29th August 2016
The aim of PITCH will be to get a common consensus on public issues and future ideas from like minded persons, in the form of a think tank and share them with the government and any relevant institution.
The Wikipedia explains a think tank as follows: A think tank or policy institute, research institute, etc. is an organization that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military,technology, and culture. Most policy institutes are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax exempt status. Other think tanks are funded by governments, advocacy groups, or businesses, or derive revenue from consulting or research work related to their projects.
Monday, 29 August 2016
Sunday, 28 August 2016
Why PITCH?
29th August 2016
PITCH is the shorter version of Private Initiative Think-tank for Change- a concept that came to my mind in the wee hours on the 9th May, 2016 soon after my trip to the USA. I felt very strongly that a true democracy could make strides only through private initiatives. I also imbibed this thought much earlier when I worked for the Government for 18 years- first two years in Government service and 16 years in a public sector bank. I still consider that period as my lost years. My interest in the private sector came first through my father who initiated me into the activities of the Forum of Free Enterprise in India.
We celebrated the 70th Independence Day on the 15th August 2016 and it was a day for introspection. What went wrong with our governance? Successive governments have failed to cleanse the system of its rot- the bureaucracy and the corruption associated with it. I was wondering if we went wrong because of a rotten caste system in this country. But then in what way could the caste system be blamed for all the rot that repeated governments have infused in the system. It was at this juncture that I remembered an article that I had read years back pertaining to India's freedom struggle days. Winston Churchill, in a speech at the Albert Hall on 18th March, 1931 six months before the Second Round Table Conference literally went to the extent of cursing India that her governance would be usurped by certain communities in the top rungs of the caste ladder. Churchill said, "Gandhi stands for the permanent exclusion of British trade from India. Gandhi stands for the substitution of Brahmin domination for British rule in India. You will never be able to come to terms with Gandhi." He further said," But that is not all. To abandon India to the rule of the Brahmins would be an act of cruel and wicked negligence. It would shame for ever those who bore its guilt. These Brahmins who mouth and patter the principles of Western Liberalism, and pose as philosophic and democratic politicians, are the same Brahmins who deny the primary rights of existence to nearly sixty millions of their own fellow countrymen whom they call 'untouchable', and whom they have by thousands of years of oppression actually taught to accept this sad position. They will not eat with these sixty millions, nor drink with them, nor treat them as human beings. They consider themselves contaminated even by their approach. And then in a moment they turn round and begin chopping logic with John Stuart Mill, or pleading the rights of man with Jean Jacques Rousseau."
In the bank that I worked we had recruitments done mainly for two streams of the caste system- one, for the "intelligent" Brahmins and two, for the persons coming from the reservation list as per the law of the land. For years together the bureaucracy and the political system at the centre and states has remained in the hands of the top most community. Was Winston Churchill correct in cursing free India?
I am not here to debate about this aspect anyway. I was just looking at avenues to open discussion among right minded citizens who believe in good governance by the government and PITCH will make periodically suggestions collectively as a group to the government. More modalities of the functioning of the Think-tank will be placed in this blog soon.
PITCH is the shorter version of Private Initiative Think-tank for Change- a concept that came to my mind in the wee hours on the 9th May, 2016 soon after my trip to the USA. I felt very strongly that a true democracy could make strides only through private initiatives. I also imbibed this thought much earlier when I worked for the Government for 18 years- first two years in Government service and 16 years in a public sector bank. I still consider that period as my lost years. My interest in the private sector came first through my father who initiated me into the activities of the Forum of Free Enterprise in India.
We celebrated the 70th Independence Day on the 15th August 2016 and it was a day for introspection. What went wrong with our governance? Successive governments have failed to cleanse the system of its rot- the bureaucracy and the corruption associated with it. I was wondering if we went wrong because of a rotten caste system in this country. But then in what way could the caste system be blamed for all the rot that repeated governments have infused in the system. It was at this juncture that I remembered an article that I had read years back pertaining to India's freedom struggle days. Winston Churchill, in a speech at the Albert Hall on 18th March, 1931 six months before the Second Round Table Conference literally went to the extent of cursing India that her governance would be usurped by certain communities in the top rungs of the caste ladder. Churchill said, "Gandhi stands for the permanent exclusion of British trade from India. Gandhi stands for the substitution of Brahmin domination for British rule in India. You will never be able to come to terms with Gandhi." He further said," But that is not all. To abandon India to the rule of the Brahmins would be an act of cruel and wicked negligence. It would shame for ever those who bore its guilt. These Brahmins who mouth and patter the principles of Western Liberalism, and pose as philosophic and democratic politicians, are the same Brahmins who deny the primary rights of existence to nearly sixty millions of their own fellow countrymen whom they call 'untouchable', and whom they have by thousands of years of oppression actually taught to accept this sad position. They will not eat with these sixty millions, nor drink with them, nor treat them as human beings. They consider themselves contaminated even by their approach. And then in a moment they turn round and begin chopping logic with John Stuart Mill, or pleading the rights of man with Jean Jacques Rousseau."
In the bank that I worked we had recruitments done mainly for two streams of the caste system- one, for the "intelligent" Brahmins and two, for the persons coming from the reservation list as per the law of the land. For years together the bureaucracy and the political system at the centre and states has remained in the hands of the top most community. Was Winston Churchill correct in cursing free India?
I am not here to debate about this aspect anyway. I was just looking at avenues to open discussion among right minded citizens who believe in good governance by the government and PITCH will make periodically suggestions collectively as a group to the government. More modalities of the functioning of the Think-tank will be placed in this blog soon.
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