Introduction



“niiti”, a Sanskrit word means, in different contexts, policy, ethics, tenets. To us, who belong here, it is our raison d’etre, our touchstone. So we constantly turn to our ethics and tenets when we re-examine the basis of what we do and how we do it over and over again. This is our space to engage with our core, with you, our readers and companions on the path towards an equitable society in the deepest meaning of the word. Over the past years, there are several social issues and organisations that we have engaged with and been enriched with both experience and knowledge along the way. We believe that in creating a conversation platform for those engaged in the field, including some of our clients, partners, all of you out there who have reached this site wanting to be the change and others who have expertise to comment and critique, we can actually crowd-source actions and solutions for some of our most pressing social issues.

Some of these stories feature organisations and people who have been the change; others highlight innovative approaches to long-entrenched social issues; yet others point to ways in which change can be facilitated, simply. If you are inspired by them as well and motivated to replicate their work, or want to share inputs on other bright examples like these, do write to us at info@niiticonsulting.com.

This is your platform. Feel free to contribute, critique, and most importantly, converse.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Sustainable change or no change at all

A lot of us working in the sustainability space know the importance of and necessity for change. Change in policy to support development, change in attitudes for increased awareness of problems, change in technology for better outreach and responsiveness, we all feel and express the need for change.

And we’re optimistic – change has happened in our time and we’ve celebrated it. However, sometimes I am lead to believe that may be we haven’t protested enough. We have moved from cloth bags to plastic bags, from dried leaf packaging to synthetic packaging, from public buses to cars. We celebrated this change, reveled in it. Now, we reconsider it – we ask people to be more responsible citizens by turning towards sustainable alternatives. May be, we should have treaded carefully in the first place.

I write this hoping that we have the foresight to understand the externalities of our progress, our change, and make our decisions rightfully and knowledgeably. I hope that we truly comprehend when change is sustainable and when not because if change is not sustainable, is it change at all?

(Image source: Gettyimages)



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