Events

A discussion with Rajya Sabha MP, economist and educationist, Dr Narendra Jadhav, Trustee, PIC, on his new book ‘Future of the Indian Education System: National Education Policy 2020’ was chaired by Mr. Pratap Pawar, Trustee, PIC.

Mr. Jadhav presented a historical overview and evolution of the National Education Policy (NEP), from the days of the Kothari Commission in 1948 and the contribution of Mr. JP Naik, who was secretary of the Commission.

He highlighted some of the positive inclusions in the NEP 2020, specifically the integration of the concept of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in the policy. He also emphasised that it was a relief that the NEP 2020, did not dilute the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which was hard-won legislation. Dr Jadhav concluded by noting that the need for Education 4.0 (digitalisation of education and pedagogical methods) had been intensified by the ongoing pandemic, and that this should be something to be integrated into the NEP to make it more robust. Dr Jadhav noted that the policy needed an action plan, a specific roadmap for increased spending and a revised plan for implementation in view of the ‘new normal’ brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Fourth Dileep Padgaonkar Memorial Lecture was delivered by Mr. Karan Thapar, President, Infotainment Television Private Limited, on 25th November. This programme, conducted in association with the Symbiosis International University (SIU), was co-chaired by Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, President, PIC and Dr. S. B. Mujumdar, Founder and President, Symbiosis Society and Trustee, PIC.

The Dileep Padgaonkar Memorial Lecture is held each year in association with Symbiosis International University (SIU) where Dr. Padgaonkar was Chair Professor, to honour his legacy in furthering credible journalism.

Mr. Thapar spoke of how ‘news’ and ‘views’ had become increasingly mixed-up over the past decade. Television news, he explained, is by definition of an immediate nature. Further, in the competition to be heard and/or seen first, TV news has an inherent tendency to be (unnecessarily) sensational which leads to unintended distortions and imperfect interpretations. A limitation of televised news, he explained, was ignoring what does not get recorded, leading to a de-contextualised comprehension of certain situations.

Media itself, he stated, had become more judgemental, failing to speak or report the truth. He noted that television and print journalism needs to address these issues by providing context, analysis, specialised reporting, and a greater focus on current affairs and brevity of reporting. While the media has enthusiasm and the capability, it has of late failed to reflect the same, and not used the wisdom that should come with its age.

The latest edition of ‘PIC Adda’ was addressed by Mr. Avinash Dharmadhikari, Founder Director, Chanakya Mandal Parivar on 21st November. The session was moderated by Mr. Abhay Vaidya, Associate Director, PIC. Mr. Dharmadhikari spoke of how he was introduced to Swami Vivekananda and his work from his student days at Jnana Prabodhini in Pune.

He spoke of how his learning of Swami Vivekananda’s teaching has continued throughout his career in the civil services, and even now while imparting educational services through the Chanakya Mandal. Mr Dharmadhikari spoke of Swami Vivekananda’s historic address at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, 1893.

Mr. Dharmadhikari highlighted that while many aspects of Swamiji’s teachings seemed to encourage rebellion, it was productive, intellectual rebellion and not destructive rebellion. He also emphasised that the Indian concept of ‘unity in diversity’ comes from Swamiji’s teachings which encourage the cultivation of the ability to see ‘ekatvam’ in ‘anekata’. He also noted that despite being a sanyasi, Swami ji encouraged the youth and those that came to him for advice to develop strength – physical, mental, and spiritual – and advocated doing so not merely through the study of scriptures but rather through following of their passions and productively attaining their real-world goals through cooperation and collective endeavour.

The Energy, Environment and Climate Change (EECC) Climate Economics Round Table on ‘Inter-Relationship between Economic Performance and Environmental Stability’, convened by Prof Amitav Mallik (PIC Trustee, EECC Head), was organized on 20th October.

Prof Amitav Mallik gave the introductory remarks on the importance of Climate Economics and how, thanks to technology and innovations, we can now simultaneously combine Sustained Economic Progress and Reducing Climate Risks. He elaborated on environmental damages in the current system and concluded that the best economic practices for the future will have to be climate resilient, sustainable and equitable; because if it is not done the price to pay is very large.

