Jayant Bhandari

A short reflection on the difference between formal rules, stated principles, and the reality of institutional conduct.

A critique of WWF India’s save-the-tiger campaign and the tendency of environmental NGOs to use fear, exaggeration, and moral prestige to avoid scrutiny.

In this August 2002 article, I examine how laws, regulations, and public institutions can preserve discrimination while presenting themselves as instruments of equality and social justice.

In this article published in The Pioneer on 9 August 2002, I examine how caste-based reservation attempts to remedy historical discrimination by imposing a new system of unequal treatment.

In this article published in The Pioneer on 28 June 2002, I respond to Arundhati Roy’s attacks on capitalism and argue that India’s deeper obstacles lie in the failure of its state institutions.

In this article published in The Pioneer on 15 April 2002, I reflect on meditation as a process of self-observation, honest self-analysis, and gradual personal development.

In this satirical article published in The Pioneer on 12 March 2002, I comment on Ashok Singhal, the VHP, and the contrast between religious mobilisation and India’s neglected basic needs.

In this article published in The Statesman on 24 August 2001, I describe routine abuse and humiliation and the failure of the police and other authorities to act on repeated reports.

In this travel account published in The Statesman on 29 June 2001, I recount getting lost in the forests of Gupteswar and visiting the remote Bonda village of Mudlipuda.

In this article published in The Statesman on 19 January 2001, I examine the glorification of crime in Hindi films and the distorted application of censorship and commercial self-regulation.