Dear Colleagues
The monsoon season is here, along with flooding, landslides and traffic jams; another round of random reflections in the meanwhile:
- Singapore Sling has become a famous cocktail around the world after it was created by a bartender in 1915 to camouflage an alcoholic drink as juice so that ladies from families of plantation owners in then Malaysia could also enjoy the bar in Raffles Hotel of that era. The tradition of eating peanuts with this cocktail and throwing shells on the floor continues in this elite hotel today, even though rest of Singapore is super clean!
- In every visit to Bhubaneshwar, one learns about (and sees advertisements) new post-secondary higher education institutions. It is estimated that nearly 300 plus such educational institutions, covering all possible fields of study, are now functioning in greater Bhubaneshwar area, with nearly 200000 students enrolled. A youthful & aspirational city!
- India’s first private railway station is in Bhopal. Former station here was called Habibganj because Prince Habibullah donated land and invested cash to support building of this station in 1920s. Renamed as Rani Kamlapati Railway station in 2021, the area has now become a busy shopping mall with eateries and bars swinging to the train’s whistles! Be careful if you try to catch a train here!
- As I write this, troubling news about deaths and destruction from Trishuli river basin of Nepal are flooding in. Immediate impacts are across the border between Nepal and China. Soon enough, rivers and dams across India borders with Nepal will be affected. Once again, climate impacts all countries, nationalities, races, religions and communities. Nature is reminding humans to value their inter-dependence amongst themselves!!
- Renowned ghazal singer Begum Akhtar was born in Faizabad and died in Lucknow. I visited her Mazar in Pasand Bagh, squeezing through old Lucknow's thin lanes. Standing next to her intricately designed tombstone in white marble, I could hear her melodious voice.
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.
