Amb Sarvajit Chakravarti (retd)

Amb Sarvajit Chakravarti (retd)

About Amb Sarvajit Chakravarti (retd)

The author is a former Indian ambassador

More From Amb Sarvajit Chakravarti (retd)

Need to sensitise Indian Muslims to the knowledge economy

India has made school education free and compulsory for all and even provided additional privileges to minority and traditionally disadvantaged communities. However, the spread of education among the Muslim communities still lags behind the mainstream for a variety of reasons, mostly economic, regressive social practices, and an inadequately…

Once sought after by the world, Indian education is today lagging far behind

Digital Edtechs are now thriving by promising to do what appointed schoolteachers are supposed to do in exchange for their salaries. They come at a very high cost, affordable only to the relatively wealthy.

Climate change mitigation: Will world leaders rise to the occasion to save the planet?

What applies to India can also work for other nations. So one hopes that world leaders participating in COP27 will reach actionable decisions and obtain the funding already promised by the developed countries to make a serious start to creating a sustainable global environment and avoid further climate change within the next few decades.

Celebrating India's festival diversity: Festivals can enhance income, employment, mutual understanding

India annually celebrated major festival days of all faiths, but these festivities are largely confined to their believers. If those communities, however, were to become more open to secular participation on the principle that if faiths are for believers, associated festivities are for all to enjoy.

Defence production strategies: Indigenisation must be the watchword for Indian military planners

The Chinese leadership's exhortation to the PLA to improve its capability sufficiently to win local wars must be a wake-up call to India's military strategists and operations planners.

An agenda for BBIN countries: An idea whose time has come

The demonstrable success of BBIN cooperation may draw Sri Lanka and Maldives also into its ambit in the near future.  India's government and corporate sectors must work together to make BBIN cooperation a success to mutual advantage.

The 'Rashtra' that Hindus must seek to achieve

While a lot of good work has been done in this regard in the past seven decades, the accelerated access to education and services for the hitherto underprivileged  Hindus and tribals have in fact created vested interest in the perpetuation and expansion of the caste system for social, economic and political advantage.

Hijab controversy is a pointless exercise: Unshackle the feminine force instead

Whether a woman wears a dupatta wrapped over her head, a ghunghat, ghomta or hijab as an expression of fashion, custom or faith, they should be at perfect liberty to do so. It is part of their right to equality and freedom of expression. They should not be castigated but respected for making their choice, whether they be Hindus, Christians or…

A paean to Mahatma Gandhi and his inclusive philosophy

But for Gandhi, India's political destiny would have been vastly different and her moral stature vastly inferior.

Economic integration of South Asia: India must seize the day

India may consider quickly extending lines of credit to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on softer terms than IMF loans as we have enough forex reserves at present to cope with their small needs to prevent economic collapse. This will result in consolidation of South Asian economies around the Indian one and allow us as Big Brother to lift our smaller…