A Day in San Fransisco

As an avid traveler, my job allows me to travel, either to attend a conference, seminar or present papers in these events. I also ensure that I plan trips with my family as often as I can. Recently I had the opportunity to attend a course at Stanford University. Post the course I stayed back a couple of days at San Francisco, to be a tourist. Being a historian primarily, I donned the hat of both a tourist and a historian and visited some places. I booked myself on to one of the Hop-on and Hop-off buses, since I had paucity of time and did not want to spend time identifying tourist spots and other destinations.

In 1.5 days, I was able to see some interesting places.  

Chinatown

It is one of the oldest town (China town) in North America apart from being the largest Chinese commune outside Asia. It was established in 1848. It has become the home for several immigrants who find it as a “home away from home”. It is dotted with all types of shops which sell, Chinese vegetables and groceries, trinkets, souvenirs for tourists like me, hand embroidered silk Chinese coats, skirts, bags of all shapes and sizes to name a few. Historically it draws more visitors annually that the Golden Bridge Gate.

Sausalito

My friend took me on a ferry from the Bay to reach this tiny ship building centre during the World Wat 11 -Sausalito.   It is dotted with charming residential communities and unique shops (especially for tourists) and cafes. I could not visit the Bay Model and Bay Area Discovery Museum due to paucity of time.

Fisherman’s Wharf

The wharf relates the history and provides an understanding of the fishing community.

Historic signs, placed along the water’s edge of Fisherman’s Wharf by the Port of San Francisco, tell the Wharf’s history, give insight into today’s fishing community, and explain the need to protect the bay.

It was once a home to a fleet of more than 400 fishing boats. It is also known for filming the famous James Bond movie-A View to Kill (1985), where James Bond meets CIA Agent Chuck Lee to kill Max Zorin the villain.

The wharf is also dotted with little shops and boutiques. I fascinated to see shops entirely dedicated to socks, magnets, caps and sweets and candies to name a few. This apart I saw hordes of sea lions sunbathing on the wharf. They were all lying, not worried a bit, about the onlookers like me. 

Union Square

The Union Square got its name from the pro-Union rallies which was held on the eve of the Civil War. The monument is a tribute to the sailors of the United States Navy. Today it is an ideal tourist shopping attraction. It houses all the brands and shops where one can spend several hours either window shopping or buying some clothes and other accessories.  Historically the Union Square was a huge sand dune but in 1850 it was made into a public park.

Golden Gate Bridge

The massive and huge Golden Gate Bridge was built to connect San Francisco to its northern neighbours. It stretches to 1.7 miles long and is 90 feet wide. Its 4,200-foot main span between the two towers was the longest for a suspension bridge until 1981, while its 746-foot towers made it the tallest bridge of any type until 1993. It took over 5 years for the construction and was formally opened to the public in 1937. It proudly claims itself as an engineering marvel and is believed to be the most photographed bridge in the world.

Pier 35

It serves as a major cruise ship terminal and is in the Embarcadero area. It is known for the market place during the weekends. I visited the market on a Saturday and was amazed to see the fresh vegetables, fruits, sea food. There is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi which was given to the city in 1988 by the Gandhi Memorial International Foundation.  

One of my favourite sight was a doggy park, where owners walked their dogs, the dogs played and the owners chatted and admired their dogs.

Stanford University

It was founded in 1885 by Senator Leland Stanford and his wife Jane to primarily “promote the public welfare by exercising an influence in behalf of humanity and civilization”. It is nicknamed “The Farm” when horses roamed there. It is also nicknamed as “billionaire factory” it boasts of being home to Google, Hewlett Packard and other large economies. In fact, I was able to see a model of the original Google server model-made of lego. Today the University is proud to the birthplace for 19 Noble laureates and is ranked as the top three universities in the world consistently.

I used to go for long walks and discovered the Cantor Sculptor Center where I managed to see some of the great work/sculptors made by Rodin. I also encountered hares hopping across the roads. Students bicycled and were scattered all around the university. Interestingly Tiger Woods an Alumni used to practice golf in the golf course.

