Back to resources

Charge of the compassionate brigade

Civil Society | Jan 26, 2012

Modern society is classified into different segments. First you have the state, as represented by elected officials and lawmakers, politicians, ministers, bureaucrats and other organs of the state. Then there are the commercial bodies — companies, chambers of commerce and other market players.
The third segment (there is a fourth, the underworld and the mafia, but let’s not talk about it) is civil society, comprising “the arena, outside of the family, the state, and the market where people associate to advance common interests,” a definition coined by Civicus, the World Alliance for Citizen Participation.

View PDF

More like this

Civil Society

CSOs: Mirrors, not just handmaidens

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 […]
Jun 4, 2015 | Article

Water  |  Civil Society  |  Societal Thinking  |  COVID-19

Rohini Nilekani on Water, Societal Platform Thinking and COVID-19 Response

Rohini talks about the water sector, the COVID-19 pandemic and her vision for the city of Bengaluru. You can read the full interview at the India Water Portal.
May 6, 2020 |

Civil Society  |  Strategic Philanthropy

Rohini Nilekani on the Secret to Successful Governance | Grand Tamasha

Rohini Nilekani is an author and philanthropist who has worked for over three decades in India’s social sectors. She is the founder of Arghyam, a foundation for sustainable water and sanitation, and she also co-founded Pratham Books, a nonprofit which aims to enable access to reading for millions of children. With her husband Nandan, she […]
Oct 5, 2022 |

Civil Society

India at the Crossroads

This is an edited version of a panel discussion with Neera Nundy, Rikin Gandhi, Tim Hanstad, and Rohini Nilekani on Social Entrepreneurship: India at the Crosswords, at the 2015 Skoll World Forum. India is clearly at an inflection point. There is global momentum, true economic incentives, and real desire to achieve social and economic progress […]
Apr 28, 2015 | Speech