An unfortunate fallout of globalisation and the life in the fast lane has been the strain that family life has come under in the recent past. Children are the most vulnerable members of our society and become the victims of a lifestyle that sacrifices the time parents spend with them.

My article, published on the OpEd page of The Tribune today, was prompted by the death of Adnan Patrawala, a teenaged boy who lived in Mumbai…please click here to read the article.

Can a child be disciplined without using the rod? The answer is a resounding Yes! Now, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, New Delhi, has expanded the definition of corporal punishment to include verbal abuse, and even impositions like writing “I will not do ……” a hundred times etc.
Police can also be involved if the commission’s guidelines are violated. This is obviously being resented by teachers who say that the commission has gone too far. My article, printed in The Tribune’s Education page, reflects on this issue.

Every year a group of seekers—some of them students and some teachers—come from various corners of the world to learn more about Punjab, the land, its people, history, geography and culture.
Professor Gurinder Singh Mann has been running this course on Punjab studies for 11 years now. He has emerged as a mentor who runs what I humorously call an academic boot camp, where extensive exposure is given to international students who interact with top Indian experts. I have attended some lectures, and I have also had the privilege of meeting, interacting and lecturing these students. This year too, a set of bright young minds came to Chandigarh and took back with them information and exposure to all things Punjabi.
Please click here to read a news item about these students that was published in The Tribune today.