Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was easy to anticipate the future of human affairs by looking at prevailing trends. It is as if the Twentieth Century started only the other day with all the excitement of the flight of the first heavier-than-air machine across half a football field, the magic wand of the electric light and the breathtaking rumbling of engines propelled by steam and internal combustion. Who could have thought that by the end of the Twentieth Century, science and technology would have wrought miracles undreamt of even fifty years ago? But in the 21st century, thanks to natural catastrophes such as the tsunami, we will no longer be able to make assumptions based on the past. This book appraises national and global aspects of core concerns in many walks of life such as dealing with change, being at the top of revolutions in knowledge, technology, governance and social mores, blending values and vision and forging synergistic partnerships with all sections of society. It gives a glimpse of the road ahead and stimulates further thinking.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR B.S. Raghavan
Mr. B. S. Raghavan joined the West Bengal cadre of IAS in 1952 and has held leadership positions in the State Governments of Bengal and Tripura, as Secretary, Commerce & Industry, Energy and Home (Constitution & Elections) and as Chief Secretary. He has held top administrative positions in the Government of India as Director, Political & Security Policy Planning Division overseeing the working of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Ministry of Home Affairs; Member (Vigilance) Railway Board; Member, Joint Intelligence Committee; Member, Vikram Sarabhai Synchronous Communications Satellite Committee of the Government of India; Member-Secretary, IB and CBI Reorganization Committee; Member, Expert Group on Energy; Secretary to the All-Party Committee on Political Defections; Secretary, National Integration Council; and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Food & Agriculture. He has headed four major public sector enterprises (Damodar Valley Corporation, West Bengal Power Development Corporation, and the Durgapur Projects Ltd.). Mr. Raghavan has been Member/Leader, India’s delegation to all international bodies such as FAO, World Food Council, GATT, UNCTAD, International Wheat Council, Economic and Social Council of the UN, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings. Was Chairman of the UN Committee on World Food Security, Chairman of the UN Working Party on Prevention of Acute and Large-scale World Food Shortages, Chairman of Group-77 and North-South Liaison Group in UNCTAD, Policy Adviser to UN (FAO) and Adviser to the International Commission on Peace and Development, Napa, California, in which capacity he was involved in the preparation of the Prosperity 2000 Strategy (Taken up for implementation by the Government of India) and its publication Uncommon Opportunities. He was also a US Congressional Fellow. He was also on the Board of Governors of the Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, the Board of Studies of the Department of Management of the Tiruchi Regional Engineering College and the Governor’s nominee on some University bodies. Mr. Raghavan is currently on the Board of Studies of the Department of Management of the University of Madras. He is the Trustee of the Satyamurti Foundation, Rajaji Centre for Public Affairs, Public Expenditure Round Table, the Ranganathan Institute of Information Sciences, Member, Advisory Committee of the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development of M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, and the Catalyst Trust; Member of the Advisory Council of TASC Career and Business School; Member of the Governing Body of the Ashram School of Law; Member of Academic Council and Governing Body of SCS Kothari Women’s Academy; Member, Governing Boards of Hindu Educational Organisation and MOP Vaishnav College for Women; and Fellow, Madras Science Foundation. The author is the recipient of Melvin Jones Award for service to humanity and the Bhishma Award for service. He has been honoured by the Hindustan Chamber of Commerce and his name figures in the Biographies of World Leaders. Quintessence—a four-series opus by Mr. Raghavan, is a refreshing look at issues in governance in corporate and government sectors, management, IT, and the society in general. Mr. Raghavan has authored a book of reminiscences of his service life in Tamil titled Nehru Muthal Naytru Varai; a collection of Hindi poems titled Pagdandi and co-authored Ethics in Engineering with Prof. Jayashree.
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