For the record
In an op-ed in Indian Express, Nitin Pai and I argue in favor India’s intervention in Afghanistan, and address some of the concerns our previous article in Pragati had raised,
The government of President Hamid Karzai and members of the erstwhile Northern Alliance have long argued for India to scale up its involvement in [...]
Let’s stop being apologetic about wealth
In my article in the October issue of Pragati, I argue that UPA government’s so-called austerity drive achieves little except legitimizing poverty,
The fundamental problem with the austerity drive and its glorification in certain quarters is that like Mr Bachchan’s movies from the 1970’s, it legitimises poverty. The clarion calls for [...]
Competitive intolerance is best challenged by protecting individual rights
The August issue of Pragati features my review of Salil Tripathi’s book: ‘Offense: The Hindu Case‘.
Mr Tripathi’s answer would no doubt be unequivocal: No. But by placing his arguments in religious morality rather than constitutional morality, he leaves room for unwinnable religious arguments. To be fair, [...]
Fewer troops in the Kashmiri heartland
In the July issue of Pragati, the Indian National Interest Review, Sushant K. Singh and I argue that resolution to the Kashmiri problem requires an innovative approach which emphasizes the healing process while respecting the security needs of the state,
With the improvement in the security—especially in population centres—and the election [...]
Human rights organizations must be held accountable for their actions
In my article in the May issue of Pragati, I argue that allegations of evidence tampering against Teesta Setalvad damage the cause of human rights and justice,
In a debate on the role of human rights organisations in these pages (‘Getting human rights right’, Pragati, No 15 [...]
The debate over moral vigilantism should focus on the rule-of-law
In our piece in Pragati’s March issue, we argue that cultural conflicts can only be managed by emphasizing the rule of law,
So debates on whether visiting pubs enjoy social sanction or is consistent with Indian culture become redundant. The role of the state is not [...]
Electoral politics offers the citizen the best opportunity for punishing bad policies.
In my article in this month’s Pragati, I argue that politicizing terror is not only inevitable but ultimately beneficial to the citizen,
So instead of initiating a war on politics itself, it is more important to examine the kind of politics. If it is of [...]
Despite the boisterous elections, the essentially feudal nature of the heartland society hasn’t changed. While democracy has taken deep roots; democratization of institutions, polity, and the society hasn’t. Only the masters have changed, the nature of serfdom is still the same. . Perhaps, that’s why the collective fascination with power; the ubiquities of the lal batti culture. Where the sarkaar is mai-baap, unsurprisingly, it becomes the sole means of acquiring power, influence and even wealth! I have always been skeptical of the claims that the lack of private sector jobs is the sole motivation for this fascination with government. At best it is a partial expression, at worst; it explains why the private sector is essentially a non-starter!
Public health is concerned with the health of the community as a whole. Its key goal is to reduce a population’s exposure to disease. It has been said that: “Health care is vital to all of us some of the time, but public health is vital to all of us all of the time’’.
There is [...]
India Needs its own Milton Friedman
In his column in Mint, Jaithrith Rao has commented on the lack of a quasi-libertarian party in India: ”a khullam khulla supporter of free markets and individual liberties”. In a similar vein, Atlantean has argued that India needs a truly secular, rightist, libertarian party.
There is little doubt that India needs [...]