An Ode to Pixie

Pixie came into our life way back in 1996 as a birthday gift to my son Rohit. I used to work in an animal welfare organisation in Vadodara, when we got s call from a client saying that they wanted to give away puppies. So off I went with my colleague (who worked as an Inspector) to check on the puppies and the owners. When we entered the house 3 powerful and active Pomeranians ran to us. Apparently one was Pixie’s father, one Pixie’s mother and the other her aunt. We were taken into a room where 3 puppies were kept in a carton with a small fan to keep them cool. Vadodara is quite warm throughout the year. I just sat down on the floor when I saw the 3 adorable puppies.  I beckoned to them and one (which I picked up) jumped out of the carton and ran towards me. She was a female (while the other 2 were males), I swooped her and decided to take her home.

When I brought her home my parents were with me, my mother was an ardent animal (doggy lover-we always had a dog at home- Sheela, Danny, Priya, Toffee) while my father was a silent animal lover. When my son came home from school, he jumped with joy when he saw this small fluff of wool wagging her tail ran towards him. My husband Ravi was not too gung-ho and he did have his reasons. He stated 1) I work in an animal welfare organsisation the whole day-will I do justice in taking care of this little pixie? 2) If we need to travel who will take care of Pixie? I did agree with him, but did not want to give Pixie back and stated that we will handle these situations when required.  That is when friends like Neeta, my sister Uma and her family, Veena, Parul (though she is not very fond of animals), my neighbor Shilpa came to our rescue.

My mother was Pixie’s 1^st foster mother, she bathed, gave her Vydalin drops, brushed her and ensured that she was fed well. When my mother died in August 1996 I had to rush to Bengaluru. I left Pixie with Veena and family, I remember her ears were still floppy (not standing up) when I returned to Vadaodara, I found this excited pup with one ear managing to stand erect.

There are several instances which we will never forget thanks to Pixie. Her patience, love, kindness and the most obedient person.

She even turned Ravi around to love and adore her, so much so, when he went on his official tours, he would call to enquire if Pixie is fine, did she eat, dis she go for her walk etc. etc? Pixie also ensured that   she made people Pixie lover, if not dog lovers.

Every evening her routine was to wait for us to come back from work, Rohit from his school while she used to be the companion for my father who lived with us. She was a possessive and self-appointed care taker of my young niece Arundathi (who was then 3 years old).

One incident I will never forget is when we moved from Vadodara to Bengaluru, she flew with us. The airlines (Jet Airways I think) did not allow her to be checked in with us. So I had got a special cane basket made for her, slightly sedated her (so that she is not scared of being alone) and checked her in. We had to change flights in Mumbai so I sought special permission to go and check on her. When I opened the basket to feed her some water, she looked away and as probably angry with me. I tried to take her for a walk, trying to find a small piece of grass on the tarmac so that she could relieve herself. She refused to be walked. It was time for us to get on the flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru (perhaps a painful 1 hr. 20 minutes’ flight for both Pixie and I). Once we landed in Benagluru I rushed to bring her, placed her on the luggage trolley. She proudly sat there with full of glee (and perhaps forgave me instantly-since that was her nature).

She dies after living with us for over 14 years. Personally she taught me patience, thankfulness, kindness to name a few. I miss her a lot but have my brownies, whiteys and several other strays I meet every day.

Thank you Pixie for coming into our life. I will always miss you.

Let’s discuss Climate Change – how about some theatrics?

http://www.greengrowthknowledge.org/blog/let’s-discuss-climate-change-–-how-about-some-theatrics\\In the run up to the COP21 in Paris, 150+ countries announced ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) that aimed at reducing emissions, through a set of voluntary domestic carbon abatement and green growth actions. As a next step in the process, these INDC’s needed to be converted into actionable national targets, which can be achieved by countries through a concerted action involving all key stakeholders to include government, academia, private sector, and most importantly citizens. Given the participatory nature of such actions and transformational nature of some of the low carbon policy actions involved, it becomes extremely crucial to engage citizens in order to have an informed discussion and debate. Several organisations and Think Tanks have already been working toward creating awareness and sharing information in this endeavour.

Over the recent years, Think Tanks and organisations have been attempting to adopt different modes of communication to engage stakeholders to create awareness on issues which are of high importance to society. In today’s world, technology is used as an effective mode of communication by using social media platforms, conducting informed debates through virtual means, publishing blogs and articles, using online portals to propagate, educate and communicate. However, in a country like India, while several people have access to the latest technology, a large part, still rely on non-technology modes of communication. For this purpose, one effective mode of communication could be theatre - including dance, songs, mime - to simplistically communicate complex issues such as climate change, which involve the country and citizens.

