Open Minds 2017: Public Square

In many ways, a country is like the theatre. It needs a resplendent cast of characters to stay inspired and plots to entertain it. The eclectic mix of people we feature in this section perform diverse roles and functions. They include activists, conservatives, opinion leaders, rebels, crusaders, doers, dreamers and innovators. Collectively, all of them contribute to the making of the passion called India. We have among us sceptics who complain that the level of political discourse has been degraded, mostly by those we elect. Yet we also have those who tirelessly call them out and fight for expanding the space for dialogue, without which a democracy cannot forge ahead. India, we are often told, is a country with a chequered past and an uncertain future. But as a nation, it has managed to flourish and triumph against daunting odds and terrifying prophecies, thanks to people such as these who play a pivotal role in championing truth and action. This list, therefore, is a celebration of our faith in hope and our ability to push boundaries, fight off challenges, overcome the odds, solve problems, invest in aspirations, and, above all, dream big.

Amitav Ghosh, Author | Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Political Scientist | Shashi Tharoor, Scholar and MP | Ram Madhav, Political Thinker | Ramachandra Guha, Historian | Urjit Patel, RBI Governor | Patrick French, Author | Swapan Dasgupta, Political Commentator and MP | Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor | Nandan Nilekani, Technocrat and Author | Pankaj Mishra, Author | Arnab Goswami, TV Journalist | Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog | Parag Khanna, Author | Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Entrepreneur | Milan Vaishnav, Author | Vipin Narang, Political Scientist | Zarir Udwadia, Physician | Abhijit Banerjee, Economist | Mukul Kesavan, Essayist | Pankaj Ghemawat, Author | Vijay Govindarajan, Business Strategist | Mishi Choudhary, Technology Lawyer | Santosh Desai: Columnist | Gurmehar Kaur, Student

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