Dear Rajiv

Thanks. IPI is registered as a Trust. There is no requirement for
Directors to be Indian citizens in IPI's trust deed, nor indeed in the
Indian law. It is preferable that they are, given that this is an
India think tank, and indeed, the founder trustees are Indian
citizens. IPI does not take members (yet) and therefore the Founding
Directors run the institute, nominating the directors, after the
initial elections of 1999.

Having said that, when I write as a Director (from today Executive
Director, after Antony Joseph) of IPI, I am fully qualified to take a
deep interest in India. I am an Overseas Indian citizen with ALL
rights of an Indian citizen except the right to vote and contest
elections. Indeed, I may well apply to regain my full citizenship and
contest elections in due course as part of the work I am doing on the
Freedom Team of India (http://www.freedomteam.in/). I trust this eases
your concerns somewhat. I suppose if you read my book, 'Breaking Free
of Nehru' (http://www.sanjeev.sabhlokcity.com/breakingfree.html) your
concerns may be allayed further.

The reason IPI is being revived at this stage is so it can publish
policies and monographs for the welfare of all Indians. As you are
aware, some of India's best economists are no longer Indian citizens,
having been booted out of India (because no one was willing to listen
to them). These people now teach and work abroad because they are
simply not wanted in India. However, their views are absolutely vital
to India! Let's therefore not raise the bogey of citizenship on a
matter where these non-citizens were actually kicked out of India!
They would not have gone if anyone had cared to listen to them.

You wouldn't stop reading a book of engineering if it was not written
by a non-Indian. So, the issue of citizenship is perhaps quite
irrelevant; let us worry more about the truth.

Let us focus on the main next step: of getting good policy write-ups
and circulating them widely.

Once again, those interested in joining IPI as authors, please join
the Google Group:
http://groups.google.com.au/group/india-policy-institute.

Once we get excellent authors on that group and start publishing
useful material, we'll take membership on IPI and hold elections
again, to formalise things.

Regards
Sanjeev

--- In IndiaPolicy@yahoogroups.com, R V <rajver303@...> wrote:
>
> While anyone may become a member, office bearers ought to be atleast
citizens of India.
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: "IndiaPolicy@yahoogroups.com" <IndiaPolicy@yahoogroups.com>
> To: IndiaPolicy@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sunday, 1 March, 2009 3:31:58 AM
> Subject: [IndiaPolicy] Digest Number 147
>
>
> India Policy Web Forum
> Messages In This Digest (1 Message)
>
> 1.
> SPECIAL NOTICE: A Publishing Wing of IPI is now starting From:
sabhlok View All Topics | Create New Topic Message
> 1.
> SPECIAL NOTICE: A Publishing Wing of IPI is now starting
> Posted by: "sabhlok" sabhlok@... sabhlok
> Fri Feb 27, 2009 5:51 pm (PST)
> Dear members of IPI Yahoo Group
>
> As part of the restructure of India Policy Institute - a policy
> institute which has been dormant for a while now - a new group, being
> the publishing wing of IPI, is now starting, on Google. The group
> details are at: http://groups. google.com/ group/india- policy-institute
>
> All members of this group (IPI Yahoo Group) who are interested in
> contributing policy articles may please join this new group. On the
> new group we will work on a process to (a) create policy write-ups of
> high quality, and (b) maintain a powerful website for IPI.
>
> No debates will be entertained on this new group (at least for the
> most part). It is expected that over time, this Yahoo group will be
> retired, but that decision has not yet been taken.
>
> The new (Google) group will also lead to the development of an
> editorial board for IPI which will undertake the task of publishing
> relevant articles and monographs from time to time.
>
> A bit of history. Some of you may be aware that IPI started its life
> in 1998 as a debating group and got registered as a Trust. Apart from
> preparing a People's Manifesto it conducted a major workshop for
> Indian liberals in 2004 (some details at
> http://www.indiapol icy.sabhlokcity. com/)
>
> But these early role have largely been superceded now by the thousands
> of blogs found on the internet, as well as the physical impossibility
> of constant debate which led, in my case, to severe RSI, costing me
> lakhs of rupees in treatment and unbelievable pain, from which I am
> still recovering. It is therefore not physically possible for me to
> debate with everyone on every issue.
>
> I've decided to use my limited time to write books/ articles and let
> people form their own views, now. For instance, some of you may have
> read my recent book, 'Breaking Free of Nehru' - details at
> http://www.sanjeev. sabhlokcity. com/breakingfree .html
> and my writings in Times of India, Freedom First, and Towards a Great
> India. I am also involved in strategy and policy debate on the Freedom
> Team (http://www.freedomt eam.in) but that debate is with actual
> leaders who will actually contest elections in India. Unfortunately I
> don't have time to debate ideas with those who will not actually lead
> India to freedom.
>
> Instead of doing policy debates I believe IPI should now focus its
> energies by becoming a publisher of high quality liberal publications.
>
> I would like those of you who can critique India's policies with a
> liberal perspective to join this new group. Please note, no socialist
> or communist, or communal articles will be published. IPI aims purely
> at enhancing liberty and good policy in India.
>
> I therefore invite you to join this new group, where a range of
> actions will be initiated depending on the interest this idea
> receives. Please go to
> http://groups. google.com/ group/india- policy-institute and sign up.
>
> Membership is open to everyone with an interest in India. Please also
> pass on this email to everyone else you know who may be interested in
> this idea.
>
> Regards
> Sanjeev Sabhlok
> Director, Public Affairs IPI
>
>
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