Theatre as a developmental Tool

Theatre as a tool, over the years, has helped masses understand complex social issues affecting their lives and find effective solutions. As a powerful communication tool, theatre cuts across literacy skills, reaches to a wide audience (both young and old), and also appeals to the emotions of people while at the same time educating them as well.

Some of the major usages of theatre are:

• Delivering and sharing information
• Encouraging participation of people, who may have not have had the opportunity to engage on the issue
• Challenging people to think and respond
• Providing several alternate narratives rather than recommending one definite solution
• Communicating in a simple manner a complex social and scientific message

In India, theatre is relevant due to the variety of forms which include songs, folk lore, music, dance and drama. It not only touches the emotional aspect of a human being but also is a form of entertainment where the masses respond emotionally and are also open to receiving serious messages in an experiential manner. Much like any other transitioning economy, despite other powerful channels of communication using technology, theatre remains an important medium for disseminating information in India. 

Experimenting a Theatre Production on Climate Change

Since 2012, the Global Green Growth Insitutute (GGGI) and the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)  have been working with the Government of Karnataka state in India, to address the challenges of reconciling faster economic growth with environmental sustainability. In December 2014, the Honourable Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri Siddaramaiah, launched the ‘Green Growth Strategy for Karnataka’, identifying implementation barriers, policy implications, investment requirements and possible funding sources for specific green growth opportunities, and concluding with concrete recommendations for policy makers. Since early 2015, GGGI and CSTEP have been working closely with the government in supporting the implementation of key opportunities – some of which require difficult policy decision as well as behavioural changes in the society. This is where engagement with citizens and awareness building becomes crucial.

With this intent, GGGI and CSTEP partnered with Kriyative Theatre , a group that has been using theatre to educate people about crucial issues, to produce a play called “Carbon Cake” which revolves around ‘Global Warming’. The play has been written after conducting extensive research on the phenomenon of climate change, and also interfacing and dialoguing with several experts. It attempts to communicate the causes and devastating impacts of global warming, and also highlights the responsibility and ownership of masses towards mitigating it. This is done through the story of a man who tries to fight the menace of carbon emissions through an invention of his own, called ‘carbon cake’ – after which the play is also named.

Lessons learned

Perhaps the first such play to be staged on this topic in India, ‘Carbon Cake’ is science fiction, mystery and drama rolled into one. Since this is done through an entertaining thriller, scientific explanations and actual clippings from documentaries on the subject, the play has been tremendously successful in educating the audience about the issue and advocating effective means of countering global warming. Our experience with ‘Carbon Cake’ clearly shows that theatre can become an interesting tool to raise awareness on complex issues such as climate change research, where given the technical nature of the subject and the wide set of stakeholder involved, the message has to be easily communicable, both in terms of language and the mode of communication.

Themes: 

Climate Change, Development

Countries: 

India

The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the GGKP or its Partners.

Indian think tanks: a conclusion to the series

https://onthinktanks.org/articles/indian-think-tanks-a-conclusion-to-the-series/

Based on what we discussed in the previous posts of this series, we can conclude that Indian think tanks are still evolving. Looking at their history, we see that they have grown and expanded out of political need or due to factors that contribute to the socio-political history of India. While there is no obvious pattern that maps the growth of Indian think tanks, we can say that the political history of India has been underlined and supported by think tanks in an indirect way.

It is only recently that think tanks have been consulted on national and institutional policy issues. For example, some think tanks have been commissioned to conduct studies and research to help with innovative and workable solutions to enhance the policymaking process, and some of these solutions have been adapted in government institutions. If greater focus were given to think tanks, along with financial support and policy challenges, it is likely they would arrive at realistic solutions to better the policymaking process and, in turn, help move the nation forward.

Furthermore, think tanks also serve as excellent advisers in policymaking. They work alongside the governments and, some of them, also work with NITI Aayog (the erstwhile Planning Commission) as experts in their field.

The evolution of Think Tanks in India is an ongoing process. Think tanks are slowly becoming an integral part of the government policymaking process. Some ways to ensure this continues could be for think tanks to:

• Pool resources to avoid repetition.
• Strengthen research activities by working in consortiums.
• Network on common grounds by fundraising, in-house capacity building, and by working on multiple government requirements. This is important because a multi-disciplinary approach is imperative and useful for public policy.

