Ramachandra Guha, Historian

With a single newspaper column, he has drawn India into an urgent politico-cultural debate on Islamic gender oppression and the impropriety of religious symbolism in the public sphere. Is the burkha a cultural symbol or a segregational tactic trapped in deep religiosity, Guha asked. Does it come in the way of the modern Muslim woman’s full engagement with the world? With a critical commentary on exclusivist majoritarianism as well as Muslim politics, Guha exhorted liberals to question the tyranny of a dress code for Muslim women and to call out the bigotry of Hindu fundamentalists armed with violent props. Guha’s reformist tone did not sit well with liberals—he admitted that he would be labelled an ‘RSS apologist’ for his critique of a Muslim practice—but it sparked off dialogue among scholars and opinion-makers in a chain reaction that is the hallmark of a thriving democracy. Few other thinkers in India today join the dots between politics, history and religious identity with as much nuance and authority.

Complete List of Open Minds 2018: Public Square

Salman Rushdie, Author | Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Political scientist | Nandan Nilekani, Infosys Chairman | Srinath Raghavan, Historian | Ram Madhav, BJP Leader | Swapan Dasgupta, Political commentator and MP | Shashi Tharoor, Scholar Politician | TCA Raghavan, Historian | Ramachandra Guha, Historian | Brahma Chellaney, Strategic thinker | Uday Shankar, President, 21st Century Fox, Asia | Anantha Chandrakasan, Technologist | Gita Gopinath, Economist | Soumya Swaminathan, Paediatrician and clinical scientist | Prasoon Joshi, Poet and Censor Board chairman | Madhav Khosla, Scholar | Sidharth Luthra, Lawyer | Shayara Bano, Triple Talaq Petitioner | Reuben Abraham, Economic Analyst | Pratima Joshi, Architect | Reetika Khera, Economist | Shamika Ravi, Economist | Sharmila Bhattacharya, Scientist | Vijay Prasad, Historian | Nayanjot Lahiri, Historian | Avani Chaturvedi, Fighter Pilot, IAF | Pranshu and Nishant Patni, Entrepreneurs

Complete List of Open Minds 2018: Soft Power

Virat Kohli, Captain, Indian Cricket Team | Priyanka Chopra, Actor | Jeet Thayil, Author | Anju Dodiya, Artist | Alia Bhatt, Actor | Rajkummar Rao, Actor | Chetan Bhagat, Author | Jahnvi Dameron Nandan, Perfumer | Rupi Kaur, Poet | Parvathy Thiruvothu, Actor | Sujatha Gidla, Author | Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, Architect | Prayaag Akbar, Author | Ruchika Sachdeva, Fashion Designer | Palghat R Ramprasad, Carnatic musician | Unni R, Author | Kunal Kamra, Comedian | Vikas Khanna, Chef and Television Personality | Shoojit Sircar, Filmmaker | Srikanth Kidambi, Badminton Player | CS Santosh, Off-Road Biking Champion | Mayank Austen Soofi, Author and Blogger | Ratish Nanda, Conservation Architect

historianIndian historyintellectualMahatma GandhipoliticsRamachandra Guha