It is the common narrative in India to blame the British for much, if not all, of our present ills. I remember going to my bank and striking up a conversation with a lady officer. She said plaintively that the British had exploited us for decades and owe their present wealth to what they had […]
Author Archives: nikhilmg
On Nation Building – Some Comments
Here are some remarks related to nation building that may give food for thought: For starters you might wish to go through an earlier blog of mine. Link is below. You can ignore most of the article and only read the last few paragraphs. Confucius’ succinct thoughts were implemented by the Chinese and this created […]
The Advantages Of Being Useless
I have been fascinated by Chinese philosophy ever since I read Lin Yu Tang and Bertrand Russell in my early twenties. The Chinese were isolated from Europe and the rest of the world for many centuries and thus they had to and did come up with independent responses to the challenges of human life. Theirs […]
Advice to all 20 Year Olds
Having survived and reached the age of almost 60 years (more by luck than by judgment and by the unfailing generosity of my family) I am in a good position to know what mistakes I made and what I would tell a 20 year old version of myself. The life lessons (not in any particular […]
I almost got my hand chopped off
In the 1990s, for various reasons, I wanted desperately to go and work in the Gulf countries. My career was not going too well in India and I was not enjoying my work. In addition, I had offended powerful people in Mumbai who wanted me out of the city. I had been diagnosed with a […]
What we can learn from Diogenes
Everybody knows who Diogenes was. There is a famous anecdote regarding him and Alexander the Great that is related in Plutarch’s Lives: … While Alexander stayed here many public ministers and philosophers came from all parts to visit him and congratulated him on his election, but contrary to his expectation, Diogenes of Sinope, who then […]
The Hijab Controversy – Some Comments
There are protests in India and in Iran over the wearing of Hijab. In today’s newspaper it was reported that there have been deaths of two young women in Iran since the protests broke out. Here is my view on this matter: I will start by saying that I have not lived in Iran or […]
Don’t Judge Scoundrels Harshly
I have admitted in various articles in my blog that I am cunning and devious and also tell lies and am not a man of my word. I don’t have integrity. I am also arrogant. I want – in this article – to make the case that people like me should not be dealt with […]
Do you have a philosophy of life?
What do I mean by a philosophy of life? I mean that out of all the things in life you might pursue what is the most valuable to you? Why is that important you may ask. Because if you lack a grand goal in living, you lack a coherent philosophy of life. Why is it […]
Some Comments on Affirmative Action
I would like to write an article on Affirmative Action in India. According to a Google search: Affirmative action is a policy initiative in which a person’s nationality, sex, religion, and caste are taken into account by a company or a government organisation to extend employment or education opportunities. (Sourced from – https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/affirmative-action ) I […]