Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty, SERP, 25. Now, there are two SERPs – one in AP and one in Telangana. Launched at Utnoor (Adilabad) by Nara Chandrababu Naidu, with SR Sanakaran, BN Yugandhar (as its Vice-chair) in attendance. K Raju and T Vijay Kumar are the initial leads – CEO and Additional CEO. SERPs led community-driven self-help poverty eradication movements. Starting with women, their groups, their federations taking charge of their livelihoods, lives, families, and destinies. Vulnerable and marginalized communities. Including women and men, disabled and elderly. Shoaib Sultan Khan, Amitava Mukherjee, and TV Rao were initial philosophers and guides. Its initial leaders, thematic/field workers and leads continued in the movement, and became legendary. Been part of this movement at forefront all through in various ways, in these 25 years, starting with SERP as its Adviser, Livelihoods. Intensely for the first 16 years.
SAPAP inspired project Velugu became Indira Kranthi Patham, with support from World Bank (as District Poverty Initiatives Project, DPIP and Rural Poverty Reduction Project, RPRP). Later, it is popularly known as SERP itself.
The AP model went to several states – Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar et al. The model in rural AP also went to urban AP, as urban Velugu – MEPMA. The community resource persons took the movement forward in AP first and started to go outside AP to seed the movement. Meanwhile Kerala’s Kudumbashree was also very impactful. By 2011, based on the learnings from SERP and Kudumbashree, the National Rural Livelihoods Mission was launched in 2011. Soon, the National Urban Livelihoods Mission followed. As on date, the movement is all across the country with ten million families in rural India, and 4 million in urban India.
Extremely joyous. Congratulations to my friend, senior IRMAN Ranjani Krishnan, for receiving the 2025 Seminal Contribution to Accounting Literature Award, along with John Harry Evans III, R Lynn Hannan, and Donald V Moser. For their paper “Honesty in Managerial Reporting”. Considered as the Nobel Prize in Accounting, this Award is intended to recognize works that have stood the test of time and have contributed in a fundamental way to later research. This Award is given once every three years. Ranjani works at Michigan State University (MSU). She is an MSU Beal Distinguished University Professor. Her research focuses on cost behavior, healthcare cost, and quality. She won the AAA Management Accounting Section’s Greatest Impact on Practice Award and the Notable Contribution to Management Accounting Literature Award, the AAA’s Notable Contribution to Accounting Research Award, and the McLaughlin Prize for Research in Accounting Ethics.
The Government of India announced Census 2027 – population census — India’s first since 2011 – would be in two phases, from October 1, 2026, and March 1, 2027, respectively. Census 2027 clears the path for the Women’s Reservation Bill; controversial constituency delimitation exercise; updating National Population Register (NPR) along with the housing census. The process of census includes Houselisting and Population Enumeration. This Census is expected to be digital and allow answering the queries from home by householders. Caste enumeration will also be part of the census this time.
Combating Desertification and Drought. This year’s focus: restoring 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land and jumpstarting a trillion-dollar land restoration economy by 2030. Can we do this? Can we bring land back to life? Yes, if we farm and live naturally. A restored land, an unfallowed land is a land of endless opportunities. Investment gives 1000%+ returns. Reviving land restores productivity, strengthens water cycles, and supports millions of rural livelihoods. Can we do it?
The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design. People who face problems every day are the ones who hold the key to their solutions. All problems are solvable. Communities are co-designers – work WITH people, not FOR them. Solutions must be desirable, feasible, and viable. Let us understand people, by immersing ourselves in the communities; let us generate many ideas, test concepts-prototypes rapidly, and create solutions; let us bring solutions to life, through continual iterations. Let us be relentless, without giving up even under the most trying circumstances. Let us not ignore extremes and edges, nor the typical mainstream. Let us see, map and visualize the journeys, stories, and processes. Let us have the right intense, diverse teams, plan for the future, with the community at the centre and in the lead.
A refugee/internally displaced person worldwide is an individual who leaves their home/country leaving everything behind. Can we be with them to find their feet, restore their livelihoods and lives? Can we celebrate their diversity?
Can we have a healthy gut? Can it absorb nutrients better? What can we do to make it better?
Sickle cell anaemia is a genetic blood disorder where red blood cells become rigid and crescent-shaped (sickle-shaped) instead of their usual round and flexible form. These abnormal cells can block blood flow, leading to various complications, including pain crises, anaemia, and organ damage. It is a lifelong condition, but treatments can help manage symptoms and prevent complications. Can we be with them coping with this condition?
We do not like many things about living. No alcohol. No smoke. No tobacco. No sugar drinks. No oil foods. No abuse. No abusive words. No vulgarity. No space before comma. No comma before an and or an or. We may like some and others may not like them. Some are legal but we may not like them. Some may be illegal too. Harmful too. Can the state take charge, control, regulate all that is harmful and illegal? Or should it only say ‘it is not OK’ but it is up to you to go with it or not. Would a statutory warning suffice? Or an advertisement? What about basics, and basic natural laws? Social norms, customs? Religious underpinnings? How do we build and nurture the culture that encompasses unwritten rules, norms, values, manners, and basics for living, co-living, coexisting, and flowing together usefully? Beyond police, state, court et al.
Can we have one meal, at least one meal, together? Can we have a little conversation once a day? Can we sit in silence? Having conversations, without the hurry of catching up with the next slot of work/appointment. Meaningful conversations to slow down. To regulate the nervous system and reduce stress. Most of us enjoy light, brief but deep conversations with friends and family. Sharing updates. Being together for 30-60 minutes at least. For a sense of belonging. For staying together. For smiling, laughing together. Daily, without phones, and screens. To remain connected humanly over food, silence, chats and hanging around.
Can we set our own ways – culture – rules, norms, etc.? Can we build ‘togetherness’ – yoga, reflection – dhyaana, into our strolling, walking, jogging, running, and cycling? Into our conversations? Consistently, regularly, intensely.
Yes, we can. If we coexist, flowing. Being together through thick and thin. In N? yogakshemayoga for 7L.