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.
Tag: politics
The Lathi and the Republic of India
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.
The Democracy That Listens—and the Democracy That Doesn’t
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.
Test of Democracy: Ram Rajya to Gandhi, Anna Hazare and Sonam Wangchuk
A government loses little by talking to peaceful protesters. It risks much by refusing to listen. For the true measure of a democracy lies not in the power a government wields, but in the dissenting voices it is prepared to hear.
When Democracy Is Silenced, Freedom Dies Slowly but Surely
Democracy is not destroyed overnight. It erodes gradually. Each silenced protest, each intimidated dissenter, and each indifferent citizen becomes another nail in the coffin of freedom.
The CJP Protests and the Silence of Bollywood Superstars
As students protest and Sonam Wangchuk fasts for educational accountability, Bollywood’s biggest stars remain conspicuously absent. The industry’s silence raises an uncomfortable question: are its screen heroes merely manufactured illusions?
