Students of Tata-Dhan Academy follow a unique tradition of organizing ethnic dinners themed to represent one of the states represented by any of the participants in the batch. This time, it was the turn of state Bihar, and students of PDM 8 organized a cultural event in which students from Bihar shared information about their cultural, religious, and social practices; of course, regional food was also provided. It is the only event organized at the Academy where the students are the hosts and faculties and other staff members enjoy the supper.
What is the “Development Dialogue”?
Students of Tata-Dhan Academy, apart from their regular academic curriculum, also initiate and organize development related debates and discussion among the students and the faculties. The event is termed the “Development Dialogue” and was started by the PDM-VI batch. Generally, (1) the Academic committee chooses the topic of discussion with the consensus of other students and faculties, (2) the editorial committee prepares a concept or background paper for discussion, (3) students and faculty comment on the paper for about a week, and finally, (4) two students prepare a presentation and initiate the discussion.
Last week students of PDM-VIII organized a Development Dialogue on the status of sex workers in India. A summary of the discussions and proceedings (along with the presentation) will be posted soon, but in the meantime, we invite others to share their views on the topic. Also, please share some ideas for forthcoming Development Dialogues!
On Being an Indian
By Sumit Vij
The cultural difference between people makes them behave differently, and analyzing this difference can sometimes be useful. The people sometimes like other’s behavior and sometimes it is a taboo for them and their society. My room partner really enjoys eating beef, and I readily accept his behavior; but when it comes to my other classmates, they are against eating of beef, as it is a taboo in Hindu religion. Cows in the Hindu religion are symbols of piety and they are treated as dieties. This difference, a result of culture, differs from country to country. V. Raghunathan, in his book Games Indian Play: Why we are the way we are has brought this difference in a different perspective—different in the sense of how an Indian behaves when it comes to their own personal interest and how much they co-operate in the name of philanthropy and humanity. It is a brilliant attempt to understand the Indianess of an Indian using the properties of game theory and behavioral economics to provide an insight into the difficult conundrum of why we are behaving in this way. The author clearly explains the attitude Indians have, giving appropriate examples of their rationality and characteristics like co-operation and collaboration. The other impressive component of the book is that the examples are taken from everyday Indian life and retold in a way to relate to the behavior of Indians.
Hello! PDM VIII
Hi! This is Sumit and this blog is for everyone who is interested to know about development and the students of PDM with TDA’s perspective. This blog is truly dedicated to the academic work done by the PDM students in the Academy. So on behalf of the editorial committee of PDM VIII, I invite students to put their efforts to take this blog global…
Thank you,
Sumit Vij
The DHAN Academy 