When constitutional ritual no longer heals political division, ritual itself becomes a message.
Author: T R Jawahar
For decades, Raj Bhavans functioned as zones of silence. Decisions travelled through files, not forums. Authority spoke in signatures, not statements.
That culture has thinned.
For many of the framers of the Constitution, their legacy is lost and worse, forget the last word, no word is being uttered. It’s always Ambedkar, Nehru, Patel, Rajendra Prasad—and sure, they were great men of mettle.
Plush Greens and Grey Zones: How Raj Bhavans Became Constitutional Ambiguities From Imperial Lodges to Constitutional Lounges Raj Bhavans were born as colonial edifices—grand residences from which imperial governors presided over an unfree people. They were designed to impress, to distance, and to dominate. High walls, sprawling lawns, and prime locations were not architectural accidents; they were instruments of authority. What is striking is not that independent India inherited these structures. What is striking is that, decades into a republic founded on popular sovereignty, unelected authorities continue to operate from those same ritzy residences on prime real estate, exercising influence…
India’s constitutional machinery was designed to run on restraint. Governors were never meant to be regular visitors to courtrooms. Read more in part two of the series…
Tamilnadu’s trysts with tragedy continues. The latest is a Actor-politician Vijay’s rally that has so far claimed thirty eight lives, 8 children and 16 women…
I don’t want to talk about MGR as a CM, a subject that deserves a thorough and ‘critical’ study. Rather, today’s topic is what made MGR the CM: songs…
Left, Right, Centre, Left of Centre, Far Right, Liberal, Conservative and several such sundry stuff: These ideological labels that litter the lexicon are a legacy of the Western…
The phrase ‘Hindu mythology’ is a misnomer, invented by muddled or motivated minds. The fact that modern archaelogical tools or anthropological studies