Reflections : anthology of essays

Over the last several decades I have written in various genres - Poetry,
Fiction and Autobiography, but Essays have been my preferred choice
which have covered a wide spectrum of topics including politics, phi-
losophy, travelogues and contemporary issues. A selection of these
has now been brought out by Shubhi Publications so as to present the
readers with my approach to various themes, many of which are of
significant contemporary relevance.
As we enter the eighth decade of our Independence, India is faced
with a number of important issues which are playing out before our
eyes. These involve decisions taken by the government since it came
into power in 2014 which are having long-term and often unexpected
consequences. These include demonitisation, the faulty implementa-
tion of GST, the abolition of Articles 370 and 35(a) of the Constitution,
the latest Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) among others. All of
these have a profound impact upon our economic and political situa-
tion, and their consequences are likely to continue playing out for the
next few years. There have, of course, been several positive policies.
The excellent Swachh Bharat Programme is a much needed attempt
to improve our civic environment; the programme to support the mass
construction of toilets is a commendable effort to upgrade the social
habits of our society; the Ayushman Bharat Yojna is one of the most
ambitious public health projects in the world.