Anagha Speaks

Today I plan to take a brave step and hope to begin writing about some of the larger issues, concerns, debates and opinions on India and her policies and I thought the blog is now ready to move away from only the Pune centric issues and graduate to express my thoughts on India. I hope you will enjoy and continue reading. A recent Harvard Business Review article suggests that "India fails because it repeats its mistakes". India, which was, at the beginning of this century, a focal point for the entire world, suddenly seems to have lost its sheen. When the entire world was looking towards India, and wanted it to succeed, 'our train' derailed and missed the point where we were all traveling. Numerous studies, articles, theories and debates have emerged on this single most, yet the most pressing issue for India and the world. In Shashi Tharoor's words, the World wants India to succeed and that was very evident in the early 2000s when India seemed to embr...

The Bhusari Colony Bus Depot Junction on Paud Road where the Subway Pedestrian Crossing is proposed. I am confronted with a dilemma since last week. A subway proposal has been proposed for the Kothrud Bus Depot junction on Paud Road and I have been asked to comment on its design! Keeping in character of not staying within my scope, I have started raking up too many unasked and unanswered questions. And why not? After all, it is my hard earned tax money that will end up in making this subway. On the face of it, the subway proposal is a great political project - its gives visibility, it is in tune with the principles of sustainability, it promotes safe pedestrian movement and hence indirectly promotes walkability in a city; it represents social equity and it targets the heart of voters by making road crossing safe for school children (and hence woos mothers) and senior citizens. Pedestrian choose to cross taking risks despite presence of a pedestrian crossing bridge ....