Seniors are Welcome !

We sometimes ignore or are blind-sided by events happening right beneath our collective noses. One such is the fact,perhaps little-known to many,that there is a Butterfly Park in Chandigarh,which is trying to lure butterflies to come and sample it's offerings. The Butterfly Park is in Sector 26, in the little side lane opposite Strawberry School,and is worth a visit, especially for those who sing the praises of foreign lands,while neglecting our very own hidden treasures. I remember mentioning this haven for butterflies in the popular reference for tourists, The TripAdvisor, which drew many surprised and delighted reactions.  Now comes the news in today's Economic Times that it is time that we think of  building a Butterfly Highway. Yes,you read it right,a highway for butterflies. In today's congested cities,with concrete jungles instead of green forests, butterflies  are finding it hard to find conducive surroundings to frolic and to do what butterflies do, which is ...

Bureaucracy  is by definition precedent-driven and rule-bound. Hence, by training and  as professionals, bureaucrats  develop life-long  expertise in being rule-bound and precedent-driven. Bureaucrats are sometimes unfairly criticized for these very qualities which are  pre-requisites for success in their profession. It is like blaming the horse for being obedient to the rules of riding. Yet Indian bureaucracy has learned to be innovative and go beyond these limitations to serve the common man. I have had the good fortune to have worked with forward-thinking senior bureaucrats and idealistic new entrants to the civil services who went the extra mile in ensuring that the common man benefitted  from their services. That is after all the very purpose of bureaucracy. As an ex-bureaucrat and a senior citizen, I have tried to balance these traits which have been inbuilt into my personality through these long years. Bureaucrats sometimes practise the art of obf...