Articles by Mark Tully
The moot question: Who will guard the guardians?
Its clear that India’s guardians, its institutions, are failing to hold power to account. They are failing because the government is trespassing on the autonomy of the unelected institutions

Updated on Nov 03, 2018 06:06 PM IST
Sabarimala row: It takes courage to sit on the fence of religious reform
The battle that ensued this week over the Supreme Court’s verdict allowing women of all ages to worship in Kerala’s Sabarimala temple demonstrated the power that religious tradition still has to resist change.

Updated on Oct 21, 2018 09:25 AM IST
To mount an effective challenge to the BJP, the Opposition could use a bit of stardust
Coming to India the leadership attributes Rawnsley suggests are the attributes which enabled Narendra Modi to create the new BJP. A comparison with the Advani-Vajpayee BJP demonstrates that it is new. I would argue that to mount an effective challenge to the BJP the opposition needs to find a leader with Rawnsley’s attributes including star dust. History has shown that Indians vote for leaders rather than parties

Updated on Sep 22, 2018 06:40 PM IST
The Bankruptcy and Insolvency Code could set ‘naamdars’ straight
Although the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code will hopefully draw a line under the loan mela that created the banking crisis it is important that its excesses are remembered so that the government and bankers are aware of all the tricks corporate borrowers can get up to. James Cabtree’s book will serve as a reminder.

Updated on Sep 08, 2018 05:29 PM IST
Conservation can help reverse urban decay in the country
The historical cores of most Indian cities can be restored through conservation efforts

Updated on Aug 25, 2018 06:19 PM IST
Renaming Mughalsarai station: A futile exercise
Unless the railway management does improve, renaming the station may turn out to be a doubtful memorial to the BJP ideologue. Mughalsarai is a railway junction and not much else. Passengers either pass through or change to different trains. Those who pass through wait impatiently for the moment when their train is eventually allowed to leave.

Updated on Aug 11, 2018 05:26 PM IST
India should focus more on its railway network
With increased investment the railways could become more cost effective, but unlike roads, they do not have a powerful, independent lobby free to use any methods to push for investment.

Updated on Jul 28, 2018 05:31 PM IST
Democracies such as India need more anarchy
Indian parties have turned into election fighting machines. Talking to an anarchist, former British diplomat Cairn Ross, has left me wondering whether not just India but many other democracies might need more anarchy.

Updated on Jul 07, 2018 04:39 PM IST
Implementing legislations is the best way to counter India-bashing
The government is considering its reply to the Thomson-Reuters survey maintaining that India is the most dangerous place for women. Rather than reacting to international criticism in a manner which convinces no one, India doesn’t avoid criticism by enforcing its legislation protecting vulnerable citizens.

Updated on Jun 30, 2018 06:28 PM IST
E-mandis can work but many pitfalls remain
The e-mandis proposed by the Centre are likely to be opposed by the state governments that guard their agricultural policy zealously

Published on Jun 16, 2018 04:21 PM IST
India’s higher education has no connection with reality
Some believe that students privileged by a university education should be compelled to repay the rest of India by doing national service. I don’t think compulsion is the answer but I do think BA graduates should be encouraged to go into real India for two years and serve those who have not enjoyed their privilege.

Updated on Jun 02, 2018 06:34 PM IST
Fake news is undermining poll processes in Britain, India
Personal experience suggests Ravi Shankar Prasad is having difficulty in controlling what is happening in his own backyard. Social media are most frequently misused by posting fake news

Updated on May 20, 2018 05:28 PM IST
Why the State must promote crafts as vigorously as it promotes industries
India’s crafts people are unique in the world for their variety, and their skills, for the beauty of their products too. The craft practices are the second-largest employer after agriculture, some estimate that they employ as many as two hundred million people. But for far too many of those people their crafts do not provide an income, which sustains them adequately or guarantees security.

Updated on Apr 21, 2018 03:56 PM IST
Why there is no reason for religion and science to clash
But in the end there is a bigger inner threat to religion than scientism. It’s posed by those who discredit religion by the fundamentalism.

Updated on Mar 31, 2018 03:52 PM IST
India’s ugly rural sprawl is the outcome of lethargic planning
Easy to construct, ugly, standard small shops are a feature of the ribbon development, the rural sprawl, in the outstandingly beautiful Kangra Valley, as they are a feature of rural development throughout India

Updated on Mar 17, 2018 06:03 PM IST
For a new India, we need radical alternatives
Beating communalism, caste, corruption, poverty, dirt and terrorism by 2022 will require some radical thinking

Updated on Feb 24, 2018 05:13 PM IST
Is Modi of the Right-wing or Left-wing? Is that even a relevant question to ask?
Modi tenure began by seemingly reducing government interference; and letting the market control distribution; but after Rahul Gandhi’s “suited and booted” jibe, the government has set about trying to acquirie a pro-poor image.

