The Dalai Lama can claim the sanction of the Buddha, who is said to have altered his teachings in order to reach a diverse audience. Pankaj Mishra alteraudiencebuddha Change image and share on social
As the spiritual leader of six million people, the Dalai Lama can be credited with a significant renunciation of the authority of tradition - of the conventional politics of national self-interest as well as of religion. Pankaj Mishra authorityconventionalcredit share on social
Gandhi's ideas were rooted in a wide experience of a freshly globalized world. Pankaj Mishra experiencefreshlygandhi Change image and share on social
Governments everywhere that are unable to guarantee equitable growth and social welfare have suffered a fatal decay of legitimacy. Pankaj Mishra decayequitablefatal Change image and share on social
Shallowness and ignorance have been our lot in the mass consumer societies we inhabit, where we were too distracted to act politically, apart from periodically deputing political elites to take life-and-death decisions on our behalf. Pankaj Mishra actbehalfconsumer share on social
Obama was expected to restore an ethical sheen to post-9/11 foreign policy, but he has intensified drone warfare in Yemen and Pakistan, pursued whistle-blowers, and failed to close down Guantanamo. Pankaj Mishra blowerclosedrone Change image and share on social
I think the presence of caste in India, how the villages are geographically structured on caste lines, is very different from China. The presence of an egalitarian culture is striking in a Chinese village. Pankaj Mishra castechinachinese share on social
Minorities within nation-states frayed by global capitalism are naturally more resentful of hollowed-out but still heavily centralised systems of political and economic domination. Pankaj Mishra capitalismcentralisedomination Change image and share on social
In 1853, American warships bullied Japan out of centuries of virtual isolation and into the modern world. The threat of force compelled Japan, like India and China before it, to accept trade agreements that were economically ruinous and eroded national sovereignty. Pankaj Mishra acceptagreementamerican share on social
I grew up in small towns in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra - places like Akola, Betul, Wardha, Jhansi; I thought the rise of provincial India would be an interesting subject to tackle. Pankaj Mishra akolabetulgrow Change image and share on social
