Open Magazine - Top Stories

The Ides of August: The idea of freedom
The Ides of August: The idea of freedom
9 min read
Diplomatic postings in Singapore and Pakistan have given the author a ringside view of how the intersection of history and politics alters the idea of freedom
Freedom Issue 2026: Editor's Note
3 min read
Testament of a Radical Liberal
16 min read
Liberalism is not a repudiation of patriotism and to reclaim it is not to mimic the West but to rediscover a native grammar of freedom
Behold Gandhi the Hindu: How Sanatana Dharma Shaped India’s Independence Movement and Nationalism
12 min read
He tackled Jinnah, Ambedkar and the Christian missionaries with philosophical panache when his belief in Hinduism came to be directly challenged
The Capital of Mobilisation: Delhi and the unfinished argument of the Republic
8 min read
Governments have changed, sometimes dramatically, but the city’s deeper history lay in the claims made upon them. The important question is not only who occupied the seat of power but who was standing ...
Trump Has Tariffs. Lula Has a Reciprocity Law. Brazil is Now Preparing to Hit Back
2 min read
After Washington slapped new tariffs on Brazilian goods, the Lula government has begun formally examining retaliatory measures against the US. Diplomacy remains the first option, but Brazil is making ...
Reliance, Rolls-Royce Want to Build AMCA’s Engine in India. Why This Fighter Jet ‘Heart’ Matters
4 min read
Reliance Industries and Rolls-Royce plan to jointly develop an indigenous combat engine for India’s fifth-generation AMCA fighter. The ambition goes well beyond one aircraft: crack the engine, and Ind ...
Australia vs Bangladesh 1st Test: How Bangladesh Turned Australia’s ‘Soft Start’ into a Test Nightmare
4 min read
Australia began the Bangladesh series as the overwhelming favourites. Two days later, they have been bowled out for 198, watched a 25-year-old playing only his second Test make history, and trail by 1 ...
Trump’s Border Scorecard: 15 Months, Zero Migrant Releases and Crossings Down 94%
2 min read
The Trump administration says southwest border apprehensions have fallen to a fraction of Biden-era levels, while July marked the 15th straight month without undocumented migrants being released into ...
open magazine cover
14 Aug 2026 - Vol 05 | Issue 33

Freedom Issue 2026

Shashi Tharoor on being radical liberal | Ram Madhav on how Gandhi used his Hinduism | TCA Raghavan on a diplomat's travels in history | Sumana Roy on the novel beyond the Booker | Carlo Pizzati on the dissolution of Borders
Testament of a Radical Liberal
Behold Gandhi the Hindu: How Sanatana Dharma Shaped India’s Independence Movement and Nationalism
Freedom Issue 2026: Editor's Note
The Ides of August: The idea of freedom