(The article was originally published in Indian Express on July 20, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) The current Lok Sabha will have the second-lowest number of Muslim MPs — just 24 — since Independence. The figure touched an all-time low in 2014 at 22 MPs […]
Ram Madhav
India and the Global Right Turn
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on July 13, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) Conservative parties are on the rise in Europe. They have captured power in several countries in recent years, including Italy, Finland, Hungary, Croatia and the Czech Republic. They have […]
Towards a Conservative Consensus
(The article was originally published in OPEN Magazine on July 12, 2024. Views expressed are personal.) India is a deeply religious country. Conservatism is in its blood. A PEW survey found that nearly all Indians – 98 per cent – say they believe in God, and roughly 80 per cent among most religious groups say […]
Don’t Misread the Mandate
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on July 06, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) A month after the unexpected mandate delivered by the people of the country, its meaning and message are still sinking in. Both the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDI […]
A Partnership of Democracies
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on June 29, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) India and the United States of America have been close allies for more than two decades. India recently elected the Narendra Modi-led government for the third consecutive term. In […]
Bracing for New Hurdles
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on June 22, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) It is a travesty that those who lost the election are in a celebratory mood while those who won are sombre. The Congress, that touched its lowest tally in […]
Misreading Bhagwat
(The article was originally published in OPEN Magazine on June 21, 2024. Views expressed are personal.) DEFINE YOUR WORDS, Jesus appealed to Pontius Pilate, before we engage in an argument. Words carry different meanings for different people. They are understood differently in different contexts too. That’s why the great Indian grammarian Panini advises: “Ekah Shabdah […]
The Relevance Challenge
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on June 15, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) THE GROUP OF Seven countries (G7) began its summit meeting at Puglia in southern Italy on the Mediterranean coastline on predictable lines. On the first day of the summit, […]
A Mandate for Humility
(The article was originally published in Indian Express on June 08, 2024 as a part of Dr Madhav’s column titled ‘Ram Rajya’. Views expressed are personal.) It took me some time to reflect on the results of the Lok Sabha elections. As someone who has overseen at least a dozen elections, both at the Centre […]
Freedom: Political and Spiritual – In the Eyes of Vivekananda, Aurobindo and Gandhi
(The article was originally published in April 2024 issue of Transformations Parivartan – An India Habitat Centre Publication) What is the true meaning of freedom? This one question has bothered the human mind for millennia. Is freedom just a physical and political idea? Or it also has got any metaphysical and spiritual dimension to it? […]