The round table saw insightful talks by Dr Anupam Saraph (Future Designer and Environmentalist) on Systems Approach, Dr Priyadarshini Karve (Director, Samuchit Envirotech and Convener, INECC) on Renewable Energy Transition, Dr Ishita Ghoshal (Assistant Professor, Fergusson College) on economics of lifestyle changes and Dr Gurudas  Nulkar (Professor, Symbiosis Centre for Management and Trustee, Ecological Society) on Ecological Restoration and Climate Change impacts.

Dr Karve spoke about renewable energy transition for all and emphasized that we can go 100% renewable even now with existing technologies in the next few decades. However it is in our hands as citizens to vote for only renewable energy policy for this to happen. Dr Ghoshal discussed energy consumption and said it has negative impacts on GDP growth when it comes to developing in a transition economy as opposed to positive impacts in developed economies. Hence, we need to target over-consumption and ensure utilizing green and renewable energy products.

Dr Nulkar focused on sustainable development and the need to achieve it by improving quality of life, creating equitable material conditions, frugal use of natural resources and minimizing waste generation. Primarily, maintaining earth’s capacity to maintain life. Dr Saraph spoke of the importance of systems-thinking approach while planning economic development because our well-being depends on the environment we live in.

The session was well attended. Prof Mallik and Dr Vijay Kelkar (Vice-President, PIC) gave the concluding and closing remarks.

The second edition of the Ambassador Speaks series featured His Excellency Mr. Shin Bongkil, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to India, who delivered a lecture on ‘From Friendship to Special Strategic Partnership: What India and Korea Mean to Each Other’. Ambassador Shin was welcomed by Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, President (PIC). Ambassador Sudhir Devare, Member, PIC chaired the session.

Mr. Shin noted that Pune held a special place in Korea-India relations as it is home to at least a 100 Korean companies. He highlighted the deepening of Korea-India ties after there was a shift in foreign policy post the election of President Moon Jae-in in 2017. He mentioned that this was evinced by the state visits of President Moon to India in 2018, and of Prime Minister Modi to Korea in 2019. He stated that Korea and India’s relationship has made remarkable progress as trade, investment cooperation, and cultural exchanges have increased over the past few years. Emphasising that China losing its competitive cost factor edge had prompted Korean companies to look elsewhere for a market, India had emerged as the most desirable partner in the Indo-Pacific region. Citing India not only as an important manufacturing partner for several Korean companies, Mr. Shin added that India has remained the most viable market for several Korean products, such as Hyundai and Samsung to name a few.

He noted that the New Southern Policy of President Moon Jae-in elevated India’s status to that of a strategic partner, as Korea sought to finally build a foreign policy initiative to include a country other than its traditional four partners (US, China, Russia, and Japan). Given the security concerns in the region, he noted that the focus on growing the Korea-India partnership to include, peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific was a natural step forward. He also touched upon the historical-cultural relations between Korea and India, which are visible today in the number of Buddhist pilgrims from Korea that visit India.

Mr Shin also highlighted the continuing evolution of the cultural dynamic between Korea and India by mentioning the growing popularity of K-pop and K-drama among Indian youth. In conclusion, he highlighted that Korea and India’s mutual interests and respective strengths would help the relationship grow over the coming years to achieve both economic prosperity and peace and security in the region.

Webinar: “Challenges to Indian Federalism”

Date: 7th November (Saturday)

Time: 5.00 pm – 6.00 pm

Speaker: Dr. Rathin Roy

Chairperson: Prof. Abhay Pethe

Webinar link:

A discussion on the book “The Extraordinary Epoch of Nanasaheb Peshwa” was held with the author Dr. Uday Kulkarni in conversation with Mr. Amit Paranjape, Member, Pune International Centre and co-Founder (Pune Tech & ReliScore).

Dr. Uday Kulkarni said that while his books may seem like they are on Maratha history exclusively, there was hardly any part of India that did not feel the influence of the Maratha empire in that era. Additionally, while the books he has written are biographical in nature, they endeavour to cover the holistic environment of their specific periods.

