Vaasanthi is the author of Amma: Jayalalithaa’s Journey from Movie Star to Political Queen

Maroof Raza is the author of, among other titles, Contested Lands: India, China and the Boundary Dispute. He is a consulting editor with Times TV Network

Gautam Chikermane is a Vice President at Observer Research Foundation. His latest books are Reading Sri Aurobindo (Penguin, 2022) and Reform Nation (HarperCollins, 2022)

MG Vaidya is a leading RSS ideologue and its former spokerperson

Rishad Saam Mehta is a travel writer with three books to his name, the latest being The Long Drive Home

Samantha de Bendern is an analyst of European political trends. She has worked with the European Commission and NATO

Rajshree Chandra is professor of political science at Janki Devi Memorial College, Delhi University

Jason Burke is the international security correspondent of The Guardian and has reported extensively from the Middle East. He is the author of, among other titles, The New Threat: The Past, Present, and Future of Islamic Militancy

Mohit Satyanand is an investor and mentor to startups. He has an abiding interest in theatre, economic policy and the outdoors

Rev Dr Valson Thampu is the former principal of St Stephen’s College, University of Delhi

The writer is the author of The Butterfly Generation: A Personal Journey into the Passions and Follies of India’s Technicolor Youth, and the editor of House Spirit: Drinking in India

Suhrith Parthasarathy is an advocate practising at the Madras High Court

Dileep Premachandran is a sports columnist for The Independent, Mint Lounge and Arab News. He was formerly editor-in-chief of Wisden India