1.1 India Since Independence

1. My vision of India in 2001 a.d. -1993
2. Whither Indian democracy? -1995
3. What we have not learnt during fifty years of independence. -1997
4. Why should we be proud of being Indians? -2000
5. What have we gained from our democratic set-up? -2001
6. How far has democracy in India delivered the goods? -2003
7. In the context of Gandhiji’s views on the matter, explore, on an evolutionary scale, the terms ‘Swadhinata’, ‘Swaraj’ and ‘Dharmarajya’. Critically comment on their contemporary relevance to Indian democracy -2012
8. Is the Colonial mentality hindering India’s Success? -2013
9. Dreams which should not let India sleep. -2015

1.2Federalism, Decentralization

1. The language problem in India: its past, present and prospects. -1998
2. Water resources should be under the control of the central government. -2004
3. Evaluation of panchayati raj system in India from the point of view of eradication of power to people. -2007
4. Creation of smaller states and the consequent administrative, economic and developmental implication -2011
5. Water disputes between States in federal India. -2016
6. Cooperative federalism : Myth or reality. -2016
7. Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India. -2017

1.3 Administration

1. Politics, bureaucracy and business – fatal triangle. -1994
2. Politics without ethics is a disaster. -1995
3. The VIP cult is a bane of Indian democracy -1996
4. Need for transparency in public administration -1996
5. The country’s need for a better disaster management system. -2000
6. How should a civil servant conduct himself? -2003

1.4 Judiciary

1. Judicial activism. -1997
2. Judicial activism and Indian democracy. -2004
3. Justice must reach the poor -2005
4. We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws. -2017

1.5 Poverty, Social Justice

1. Reservation, politics and empowerment. -1999
2. Food security for sustainable national development -2005
3. The focus of health care is increasingly getting skewed towards the ‘haves’ of our society. -2009
4. Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness. -2019
5. There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless -2020

1.6 Indian Society, Culture and Values

1. The Indian society at the crossroads. -1994
2. New cults and godmen: a threat to traditional religion -1996
3. The composite culture of India. -1998
4. Indian culture today: a myth or a reality? -2000
5. Modernism and our traditional socio-ethical values. -2000
6. Culture is what we are, civilization is what we have -2020
7. From traditional Indian philanthropy to the gates-buffet model-a natural progression or a paradigm shift? -2010
8. A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity. 2023

1.7 Media, TV & Cinema

1. The misinterpretation and misuse of freedom in India. -1998
2. Mass media and cultural invasion. -1999
3. Responsibility of media in a democracy. -2002
4. How has satellite television brought about cultural change in Indian mindsets? -2007
5. Role of media in good governance -2008
6. Does Indian cinema shape our popular culture or merely reflect it? -2011
7. Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy. -2019
8. Is sting operation an invasion on privacy? -2014

2.1 Growth vs Development

1. Economic growth without distributive justice is bound to breed violence. -1993
2. Resource management in the Indian context. -1999
3. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the wellbeing of a country-2013
4. Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country? -2014
5. Crisis faced in India – moral or economic. -2015
6. Can capitalism bring inclusive growth? -2015
7. Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality. -2016
8. Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare. -2016
9. Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms. -2016
10. Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere. -2018

2.2 Environment vs Development

1. Ecological considerations need not hamper development. -1993
2. Urbanization is a blessing in disguise. -1997
3. Protection of ecology and environment is essential for sustained economic development. -2006
4. Urbanisation and its hazards -2008
5. Should a moratorium be imposed on all fresh mining in tribal areas of the country? -2010
6. Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India. -2018
7. Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence.-2022

2.3 MNCs

1. Multinational corporations – saviours or saboteurs -1994
2. Globalization would finish small-scale industries in India. -2006
3. Special economic zone: boon or bane -2008
4. Is the criticism that the ‘Public-Private-Partnership’ (PPP) model for development is more of a bane than a boon in the Indian context, justified ?-2012

2.4 Sectors of Economy

1. BPO boom in India. -2007
2. Are our traditional handicrafts doomed to a slow death? -2009
3. Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India? -2014
4. Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India. -2017

3.1 Values in Education

1. Literacy is growing very fast, but there is no corresponding growth in education. -1996
2. Irrelevance of the classroom. -2001
3. Independent thinking should be encouraged right form the childhood. -2007
4. Is an egalitarian society possible by educating the masses ? -2008
5. What is real education? -2005
6. Are the standardized tests good measure of academic ability or progress? -2014
7. Is the growing level of competition good for the youth? -2014
8. Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil-2015
9. Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms. -2017
10. Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. 2023
11. Mathematics is the music of reason. 2023

3.2 Scheme implementation

1. Restructuring of Indian education system. -1995
2. “Education for all” campaign in India: myth or reality. -2006
3. Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness. -2019

3.3 Higher education

1. Privatization of higher education in India. -2002
2. Credit – based higher education system – status, opportunities and challenges -2011

