Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor writes: Kerala must show how an ageing population can thriveSubscriber Only

April 02,2026 06:15:27 AM

By fostering a ‘silver economy’ that incentivises private investment in elder-care technology and infrastructure, Kerala can ensure that its ageing population remains a vibrant, contributing social segment.

Shashi Tharoor writes | In LDF’s Sabarimala U-turn, a lesson for religious reformSign In to read

March 26,2026 06:19:11 AM

The challenge of the coming years will be to find a middle path — one where religious reform is driven from within the community of believers, through dialogue and consensus

Shashi Tharoor writes: India’s silence on West Asia war is not moral surrender. It is responsible statecraftSubscriber Only

March 19,2026 06:16:10 AM

We were reluctant to condemn the Soviet Union’s flagrant violations of international law in Hungary (1956), Czechoslovakia (1968), and Afghanistan (1979). Why? Because we rightly judged that we had too much at stake in our relationship with Moscow to antagonise it.

Shashi Tharoor writes: Era of gentle trade is over. Global village is being replaced by law of jungleSubscriber Only

March 12,2026 06:19:23 AM

The realisation that a single geopolitical tremor — a pandemic or a sudden invasion — can collapse a supply chain has turned trade into a defensive crouch

Shashi Tharoor writes: Our stakes are high in West Asia. Delhi must call for diplomacy, de-escalationSubscriber Only

March 06,2026 06:10:40 AM

Uncomfortable questions persist about the strategic logic of unleashing war. Was this gamble for regime change inspired by a desire to create a unipolar West Asia, integrating currently-sanctioned Iranian oil into world markets under a more friendly government?

Shashi Tharoor writes: Deterrence cannot be built on hope. Growing defence budget is a course correctionSubscriber Only

February 26,2026 08:27:40 AM

Deterrence, after all, is not a matter of slogans or sentiment. It is a material condition rooted in capability. An adversary is deterred only when it believes that aggression will fail or cost more than it is worth

Shashi Tharoor writes: Don’t force us to sing Vande Mataram. Our nationalism must encompass the believer, the dissenter and the quiet observerSubscriber Only

February 19,2026 07:42:35 AM

Those who feel comfortable singing the latter verses should be encouraged to do so. Simultaneously, the state must explicitly assure those with conscientious or religious objections, whether they are Muslims, Christians, or atheists, that they are excused from singing the verses that trouble them

Shashi Tharoor writes: Why I introduced a Bill for a permanent framework for states’ reorganisationSubscriber Only

February 12,2026 07:47:38 AM

UP is over 240 million, Maharashtra and Bihar each around 130 million. These administrative units are larger than most sovereign countries in Europe. While size might once have been viewed as a symbol of power, in the 21st-century administrative context, it has become a debilitating burden

For India-Pakistan, peace is not weakness, dialogue is not defeatSubscriber Only

February 05,2026 07:21:22 AM

In the long run, the most effective deterrent to cross-border hostility may not be military might or diplomatic isolation, but the presence of human relationships that resist the logic of enmity. This calls for enhanced people-to-people engagement, especially in sectors where the risk of infiltration or misuse is low

Shashi Tharoor writes: Civilisational pride should remind us that our greatest achievements were born of openness, not insularitySubscriber Only

January 29,2026 07:26:06 AM

India’s civilisation has never been monolithic. It is a tapestry woven from countless threads — Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, tribal, secular, Western and Indic. To reduce this vast mosaic to a binary struggle between Hindus and Muslims is to betray the very essence of our civilisation.

Shashi Tharoor writes: Amid cable newsification, journalism must reclaim its role as check on powerSubscriber Only

January 22,2026 07:11:11 AM

The contagion does not stop at television. Social media platforms amplify the spectacles, slicing them into shareable clips that ricochet across WhatsApp groups and Twitter feeds. The result is a feedback loop.

