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RWAs! Beware of Politics and Avoid Controversies
I. RWA Governance is a Real Opportunity for Radical Direct Democracy Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), formed as Colony Welfare Associations, Apartment Resident Welfare Associations, Cooperative Housing Societies, and Gated Communities, practice direct participatory governance and cannot afford to get involved in or be absorbed by partisan politics. First, they govern by managing relationships among diverse members living together; second, they influence governance at local and higher levels and interact with e…
Participatory Universal Social Security System for all: When and How?
Rao V.B.J. Chelikani For much of history, many Indians, like populations elsewhere, lived under conditions of material precariousness, fear, uncertainty, and insecurity about life and wellbeing, though these preoccupations varied across regions and periods and included phases of prosperity and social stability. This has led them to believe in a philosophy of life, which we can call a Povertarian philosophy, adopting a twisted version of the Karma theory to justify fatalism that accepts whatever happens to them or to others in society as a pred…
Human Rights Education
Rao V.B.J. Chelikani Human Rights are not limited to protection against violations by the State; above all, they encompass the rights of others that each individual is morally and socially obligated to promote and respect of all human beings, both near and far. Effective promotion of Human Rights, therefore, requires continuous self-education as well as the education of others in the society. In the whole globalised world, not merely in individual nations, the human beings are currently experiencing profound social turbulence, political viol…
Indians Abroad
Dr Rao VBJ Chelikani Recently, in Indian Parliament, the Administration disclosed that approximately 10,152 Indian nationals are currently imprisoned abroad, mostly in Gulf countries, as of March 2025. It is important to note that this figure includes only Indian passport holders in a few countries and reflects those cases officially reported to Indian embassies. The actual numbers may be still higher. During a UN assignment in Singapore in the 1990s, I had the opportunity to visit several correctional facilities. My personal impression b…
Claiming Participatory Democracy in India: From Political Capture to Citizen Empowerment
I. Political Capture and the Erosion of Democratic Spirit In a democracy, theoretically, power belongs to the people. But in India, as in many other developing countries, after independence a class of politicians has emerged to capture and usurp political power, dominating the governance of the entire society. Formed into political parties, they are not empowering citizens but, on the contrary, spreading a political culture that distances power relations from human and social relations. As a strategy, they are diverting the attention of citiz…
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