Pavan Varma unfolds the agenda to resolve Indian crisis

Chandigarh, March 29/Kulbir Kalsi / The author of 17 bestselling and highlyregarded books, Mr Pavan Varma was in the city on the invitation ofChandigarh Literary Society.Mr Varma who has been press secretary to the president of India,official spokesman of the Foreign Office, director general of theIndian Council for Cultural Relations, and India’s ambassador toBhutan. Having taken premature retirement from the Indian ForeignService, now seeks to be actively involved in public life.Having written 17 best sellers, Pavan Varma is best known for TheGreat Indian Middle Class; Being Indian: The Truth about Why the 21stCentury will be India’s and Becoming Indian: The Unfinished Revolutionof Culture and Identity.His latest book “Chanakya’s New Manifesto: To Resolve the CrisisWithin India” published by Aleph Book Company formed the backdrop ofhis interaction with local literati to initiate the debate on howeveryone can contribute to change India for the better, informed Mrs.Sumita Misra, President of Chandigarh Literary Society. .Modelled on Chanakya’s seminal fourth century treatise—theArthashashtra—Mr Varma has worked out a practical and detailed plan tobring about reform and change in five key areas that require urgentattention—governance, democracy, corruption, security, and thebuilding of an inclusive society.Whether it is laying the foundation for an independent and effectiveLokpal, or decriminalizing politics and successfully weeding out thecorrupt, the solutions he proposes are substantive, well within theconstitutional framework, and can make all the difference betweenintent and action.As Mr Varma puts it in the introduction to the book, ‘As a

civilization, India has shown a remarkable talent in reinventingitself. That is the secret of our survival through an incredible5,000-year-long journey. We have been known as a civilization in whichmoulik soch or the power of original thought was cultivated. This is alegacy that we can, and must, revive.“We are fortunate that our founding fathers bequeathed to us aframework of a functioning democratic order through a farsighted

constitution. We do not need to throw this aside, or to transplant,borrow or mimic what others have done. But what we do need to do is tomake the system that was bequeathed to us work. For, it is obvious to

anyone except to those who deliberately choose to be blind, that thecurrent manner of functioning of our nation is unacceptable. Ourfuture is at stake. The future of our youth, and upcoming generations,

is at stake. There is no time to be lost,” he says.Both a call to action as well as a deeply insightful account of thechallenges facing the country today, Chanakya’s New Manifesto is abook that should be attentively read by everybody with a stake inIndia’s future, added Mrs Sumita Misra.