Shashi Tharoor writes: Sergio Gor’s arrival signals that a reset of India-US ties is within reachSubscriber Only

January 15,2026 07:11:11 AM

The tariff wall, along with disputes over market access and India’s pragmatic energy ties with Russia, has transformed the economic landscape from one of cooperation to one of caution. Gor must act as the chief restructuring officer

Shashi Tharoor writes: Banning Mustafizur Rahman from IPL makes no sense. Bangladesh isn’t PakistanSubscriber Only

January 08,2026 07:15:10 AM

If we decide that Indian public outrage against Bangladesh determines eligibility, what happens to Bangladeshi Hindu cricketers like Litton Das or Soumya Sarkar?

Shashi Tharoor writes: India’s test in 2026 will be to remain, in a world of fissures, a bridgeSubscriber Only

January 01,2026 07:56:04 AM

The phenomenon of interdependence without trust continues. India has shown that the path forward is not to retreat from the world, but to engage with a clear vision that prioritises national interest without abandoning global responsibility

Shashi Tharoor writes: When Parliament becomes a rubber stampSubscriber Only

December 25,2025 08:06:10 AM

If the government continues to treat the Opposition as an irrelevant vestige, it leaves many with no choice but to take the argument from the floor of the House to the dust of the streets

Shashi Tharoor writes: The marital rape exception in criminal law is a colonial relic. It needs to goSubscriber Only

December 18,2025 08:24:36 AM

Resistance often stems from a deeply ingrained, old-fashioned patriarchal attitude — the notion that a woman’s identity, especially within the confines of marriage, is secondary to that of her husband and the sanctity of the family unit

Shashi Tharoor writes: India must reject the Macaulay mindset, not EnglishSubscriber Only

December 11,2025 08:04:10 AM

We must ensure that our children know the stories of their land before they learn the myths of another. And we must do so in every language, English included Shashi Tharoor

Parliament is trapped in a cycle of disruption. Democracy is paying the priceSubscriber Only

December 04,2025 08:05:22 AM

During the decade of UPA rule, the BJP disrupted Parliament with impunity, losing 68 per cent of the 15th Lok Sabha’s time to protest. Now, in Opposition, the INDIA bloc has adopted the same playbook.

Shashi Tharoor writes: India must choose digital sovereignty or submit to the new, subtle digital rajSubscriber Only

November 27,2025 08:00:27 AM

India is a democracy, unlike China; but China’s decision to largely exclude Big Tech from its market, while often criticised, provided the fertile soil for companies like Alibaba, Tencent, and Didi to flourish into multi-billion-dollar global entities

Shashi Tharoor writes: Global South is redefining credible climate action. COP30 must acknowledge thisSubscriber Only

November 20,2025 06:17:48 AM

The old compact — where the North pays and the South complies — is crumbling. In its place, a new compact is emerging: One based on mutual respect, shared innovation, and co-created solutions

Shashi Tharoor writes: Real message of Trump-Xi G2: India must focus on atmanirbhartaSubscriber Only

November 13,2025 07:28:26 AM

The single greatest vulnerability exposed by the US-China dynamic is India's economic reliance on Chinese imports, particularly in critical sectors like pharmaceuticals and electronics.

Pakistan’s double game with China and America is its ticket to disasterSubscriber Only

November 06,2025 07:22:54 AM

There is also a domestic imperative: Pakistan's economic fragility. It is severely import-dependent, needs constant inflows of foreign direct investment, and is desperate to monetise its untapped mineral wealth. Playing the US and China off each other is seen as the viable path to attract capital.

Shashi Tharoor writes: India’s Taliban outreach requires reconciling principle with pragmatismSubscriber Only

October 30,2025 06:59:15 AM

Engagement does not require moral whitewashing, but it does require constant public scrutiny and clear red lines. Hard task for New Delhi is to protect both national security and the dignity of the rights-bearing citizenry our government represents

Shashi Tharoor writes: Multilateralism isn’t deadSubscriber Only

October 23,2025 09:07:24 AM

As 80th UNGA unfolds, stakes are clear -- future of global cooperation depends not only on reforming institutions but on rebuilding legitimacy. It must speak to concerns of ordinary citizens, not just diplomats

Shashi Tharoor writes: The world after the American orderSubscriber Only

October 16,2025 07:12:29 AM

The US-led postwar order is unravelling. In its place, a contest for influence and legitimacy is gathering pace, with China eager to fill the vacuum.