Indian federalism is at a crossroads. Disparities across regions and communities in terms of economic growth and population trends are widening.
Migratory populations are generating new social and political forces in their destinations and sources. Simultaneously, there is an ongoing debate around the constitutional, philosophical and political architecture of India.
Some of these questions will come to a head in 2026, after which India is constitutionally required to redraw its parliamentary constituencies, which will shift more political power from the south to the north. In the same year, the 16th Finance Commission will also announce the new scheme of revenue sharing between the Centre and the States, and among States.
How can India evolve a new common ground among all its religious, caste and linguistic communities, taking into account the looming challenges of uneven demographic and economic shifts in the country?
Terms of Engagement is a series that will host experts who think and work on questions related to India’s federalism, identity and representation, in order to facilitate this conversation.
In the first episode, Alok Rai explains the past and present of Hindi nationalism.
In the second episode Former Director, National Judicial Academy G. Mohan Gopal explains the discussion centres on the Indian Constitution’s significance and its role in shaping the nation’s trajectory, particularly in relation to social justice and representation.
In the third episode, Devdutt Pattanaik explains what is the concept of ‘Aryavarta’ and how it relates to the geography of the modern republic of India.
In the fourth episode, A.R. Venkatachalapathy discusses the social and political context of the emergence of social justice politics in Tamil Nadu and its relationship with Indian nationalism.
