Sunny Hundal

There are a few similarities between Catalonian and Indian independence movements

The lesson Catalonia can take from India’s freedom struggle isn’t just one from Gandhi but from what happened afterwards. Partition showed how easy it is to turn neighbours into enemies

What does the murder of a Canadian desi say about our culture?

Mahatma Gandhi once said the true measure of a society is found in how it treats its most vulnerable members. Can we Indians truly put our hands on our heart and say that women are treated fairly in this land?

Planning to study in the UK? Think twice

The British may have the top universities, but they also offer the most student-hostile government in the world

Abusive British-Indian husbands make their wives’ lives hell

Last week, as Indians were celebrating 70 years of Independence, a group of women in London held a protest demanding their own freedom. Hundreds of women find themselves abused and exploited because the husband can easily cancel his partner’s visa, leaving his wife in limbo.

Why the Indian government must help Italian Sikhs

Over the last 20 years, thousands of Indian Sikhs have migrated to Italy for work. Most found jobs in Italy’s dairy farm industry. And now they face a crisis of faith.

Is a child worse off being alone, or growing up in a different culture?

A Sikh couple in Britain has sued officials for denying them the right to adopt a white child on the grounds of differences in cultural heritage and background

Democracies can be strengthened by equal representation in Parliament

The UK Parliament reflects the country’s racial and religious diversity better than most western countries. India, a more diverse nation, has one of the most unrepresentative parliaments

Why India can be a world leader in clean energy

India is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. Indian cities dominate the list of the most polluted on the planet. Renewable energy can not only transform thousands of villages and towns across this vast country, it can put also India on an accelerator into the future.

Why Britain is failing to protect itself from jihadi terror

The problems are manifold: the government’s counter-terrorism policy is in tatters and barely works; the opposition parties are incapable of holding them to account; and British Muslim organisations are unwilling to provide the leadership their communities need.

Why NRIs are still important influencers for Modi’s India

Non resident Indians or NRIs have always been integral to the image and power of India abroad. Our traditional role was seen as ambassadors: to represent its culture and heritage, tell the world about India and explain the news from back home. But the new PM has taken his message to the world himself. He has visited foreign countries with an unusual and frenetic pace. So what role can NRIs play now?

Hindutva mobs flex muscles against Muslims. Sikhs, Christians should speak up before it’s too late

India’s religious minorities have always been suspicious of Hindutva, aware that one day they could be on the receiving end of its intolerance. That day is arriving faster than they realise.

If Britain wants good trade ties with India, it cannot say no to Indians

Britain cannot reap all the benefits of globalisation without facing the difficulties that come with it. They are two sides of the same coin

This is how we can defeat Islamic State: Keep calm and carry on, like Britain | Opinion

Britain’s response to the Westminster attack is a sign it is finally having a mature debate on terrorism, rather than being driven to panic as its tabloid press is prone to do.

A weak Left has lost space to leaders like Modi, Trump, Netanyahu and May

Right-wing populists are successful because they are better at building an emotional connection with voters, while the Left makes nuanced arguments. The Right shows clarity of purpose and a determination to succeed. Naturally, the Right is going to win

Trump should share the blame for hate crimes in US

Trump’s strongest supporters don’t care for the difference between Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims or other minorities. They believe their nation needs to be preserved as it used to be: white and Christian.

Resisting Donald Trump is essential for Europe’s survival

The anti-immigration and anti-globalisation wave that elected Donald Trump and drove the UK out of the European Union will cause havoc elsewhere. In Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Hungary, etc, there are Trump-clones trying to ride the same wave. They hope he will drive Europe further towards their kind of politics. I suspect the opposite will happen

Punjab is in dire straits and needs the Kejriwal disruption

There is little point blaming others for this mess. Punjabis aren’t easily manipulated puppets at the mercy of outside forces. What lies at the heart of its problems is the political establishment that has milked it dry. The stench of corruption is turning everything into dust.

Is India copying Pakistan’s tactics in silencing liberal voices?

Indians may point a finger at Pakistan but people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Hindu groups in India too have started copying the same tactics. And if it isn’t the Hindus then Christians, Sikhs or Muslim groups are at it. People have the right to be offended. They should even have the right to protest. The lessons for Pakistan and India aren’t that different: Without “offensive” liberal and secular voices India would rapidly degenerate into a Hindu autocracy

From US to Britain and beyond, democracies are slowly being destroyed

After a year of intense turmoil and uncertainty across world, the unstoppable march of democracy seems to be crashing into the immovable opinions of angry voters. Like a train crash in slow motion, democratic norms are being ripped up across the western world. It’s important that Indians pay attention and learn from these mistakes

Indian woman’s mysterious death in Britain: Why doesn’t anyone care?

Dozens of women from Britain have been taken to the Indian subcontinent and just “disappeared”. Both the Indian and British authorities tend to ignore such cases

Despite Trump and Brexit, the West is heading in the opposite direction

Europe and America may look like they are retreating inwards for now but liberals have time on their side

Hindus, Sikhs should not be delusional about alliances with neo-Nazis

White nationalists only care about white power. They hate what the modern world has become, and Indians are a big part of how the world has been shaped. We are their natural enemies, not their potential friends

Modi and May must bring closure to the events of 1984 riots

Shining a light on the attack on the Golden Temple, the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the planned anti-Sikh massacres that followed doesn’t need to be a religious or political issue. It is a human rights issue

Three questions Modi must ask Theresa May during her forthcoming India visit

The British PM is more concerned with showing Britons they will do fine without the EU than a trade deal with India. India is being used as a prop to cover up the problems the Conservatives are facing after the Brexit vote.

The message from Britain is clear: Indians are not welcome anymore

Britain’s new Prime Minister Theresa May is set to deeply shake the economic and cultural ties between India and the UK

Religious fundamentalists hate but imitate each other

Bigotry is dangerous because it isn’t about connecting with God; it is obsessed with taking power. Someone who believes they have God on their side doesn’t worry about the potential of doing evil.

A misplaced zeal for purity

The rise of Sikh fundamentalism in Britain

The increasing number of wedding disruptions is part of a trend towards intolerance among some British Sikhs. There have been no such protests in America or Canada, where millions of Sikhs live, where they are more integrated

Europe’s fight against extremism and its lesson for India

The fight against religious extremism isn’t one between religions, but one between the fanatics and everyone else. India should learn from the mistakes that Europe is making to avoid doing the same.

Revitalise the idea of India