Back to resources

CSOs: Mirrors, not just handmaidens

Civil Society | Jul 5, 2022

When a government limits the freedom of NGOs to criticize, as seems to be happening now, it prevents them from doing what it needs them to do. The world over, it is understood that civil society organizations (CSOs) provide checks and balances to counter the unbridled power of the state and any abuse of that power.

View PDF

More like this

Civil Society  |  Strategic Philanthropy

Rohini Nilekani and Arun Kumar | Succeeding in Partnerships

This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s conversation with Arun Kumar on Succeeding in Partnerships. The discussion highlights the importance of partnerships in addressing large and complex societal issues and the need for including partnerships in the organisation strategy. Collaboration is an important topic in the social sector today. Collaboration as an idea should, […]
Jul 5, 2022 |

Accountability & Transparency  |  Civil Society  |  COVID-19

The World After Covid-19: Unless We Are Alert, The Pandemic Could Become The Last Nail In Individualism’s Coffin

For centuries, individualism or the notion that every human individual has intrinsic value has underlined ideas about societal organisation, the economy and justice. Recently, however, the primacy of the individual’s inalienable rights and freedoms has come under immense pressure. Individualism in the West originated from the Enlightenment. It believes in the moral worth of the […]
Jul 5, 2022 | Article

Civil Society

A Quest to Balance State, Society, Market

In the memory of such social sector professionals and volunteers, we have to rededicate ourselves to the work of supporting and sustaining a resilient samaaj. What better time than this current moment? On April 24, one more life came to a premature end. Civil society lost yet another leader. Prem Kumar Varma died in Delhi […]
Jul 5, 2022 |

Active Citizenship  |  Civil Society

Daan Utsav: Investing For A Better ‘Samaaj’

From the beginning of October and through the end of December, our minds are more attuned to giving and sharing. The giving season starts with Gandhi’s birthday and goes on well past Christmas. In between, there are many festivals of sharing, and gratitude, including Dassera and Diwali.India’s Daan Utsav is well-timed to enhance the feeling […]
Jul 5, 2022 |