Columnists

Rajmohan Gandhi

The writer is research professor at Centre for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

Misreading history: Partition did not validate the two-nation theory

Thu, Feb 13, 2020

Rajmohan Gandhi writes: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has blamed Partition on Nehru. Assigning sole or main responsibility for that painful event to Nehru lacks any historical basis. It should be recognised, moreover, that if Partition had not occurred, all the residents of today’s Pakistan and Bangladesh would have been free to move to any corner of today’s India.

CAA doesn’t carry out Mahatma Gandhi’s wishes, it brazenly defies them

Mon, Jan 27, 2020

To imply that Gandhi wanted the Hindu minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to migrate to India, or that a CAA enabling such a migration fulfils Gandhi’s wishes, is to turn history on its head. Gandhi wanted India too to protect its minorities

Is every Indian mine?: That’s the question for 2020 to answer

Wed, Jan 01, 2020

Some have tried to justify the discrimination by citing the circumstances of the 1947 Partition. Can circumstances 72 years ago justify inequality today? Moreover, those circumstances should be honestly recalled.

Manufactured hate should not sway Hindu worldview post the Ayodhya verdict

Thu, Nov 21, 2019

It’s time for the calm Hindu to speak up, reclaim the Hindu platform, and restore sanity to it. For centuries, the serene confidence of everyday Hindus, as also of exceptional Hindu figures, sprang not from how they were treated by others, whether non-Hindu or Hindu, but from their own peace of mind, and their own creativity.

The fearless dissenter who had a plan to make the countryside hum with life — that is the Gandhi India needs

Wed, Oct 09, 2019

Gandhi thought India’s independence would mean little unless it also meant the independence of every Indian.

People’s consent is missing in how J&K has been taken over by the ‘rest of India’

Mon, Aug 19, 2019

Betrayals may be inevitable in our fallen world. Taking people for granted, however, and doing with them whatever we want without their consent, is going too far.

Way forward in Kashmir

Mon, Jun 10, 2019

Actions intended to change the state’s status and demographics will intensify alienation

PM Modi’s labelling of Rajiv Gandhi as ‘Bhrashtachari No. 1’ sinks political discourse

Tue, May 07, 2019

Even if someone then believed that Rajiv had tolerated corruption, would they say to his son 28 years later that “your father ended his life as India’s most corrupt man”?

The meeting with Golwalkar: What Gandhi really said

Tue, Apr 16, 2019

He was unconvinced by RSS chief after 1947 meeting, stood against majoritarianism

Lessons from 1952, 1967, 1977

Sun, Mar 17, 2019

Indira Gandhi’s audacity, which few foresaw, split the Congress in the 1969 summer and the state of Pakistan in the 1971-72 winter. In March 1971, well before the liberation of Bangladesh, that daring had fetched Indira’s Congress 352 seats out of 545 in a mid-term poll.

Reconciliation with honour

Sat, Feb 16, 2019

What Ayodhya needs now is healing, not compromise.

A new temple, a new mosque

Wed, Feb 06, 2019

Ayodhya’s disputing sides can come together. The Supreme Court can direct them to do so.

Age of prejudice

Fri, Nov 30, 2018

'Age of terror' may be an inadequate term for our times. Ours is an age where suspicion and loathing infiltrate police stations, courtrooms, newspapers, TV, and dance wildly on social media.

Past Forward: Iron Man, his flesh and blood

Sun, Oct 28, 2018

On the 31st of this month, when his mammoth statue is unveiled, India will see the Sardar raised to the sky. Here’s a slice of history.

Past Forward: Iron man, in flesh and blood

Sun, Oct 28, 2018

Can we get to know, today in our 21st century, a heart that began its life in the 19th century and expired in the middle of the 20th? Researching the Sardar in the late 1980s, I was staggered by his self-sacrifice.

Transient triumphs

Wed, Jul 25, 2018

History reveals that popularity of authoritarian leaders and majoritarian agendas is a transitory phenomenon

Giving up on a statesman

Sat, Mar 24, 2018

Dalai Lama has won many hearts, including in China. India’s decision to shun him reflects poorly on Delhi.

Debating Partition, the Oxford way

Tue, Mar 13, 2018

Lambasting the British is easy. India needs to examine its own inability to nurture debate.

A battle of consequence: A campaign of interesting OTMs (other than Modi)

Sat, Dec 16, 2017

The Jignesh-Hardik-Alpesh (JHA) trio have previously clashed with one another. Their understanding with Rahul and the Congress is fresh. Win or lose, their biggest test will be over their mutual partnership after December 18.