History is series of accidents Big events have no big causes! Marxists believe history has a pattern or lessons. Non-Marxists like Alan Taylor (who taught me history) thought history is a series of accidents. As Taylor had said many a time the first war was triggered because on the “fateful July 28 1914,all the six…
Author: V.Isvarmurti
Agriculture can’t grow in isolation!
We need to further remove the many controls on the agri sector Unless we become an open economy, there is not much chance for agri diversification! Indian agriculture is “not satisfactory’, says Sharad Pawar the agriculture minister. Why this state of affairs had come about? The minister of course can’t open his mouth! He might…
Some thoughts on the history of our times
History:a challenging social science! Reading history is one thing Writing history is another thing Should we,Indians, re-write our history? India’s need to re-write and also learn to re-interpret the world events of the 20th century and the likely shape of history in the 21st century is a challenge for intellectuals and educators. Eric Hobsbawm Eric…
Hugh Gaitskell : Labour Leader I admired most
When Democractic Socialism was at its best phase Under Gandhi’s influence we can say now that the rest of the nationalist movement was under an unclear mindset about our Independence. We were still made to believe in the benign rule of the British government. It was the emergence of Hitler, we in India too began…
Democracy and dynastic politics
Elected Prime Minister, limiting Prime Minister’s terms, establishing democratic norms in parties are critical for sustainable democratic traditions. UK and USA are taken to be the most perfect forms of democratic countries. In the world itself, now it is estimated that out of some 190 odd countries nearly 133 or so countries are democracies, however…
English country house defines rural England!
What defines rural India? An invitation from my English hostess is waiting for me to pay a visit to her country house in northern England of Cumberland country. This is very much near the Lake District made famous by Wordsworth. My hostess, Mrs.Dikcenson, had been our family friend ever since I was a student at…
Sharad Pawar violates Election code!
Served notice for election-eve promises! We request Sharad Pawar for some more promises! Sharad Pawar, the Union Agri Minister, is supposed to be a very competent politician. And yet he is held responsible by the Election Commission for violation of election code! The reason? He promised several helps to farmers after the assembly elections! What…
UN Human Development Report 2005
Economic development yes, but not enough social development. Hopes lie in new technologies. The UN Human Development Report 2005 puts India in the 127th rank out of some nearly 200 countries and credits India a success story in the globalising world. Poverty fallen to somewhere between 25 and 30 per cent from the early 36…