SENIOR JOURNALIST & BESTSELLING AUTHOR
An election can change a government overnight. But if citizens begin to doubt the institution that conducts it, the damage can reach far deeper: it can shake democracy itself.
When a citizen must sign a declaration before entering a church, India must ask whether freedom of religion is still a constitutional right—or a privilege that minorities must prove they deserve.
As we celebrate Janmashtami, let us look beyond religion and tradition to celebrate Krishna and Christ as two radiant expressions of one Divine Love, guiding humanity towards unity.
Religions have fought over God for centuries. But Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism may have more in common than their followers admit: love, compassion, truth, self-realisation and human unity.
Before Independence satyagrahis stood before a line of policemen with raised lathis. Nearly eight decades after Independence, that haunting image still asks uncomfortable questions of Indian democracy. The greatness of a democracy is measured not by the force it can command, but by the restraint it chooses to exercise.Â
Four hunger strikes over four decades—from Ladakh to the Ganga to Jantar Mantar—reveal a profound shift in how Indian governments respond to citizens who choose self-sacrifice over violence.
