At the cusp of the initial deadline of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), what explains India's ineffectiveness in reducing #AirPollution?. We explain by saying, it's the polity & not policy, stupid! We analyze the same by explaining 4 key factors, & suggest 4 solutions.

No better day to announce a mission very close to my heart - truly enabling the vision of the 73rd and 74th amendment of the Indian Constitution. Launching a labour of love, @TheMetroInst.

On the way from London to Glasgow via train, starting this @monisha_rajesh book with the most intriguing title! Looking forward to it amidst the serene UK meadows. (Amongst the most exciting gifts I've received, by @PulkitBajpai5).

At the last of my twenties, yet शून्य पे सवार.

Resumed writing musings after a decade. This one is for the love of cities, chai, SRK, and architecture.

When in doubt, go for the small wins.

I recently gave my #ChatGPT login creds to my family so that they could check if it adds value to their work. Instead, here's what I find in my search history🤦#JustDesiProblems

Any map of #Chicago on any topic ends up looking eerily similar to its racial-divide-across-the-city map :/.

RT @theliverdr: The sheer number of death certificates I am issuing for men with alcohol-cirrhosis between ages 25 to 35 is burning me out.….

RT @samwineburg: In an age of information overabundance, .critical ignoring is as important as critical thinking.

To all the places we dwell which we didn't toil,. And to the parts of us that are unknowingly sowed in their soil. .

RT @peegeekay: During the Bangalore floods, an area that was badly affected was Outer Ring Road i.e ground zero of tech companies. In all….

RT @shl: If an explanation for a problem includes a villain, it’s probably wrong.

Here is to hoping for more institutional relevance & positive influence from the newly elected President of India, a position critical for the fate of India in these very challenging times & those to come. 🙂.

. this is not to say that there can not be an indirect incentive to favour a certain position & persons, as has also been seen in a few predecessors. Nonetheless, the discretion offered by the chair is devoid of extrinsic influence, & thus, a responsibility of the highest order. .

. Unlike other positions, once elected, the President of India is unique in the sense that they've no direct incentive to cater to any regime or position, & thus can ensure due process, make governments & parliaments reconsider their stance, & even resist political mischief. .

. right from Rajendra Prasad, who often disagreed with Nehru & publically criticized him, to others like Shankar D. Sharma, KR Narayanan, APJ Abdul Kalam, & Pranab Mukherjee, some previous Presidents've uniquely asserted the influence of their chair to guard constitutionalism. .

As India elects a new President, a historic occasion, we should seek more institutional relevance from the head of our state. While a figurehead & w/o executive powers per se, an Indian President has to "preserve, protect & defend the constitution", & there has been precedence. .

On a different note, the contrast between #SriLankaProtests where the crowd stormed their Presidential Palace only to enjoy the presidential pool, the gym, the bed suite, etc and the US crowd rioting their Capitol last year to vandalise, loot, attack cops, etc is so telling 🙂.

RT @MSInSociety: .@dskushwah_singh, CEO, @MSInSociety has been conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Administrative Excellence Award 2021-2022 fo….