There is hope for think tanks in India if they can both ‘think’ about policy matters and also be a ‘tank’ to house and implement several of the ideas they produce.

Indian think tanks: the challenges they face-Part 5

https://onthinktanks.org/articles/indian-think-tanks-the-challenges-they-face/

Due to the nature of their work and the fact that their main client is the government, Indian think tanks face several challenges to continue their work and to ensure they continue to engage with policymakers.+

In the article Why think tanks struggle in India (2013),+ Goyal and Srinivasan demarcate some areas considered as challenges for think tanks in India. These include insufficient funding, lack of skilled staff, and limited support from the government.

While there is a general understanding of the challenges think tanks face, there is not a lot of literature available on these. This analysis is based on the scant literature available, discussions with relevant sources and my own analysis.+

Funding support

Several think tanks in India are facing a funding crisis. Funding is often allocated to a particular aspect and does not cover operational costs such as human resources, communications and visibility activities. Think tanks also find it difficult to develop their own research agendas, as funding is almost always tied to particular research projects. Fortunately, several donors have begun to work as partners to think tanks, allowing them to use core grants freely and effectively. This has not only helped several think tanks focus on specific research topics- it has allowed them to take big steps in identifying challenging and topical issues which respond to the needs of the country.

Funder-led research agenda

Many think tanks face the challenge of complying with the needs of a funder or donor agency when designing their research agenda. This means that, often, research projects are prioritised either based on the funding received for a particular project, or on available funds (which is often rare). A lot depends on the requirements of a donor agency rather than what a think tank wants to research.

Need for appropriate staffing

Lack of funding directly affects human resources. Think tanks with limited funding have to settle with hiring staff who may not have the required background or who are not qualified to conduct rigorous research.

In some cases, think tanks are commissioned by the government to conduct studies. For example, the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) works on projects that are of great importance to both the national and state governments. Public Affairs Centre (PAC), a think tank based in Bengaluru, works closely with the state government. As a result, staff hiring is planned to accommodate project needs and leaves no budget for training and staff development. This results in interrupted staff development plans, capacity building activities and strategies to retain staff for longer terms.

When it comes to staff retention, think tanks face other challenges as well. The emergence of research labs and Research and Development (R&D) set-ups in corporate and niche private organisations offer researchers better and more stable employment opportunities. This results in high rotation of staff, influencing the quality of the research produced.

Lack of high-quality research

Given the nature of the work of many think tanks in India, they often interact with various departments in the government and access to data is important for some of the research they conduct. Many of these organisations depend on government departments for their data, which can be a cumbersome process. Several government departments are wary of sharing data and this hampers the quality of their research. This has now reduced considerably due to the Rights of Information Act (RTA), which allows a citizen to request information from a government department, but access to the data is still a cumbersome process.

The lack of appropriately trained and experienced staff also hampers the quality of research. To address this, some think tanks have capacity building workshops focussed on some of the basic skills to enhance the research quality.+

Stakeholder dynamics

Most think tanks are actively working with different stakeholders who can influence what research the organisation conducts. In some cases, an amalgamation of academia, think tanks and government join to work on a common project. However, the uniqueness of the working models of each of these actors sometimes lead to long and overly complicated processes.

Funding challenges and difficulties

There has been significant reluctance from the Indian government and industry to support think tanks. In an editorial in 2010, Anshu Bharadwaj, the executive director at CSTEP, mentioned the following reasons for the lack of government support:

“Seeking government support is hard for most TTs, for several reasons. First, there is a lack of confidence in the abilities of TTs to make high-quality and relevant contributions. Second, there is often mistrust about their ideology and agenda. Finally, even if the government is convinced to engage with a TT, complicated rules and procedures come in the way of providing the desired level of financial support.”+

Hence, the Indian think tank ecosystem has been nurtured significantly by foreign funders. In India, think tanks are required to complete legal formalities to receive foreign funding. Unfortunately, this is not happening across all organisations and, as a result, they miss out on potential funding from foreign agencies. From a legal perspective, Indian think tanks and foreign funding agencies operating in India need to abide by two important legislations:

• Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010 is a legislation that requires all NGOs receiving funding from foreign (non-Indian) sources to register themselves with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The legislation also mandates these organisations to submit annual financial reports, obtain prior permission for receiving funds and renew their FCRA registration. In 2015, in order to ease the process for NGOs, the government digitised the entire process.
• Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA): Legal requirement for foreign funders to obtain permission for fund dispersal. Thus, even if a funder such as USAID or Ford Foundation is supporting a project that is being carried out by a government-funded TT, it needs to register itself under FEMA.

