How Is the World’s Largest Democracy Holding Up?

#lecture20: How Is the World’s Largest Democracy Holding Up?

Elections are thriving and voter turnout remains high, yet something deeper is shifting.

This lecture examines how India, long regarded as a democratic outlier in the postcolonial world, is being transformed from within. It explores how majoritarian politics, institutional pressures, and rising inequality are reshaping democratic life beneath the surface of electoral participation.

Placing India within the global context of democratic backsliding, the talk asks whether democracy can erode even as voting continues, and why this matters far beyond a single country.

Join us to go beyond headlines and unpack what is really happening to democracy in India, and why it affects the future we all share.

What the Evening Looks Like

✦ 4:00 PM – Doors open. Arrive early to grab your seat; seating is first come, first served.

✦ 4:00 – 4:15 PM – Settle in, order your drinks and food, and ease into the space with a few conversations.

✦ 4:15 PM – The lecture begins.

✦ 5:00 PM – We open the floor for questions and a shared discussion with the speaker.

✦ 5:30 PM onwards – Stay back for more food, drinks, and conversations that linger.

About the Speaker

Zoya Hasan is a leading political scientist and public intellectual known for her work on democracy, state–society relations, social movements, and gender politics in India. She is Professor Emerita at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Distinguished Professor at the Council for Social Development, New Delhi, and has previously served as Dean of the School of Social Sciences at JNU.

She has authored 19 books, including Democracy on Trial: Majoritarianism and Dissent in India and When People Rise in Protest: Mobilising for Equal Citizenship in India (2024). A former member of the National Commission for Minorities, she writes regularly on contemporary politics for The Hindu, The Tribune, and The Wire.

About Pint of View Delhi

Inspired by the Lectures on Tap movement in the US, Pint of View creates informal spaces for serious ideas. It brings together philosophy, science, technology, and art in settings where conversations unfold slowly and critical inquiry feels collective rather than instructional.

📌 Note: Alcohol will be served only to guests aged 25 and above. Non-alcoholic options will be available. Attendance implies consent to being filmed for event documentation.