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...

August 21, 2005 00:10 IST
In his article in this newspaper last week, Shri Lal Krishna Advani accidentally revealed why he has been such an ineffectual Leader of the ...
Sun, Aug 21, 2005
August 14, 2005 00:55 IST
Independence Day usually inspires me to write in a reflective mood. Like all birthdays it provides a chance to do some book-keeping. A chanc...
Sun, Aug 14, 2005
August 07, 2005 00:48 IST
The only good thing that has come out of our financial capital, our city of dreams, our New York and Shanghai grinding to a halt for days be...
Sun, Aug 07, 2005
July 31, 2005 00:00 IST
On the day that Mumbai was brought to a grinding halt by relentless rain last week I happened to be switching between news channels when I s...
Sun, Jul 31, 2005
July 24, 2005 00:00 IST
This week I really had no wish to write about Islam and terrorism. Yes, my mailbox was filled with letters from angry Muslims and there was ...
Sun, Jul 24, 2005
July 17, 2005 00:00 IST
In the days before e-mail, I used to try and answer every letter written to this column. In general terms I am the laziest letter writer in ...
Sun, Jul 17, 2005
July 10, 2005 00:00 IST
With Ayodhya on my mind I sat down to write a piece on how Islamic terrorism will not be defeated until we deal with the mullahs and madrasa...
Sun, Jul 10, 2005
July 03, 2005 00:00 IST
For once I find myself in total agreement with the Communist Party of India (Marxist). So much in agreement that I am tempted at least for t...
Sun, Jul 03, 2005
June 26, 2005 00:04 IST
There is something about this government’s grandiose schemes to guarantee employment and improve rural India that bring back, at least ...
Sun, Jun 26, 2005
June 19, 2005 00:10 IST
At last the Bharatiya Janata Party has stirred itself out of its tedious self-absorption to notice what is going on in the government. Not s...
Sun, Jun 19, 2005
June 12, 2005 00:41 IST
Let me begin with a confession. I could not care less whether Mohammad Ali Jinnah was secular or not. I could not care less either whether i...
Sun, Jun 12, 2005
June 05, 2005 00:06 IST
The week in which we commemorate the 21st anniversary of Operation Blue Star is a good one to discuss the evils of mixing religion with poli...
Sun, Jun 05, 2005
May 29, 2005 00:53 IST
Last week I spent a morning exercising my right to information. What happened is a sideshow to the subject I write about this week, but I sh...
Sun, May 29, 2005
May 24, 2005 00:00 IST
Since Sonia Gandhi is ‘fully satisfied’ with her government’s performance in its first year we have a right to ask what she i...
Tue, May 24, 2005
May 15, 2005 00:00 IST
It is the view of this column that the proposal to give Adivasis land rights in what remains of our forests is probably the most dangerous a...
Sun, May 15, 2005
May 08, 2005 00:41 IST
There are clever people and there are people who are too clever by half. P Chidambaram, Finance Minister of India, ‘‘dream’&#...
Sun, May 08, 2005
May 01, 2005 00:39 IST
If you pay attention to matters of national security you would have noticed the brutal murder of Assistant Commandant, Jeevan Kumar, of the ...
Sun, May 01, 2005
April 24, 2005 00:00 IST
Next month the Manmohan-Sonia government completes a year in office. I call it this because it is now widely acknowledged in Delhi’s po...
Sun, Apr 24, 2005
April 18, 2005 00:00 IST
It’s wrong, I know, to kick old men when they are down, specially when so many heartless hacks have already had a go, but I cannot resi...
Mon, Apr 18, 2005
April 10, 2005 00:03 IST
Last Sunday was the first time in nearly twenty years of the Fifth Column’s existence that it did not appear. The reason for its absenc...
Sun, Apr 10, 2005
March 20, 2005 00:00 IST
Rahul Gandhi’s first exercise in political activism came a couple of weeks ago in the form of a dharna outside the Lok Sabha demanding ...
Sun, Mar 20, 2005
March 13, 2005 00:00 IST
Until last week’s Budget I had not heard the term ‘‘fringe benefit’’. It’s the sort of unattractive turn of ph...
Sun, Mar 13, 2005
March 06, 2005 00:00 IST
Last week, the honeymoon period of the Manmohan-Sonia government ended abruptly. Two men were directly responsible. One for dangerous politi...
Sun, Mar 06, 2005
February 27, 2005 00:00 IST
Tucked away on an inside page of this newspaper, a couple of weeks ago, was a news item that I hope caught the attention of the Finance Mini...
Sun, Feb 27, 2005
February 20, 2005 00:00 IST
It happens every year. The closer we get to Budget Day, the more we hear the words ‘‘liberalisation’’ and ‘‘ec...
Sun, Feb 20, 2005





