History is very powerful – not just conceptually – but emotionally, logically and politically. It hangs on the mind and shapes the mindset. We may even be getting influenced by it – even without realizing its power to shape us. Some might say we are scared of the ghosts! But ghosts are scary – isn’t [...]
Archive of posts tagged Contemporary India
Caste outside Hinduism
India is a land of complex mixing of traditions and cultures. Through its ever continuous evolution, it has developed local flavours of religions. It has adopted practices, assimilated traditions, and even transformed the religious practices that have emerged in foreign lands to the local situations and needs. One such social institution is that of caste. [...]
India and English Language
Many years ago, a well known editor and columnist had written that since he writes in english, speaks most of the time in english, most of his reading is english, and he even consequently thinks in english, therefore his mother tongue ought to be English! At that time, such statement sounded too arrogant and whimsical. [...]
The Concept of Swaraj
This essay was presented at the Essay Competition-cum-Young Scholars Seminar on Concept of Swaraj, held under auspeicies of Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), at Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya (University), Jabalpur, Feb 25-28, 1997. Concept of Swaraj © Anup Mukherjee Swaraje Namah : Salutation to the self ruling splendour – Atharva Veda The impelling urge for [...]
Teacher Watching
For Peter Drucker, teacher watching was a favourite hobby. Peter Drucker, as we know was himself a great Management Guru, and originator of the Concept of Corporation. However, I was recently faced with a situation of perforce teacher watching, and in a different situation. Yesterday, when I was going to Kolkata – at Durgapur a [...]
Finance and Profits
For some years now, I had wanted to read this book Finance and Profits by N.J. Yasaswy, but could mange only some extracts. By this time, this edition of the book that I have, is nearly 15 years old. So, I decided, that I should read it at least now. In the field of finance, [...]
Market Practices
This might sound a simple and small thing, but is quite symptomatic on how a free market mechanism punishes the bad trader, and at the same time how a a cartelised market is a bad place to shop. A week back I had gone to the vegetable market, and at one shop there was good [...]
Independence Day and Legacy of Mangal Pandey
India celebrated its 59th independence day today (58 years of independence). Some cynic would say, that the republic is already old and it should prepare for its retirement (as a republic, India is 55 something). More optimists would say that India has learned over the years, and the people and leadership and the republic as [...]
Initiation for the Probasi
“You are a Bihari, huh”? No! I protest, I am Mukherjee. “You are a Mukherjee!” – the man said with questioning disbelief and astonishment. “So where is your home?”. I say, I live at Asansol. “No-no”, he again protests – “where do you belong, where have you been brought up?”, he now asks with greater [...]
Asansol Film Festival and Amu
The film festival at Asansol is held around this time of the year. This comprises a handful of good films – English, Hindi, Bengali – that are shown over a week at the Rabindra Bhavan. This time we decided that we would go to watch a film. We decided on Amu that has been written, [...]
