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Arun Shourie is among India's best known commentators on
current and political affairs. Born in Jalandhar, Punjab
(1941), he studied at St. Stephen's College in Delhi and
then obtained his doctorate in Economics from Syracuse University,
USA.
Among other portfolios, he held the office of the Minister
of Dis-investment, Communications and Information Technology
in Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabinet. He was acclaimed
as a "Star of Asia" by Business Week in 2002,
as "The Business Leader of the Year" by The Economic
Times jury for his pioneering and dogged work on privatization.
In a poll of Indian CEOs, he was acclaimed as "The
Most-outstanding Minister" of Mr. Vajpayee's Government
in early 2004. He is the recepient of numerous national
and international awards, including the Magsaysay Award
and one of India's highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan.
He has been an economist with the World Bank, and Editor
of the Indian Express. He is widely regarded as
the initiator of Investigative Journalism in India. The
International Press Institute, Vienna, acclaimed him as
one of 50 "World Press Freedom Heroes" whose work
has sustained freedom of the press in the last half-century.
He has written 20 books on a variety of topics ranging from
constitutional law, modern Indian history, religious fundamentalism
to public life to governance in India, to national security.
His latest book, Falling Over Backwards, has just
been released.
Dr. Shourie will speak on the subject of affirmative action
in India, its original rationale, the principal political
reasons for its expansion, and how judicial activism has
shaped these policies. He will focus in particular on current
debates about extending affirmative action to the elite
institutions of higher education and the private sector.
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