16/06/2025
At first glance, a national census may seem like a routine bureaucratic exercise, an update to our demographic record books. But, this is no ordinary count. For one, it comes 16 years after the last Census, an unusually long gap that has left governments and policymakers working with outdated figures and questionable projections. More critically, this upcoming enumeration carries within it the seeds of potentially seismic changes —political, constitutional, and social.
By Inderjit Badhwar In a democracy as diverse and complex as India’s, numbers are not just statistics—they are instruments of power, equity, and sometimes, exclusion. This week’s cover story, by senior journalist Vikram Kilpady, delves deep into one of the most consequential developments facin...
