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...
September 22,2013 00:52:45 AM
If he does,then the Congress has much bigger problems to contend with than the advent of the challenger from Gujarat.
Sun, Sep 22, 2013September 15,2013 00:21:54 AM
Neither of the two men who lead the race to become Indias next prime minister raised local issues.
Sun, Sep 15, 2013September 08,2013 03:02:53 AM
I do this in the hope that it will persuade you that democracy is weakened when parliamentary constituencies become fiefdoms
Sun, Sep 08, 2013September 01,2013 03:02:03 AM
This dream of prosperity is what Sonia has killed in the decade that she has been Indias de facto prime minister.
Sun, Sep 01, 2013August 25,2013 03:25:42 AM
The response to my column last week left me humbled. And,I am not the humble type.
Sun, Aug 25, 2013August 18,2013 05:45:57 AM
Had Rahul Gandhi made the speech Narendra Modi did last week,he would have been hailed as Indias shining white hope.
Sun, Aug 18, 2013August 11,2013 05:39:39 AM
It is just as well that the latest crisis on the Line of Control left the triumvirate that heads the Indian government speechless
Sun, Aug 11, 2013August 04,2013 01:26:26 AM
Last week the Prime Minister met yet again with the mighty moguls of Indian industry
Sun, Aug 04, 2013July 28,2013 05:30:05 AM
No proof is needed that other than Narendra Modi,the BJP has nothing new to offer
Sun, Jul 28, 2013July 21,2013 03:58:55 AM
If you have noticed of late sympathy for Narendra Modi in this column,you would have noticed right
Sun, Jul 21, 2013July 14,2013 03:09:31 AM
This piece is being written on a monsoon morning filled with rain and soft shades of grey. The monsoon is so much my favourite season
Sun, Jul 14, 2013July 07,2013 04:57:17 AM
For those of you who may still believe that giving 800 million Indians the legal right to food will solve our grim and shameful malnutrition problem
Sun, Jul 07, 2013June 30,2013 05:38:48 AM
Like a plague of monsoon insects,environmentalists have swarmed onto our television screens since the Uttarakhand cataclysm
Sun, Jun 30, 2013June 23,2013 05:18:13 AM
Indias biggest problem is bad governance and one reason why we always fail to address it is because we get distracted much too often by useless debates
Sun, Jun 23, 2013June 16,2013 05:38:12 AM
The shenanigans of last week prove conclusively that the most important issue in the next general election will be Narendra Modi
Sun, Jun 16, 2013June 09,2013 02:20:50 AM
Since I write this week from Naypyidaw,my only way to read Indian newspapers is online
Sun, Jun 09, 2013June 02,2013 00:21:39 AM
Ever since Sonia Gandhi set up her National Advisory Council (NAC) I have opposed it as a dangerously meddlesome extra-constitutional body
Sun, Jun 02, 2013May 26,2013 02:53:08 AM
Last week I was in Istanbul to participate in a conference on the future of democracy and the liberal order.
Sun, May 26, 2013May 19,2013 00:34:26 AM
In the drawing rooms of Lahore last week I met old friends who told me that I had become a hate object in the eyes of the liberals they knew in India.
Sun, May 19, 2013May 12,2013 00:57:09 AM
When the news came from Karnataka last week that the Bharatiya Janata Party had suffered a humiliating defeat I was delighted
Sun, May 12, 2013May 05,2013 02:30:24 AM
Are Sonia Gandhis sycophants coming home to roost? I ask the question not just because I was attacked on national television last week by one of her toadies
Sun, May 05, 2013April 28,2013 03:30:17 AM
Chinese soldiers are currently on a camping trip in Ladakh. The insouciance with which they crossed the border and set up their tents on Indian soil
Sun, Apr 28, 2013April 21,2013 00:51:52 AM
There has been much talk lately of governance. Ever since Narendra Modi put it at the top of his political agenda,other political leaders have picked up on it
Sun, Apr 21, 2013April 14,2013 02:31:09 AM
In case you are politically naïve and do not fully understand what that word means today let me make clear that it means Narendra Modi.
Sun, Apr 14, 2013April 07,2013 00:52:46 AM
Let me begin by admitting that I wish I did not have to analyse Rahul Gandhis first major address to the nation. It feels too much like kicking a helpless puppy
Sun, Apr 07, 2013



