The reason for ritual

The restoration of lost imperial or religious ceremony is vital for the desecularisation and demodernisation process

Nobody can accuse the current government of moving quickly on its social priorities. From its first day in office in 2014, the direction of travel for the Republic of India was clear: Towards a more majoritarian and culturally conservative conception of nationhood and of the state. But this movement — it is perhaps too much to call it “progress” — has not been as fast paced as some of the government’s most fervent supporters would like. However, with the ceremonies and myth-making surrounding the inauguration of India’s new Parliament building, a major step forward has been taken for this programme.

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