Meet the maharajas of the world’s biggest democracy
Indian officialdom still treats citizens like subjects
WALK INTO the office of a senior government official anywhere in India and you will find the same scene. Behind a large desk sits the man (or, occasionally, the woman) in charge. Arrayed in front of him are neat rows of chairs. And on those chairs sit supplicants patiently awaiting their turn to petition for justice, relief or favours. Many more clamour outside. Periodically the official rings a bell, signalling to a peon to usher in the next hopeful.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Change the subject”
From the May 4th 2024 edition
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The Adani scandal takes the shine off Modi’s electoral success
The tycoon’s indictment clouds the prime minister’s prospects
Priyanka Gandhi: dynastic scion, and hope of India’s opposition
Poised to enter parliament, she may have bigger ambitions than that
The Caspian Sea is shrinking rapidly
This has big implications for Russia, which has come to rely on Central Asian ports
Racial tensions boil over in New Zealand
A controversial bill regarding Maori people punctures its relative harmony
Once a free-market pioneer, Sri Lanka takes a leap to the left
A new president with Marxist roots now dominates parliament too
The mystery of India’s female labour-force participation rate
A good news story? Maybe