Atma Jayaram (1915-1990)

Atma Jayaram: India’s Gentleman Spymaster who loved Sri Lanka

Recently declassified documents from the National Archives in Colombo have shed light on Jayaram's involvement in assisting Sri Lanka during the leftist guerrilla insurrection that engulfed the island nation.  Acting on Jayaram's advice, 150 Indian Gurkha soldiers were reportedly deployed to protect Colombo International Airport.

Managing India--Border Tensions - and the 'New Normal'

It is an  elegantly worded statement and impossible to disprove. It turns a dispute about differing LAC perceptions,  acknowledged since 1993,  into a story of Chinese compliance and Indian deviation.  This is the new China that India must manage, not the old one.  

India's BRICS Legacy: Did 2026 Produce Something More Durable?

India achieved this in a group that has changed a great deal. BRICS now has 11 members and 10 partner countries, with very different political systems and, at times, sharply different views. In May 2026, a meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in New Delhi ended without a joint statement because of differences among members over the conflict in West Asia.

Is India-Pakistan Peace Possible? Need to Erase Religious Differences, Embrace Common Humanity

We must approach peace in the same way: One school screening, one honest history lesson, one interfaith friendship, one community conversation, and one courageous act at a time. We cannot change the past, but we can decide what we pass on to the next generation

More on Geopolitics, Security and Strategic Affairs

Privatisation is a fraught exercise in India: Will Modi succeed?

Modi’s address on the floor of the lower house on February 10 went much further in stating that the days are long gone when only the government was responsible for national development, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor

Why New Delhi should not fear the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul

Unlike Pakistan, India is an emerging regional power both from a political and economic point of view, and India, since the last two decades, has built a friendly image in the minds of many Afghans – many consider India as the second home for the Afghans, write Hamayun Khan & S. Nasrat for South Asia Monitor

India’s ethics code for online platforms: Need of one for politicians too?

The Indian government’s explanation for the crackdown on these presentations is comprehensive enough to nip all literary, cinematic, and journalistic ventures in the bud, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor

US vows to deepen India partnership against China dangers; no zero-sum proposition vis-a-vis Pakistan

Biden is having to deal with the geopolitical realities of the rising threat from China and has to have India as a strategic asset for meeting the challenge, writes Arul Louis for South Asia Monitor 

Developing India’s port sector to meet its global aspirations

In the last six years of being in office, this government has taken numerous initiatives to harness the potential of the maritime sector and improve India’s global standing, writes Cmdre Anil Jai Singh (retd) for South Asia Monitor

South Asia: Economic reality and policy options

Global recession has amplified domestic economic challenges and caused output contraction in 2020, with economies that rely heavily on tourism and travel particularly hard hit are Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, writes Partha Pratim Mitra for South Asia Monitor

Quad should define the new global narrative in checking China's rise

India too would appear to be finally moving towards a more ‘aligned’ foreign policy in response to a militaristic and aggressive China and its puppet ally Pakistan, both implacably opposed to her rise, writes Amb Bhaswati Mukherjee (retd) for South Asia Monitor

BJP’s guiding light: Enter Golwalkar, exit Vajpayee

A quarter of a century later, it is clear that the BJP has said farewell to such leniency and the spirit of accommodation which enabled Vajpayee to come to power at the centre in 1998, writes Amulya Ganguli for South Asia Monitor

Bangladesh, India need to combat air pollution without compromising economic growth

Both the governments of Bangladesh and India can come out with policies that promote renewable energy sources, which will help to improve air quality and human health, writes Safen Roy for South Asia Monitor

Will Bangladesh be able to lure more Japanese investment?

Attracting Japanese companies shifting out of China thus is consistent with Bangladesh’s Look East policy. To facilitate this a Special Economic Zone is being built, writes N Chandra Mohan for South Asia Monitor

Biden’s declaration ‘America is back’ must also apply to Afghanistan

The US-Taliban peace deal also needs to be rejected, as it is a disaster in the making for Afghanistan, the region as well as for America since it would turn Af-Pak into a terror cauldron and a springboard to launch terror attacks on the US and its allies, writes Lt Gen Prakash Katoch (Retd) for South Asia Monitor 

High stakes at coming India-EU summit: Opportunities and roadblocks

Can the EU hope for forward-looking language on at least a limited trade deal between India and the EU?, writes Amb Bhaswati Mukherjee (retd) for South Asia Monitor

In India, dissenters are having it rough

The Supreme Court of India has categorically held that criticism of the government, however harsh, does not amount to sedition unless violence is incited, writes Rahul Machaiah for South Asia Monitor 

Need for reinventing India’s aeronautical industry

Fifty years of bitter experience should prompt the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to initiate a major paradigm-shift in India's defence-industrial programmes, writes Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) for South Asia Monitor

India needs a more assertive policy on Tibet to counter China

India must seek a larger role for the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration in the international arena, write Pradeep S. Mehta and Jithin Sabu for  South Asia Monitor 

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