Why India's South is surging while its North is struggling  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0HVE0abC2o   Sep 11, 2025  #migration #dwbusiness #india
India is racing toward becoming the world’s fourth-largest economy. But behind the headlines lies a stark reality: the South is booming with tech and investment, while the North struggles with poverty and migration. DW’s Akanksha Saxena travels across both regions to uncover the widening divide — and its impact on India’s future. 

Aspi Shroff: We are in a loneliness epidemic.

And the irony is, we’ve never been more connected. Group chats light up every evening. Emojis substitute affection. Instagram tells you who’s getting married, who’s gone abroad, who’s making reels about growth.

But no one tells you they cried in the shower. No one tells you they sat with dinner and silence for the fifth night in a row. Loneliness doesn’t always look like isolation. In India, it often looks like ritual. You show up for Diwali dinners. You wear the kurta. You pose for the photo. You smile. But inside, something is missing.

We were never built for this much distance. For centuries, India functioned as a web of closeness. Families lived under one roof, not out of compulsion but culture. Your neighbors knew your name. You shared dahi. You shared grief. You fought over mangoes. You borrowed sugar. You didn’t need to ask, “Can I come over ?” You just did.

But then came the upgrade.

We moved into better houses. Bigger salaries. Smaller lives. The kids who once played gully cricket now swipe through reels. The women who once shared evening tea now compare Amazon deals. The men who once sat together reading newspapers now forward news they don’t read.

We replaced intimacy with information. Now everyone knows where you are. But no one knows how you are. We are lonely not because we lack people, but because we’ve stopped showing our hearts.

I see it when friends text me “All good” and then confess breakdowns at 2am. I see it in people who work late, not because they love the job, but because going home feels emptier. I see it in fathers who haven’t hugged their sons in years. In daughters who fake laughter so their mothers won’t worry.

Even in love, loneliness hides. You live with someone. Share a bed. But the silence grows. The touch fades. The conversations reduce to logistics.

“Did you pay the bill ?” “Are we going to your cousin’s wedding ?” “Did you order groceries ?”

You forget to ask, “How’s your heart ?”

We are raising a generation that knows how to hustle, but not how to hold each other. And when someone breaks — as they inevitably do — we send them a playlist. A meme. A quote. But we forget the oldest Indian tradition — sitting. Just sitting. With someone. In silence. Without answers. Without fixing. Just presence.

We don’t need more content. We need more company.

The next time you feel alone, pause. Don’t scroll. Don’t perform. Call someone. Ask nothing. Just stay.

And the next time someone says, “I’m just tired,” Listen carefully. Because tired often means — I miss.

A piece of myself that I no longer recognize. Sometimes, what we miss isn’t a person, but a version of us that laughed without filter, cried without shame, and felt life in its rawest form.

So let us return — not to the past, but to presence. Let’s bring back slow conversations, soft hugs, honest eyes, and unapologetic warmth. Because no matter how fast the world runs, the heart heals only at the speed of connection.

 India's NGOs Aren't Fading, But Fighting For A New Beginning https://www.businessworld.in/article/indias-ngos-arent-fading-but-fighting-for-a-new-beginning-571121 Shatadru Chattopadhayay   Faced with global headwinds and domestic pressures, the path forward for India’s NGOs is not one of retreat, but of strategic reinvention. Survival demands a pivot from old models to a new playbook rooted in radical transparency, local resilience, and an unwavering commitment to their core mission.

First, they must embrace radical localism.

Second, the sector must build an Indian moat against financial shocks.

Third, they must find strength in unity. 

Fourth, true impact means designing for handover. The ultimate goal of any development project should be its own obsolescence.

Finally and most critically, NGOs must guard the flame of their guide-dog role. While partnerships with government and corporations are essential for scaling up service delivery, they cannot come at the cost of silence.

So the question is not whether NGOs have a future, but whether we have the foresight to protect them through clear, predictable rules, timely payments, and support that rewards outcomes and integrity. If we let them wither, we weaken ourselves.

The End of the Age of NGOs? How Civil Society Lost Its Post–Cold War Power  https://www.foreignaffairs.com/world/end-age-ngos  The End of the Age of NGOs? How Civil Society Lost Its Post–Cold War Power Sarah Bush and Jennifer Hadden
July 3, 2025 Over the past decade, traditional NGOs have been replaced by new actors: auditing firms such as PwC or Deloitte, strategy consultancies like McKinsey, impact investors, social enterprises, corporate foundations, ESG advisers, sustainability certification agencies, venture philanthropy funds, accelerators and incubators, outcome-based service contractors, data platforms, policy labs, think tanks, and research universities. ..New analyses from Catalyst 2030 suggest the ecosystem is bigger, estimating up to 3 million charitable nonprofits nationwide. Government registries only account for a small part of the sector. In 2009, the Central Statistical Institute of India reported 3.3 million registered NGOs, roughly one for every 400 citizens, showing how civil society has grown beyond early estimates in size and reach..

.In an era where new actors like social enterprises and corporate foundations are entering the development space, classical non-governmental organisations (NGOs) remain an indispensable pillar of a democratic society. Their unique contribution lies in their independence. Unlike for-profit entities or government-led initiatives, classical NGOs are driven by their mission and values, not by profit motives or political agendas. 

Faced with global headwinds and domestic pressures, the path forward for India’s NGOs is not one of retreat, but of strategic reinvention. Survival demands a pivot from old models to a new playbook rooted in radical transparency, local resilience, and an unwavering commitment to their core mission.

First, they must embrace radical localism.

Second, the sector must build an Indian moat against financial shocks.

Third, they must find strength in unity. 

Fourth, true impact means designing for handover. The ultimate goal of any development project should be its own obsolescence.

Finally and most critically, NGOs must guard the flame of their guide-dog role. While partnerships with government and corporations are essential for scaling up service delivery, they cannot come at the cost of silence.

So the question is not whether NGOs have a future, but whether we have the foresight to protect them through clear, predictable rules, timely payments, and support that rewards outcomes and integrity. If we let them wither, we weaken ourselves.