In 2018, Rahul Bhatia left his job as an investigative reporter to understand the necessity of the Aadhaar project. But over time, as he explored its roots, questions about citizenship and belonging began to grow louder in public life, culminating in extreme violence in New Delhi. As this happened, he discovered that India’s technological identity project was linked to a cultural identity project over a century old. These investigations culminated in The Identity Project, a journey through the slow burn of Indian democracy, and a record that connects the past and present to offer the first thorough account of how cultural imperatives are guiding the country’s direction. He describes the religious, societal, and technological changes that have brought India to a point at which a nationalist mindset that challenges democracy and human rights is spreading fast, all in an effort to bind the multiethnic, multilingual, and multicultural country into a single identity.

Through a character-driven narrative informed by on the ground reporting, he investigates the history of disinformation in India, and looks at how justice works in the aftermath of riots. What emerges is a timely portrait of a country struggling to define its identity.

Editor and journalist Prem Panicker will discuss the book with Rahul Bhatia. They will talk about the book’s journey, the process of reporting, and about finding the language to report on recent history. A Q&A session with the audience will follow.

Presented by:

Contxt

In this episode of BIC Talks, Rahul Bhatia is in conversation with Prem Panicker. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in October 2024.

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