The Dilemma of an Indian Liberal

Grand Tamasha

Gurcharan Das is one of India's best-known authors and thinkers. He had a celebrated career in business, most notably as the CEO of Procter and Gamble in India, before devoting his full attention to writing. He is the author of numerous best-selling books, including India Unbound, The Difficulty of Being Good, and India Grows at Night.

Most recently, Das has written a new book called The Dilemma of the Indian Liberal, in which he recounts his own professional and intellectual journey and traces how and why he became a liberal. In telling his own story, he also narrates the story of an India that continues to struggle in its own quest to become a successful liberal democracy.

To close out the eleventh season of Grand Tamasha, Milan welcomes Gurcharan Das to the show for the very first time. They discuss Das’ reactions to the 2024 Indian general election, the Indian variant of liberalism, and Das’ journey with liberalism. Plus, the two discuss Das’ ill-fated foray into politics and why community is so important to preserving liberal values.

With this episode, Grand Tamasha officially begins its summer vacation. Stay tuned for more information on Season 12 of the show, which will get kick off in September. Happy summer!

Episode notes:

1. “Gurcharan Das on why it’s lonely being an Indian liberal,” The Economist, March 19, 2024.

2. Suresh Seshadri, “Review of The Dilemma of an Indian Liberal by Gurcharan Das: Keeping the faith,” Hindu, May 3, 2024.

3. Gurcharan Das, “There’s good & bad nationalism. One cherishes power, the other the nation,” ThePrint, April 8, 2024.

4. “India's 2024 Election—and its Aftermath (with Sadanand Dhume and Tanvi Madan,” Grand Tamasha, June 19, 2024.

5. “Decoding the 2024 Indian General Elections (with Sunetra Choudhury and Rahul Verma),” Grand Tamasha, June 6, 2024.