Elections have been a symbol of hope. They have symbolized the power of the common man to choose a representative. The have symbolized the power of public opinion to influence democracy. Democracy has aspired to protect the planetary, national, and public interest. Yet, increasingly, there is a despondency about elections…

As millions across the world recognize the climate crisis, increasing numbers are acting with the recognition that our planet is on fire. They recognize that in an emergency, you act to save your house, not decorate your room. …

The older we get, the more we notice failures. Usually we may notice failures simply because they have kept mounting up all around us that there is nowhere to look without seeing them. Sometimes we see our own failures in the pile of failures around us because they no longer…

“Politics is the art of focusing the concerns of the masses to serve the interests of the politician” he asserted. He had just returned Orwell’s Animal Farm back to the library after reading it four times over. Orwell’s Animal Farm is a satiric fable where overworked, mistreated animals in a…

Let’s collect the best ingredients from the kitchen and put them together. We wouldn’t have the best recipe, would we? We wouldn’t even have something edible. What makes something edible is not the individual ingredients but the recipe. What makes a good recipe is not the ingredients but the result…

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs declared Pune as the most liveable among 111 cities in terms of “liveability” in the Ease of Living Index 2018. Liveability according to the Ministry’s study depends on governance, identity and culture, health, safety and security, economy and employment, public open spaces, mixed…

From 1850, wind pumping allowed the growth of settlement in the west of the United States. It tapped the abundant wind energy to alleviate water scarcity by exploiting ground water. The west seemed wetter than usual, leading to unrealistic expectations of land productivity. The amount of land required to support…

Last week most of urban Maharashtra experienced heavy floods. More than 2 lakh people had to be evacuated as floods entered their houses. Several people lost their lives. Most cities had heavy waterlogging. Roads were shut because they were flooded. The rivers flowed over many bridges. Communication channels broke down…

The climate crisis threatens to increase global temperatures beyond 1.5 degrees globally… Increasingly we move from water abundance to water stress and from water stress to water scarcity, as our open “wastelands” and forests transform to congested and continuous settlements, as increasingly smaller percentage of people hold increasingly larger portions…