Greetings to one and all! Inviting submissions for articles/posts on this blog from our lovely followers. Please drop a message through the 'Contact form' button at the bottom of this blog to submit your articles/posts, which will be published on this Blog. Looking forward to receiving your submissions! All the best ..read more

AFTER ABOUT A HALF HOUR OF TRAVELLING southwards from Kanchipuram towards Vandavasi, we reach Koolamandal, one of those typical nondescript villages. Once a flourishing hub of piety and prosperity sustained by a vibrant Sanatana society. Now unknown, uncared for…remembered only during elections. Koolamandal (its earlier name: Kulambandal) was one of the cynosures of the grand Chola Empire. Its formerly magnificent — and now restored Gangaikondacholeesvarar Temple was built by the formidable Rajendra Chola I in 983 CE under the guidance of his spiritual Guru, Ishana-Shiva Pandita. A mile-long ..read more

Smt. Kapila Vatsyayan wore many hats in the most efficient manner possible. She was an author, scholar, teacher, bureaucrat, researcher & institution builder par excellence.  She was a doyen of the study and revival of Indian Arts, Architecture and culture, also known as the grand matriarch of cultural research.  This book is compilation of her lectures which commented on the administrative structures of India, its pros and cons. Multiple piercing questions grace this book along with holistic solutions. EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK: 1. ‘Plurality and diversity demand organizational ..read more

 The bureaucrats in India are called "Babu" in Hindi which also means father in the same language. They enjoy a father-like status across the country since the colonial era. In the independent India, they are credited with holding back the Indian economy for more than four decades by curtailing the entrepreneurial spirit of many Indians. In fact India has been performing very poor until recently when it comes to economic freedom. People do enjoy the freedom to speak but not to start their own business. Politicians come and go after five years or so with few exceptions but a "Babu" retires ..read more

 A seasoned industry leader explains how India was and remains a hostile environment for manufacturing. Due to onerous regulations, entrenched corruption, feudal bureaucrats and venal politicians, India has failed to industrialize in contrast to China. udit Jain is a third-generation entrepreneur and a manufacturer of industrial chemicals in India. He discusses the causes of India’s unnecessarily sluggish manufacturing growth with Fair Observer’s Editor-in-Chief, Atul Singh. The British ran India with a colonial bureaucracy designed to extract wealth, not to create it. When Indi ..read more

 The merging of the Amar Jawan Jyoti at Delhi’s British-built India Gate with the Eternal Flame at the recently constructed National War Memorial a few hundred metres away has generated a loud debate on the legacy of colonial rule. There is nothing wrong with revisiting legacies; no nation can be forever a prisoner of its history. The one legacy of the British Raj which continues to have a hugely consequential say on India’s present and future is the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), which underwent a change in name (from Indian Civil Service/ICS to IAS) post-Independence but little ch ..read more

  It may make sense to divide the IAS into different streams: administration, policy and regulation. The merging of the Amar Jawan Jyoti at Delhi’s British-built India Gate with the Eternal Flame at the recently constructed National War Memorial a few hundred metres away has generated a loud debate on the legacy of colonial rule. There is nothing wrong in revisiting legacies; no nation can be forever a prisoner of its history. The one legacy of the British Raj which continues to have a hugely consequential say on India’s present and future is the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), whic ..read more

 Abstract: This article examines the diffusion of meritocratic practices as a potential instance of policy transfer by scrutinizing the introduction of open and competitive examinations during the mid-nineteenth century in the British Civil Service. Scholars have argued that British reformers were inspired by meritocratic practices in British-ruled India. In order to assess this claim, we combine qualitative analysis of archival material documenting the interdepartmental debates on meritocratic reforms in the British Home Civil Service as well as in the Indian Civil Service with quantitat ..read more

 India’s colonial past continues to cast a long shadow over many aspects of its society and institutions. One area where this influence remains particularly pronounced is the bureaucracy. The bureaucratic system in India, inherited from British colonial rule, reflects deep-rooted structures and practices that have persisted over time. This article explores the prevalence of colonial influence in India’s bureaucracy, delving into its historical origins, examining its impact on governance and administration, and discussing the need for reforms to ensure a more inclusive and efficient bureau ..read more

 FROM THE MAURYAN PERIOD onwards, we had entire villages made up of a single guild and these guild-villages were given royal protection through a regulation: no guilds other than local cooperative guilds shall find entrance into such villages. For a protracted period of our history, we have ample evidence showing how, in many kingdoms, some guild-villages were so wealthy that they lent money to the King himself in times of need. Community Service by Guilds In fact, guilds and corporations played a central role in executing what are today known as community projects, and they took this ro ..read more