Observations, Thoughts and Stories as they form in the mind! Book Reviews, Art, Travelogue, Economy and Society
I reflect on one of the markers of race, ethnicity, country of origin, culture and much else that became obvious in the 2000s and after, Dress or Clothes. Did it ever strike you that the clothes you wear could convey something?
In anticipation of the publication of our book ‘Women Entrepreneurs in the Indian Middle Class: Interdisciplicary Perspectives’ @OrientBlackSwan, I reblog a talk on innovation and entrepreneurship. According to Schumpeter, only innovation entrepreneurs are real entrepreneurs as they create a disequilibrium force. We argue in our book that there could be other reasons for entrepreneurship, especially among women. The economist’s definition of an entrepreneur as risk-taking, innovators looking for an opportunity, or that of the psychologist as high achievers may not suit most of these entrepreneurs. A key take away from the book was that “entrepreneurship can result from necessity as well as opportunity and women entrepreneurs pursue goals beyond economic gains”. Women’s decision to become an entrepreneur can be precipitated by both push and pull factors. It is not just ‘profit’ and attaining ‘scale’ that motivates a woman entrepreneur.
India currently faces a massive challenge of slowdown in growth and high levels of unemployment among youth, especially among the educated urban population. The formal labour market in India is saturated, unable to absorb the ever-increasing number of the labour force. Therefore, the role of small-medium enterprises in creating employment opportunities is vital for economic prosperity and social stability. Entrepreneurship is a crucial mode for utilizing youth power and generating employment that will in turn contribute to the economy’s growth and development, especially for those who aspire to be owners and employers rather than employees. Understanding the motivation and constraints faced by entrepreneurs is critical for designing and formulating appropriate policy initiatives. Encouragement of the ‘enterprise spirit’ or ‘animal spirit’ among young people is a precondition for success in employment, growth, competitiveness and innovation.
I base this brief talk[1] on our book…
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Arun Maira, Author and Thought Leader, Former Member, Planning Commission and Former Chairman, Boston Consulting Group India, in conversation with Jeemol Unni on a new paradigm for development.
Happy Independence Day! Cheers, looks like Spaceship 502 has landed! Here we are, back on campus after nearly a year and a half. Tired of travelling on a Spaceship, in confined space with few co-passengers! Well, our Spaceship has landed on Earth 2.0. Or have we landed yet?
The Beautiful and much Maligned Helen of Troy!
India is jumping for joy after winning an Olympic Bronze in the Men's Hockey, Tokyo 2020. Hurrah for the Indian Men's Hockey team that ended the 40 year drought in Olympics since 1980. Last time the Men's Hockey Team won the GOLD in the Moscow Olympics, 1980. A shout out to the Women's Hockey Team that entered the Olympic Semi-finals, a first ever!
The world has moved from ‘using one’s head’ to the ‘internet of thing’ (IOT). Children today wonder what their parents did without all these devices. Well, you ‘used your head’!
Educated women of the upper middle class, who have made it to the higher echelons of their profession, live in a bubble. They believe that most women who make the right choices at the right time, with a little luck can make it too. After all, men require education, good choices and luck too. But women who behave in an authoritative way are seen as insufferable prima donnas. This assertive, aggressive, ‘insufferable’ woman was what Shakespeare termed the ‘Shrew’ and made famous in his play ‘Taming of the Shrew’.
We had heard exciting news that morning. Branson and BEzos were planning space flight. But were we not already the peioneers in space?
I review the story of little known Jocasta, mother and wife of Oedipus, in Netalie Haynes book, Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths.
Klara and the sun is the latest (2021) science fiction novel by Kazuo Ishiguro who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017. Klara and the Sun, set somewhere in the United States, is a futurist novel of what science and artificial intelligence could do to create a dystopian society. The protagonist and narrator in the novel Klara is an AF, Artificial Friend, a humanoid robot designed as a companion for children.
