Ram Madhav

The Soul of the Nation

Ram Madhav, December 9, 2020

India differs from the West in the ethical foundations of its nationalism and its idea of the state Nationalism is the new flavour of the season in the world. Many scholars predict that the post-Covid world order will witness a further rise of nationalism in many countries. The healthcare challenge posed by the pandemic has […]

In democracy, public morality and unelected institutions are necessary checks, not inimical to elected govt

Ram Madhav, November 26, 2020

India’s democracy, as envisaged by the makers of its Constitution, thrived essentially because of the respect of the leaders for ethical constitutionalism and moral activism of the grassroots activists. Neither should see the other as an enemy and try to bring them down. There was much scepticism about the idea of universal adult franchise during […]

India And China – The Road Ahead

Ram Madhav, November 24, 2020

India and China are two big neighbours. Both are fast developing nations with global ambitions. The challenge lies in managing this competition in a healthy manner and not allowing it to lead to confrontation. Nations are products of their histories. China had a ‘century of humiliation’ from which it came out in the middle of […]

Ram: A Universal Deity

Ram Madhav, November 23, 2020

Ram’s greatest qualities that made him Maryada Purushottam were manifest not when he was in Ayodhya, the centre of power, but when in exile in the forests.  It is said that there won’t be a village in India without a Ram temple. Ram is a universal deity, “treasured as the common property of every Hindu […]

Polls part of process to hand over power to people

Ram Madhav, November 22, 2020

Gupkaris sound dubious sometimes. The senior leader Farooq Abdullah had stirred a hornet’s nest recently by hinting that the Kashmiris were looking at China as their redeemer. Insisting that China “never accepted” the revocation of Art 370, Farooq told India Today TV that “They (the Chinese) said till you restore Article 370, we won’t stop”. […]

Chinese Politics – Part I and II

Ram Madhav, November 18, 2020

This is a 15-week two part course on Chinese domestic and international politics offered by Prof. David Zweig of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which I completed today. Although a bit timed – this coursed was recorded in 2016 – it gives an excellent overview of the entire spectrum of Chinese politics […]

Modi – The Redeemer in Bihar

Ram Madhav, November 15, 2020

Bihar is a politically complex state. Between 1960 and 1990, the state had seen 23 Chief Ministers and 5 spells of President’s rule. Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi brought some stability. Together they ruled for 12 years between 1990 and 2005 with three spells of President rule in between. For a state […]

What India looks for is an America that brings with it many allies

Ram Madhav, November 7, 2020

In India, some believe that Biden-Harris would be bad news for US-India relations. It must be understood that US-India ties stand on a mutually beneficial bipartisan and strong footing. But what India looks for is an America that brings with it many allies. In American constitutional history, there were at least two occasions in the […]

Sardar Patel and the Kashmir question

Ram Madhav, November 7, 2020

PM Modi was not off the mark when he said last year, ‘…. that if Sardar Patel was the first PM of India there would not have been a Jammu and Kashmir problem.’ Napoleon once called history “a fable mutually agreed upon”. What we call history is sometimes a popular myth that is politically and […]