In 2010, due to ‘lack of transparency among NGOs receiving foreign contributions’, FCRA regulations were strengthened. As a result, in 2012, the Indian NGO sector, including several think tanks, received a major setback: the government cancelled their FCRA certificates and froze their bank accounts. “Citing national security concerns, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has placed major US-based funding agencies under the scanner and directed beneficiary NGOs to get their permits renewed every five years.” In 2014 and then again in 2015, the Narendra Modi government continued the trend by revoking the FCRA certificates of several NGOs including universities and think tanks for lack of complying with financial disclosure requirements.

How can these challenges be overcome?

To overcome some of the challenges they are facing, Indian think tanks have embarked in new initiatives to chart sustainable growth pathways for themselves.

For instance, in India, communication and outreach is a new concept. Not all think tanks have a dedicated communicator/communication team. It is only after the introduction of the PEC-PAC programme by the Think Tank Initiative (TTI) that several think tanks in India +

Gaining credibility and recognition from the government for supporting policy initiatives is a major challenge in India. As a solution, one strategy worth considering is indirect attribution: when a government announces a scheme or policy that is based on evidence provided by a particular think tank, it can start dialogues on social media and via comments on news articles stating their contribution.

Vanesa Weyrauch (2015) points out in a post on Research to Action that there are varying notions of collaboration – it is a very heterogeneous group of vertical and horizontal relationships and experiences, ranging from a tour to learn from another relationship and experience, to a tour to learn from another think tank, to co-organising an event, to implementing a joint research project.+

In today’s globalised age, no country or its government exists in isolation. Public policies in all spheres are successful only when they are in tune with the developments taking place across the globe. Thus, Indian think tanks are entering into collaborative initiatives with different stakeholders including private sector firms, industries, media and civil society organisations to act as agents of cohesion.

In the coming decades, the economic and political integration of nations is inevitable and sound, evidence-based policy research will be required for stable and sustainable development. If India is to maintain the stature it has achieved in the global platform, then research inputs provided by think tanks in every sphere of governance will be essential for formulating strong and holistic policies for the nation.

Indian think tanks: their affiliations and classifications-Part 4

https://onthinktanks.org/articles/indian-think-tanks-their-affiliations-and-classifications/

Although most think tanks in India claim to be non-partisan, many are working as national foundations or trusts in the name of national leaders, ostensibly to consolidate their legacy and to promote their vision of India through research or by promoting scholarships for higher education.

Likewise, many think tanks in India engage with universities in various capacities. An understanding of this partnership can be summarised as:

• University faculty are on the Boards of think tanks or are part of the Research Advisory Committees (RAC) of think tanks and collaborate on joint research papers (the research or academic output of think tanks).
• Universities support training and capacity building activities for think tanks.
• Universities engage with think tanks on policy advocacy activities.
• Think tanks invite experts from academic institutions to share knowledge and understand trends from an academic perspective.

Furthermore, the relationship between the State and think tanks in India is based on contingent collaboration, where think tanks rely heavily on the use of infrastructural power of the State. However, many think tanks have managed to retain a great degree of operative freedom and are largely autonomous. The infrastructural power of the Indian state is more evident in the case of think tanks concerned with international economy, trade, military and security issues, where some of these organisations come directly from a ministry and have ministers and secretaries as ex officio Board members. The strong infrastructural power of the State has been able to keep the influence of international agencies at bay or functioning under the framework dictated by the State.

Classifying Indian think tanks

According to Diane Stone + think tanks can be classified into the following typologies: as independent civil society think tanks established as non-profit organisations; as policy research institutes located within or affiliated with a university; as state sponsored or government think tanks; as corporate created or business affiliated think tanks; and, as political party (or candidate) think tanks (refer to Figure 1). Nevertheless, I will argue that Indian think tanks are a separate species when compared to their global counterparts. International classifications, like Stone’s, rarely hold true in the Indian context. Since the nature of think tanks differ from each other, they do not fit into any one category. Hence, they can also be referred to as research hubs, knowledge houses, civil society organisations, embedded in university departments or as part of government. The image below gives a sense of how Indian think tanks can be categorised: