Skip to content Skip to navigation

Can development and globalization be balanced?

Dr Manali Chakrabarti delivering her presentation on "Balancing Development and Globalization"

The picture of history of the tortuous path of globalization and the heavy cost it has entailed were graphically depicted by Dr Rahul Varman, Professor, Department of Industrial & Management Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur and Dr Manali Chakrabarti, Honorary Adjunct Research Associate, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata; Senior Fellow, Indian Council for Social Science Research and Guest Faculty, IIT, Kanpur at the Asian Confluence Centre at Shillong on Friday evening. Dr Varman and Dr Chakrabarti narrated the horrific tale of civilizations that are extinct now and those that are surviving amidst globalization in a talk titled “Balancing Development and Globalization” as part of the Centre’s “Innovation Talk Series”. According to Wikipedia, Globalization (or globalisation) is the process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture.

Dr Manali Chakrabarti is an economic historian with interest in labour processes and industrialisation in colonial India. Dr Varman’s presentation offered case study of the corporate economy, which is the latest emergence in the process of globalization put in the question in sharp relief, how do we balance globalization with development, how do we make it inclusive and what role the civil society can play. A select audience representing stakeholders in private sector, public sector, NGOs, academicians, economists, social activists, students and teachers, media persons listened to the presentation with rapt attention that developed into a highly enlightening interactive conversation. An idea that was passionately discussed is that we should go for a model of development where much more is done to develop the village putting heavy investment and giving prime importance to education.

The talk succeeded to provoke everyone present and inspire them in search of an alternative model or models of development. Dr Sanjeeb Kakoty, Assistant Professor, Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management, Shillong while introducing Dr Varman and Dr Chakrabarti assured full cooperation to the Asian Confluence for taking initiatives in this line as a civil society organisation and which was reciprocated by the duo. Sadhna Srivastava, well-known journalist, filmmaker, TV anchor shared her experience in the context of globalisation and the corporate economy which is cornering all the wealth of the world for purposes other than welfare of the majority population of the globe. President of Integrated Centre for Action, Reformation and Empowerment (ICARE) Tokiwaio Blah also participated in the discussion.

The talk shed light on many of the core issues that afflict the development of north-eastern region in addition, balancing the aspiration for development of people in this age, where winds of globalization leave nothing and nowhere untouched. The Asian Confluence has launched this talk series to retain and strengthen its initiative in search of creative thinkers and doers and bring them in touch with the civil society of the Northeast and South and South East Asia for creating a better future for India with Northeast civil society playing a key role. The “Asian Confluence”, is civil society platform to promote an open space for cultural and intellectual exchanges towards creating better understanding of the North Eastern region of India in the larger context of India as an emerging power in East Asian geopolitics.

Author info

Rajiv Roy's picture

Shillong

Add new comment

Random Stories

ATTSA dharna at Golaghat

19 Feb 2016 - 10:33pm | Deva Borah
Assam tea tribe student association (ATTSA), Golaghat unit staged a dharna near DC office, demanding granting for shedule tribe status and resolution of various problems of the community here on...

Spotlight Rani: Dulumonis post vital goal

19 Jun 2014 - 12:51pm | AT News
Dulumoni Rabha’s mother and brother work in stone quarries to make ends meet. Nikumoni Kalita’s father digs sand from the river to earn his family’s household expenses. Popy Rabha’s mother pulls a...

Protest against dilapidated roads

23 Jul 2016 - 6:31pm | Shajid Khan
Up in arms with the poor road condition of the road connecting Tangla-Muradew the villagers of Jalah village of Udalguri district chose a unique and creative method of exposing the failure of...

Goswami’s murder pre planned: DGP

6 Jun 2014 - 10:42pm | AT News
Hamren senior police officer Nityananda Goswami fell in the trap laid by KPLT. This was what DGP Khagen Sarma told reporters in Hamren on Friday. Sarma revealed that Goswami’s murder was pre planned...

