet random reflections continue:

  1. Durga Puja and Dushehra festivities this year overlapped with Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday on October 2. Puja pandals and Ramlila grounds had less visitors this year since Dandiya Dance parties became popular all around the city. Ticketed entry and Punjabi songs kept the ‘believers’ busy! One nation, one dance!!
  2. The sprawling city of Kuala Lumpur (the capital of Malaysia), with nearly 9 million people (one-fourth of country’s population) does not have any pot holes on roads and even a piece of garbage visible to public eye. Everyone drives in their own lane, and traffic lights are strictly followed. Peaceful, calm city, where excellent tandoori chicken and naan is also readily available.
  3. On arrival at the city of Christchurch in New Zealand, waiting taxis mostly have Punjabi drivers, a familiar sight in many countries around the world. South Islands seem to have become the new favourite migration destination for Indians lately. Similar occupational patterns in Christchurch too. Punjabis drive taxis and manage liquor stores; Gujaratis run grocery stores!
  4. The ecological preservation of South Islands of New Zealand is one of the best in the world. Much of the land, forest and water bodies are governed and managed by indigenous Maori communities. Maori language is widely spoken by al other communities. In Maori worldview, a mountain and a river has an independent identity, like a body corporate!
  5. Unseasonal rains and widespread storms continue to damage agricultural produce around the country. Standing crops destroyed; flooding causing displacement of cattle and humans. This is followed by demands for compensation and aerial surveys of ministers. When will demand and actions for prevention occur?

Stay well, sincerely

Dr. Rajesh Tandon

 

 

About the Author

A Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, USA) and an electronics engineer (IIT, Kanpur) with a graduation in management (IIM, Calcutta), Dr Rajesh Tandon is an internationally acclaimed leader and practitioner of participatory research and development. His journey with PRIA started in 1982, as a young IIM graduate wanting to do more than just complete his PhD fieldwork.

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