He said that his effort was to moderate between a sympathetic view of Nanasaheb Peshwa, and an unbiased analysis of Nanasaheb as a ruler. He highlighted the revolutionary period during which this Peshwa found himself at the helm of affairs of the Maratha Empire, amidst the defining Anglo-French rivalry of that period. Amit Paranjape engaged the author in a lively discussion which also saw many questions from the audience.

A discussion on the book “The Extraordinary Epoch of Nanasaheb Peshwa” was held with the author Dr. Uday Kulkarni in conversation with Mr. Amit Paranjape, Member, Pune International Centre and co-Founder (Pune Tech & ReliScore).

Dr. Uday Kulkarni said that while his books may seem like they are on Maratha history exclusively, there was hardly any part of India that did not feel the influence of the Maratha empire in that era. Additionally, while the books he has written are biographical in nature, they endeavour to cover the holistic environment of their specific periods.

He said that his effort was to moderate between a sympathetic view of Nanasaheb Peshwa, and an unbiased analysis of Nanasaheb as a ruler. He highlighted the revolutionary period during which this Peshwa found himself at the helm of affairs of the Maratha Empire, amidst the defining Anglo-French rivalry of that period. Amit Paranjape engaged the author in a lively discussion which also saw many questions from the audience.

The month of October kicked off with a webinar on “Pune’s War against Covid-19: Civil Society Perspectives”. This webinar saw the participation of eminent panellists and civil society members, namely, Mr. Sudhir Mehta (Coordinator, Pune Platform for Covid-19 Response) and the newly-elected president of Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MCCIA); Mr. Mahesh Zagade (former Principal Secretary, Government of Maharashtra), Ms. Anuradha Mascarenhas (Senior Editor, Indian Express), and Air Marshal Bhushan Gokhale (Retd), Trustee, Pune International Centre.

The speakers came together to discuss the initiatives and measures undertaken to tackle the situation with regard to Covid-19 in Pune. The webinar was chaired by Mr. Prabhakar Karandikar (former Divisional Commissioner of Pune, and Trustee, Pune International Centre).

Among the panellists, Mr. Sudhir Mehta provided an overview of the ongoing situation in terms of case load, recovery, and fatality rates with regard to Covid-19 in Pune. While he was optimistic on the count of all figures steadily declining over time since the onset of the pandemic, he did emphasise that a lot more work was required, especially on the part of civil society – with the need for all citizens showing responsibility and following guidelines.

Air Marshal Gokhale spoke of the many technological innovations that have been spurred by the pandemic, which need to be more widely adapted as we go ahead while dealing with Covid-19. He highlighted that there have also been initiatives of various civil society organisations to contribute to other aspects of life impacted by the pandemic, especially education – where certain organisations are reaching out to provide underprivileged children in schools with laptops or devices, to be able to access online education.

Mr. Zagade lauded the civil society initiatives that Mr. Mehta and Air Marshal Gokhale highlighted, and said that it was initially expected that Pune would be able to better handle Covid-19 given its experience with dealing with Swine Flu hardly 9 years ago. He mentioned that preparation and social engagement between administration and civil society was almost nil. As a result, there was a significant communication disconnect between governing authorities and citizens, and this was a potential missing element that led to the ballooning of cases – leading to Covid-19 becoming an example of a disaster in management and prevention.

Ms. Mascarenhas noted that it was private hospitals more than government establishments that truly contributed to the war effort on Covid-19, which was corroborated from their on-ground reporting. She highlighted how her reporting as a journalist had to focus on the gender perspective and economic inequalities, to show how disproportionately the pandemic had impacted various sections of society.

While the panellists agreed that there was much to be done in the continuing fight against Covid-19, they expressed optimism on the willingness of the citizenry to tackle the pandemic head-on. Issues such as data collection and reporting, including reliability and credibility of data were highlighted as issues that needed to be addressed immediately, especially given the increased movement of people post the ‘unlock’ phases.

The panellists addressed other questions from the audience, and the event concluded on the positive note that although much remained to be done there were certainly signs of the situation gradually improving.