Updated on Feb 10, 2018 07:55 PM IST
India can be the Vishwa Guru on climate change, writes Mark Tully
Climate change is a crisis which requires much more fundamental changes than technology can provide. The fundamental changes we need are changes in the way we live our lives.

Updated on Jan 14, 2018 04:50 PM IST
Opinion: Is the press underestimating Rahul as it once did Sonia?
Like Sonia, Rahul also has made little or no effort to make friends with the Press and we have shown no sign of respecting his courage in persevering in spite of the setbacks he has suffered and the scorn we have heaped on his head. In the Gujarat election, he has shown the stamina we thought he lacked. The improvement in the delivery as well as the content of his speeches has been widely recognised.

Updated on Apr 11, 2019 04:49 PM IST
The problem with Aadhaar cards is the way they are being pushed by the State
I have my own evidence of biometric aadhaar recognition’s fragility. When I went to obtain my card my fingerprints failed to register.

Updated on Dec 09, 2017 06:48 PM IST
India and Britain must have clear definitions of harassment, rape
The problem here in India, as is in Westminster, is that there does not seem to be any agreement on what amounts to harassment, or indeed rape. The need for some due process and seriousness is particularly urgent bearing in mind the discussion about changing the law on marital rape

Updated on Nov 12, 2017 04:25 PM IST
From the police to the railways: The many flailings of the Indian state, writes Mark Tully
Throwing money at a flailing, corrupt, colonial force, incapable of disciplining its own officers is going to mean most of the money will go down the drain unless the police are reformed.

Updated on Oct 15, 2017 08:52 AM IST
India can never be corruption-mukt because politicians don’t want it so
Insulating civil servants from political interference is one of the key principles underlying the proposals of the Commission is and this is the main reason why all parties have shied away from reform. Politicians do not want to lose their compliant institutions

Updated on Sep 24, 2017 12:38 AM IST
Why listening to the radio is special even in the age of TV
There is always the opportunity in India to make excellent radio programmes that are not news or current affairs, but unfortunately the private sector broadcasters have not taken up that opportunity

Updated on Aug 27, 2017 07:36 AM IST
Why SPICMACAY is in tune with Modi’s thoughts; he must listen to its beats
SPICMACAY doesn’t have an annual grant. Its volunteers have to do go down on their knees to extract a comparatively meagre sum each year. They depend mainly on donations including a sizeable contribution from the Norwegian government and the generosity of the artists who perform for a pittance.

Published on Jun 10, 2017 05:58 PM IST
Demonetisation, Vyapam: Politicians, media, judiciary must not let up so easily
It’s not just the politicians who will have to accept greater accountability to create a shiny white India. Journalists need to raise our game as does the judiciary too. Following up on issues such as demonetisation and scams such as Vyapam could help clean up the system.

Updated on May 13, 2017 11:18 PM IST
The State must not try and win votes by waiving farmers’ loans
The loans cure a symptom not the causes of farmers’ distress. They enable politicians to continue ducking the issues, which have created the indebtedness.

Updated on Apr 11, 2019 02:38 PM IST
Hard nationalism divides, rather than unites
Recent events in Britain and elsewhere show how hard nationalism drive away people who can contribute to the nation. Surely there are some lessons for Indian nationalists here too, specially as their nationalism has to demonstrate that it includes the whole of a very diverse nation.

Updated on Mar 25, 2017 09:09 PM IST
To change India, we need a State-NGO collaboration
The governments’ failure to deliver more effectively on human development indicates they need to look for new models and replicate them, taking advantage of NGO initiatives and their ability to provide services as effectively as the Brahmaputra boats do

Updated on Mar 05, 2017 01:53 AM IST
India needs positive nationalism, that unites rather than divides
There is a potential for a positive Indian nationalism. It’s a nationalism which perceives India as a pluralist nation and takes pride in that pluralism. Thus, it’s a nationalism which unites rather than divides the nation providing space for the diversity which is characteristic of India. It’s the nationalism of Gandhi and Nehru, not the secularism of today’s Congress, which is negative, merely in opposition to the BJP.

Updated on Feb 05, 2017 08:05 AM IST