Samanvaya News Room

Recently I was asked by a govt. agency in Tamil Nadu to participate in a short introductory meeting on how to promote a #CircularEconomy idea within the state, what forms of systems and policies needs to be put in place.  In the meeting I realized that the basic challenge is with achieving a common understanding and ensuring that people agree on what is pragmatic approach to take within the typical govt. implementation challenges.  Normally i will send such notes to govt. with a prayer and forget it. but this time was different. i have been teaching Circular Economy as part of diverse alternate economies that have emerged across the world to the current global capitalist model. i profile 12 such models and look at their pros and cons based on available material. This I have built over a period of time as part of the Introductory Course on Green Economy that I offer to colleges and universities. What i put together as  a quick note to the govt. is basically expand one part of the classr

 

As a Nation and Society since last year, the Pandemic has given us many lessons. While the Healthcare professionals have come much into the limelight thanks to media houses and social media that has highlighted their work in great detail, the civil society that responds to every challenge represents the will of the ordinary people who are willing to step out and do extra ordinary work. Voluntary work that ordinary citizens often initiate without worrying about the nature of the challenges or their agreement or dis-agreement as its causes, who is responsible or what may be the consequences.   This year we bring to the focus one such individual, Mr. Thilak Raj. He has been at the forefront of supporting the migrants returning back to their native places here in Chennai, facilitating their long arduous journey last year, by organizing a support system. This was the  first phase of the pandemic. The second phase saw Thilak reach out to those who were struggling to find hospit

USA has just gone through a serious political crisis and it is not over as yet. While they may have a new Government as you read this today, the politics in recent weeks has left many across the world shocked. And yet, America inspires hope in several ways. In the middle of the worst pandemic in which 25 million Americans have been affected, several stories of neighbourhoods, people helping each other and generosity has come up. In the midst of a political crisis, the voices of sanity, of peace and non-violence has sprung up. In the middle of last year's major protests during the Black Lives Matter movement, several new ideas, questions, challenges were posed by the country and its citizens to itself and many have transpired into policies and initiatives and perhaps the most diverse colored government takes oath today as that country tries to eclipse the diverse power centres that visibly held sway for some years. It was in this context that I interviewed Ms. Ania Wright , an you

Prof. Samdong Rinpoche has been one of the leading wise voices for the planet for a long time. It was a surprise to receive a note of New Year wishes from him that is timely and emphasizing the needs of the world currently.  Happy to share the same herewith.    Note: All emphasis in the text is mine and not part of his message. - Ram, 02/01/2020

  Samanvaya Team wishes everyone a healthy, peaceful and powerful 2021. Let all honest, peaceful and ethical forces across the world gain strength and power this year and let the forces that weaken the planet, that reduce our being human and which contributes to distrust and divisiveness amongst people and animals be removed from the collective human conscience and action. The end of the year 7 hour long reflective online exercise was wonderful with a combination of insights, experience sharing and a great amount of warmth and honesty.  Here is the video for the same in case you have missed it.