By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam Some 30-odd years ago, as a young doctor setting out to change the world, I was thinking of building a hospital for the tribal communities near Mysuru. I was all of 22 years old and believed a hospital was indeed the solution to address the healthcare needs of the community. So,…

By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam Watching the young 17-year-old move menacingly with a drawn gun in his hands towards a hysterical mob would have made any sensible person see the crisis that is now evolving around the country. Whatever the explanation this young man gives himself and to the Police, it is no different from the…

By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam Leadership is a process of listening, interpreting what we listen to, and then intervening with the appropriate action. Most people equate intervention and action as the expression of leadership without recognising that socially productive leadership action can be optimal only when they are based on deep listening that goes beyond its…

By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to narrate a parable to explain how strong our yearning for God needs to be.  He spoke of a disciple who used to repeatedly ask his teacher, “Sir, please tell me how I can see God.”   After a few days of being repeatedly pestered by the disciple,…

By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam I was meeting up with an old friend after several years and we decided to catch up with each other over coffee.  This friend had worked as a Senior Adviser in his Government before moving on to work in the private sector.  He was narrating his experience of working with two…