Opinion: How An Irishman Studied Hundreds Of Indian Languages

Phiroze Vasunia | Friday December 06, 2019

The dialogic relationship between Grierson and his interlocutors, whether Indian or European, frequently puts him at odds with the British colonial regime.

Opinion: What Boris Johnson's Book Reveals About The New PM And Brexit

Phiroze Vasunia | Tuesday August 13, 2019

As provocative and absurd as the argument seems, the book harks back to a Johnson who was content to reform the EU rather than leave it altogether. In 2019, Prime Minister Johnson is adamant that he will lead Britain out of the EU and deliver Brexit to the nation. What would Edward Gibbon say?

Opinion: Tarun Vijay, Note Gandhi Was Listed As Black Student Last Year

Phiroze Vasunia | Wednesday April 12, 2017

Last year, an exhibition on Black History Month at University College London, which likes to claim Gandhi as an alumnus, included the Mahatma in its list of illustrious black students. Nothing sinister was intended: Gandhi was being celebrated as a distinguished black former student. One wonders what Gandhi himself would have made of the honour.

Opinion: Outing Elena Ferrante Is A Sort Of Violence

Phiroze Vasunia | Wednesday October 12, 2016

What is an author? The response to that question was never simple, and it became a lot more complicated after Barthes, Foucault, and post-structuralism. Now, here comes an investigative journalist who thinks he knows the answer.

Opinion: Dear Britain, How Much Nostalgia Does An Empire Need?

Phiroze Vasunia | Monday March 28, 2016

In coming to terms with Empire, one small step forward at a time may be all that we can hope for.

Opinion: An Indian King's Mark on Kandahar

Phiroze Vasunia | Thursday December 24, 2015

The inhabitants of Kandahar have suffered extremes of grief, violence, and misery for decades. It is a measure of how desperately things need to change that the values that Ashoka mentioned in his edicts seem so incongruous in the city and its environs today.

Opinion: Forget Reparations, Britain, Release The Files

Phiroze Vasunia | Tuesday August 04, 2015

The issue here is not just poor cataloguing or preservation, but the will of functionaries and politicians to open up records to scrutiny and judgement.

Opinion: Germany and Greece Can't Do Without Each Other

Phiroze Vasunia | Tuesday June 23, 2015

Not since the early years of the 19th century has Greece roused such strong feeling in the rest of Europe. At that time, the Greek War of Independence proved to be a rallying point for thousands of sympathizers who joined together to liberate Greece from the Ottomans and their empire.

Opinion: Gandhi, Kipling and Magna Carta

Phiroze Vasunia | Saturday June 06, 2015

Magna Carta divided its readers from an early date, though nowadays it is mainly brought up with approval as a synonym for the rule of law or democracy.

Opinion: India's Obsessive Spending on Defence

Phiroze Vasunia | Monday April 20, 2015

Arms manufacturers of the world, rejoice. The government of India is your loyal friend. Not just this government, but the previous government too - the UPA as well as the NDA.

Opinion: What ISIS Achieves With Its Images Of Destruction

Phiroze Vasunia | Monday March 30, 2015

The militants understand that assaults on art with Biblical associations are likely to generate a firestorm in countries with large Christian populations, and that is what they have achieved, says Phiroze Vasunia.

Opinion: A Library That Can Salvage So Much For India

Phiroze Vasunia | Tuesday March 10, 2015

It is exciting to learn of the Murty Classical Library of India, writes Phiroze Vasunia.

Opinion: How Gandhi Used Socrates

Phiroze Vasunia | Wednesday February 11, 2015

Gandhi's translation was banned by the British, writes Phiroze Vasunia.