Tavleen Singh is a distinguished Indian journalist, political reporter, and author, currently serving as a leading columnist for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over four decades, she is widely recognized for her incisive commentary on Indian politics, public policy, and governance.
Professional Experience & Journey: Singh began her journalistic career in the United Kingdom with the Evening Mail in Slough, where she trained under the Westminster Press training scheme. She returned to India in 1974, joining The Statesman as a reporter. Her extensive fieldwork includes tenure as a Special Correspondent for The Telegraph in 1982 and as the South Asia Correspondent for the Sunday Times, London. Over the years, she has contributed to major publications including India Today and has played a pioneering role in Indian television journalism, heading the Delhi bureau for Plus Channel.
Expertise & Focus Areas: Renowned for her deep understanding of India's political landscape, Singh has covered some of the most critical events in the nation's history, including the Punjab insurgency and the conflict in Kashmir. Her writing often bridges the gap between the "Durbar" of Delhi’s political elite and the ground realities of rural India. She currently writes the popular weekly column "Fifth Column" for The Indian Express, appearing every Sunday, where she offers critical analysis of government policies and political shifts.
Authoritativeness & Recognition Singh is a celebrated author of several best-selling books that serve as important records of contemporary Indian history. Her notable works include:
Kashmir: A Tragedy of Errors (1995)
Lollipop Street: Why India Will Survive Her Politicians (1999)
Durbar (2012)
India's Broken Tryst (2016)
Messiah Modi: A Tale of Great Expectations (2020)
Her fearless reporting has earned her significant accolades, including the Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Woman Mediaperson (1988) and the Sanskriti Award (1985) for her comprehensive coverage of the Punjab crisis.
Trust & Credibility As a veteran voice in Indian media, Singh is known for her unyielding candor and independent perspective. Her long-standing association with The Indian Express, a publication known for its "Journalism of Courage," reinforces her standing as a...
December 27, 2009 03:07 IST
It saddens me that my last column of 2009 should be about injustice and evil but what choice is there?....
Sun, Dec 27, 2009December 20, 2009 03:09 IST
AS its two main leaders fade away with the last weeks of this year,our one and only national opposition party finds itself at a turning point. Two roads stretch before the Bharatiya Janata Party. One will take it straight into historys dustbin. The other towards rebirth as a centre-right political party. As the two men […]
Sun, Dec 20, 2009December 13, 2009 01:13 IST
If you do not hear from me next week it will be because I am on hunger strike on a cold pavement near Jantar Mantar.
Sun, Dec 13, 2009December 06, 2009 03:40 IST
Who benefits if we succeed in cleaning up our filthy rivers and our polluted air? Who benefits if we succeed in preserving the tiger,the elephant and our forests?....
Sun, Dec 06, 2009November 29, 2009 02:21 IST
IN our remembrance of 26/11 last week there was for me one really moving moment. It went unnoticed amid the cacophony of tawdry talk shows full of tawdry celebrities....
Sun, Nov 29, 2009November 22, 2009 02:28 IST
Every time I go to a country that used to be way behind India and is now way ahead,gloomy thoughts fill my head and as a responsible columnist I feel it my duty to share them with you. I write this week from Dubai.....
Sun, Nov 22, 2009November 15, 2009 02:43 IST
How fortunate for us that Manu Sharma cannot stay away from bars. And,bar brawls. Were it not for this inexplicable lure of Delhis nightlife,this murderer would have probably used his undeserved parole to disappear,with the help of Daddys money,to some sunny spot for shady people and live happily ever after. Ever since he was arrested […]
Sun, Nov 15, 2009November 08, 2009 03:58 IST
First,let me say that in my humble opinion the Home Minister is right to reach out to Muslims....
Sun, Nov 08, 2009November 01, 2009 03:26 IST
As a dutiful daughter-in-law,Sonia Gandhi always remembers the late Mrs Gandhi on her death anniversary.
Sun, Nov 01, 2009October 25, 2009 03:03 IST
Last weeks election results confirm that the political map of India is radically changed. There is only one political party left on the national landscape because the BJP....
Sun, Oct 25, 2009October 11, 2009 05:05 IST
This week I would have liked to write about some peacetime subject like the Environment Ministrys latest efforts to clean the Ganga or the World Banks new report....
Sun, Oct 11, 2009October 04, 2009 01:25 IST
Every Gandhi Jayanthi,I find myself wondering if I should add my two bits to the reams of commemorative comment that Gandhijis birthday inspires. Usually I resist the temptation....
Sun, Oct 04, 2009September 27, 2009 02:36 IST
Last week as I watched Indian scientists crow with glee over having found water on the moon and TV anchors burst with unconcealed pride....
Sun, Sep 27, 2009September 20, 2009 03:34 IST
Austerity is tough for those who have become accustomed to the high life,corporate style. Private planes,five-star hotels...
Sun, Sep 20, 2009September 13, 2009 00:16 IST
At last there are signs that the Government of India has had enough of Pakistan thumbing its nose at us.....
Sun, Sep 13, 2009September 06, 2009 02:40 IST
In these times of interactive journalism I make it a point to read the blogs this column evokes....
Sun, Sep 06, 2009August 30, 2009 03:38 IST
There are few things that leave me feeling more pessimistic about Indias future than taking a flight from Mumbais international airport....
Sun, Aug 30, 2009August 23, 2009 02:18 IST
Sonia Gandhi is right to ask her party legislators to sacrifice a portion of their salaries to drought relief....
Sun, Aug 23, 2009August 09, 2009 02:49 IST
In the week that we finally passed a law making primary education compulsory,it would be churlish of me to write only bad things about the abysmal state of Indian education. So good things first.
Sun, Aug 09, 2009August 02, 2009 04:24 IST
Many puzzling things have been said about our relations with Pakistan since the Sharm el-Sheikh engagement. Our Finance Minister told the Lok Sabha...
Sun, Aug 02, 2009July 26, 2009 03:26 IST
Its not often this column gets a mailbox full of letters that agree with the views of your humble columnist. This happened last week. The gist of the letters was that Indias national interest was undermined by the Prime Minister when he allowed his Pakistani counterpart to bully him into that reference to Balochistan in […]
Sun, Jul 26, 2009July 19, 2009 01:06 IST
India will not talk to Pakistan as long as its government continues to nurture and shield those who attack India....
Sun, Jul 19, 2009July 12, 2009 02:05 IST
Last weeks Budget brought home to me a sad reality. It was not the Marxist parties who prevented economic...
Sun, Jul 12, 2009July 05, 2009 02:19 IST
If I have learned one thing from long years of covering politics and government in India it is that one reason....
Sun, Jul 05, 2009June 28, 2009 02:15 IST
The best thing that has happened to Indian education in recent times is for Kapil Sibal to be appointed Minister...
Sun, Jun 28, 2009



