Rukmini S.

Rukmini S. is an independent data journalist based in Chennai, India, and a CASI Non-Resident Fellow. She is the founder of Data for India, a public platform that seeks to expand access to Indian data for everyone, and deepen the understanding of the country that can come from this data. Her work focuses on inequality, gender, caste, and politics. Rukmini was previously National Data Editor of The Hindu and now writes independently for Indian and international publications.

Last updated: 06/11/2025

Deendayal Upadhyaya and Indian Political Economy: Memory, History, and the Inconveniences of the Present

Aditya Balasubramanian
Aditya Balasubramanian

“Deendayal Upadhyaya has become the political brand equity for the Bharatiya Janata Party that Gandhi was for the Congress Party,” a prominent BJP member asserted in 2017. And indeed, at the close of yearlong celebrations of the birth centenary of Upadhyaya (1916-68), the erstwhile General Secretary (1952-68) of the BJP’s forerunner Bharatiya Jana Sangh, there was reason to believe this was the case. Since its return to power with a majority in India’s Lok Sabha in 2014, the BJP made concerted efforts to elevate Upadhyaya to the status of national icon.

Land Market Frictions in India

Aradhya Sood
Aradhya Sood

What are the economic costs of ill-functioning Indian land markets? The news and public policy discussions on land often revolve around land acquisition by governments, like the Tata Nano Singur case or the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement (LARR) Act of 2013. But the use of, or lack thereof, eminent domain stems from fundamental problems that make Indian land markets malfunction. 

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