Parakala - My Blog

Welcome to my website.

Here I offer perspectives on a wide range of topics - politics, economy, current affairs and life in general.

Can’t Your Employees Be Your Brand Ambassadors?

Businesses are single minded in their focus on conveying their brand promise to the market. They are intensely extrovert. They ought to be. Perhaps, even the best of efforts to reach out to the market also seem to fall short of some notional standard that lurks in the minds of the business leaders. The drive to reach out, therefore, increases. It ought to.

My Reading Corner

This is my little work corner at home. I read, write, think, reflect and sometimes just sit there quietly. I guess that I am only a little older than this table. Amma got it made a little after I was born.

Our First 100 Days

We were quiet. That’s what we were on the day we completed our 100 days in office. While we were quiet, our actions were loud. On the 16th of this month the government of Andhra Pradesh under the leadership of Sri Chandrababu Naidu completed 100 days in office.

Finance Commission and Telugu Signature

I was in Tirupati the other day. Our government met the 14th Finance Commission. Chief Minister Sri Chandrababu Naidu had made a compelling presentation to the Commission. He told the Commission that Andhra Pradesh needed to be treated on a completely different basis.

It’s Two Months!

It’s two months since I have taken over as the Advisor (Communications) to the Government of Andhra Pradesh. I have now an opportunity to use communications to contribute to the building of a new state. Almost from foundation. We are making an effort to make communications a tool for development.

Social Media is a Time Stealer

I have drastically cut down the time I spend on the social media these days. I was unsure whether I would lose much by distancing myself from Facebook and Twitter. But I took a chance.

I am Back!

It’s a pretty long time since I have been here. I got busy with a lot of professional commitments. Our company (RightFOLIO) was busy with a large pre-poll survey exercise. I was fully immersed in it, dealing with mounds of data that flowed continuously from the field. We had a challenging task of validating the data, verifying it, consolidating it, giving weightages and finally analyzing to arrive at our own forecasts. In addition, I had to also pay attention to the Skill Development Programme in the Northeast India of which we are a part.

This is My Charminar

I came to live in Hyderabad in 1992, a few months after I returned from the London School of Economics (LSE). Economic reforms have just been unveiled in India. Perhaps no other city adapted itself so fully and quickly to the liberalized and globalised phase of the Indian economy as did Hyderabad. Today you will find the icons of new economy dominating the landscape of the city. Interestingly, before that Hyderabad was quintessentially a command economy city like no other in India with a large number of public sector industries and government R&D establishments around its core. Before that it was a city that personified feudal-aristocratic ambience with an unequal mix of high culture and gruesome backwardness. Hyderabad thus has the uncanny ability to reflect and own the essence and drift of the political economy of India. In many ways it is a microcosm of our country.

Telangana Bill Passage: Historic Day or Murder of Democracy?

Discussion on NDTV’s Left Right & Centre Programme with Nidhi Razdan on the shameful way the Telangana Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha.

Response to a Rejoinder: Indecent Proceedings of Lok Sabha

In a rejoinder to my piece (TNIE Feb 20 ) N Venugopal chose to call my account about the indecent hurry in passing the Bill “as full of lies”. He chose to tell his readers that “at least 12 members spoke and 5 others submitted written representations on the Bill.” He wanted the readers to believe that he had the authority of the Lok Sabha website behind him.

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