Other Contents by Author

Away from the seemingly causes that led to the pandemic called Novel Coronavirus aka CoViD-19 it cannot be denied that it can well be attributed to the bitter spat between USA and China over trade. The CoViD-19 could well be a creation out of vengeance after what we have witnessed in terms of sanctions on imports by both nations. The arrest of Dr. Charles Lieber - the Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University for making "false, fictitious and fraudulent statements" to the US Defense Department about China's Thousand Talents Plan (a Chinese government program to recruit foreign scientists and researchers) and his affiliation with Wuhan University of...
Can anyone advice Rahul Gandhi (RaGa) that what he and the other nincompoops of the Indian National Congress (INC) are doing in the name of electioneering campaign by targeting the defence forces of the country is only going to decimate their prospect – even if there is any, left? What does it take really to win elections in this country? The defence personnel who are keeping their territory safer from external aggression are being targeted by the INC, insanely. Can RaGa and his inept sister, Priyanka – and her equally inept hunk, Robert Vadra, breath freely if the soldiers in the country aren’t keeping it safe. Can anyone, and for that matter of fact the president of one of the country’s...
An employment advertisement that caused more inconvenience to applicants than providing them with jobs has resulted in the advertiser to issue a statement regretting the inconvenience and correct the blunder being committed, after the matter was reported in the local media, while the affected ones are questioning if the media can really wash off its hands and whether it should not be held responsible, at the same time. Abhinandan Vartaman, the Indian Air Force (IAF) combat pilot has earned immeasurable appreciation, for his valour and courage, from the countrymen after the heroics shown by the force and especially him – who shot down an F-16 jet of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) – that...
Well Mr. Donald Trump, the outlandish and outspoken US President, with his usual signature facial expression said recently that “walls work” with regard to his decision to construct a border wall, along the border of US-Mexico and even declare a national emergency after the US Congress (the lawmaking branch of the national government) declined to his demands for billions of dollars to fund the proposed wall at the southern border. The president has earned a slew of lawsuits over his emergency move and one may well wander whether such a wall is required in India’s northeast which faces a serious threat to its demography. Arguably, the US President’s idea on a border wall may well be correct...
There are opinions among the tribesmen of Meghalaya that the sweeper lane issue in Shillong town has gone colder since May 31 when mayhem broke over this place near Iewduh, one of the largest traditional markets in the region. That such opinions being held by the native citizenries in a society where matriliny has hit such a low that the fairer sexes are facing insecurities in their own hearth and homes, is in itself, morbid. An incident over an alleged eve-teasing went out of proportion when the local tribesmen clashed with the residents of Sweeper’s Lane, inviting global attention to the issue. The stalemate that exists in this lane dates back to time immemorial and history is replete...
We need to use the social media wisely. But this call is getting lost in a world where anything that is talked about online are caricatured by opportunistic and outrage-mongers. This medium, which is creating more upheavals than connections in societies around the world, should be understood that we choose to assimilate these services into our daily lives because they allow us to deepen social connections and enable us to exercise ourselves in a manner that was unthinkable before their coming.  Many would agree to the fact that after “nature” comes only “social media” in terms of gross misuse. We are witnessing the phenomenon of changing patterns in climate and irrational nature...
If we are to assess one thing clearly about the 2018 Assembly Election to the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly at this point in time then it is the focus and charisma that is awaited coming January. Except that, the assurances, claims, slamming of one party by another will continue to rule the roost and this is not something new in the Indian political diaspora. Nonetheless, this is going to be the most sought after elections given the emerging complex political equations. There is much at stake in this election when the sixty seats to the state assembly goes up for grabbing no sooner the Election Commission of India releases the dates. There is much expectation from the BJP which has since...
Award winning Shillong based author, Kalpana Roy’s ‘Sei Somoy Perie’ (Beyond that period) covers a period of Indian independent movement in the then Bengal, which very soon spread over the entire Indian sub-continent. The book received the prestigious Narsingdas Bengali Prize for the best book in Bengali in Arts / Science subject from the University of Delhi in 2014. The central character of the book – published in April, 2012 – is the renowned independent movement activist from this part of the country, Bipin Chandra Pal, who was born in a small village in Sylhet (now in Bangladesh) district of undivided Bengal. The book is primarily a biographical novel on the life of this great freedom...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a successful second visit to United States of America (USA). The major thrust of this visit was centered on his ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ dream as his meeting with numerous business czars and CEOs of top techies in USA is a big diplomatic push in that direction. While a purring Indian National Congress (INC) is seen crediting itself for this Digital India drive saying that it was the vision of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and all subsequent governments took forward that dream. This version of the INC has only earned laughing stock from one and all whosoever has come in terms with this baseless self-glory statement. Modi on the other hand is a...
“The northeastern states of India should cooperate with each other in terms of their tourism potentialities, culture and tradition, food habits and create a depot in Japan to invite inbound tourism. The geographical condition, cuisine and taste, good atmosphere here are similar to that of Japan. This will not only transform the economy of this region but also open it up to the larger Asia – which is one,” said the Chairman, Japan India Tourism Promotion Committee, Tsutomu Sato on his second visit to Shillong. His first visit was two years ago when he represented Japan on an invitation by the Meghalaya Government which called tour operators from all over the world.Acknowledging candidly that...