4.1 Character, Honesty, Ethics

1. He would reigns within himself and folds his passions and desires and fears is more than a king. -1993
2. Attitude makes, habit makes character and character makes a man. -2007
3. With greater power comes greater responsibility. -2014
4. Words are sharper than the two-edged sword. -2014
5. Character of an institution is reflected in its leader. -2015
6. Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed. -2016
7. We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws. -2017
8. A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both. -2018
9. Customary morality cannot be a guide to modem file. -2018
10. Values are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be -2019
11. Best for an individual is not necessarily best for the society -2019
12. Courage to accept and dedication to improve are two keys to success -2019
13. Wisdom finds truth -2019
14. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication -2020
15. Ships don’t sink because of water around them ships sink because of water that gets into them -2020
16. Life is a long journey between human being and being humane.- 2020
17. Philosophy of wantlessness is Utopian, while materialism is a chimera. – 2021
18. Your perception of me is a reflection of you; my reaction to you is an awareness of me.- 2021
19. The real is rational and the rational is real. – 2021
20. History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce. – 2021
21. A ship in the harbour is safe but that is not what a ship is for. -2022
22. Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right. -2022
23. Not all who wander are lost. 2023

4.2 Knowledge

1. Disinterested intellectual curiosity is the lifeblood of civilisation. -1995
2. There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. -2003
3. ‘The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and values. -2018
4. A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. -2018
5. Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self.- 2020
6. Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. -2022
7. What is research, but a blind date with knowledge! – 2021
8. Visionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic. 2023

4.3 Compassion

1. Compassion is the basic of all morality of the world -1993
2. Be the change you want to see in others (Gandhi)-2013
3. Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole. -2015
4. Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. -2017
5. Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. – 2021
6. You cannot step twice in the same river. -2022
7. Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane. 2023

4.4 Truth and reality

1. When money speaks, the truth is silent. -1995
2. Truth is lived, not taught -1996
3. Search for truth can only be a spiritual problem. -2002
4. Reality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it. -2018

4.5 Youth, Discipline

1. Youth is a blunder, manhood a struggle, old age a regret -1994
2. Youth culture today. -1999
3. If youth knew, if age could. -2002
4. Discipline means success, anarchy means ruin -2008
5. Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India? -2014

4.6 Towards excellence

1. Useless life is an early death. -1994
2. Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds. -1995
3. The pursuit of excellence. -2001
4. The paths of glory lead but to the grave. -2002
5. Quick but steady wins the race. -2015
6. There are better practices to “best practices” – 2021
7. The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. -2022
8. Smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities. -2022
9. Thinking is like a game, it does not begin unless there is an opposite team. 2023

5.1 National Politics

1. The new emerging women power: the ground realities. -1995
2. Greater political power alone will not improve women’s plight. -1997
3. Women’s reservation bill would usher in empowerment for women in India. -2006

5.2 World / Quote type

1. If women ruled the world -2005
2. The hand that rocks the cradle -2005

5.3 Empowerment overall

1. Women empowerment: challenges and prospects. -1999
2. Empowerment alone cannot help our women. -2001
3. Whither women’s emancipation? -2004
4. If development is not engendered, it is endangered. -2016
5. Fulfilment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth. -2017
6. Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality. -2020

5.4 Compared to men

1. Men have failed: let women take over. -1993
2. Woman is god’s best creation. -1998
3. Managing work and home – is the Indian working woman getting a fair deal ?-2012
4. History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man. -2022
5. Girls are weighed down by restrictions, boys with demands – two equally harmful disciplines. 2023

6.1 Globalization

1. Modernisation and westernisation are not identical concepts. -1994
2. India’s contribution to world wisdom. -1998
3. The world of the twenty-first century. -1998
4. The implications of globalization for India. -2000
5. My vision of an ideal world order. -2001
6. The masks of new imperialism. -2003
7. As civilization advances culture declines. -2003
8. Globalizations and its impact on Indian culture. -2004
9. National identity and patriotism -2008
10. ‘globalization’ vs. ‘nationalism’ -2009
11. Geography may remain the same ; history need not. -2010
12. Preparedness of our society for India’s global leadership role. 2010
13. South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities. -2019

6.2 International Org./ Bilateral

1. The global order: political and economic -1993
2. Restructuring of UNO reflect present realities -1996
3. India’s role in promoting ASEAN co-operation. -2004
4. Importance of Indo-US nuclear agreement -2006
5. Has the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world ? -2017
6. Technology as the silent factor in international relations -2020

6.3 Security

1. True religion cannot be misused. -1997
2. Terrorism and world peace -2005
3. Is autonomy the best answer to combat balkanization? -2007
4. Are we a ‘soft’ state ? -2009
5. Good fences make good neighbours -2009
6. In the Indian context , both human intelligence and technical intelligence are crucial in combating terrorism -2011
7. Management of Indian border dispute is a complex task. -2018

7.1 Science and Religion

1. Spirituality and scientific temper. -2003
2. Science and Mysticism : Are they compatible ?-2012

7.2 Science and Education

1. Value-based science and education. -1999
2. The march of science and the erosion of human values. -2001
3. Modern technological education and human values. -2002

7.3 Computer and internet

1. Computer: the harbinger of silent revolution. -1993
2. The cyberworld: its charms and challenges. -2000
3. Increasing computerization would lead to the creation of a dehumanized society. -2006
4. Cyberspace and Internet : Blessing or curse to the human civilization in the long run -2016
5. ‘Social media’ is inherently a selfish medium. -2017
6. Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and upskilling. -2019
7. Technology as the silent factor in international relations. -2020

7.4 Sci-Tech: others

1. The modern doctor and his patients. -1997
2. The lure of space. -2004
3. Science and technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation-2013
4. Technology cannot replace manpower. -2015
5. The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced. – 2021