6th December 2010
Two quick updates on FTI’s activities
Here are the slides that Shantanu presented in his recent IIT Chennai talk.
Talk @ IIT Chennai, Dec '10
View more presentations from B Shantanu.
And here's a video on FTI prepared by Raj Kumar:
Tag: Freedom Team of India
5th December 2010
A call to citizenship by Meera Sanyal
Meera Sanyal, as some of you know, contested the 2009 parliamentary election from the Mumbai South constituency. She has since joined and revitalised the Indian Liberal group which she now chairs. I have high expectations from her dynamic foray into governance reforms.
In her talk (Youtube video below), delivered at Pune on 10 October 2010, she speaks about her learnings from her 2009 electoral experience. I admire her determination to reconstruct the concept of citizenship in India. Please heed her call!
As part of that reconstruction of the conception of citizenship, I invite you to step forward to contest elections and lead India. FTI (http://freedomteam.in/) provides the best preparatory forum for this purpose – with focused solutions to India's many governance problems. While Meera Sanyal is a guest member of FTI and I'm in touch with her for some time, I trust she'll take a more active role in the future. It is crucial to work as a closely-knit team if we are to actually make a difference.
4th December 2010
The limits of social work in defeating corruption in India
Here is an extract from an application for membership to FTI by a committed warrior against corruption:
"After few years of engaging myself in social organizations, I realized that social work without political power is impotent and political power without a social vision is useless to the people. Having said that, I found that FTI is a committed group of like minded citizens poised towards creating that much needed mature and intellectual political environment to lead this country in the right path to development and people's well being. The task ahead of us is so daunting, that we cannot afford to imagine the journey as lone individuals or several small groups. Hence, I would like to associate myself with the team and learn more from the others thereby working towards the common goal."
I trust FTI will accept, with open arms, this highly seasoned anti-corruption warrior.
The journey ahead is long and difficult, but the people desperately want change. Let's unite and offer the necessary change to India. It is not too late to think of 2014 even now, if a sufficient number of leaders can be found.
I invite you to join or to otherwise support FTI by finding good leaders to lead India. FTI will succeed only to the extent each Indian is involved. This can't be a movement of a few. While it must have leaders, it must also have the active support of everyone in India.
The supply of leaders and demand for leaders must match.
2nd December 2010
If you are in Chennai, please attend this tomorrow
Shantanu Bhagwat of FTI is going to lead a discussion on Political Reform and Governance in India and provide a brief Introduction to FTI at IIT Chennai tomorrow (3 December Friday) from 5:00pm – 6:30pm.
Venue: Rm No. HSB 356, Humanities and Sciences Block (next to the Admn building; landmark is Gajendra Circle, around 2 kms from the IIT entrance), IIT Chennai.
Contact details and confirmations: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=168216926552343
I encourage everyone in Chennai to try to attend.
By now Shantanu has spoken on similar topics at IIT Delhi and IIT Guwahati. Details of his IIT Delhi talk are provided here.
Shantanu is a very cogent and logical speaker, and patient discussant. It is eminently worthwhile listening to him. So, if you are in Chennai, drop everything and rush to listen to Shantanu!