An Olympian and a City Lament...
“Then war came and everything changed. War gave me a new name, a new role, a new identity: refugee.”
In March earlier this year, ten years after a then-17 year old Yusra Mardani fled Syria, she found herself back in her home country. The opening quote reflects some of the complexities the young Syrian grappled with when she first escaped in 2015. Reunited now, both Yusra and Syria have changed significantly in their time apart, and yet some things remain the same.
First, the similarities: Yusra is still a swimmer and Syria’s humanitarian need remains acute (16.5 million people in need per 2025 UNOCHA estimates). Next, the differences: Yusra is now settled in Germany and is the youngest Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency, and Syria now exists in a post-Assad reality.
While Syria’s tumultuous journey may have been closely followed the world over, less so perhaps Yusra’s.
In 2015, Yusra and her sister found themselves attempting to flee Syria and chose the precarious option of being smuggled into Greece via Turkey. What was expected to be a largely uneventful ten kilometre journey through the Aegean Sea took a turn for the worse when the feeble boat carrying the sisters and 18 others, stalled.
“I thought it would be a real shame if I drowned in the sea because I am a swimmer,” recalls Yusra, whose swimming credentials at that point included participating in the 2012 FINA (Fédération internationale de natation) World Swimming Championships. She responded in desperation and took to the water with her sister and one other woman, the three of them guiding the boat until they reached the shores of the Greek island of Lesbos some three hours later.
Yusra eventually made her way through Europe to Germany, where she sought to do one of the few things that was familiar among the unfamiliar: swimming.
2015 was a notable year for another reason. It was the year the International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched its inaugural Refugee Olympic Team, an effort to draw greater attention to the protection needs of refugees the world over. In 2016, ten refugees participated in the maiden Team, of which Yusra was one.
By the time they reached the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Team nearly quadrupled in size, and was represented by 37 athletes. It was a noteworthy year for another reason: the Refugee Olympic Team boasted of their first Olympic medal won by Cameroon-born Cindy Ngamba (bronze for boxing womens middle (75kg) category).
As purpose-filled and joyous as her Refugee Olympic Team membership was, Yusra however wrestles with other emotions when she returns to her home land. “A lot of people go back and find their homes destroyed. It’s just, in general, very heartbreaking. I always say that I came back with so much anger and sadness, but I’ll channel that to do good” our young athlete resolves.
Much like Yusra, India’s cities too have their own reason to lament - their infrastructure is failing and this is all the more evident when heavy rains and consequent flooding beset them. But there may yet be some good that can be done.
And who better to do it than… a civil engineer. Takshashila Director and Co-Founder, Nitin Pai, contends in his latest column in The Mint:
A couple of years ago, an online survey found that over 90% of the respondents across the country suffer from water-logging. It is easy and correct to attribute the problem to climate change, rapid urbanization and corruption. There is another reason: India does not have enough civil engineers.
While local governments do hire engineers, people in these positions are technical bureaucrats rather than practising civil engineers. The private sector, for its part, has long been complaining of a shortage in skilled manpower. Why is there a shortage?
To read Nitin’s assessment of why India lacks “trained, skilled and experienced engineers necessary to do a good job” follow the provided link to his column.
P.S.: June 20 is World Refugee Day. If you’d like to see more of Yusra’s (and her sister’s) story, follow this link to their biopic: The Swimmers
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: IPL Edition
In his latest column in The Mint, Takshashila Co-Founder, Narayan Ramachandran unravels the phenomenon of the Indian Premier League, through an overview of the good, bad and ugly of the world’s second largest sports league.
The good? Narayan writes:
“A fast-growing, world-scale sporting league with structural elements that will keep it exciting and growing fast”
The bad?
“...the unbridled consumerism that has taken hold, indulging everything from binge drinking to unhealthy eating…”
The ugly?
“...visible in Bengaluru with the tragic death of 11 fans and injuries sustained by scores of others during a ‘victory party’ at the RCB stadium. The IPL juggernaut is likely to crush on at its current growth rate for at least a few more years.”
But what could be possible measures for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to consider in light of the above realities? Read Narayan’s full commentary at this link to learn more.
China’s Arms Exports: Indo-Pacific Team’s View!
In their recent Op-Ed in NDTV, Takshashila Chairperson for Indo-Pacific Studies Programme, Manoj Kewalramani and Staff Research Analyst, Anushka Saxena, cast a spotlight onto China’s expanding defence export market and its implications for India.
To read their article in full, and learn about the nature of China’s arms exports (hint: check the quality of exports) or why India should care for the recipients of Chinese manufactured products, follow this link.
Boo to the Bike Ban: Anupam’s Take…
“The recent ban on bike taxis in Karnataka is not only deeply misguided, but also a perfect reflection of the governance gap that exists in Karnataka and how that gap has been exploited by incumbent vested interests”
Takshashila's Professor of Economics, Anupam Manur, in his recent Op-Ed in Moneycontrol, outlines the many problems the current Karnataka bike taxi-ban (which took effect as of June 16) is riddled with.
He does however point to possible solutions for the state to consider: draw from the best practices of others: from guidelines framed by the Union government to regulatory frameworks developed by states like Maharashtra and Goa around bike-taxi use.
To read his detailed analysis in full however, click the following link.
All Things Policy Episode of the Week: Pakistan and the IMF…
This week’s All Things Policy episode is a video feature on what role the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has played responding to Pakistan’s economic struggles.
Follow this link to see Takshashila Geoeconomics Research Associate, Anisree Suresh, in conversation with Takshashila Policy School Assistant Programme Manager, Anwesha Sen where they discuss Pakistan's fraught economic history with the IMF.
Takshashila Tabletop Trove!
For regular readers of the Dispatch, you know of course that this section is a digital repository of the books that sit in Takshashila’s physical office space in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
This week’s theme is: Epic Encounters, curated by Takshashila High-Tech Geopolitics Research Analyst, Shobhankita Reddy, Communications Manager, Wini Gurung, and yours truly:
The Last Ottoman Generation and the Making of the Modern Middle East (Michael Provence)
Pax Romana (Adrian Goldsworthy)
The Silk Roads (Peter Frankopan)
Russia and the Golden Horde (Charles J. Halperin)
Jerusalem The Biography (Simon Sebag Montefiore)
This edition of the Dispatch was written by Kripa Koshy, Programme Manager for Takshashila’s Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy.