A 19th Century Politics For a 21st Century State, Hindustan Times
Some years ago, I edited an anthology of Indian political thought, profiling nineteen individual thinkers. The usual suspects—Gokhale, Tilak, Phule, Gandhi, Nehru, Ambedkar, Lohia, JP, Periyar—featured, but also some less [...]
The Dark and Desperate State of Uttar Pradesh, Hindustan Times
A recent report in the Financial Times, caught my eye. Headlined ‘India advert for tea boys and guards attracts 2.3m applicants’, it spoke of the desperate desire for a government [...]
The Enduring Charm Of Independent Bookstores, Hindustan Times
For many years now, I have spent much of my time, and most of my money, on books bought in stores owned by individuals rather than corporations. Within India, I [...]
Why Canada May Be The World’s Most Underrated Country, Hindustan Times
The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the world. This is why every Presidential campaign attracts such wide attention, both the primaries of the two [...]
Why Kashmiris Are Disenchanted With India, The Telegraph
On a notice board outside the library of the University of Kashmir, someone had posted a piece of paper with these words, set in bold and large type: WHY NOT [...]
Why I’m Not Nostalgic For An Undivided India, Hindustan Times
Sixty-eight years is a fairly advanced age for an individual, but a small span of time in the life of a nation. This must be why, every so often, a [...]