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...

July 20,2025 06:40:28 AM
My point is that instead of wallowing eternally in the glories of our glorious past, it is time to address the problems of today. What difference will the new history textbooks make, if most schoolchildren are unable to read them?
Sun, Jul 20, 2025
July 13,2025 06:50:25 AM
All that our politicians seem to care about is their own political future. They believe that governance is never an election issue for their voters. So, they concentrate their energies on stirring up hatred between communities and ensuring that the divisions they create will help them win the next election.
Sun, Jul 13, 2025
July 06,2025 06:45:40 AM
We need to ask why our political leaders and high officials are so removed from the realities of India that they have not noticed that the people of Bihar are nearly all too poor to get more documents to prove their identity.
Mon, Jul 07, 2025
June 29,2025 06:35:11 AM
We may not be the ‘Mother of democracy’ as our Prime Minister likes to tell the world, but in modern times, we have been a democratic republic, and this is something we should all be proud of. Democracy is something that we must cherish.
Sun, Jun 29, 2025
June 22,2025 06:45:07 AM
So, on this 50th anniversary of that day that led to India becoming a dictatorship for a while, we need to think seriously about what we should all be doing to protect our democracy. It is a fragile thing, democracy, and can easily be crushed unless people, ordinary people, stand up for their rights.
Sun, Jun 22, 2025
June 15,2025 06:50:58 AM
I would like to express once more my deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones in last week’s crash. If it was an accident and not terrorism, then it will be easier to deal with, but it will not be balm.
Sun, Jun 15, 2025
June 08,2025 07:15:00 AM
How long does the Congress Party want to pretend that Rahul is its prime minister-in-waiting when he has been unable to win a single Lok Sabha election for the party? One way or another dynastic democracy is a bad idea. And it is abundantly obvious that India’s voters saw this before our political leaders have.
Sun, Jun 08, 2025
June 01,2025 06:25:19 AM
It is not political points that they end up making but personal attacks that seek mostly to defame someone so badly that they shut up. I have chosen instead to develop a thick skin. But it is not thick enough to withstand a charge of treason.
Sun, Jun 01, 2025
May 25,2025 07:15:38 AM
As for the media, it is time for TV anchors and reporters to remember that they harm India by constantly passing off jingoism as journalism.
Sun, May 25, 2025
May 18,2025 06:45:47 AM
If there had been real reportage, we would at least know, now that the fog of war has lifted, whether Pakistan’s military machine is as good as ours and if it is, we should know why.
Sun, May 18, 2025
May 11,2025 06:50:39 AM
Pakistan’s military rulers often talk of India as an “existential threat” without noticing that it is they who are the existential threat. But these are things for later. For now, we need to see what is likely to happen when the fog of war lifts.
Sun, May 11, 2025
May 04,2025 07:12:48 AM
We must learn urgently how to better defend ourselves against this evil, cowardly enemy that hides in our forests and remains faceless. This war did not start with the attack in Pahalgam. It has been going on for at least two decades and may continue for decades.
Mon, May 05, 2025
April 27,2025 06:50:49 AM
The good news from the Kashmir Valley is that local Kashmiris who have in the past given succor and refuge to the jihadi groups seem now to have come out against them.
Sun, Apr 27, 2025
April 20,2025 07:05:06 AM
Under the gleaming new airports and the fancy new highways what is being crushed is the spiritual soul of India and it is being crushed by people who believe they are nationalists and patriots.
Sun, Apr 20, 2025
April 13,2025 07:12:31 AM
We must hope that someday soon you (the PM) will discover that your leadership is needed urgently at this time. We need assurance that India does not face economic ruination in the days and months to come.
Sun, Apr 13, 2025
April 06,2025 07:00:34 AM
Unfortunately, the Justice Varma case has not become a reason for some serious attempts at judicial reform
Sun, Apr 06, 2025
March 30,2025 07:06:03 AM
If our politicians continue to behave this way, we will spend the next few years sending comedians to jail and squabbling over the legacies of emperors who died centuries ago. We can either cry about this or cheer ourselves up with good satire.
Sun, Mar 30, 2025
March 23,2025 06:00:19 AM
The thing to remember is that the media reflects the voices of the people. If for doing this they are going to be called ‘urban Naxals’ and subjected to the jackboot of the state, those voices will die. Has this happened in India yet? It is something for you to decide.
Sun, Mar 23, 2025
March 16,2025 07:15:50 AM
We need policies that will help us take advantage of having the largest population of young people in the world. Instead of just boasting about this in international forums we need our leaders to start doing something on the domestic front that will make a real difference.
Sun, Mar 16, 2025
March 09,2025 07:15:37 AM
What we need are leaders with a modern vision of the road that we need to travel for us to remain relevant in the changing certainties of the new world. Narendra Modi could soon be facing the biggest test of his political career. It is no longer enough to give us nice slogans and words of comfort.
Sun, Mar 09, 2025
March 02,2025 07:08:53 AM
What has changed since Modi became prime minister is that he is so allergic to criticism that almost the whole media has been ‘managed’. Our vaunted private TV channels sound so much like Doordarshan that it is scary. Boforsgate should make us ask more questions.
Sun, Mar 02, 2025
February 23,2025 07:00:12 AM
Until the Lok Sabha election, it was Narendra Modi who had such an exalted sense of power that he elevated himself from mere mortal to messenger of God. That did not go down well with the voters. Recent elections indicate that the Gandhi family’s arrogance is not popular either.
Sun, Feb 23, 2025
February 16,2025 06:57:26 AM
If Modi wants to live up to the new slogan he invented in Washington, MIGA (make India great again), he could begin by setting up a series of discussions with his new best friend Elon Musk and get more details of how DOGE works.
Sun, Feb 16, 2025
February 09,2025 07:15:41 AM
In last week’s referendum, if there is one person who has lost completely, it is Kejriwal. What he has proved is that he is just like other politicians. And no symbol of hope, a new political culture or a new dream.
Sun, Feb 09, 2025
February 02,2025 07:15:05 AM
When I see real economic reforms replaced today by populist welfare schemes that do no more than fling money at people just before elections come along, I begin to truly despair.
Sun, Feb 02, 2025




