New book by noted journalist Gautam Adhikari explores how intolerance threatens to overshadow the idea of a secular, liberal India

HONOLULU (March 4, 2011) – More than 60 years after its independence, after enduring the trauma of Partition and multiple religious conflagrations, India still struggles with issues of national identity, according to a new book by Gautam Adhikari, visiting fellow at the East-West Center in Washington and an internationally known journalist and commentator.

Adhikari has been executive editor of The Times of India , and dean of the Times School of Journalism. He served as a senior consultant in the World Bank in Washington D.C. and was the founding editor of the highly regarded DNA (Daily News & Analysis) newspaper in Mumbai.

In The Intolerant Indian : Why We Must Rediscover a Liberal Space (HarperCollins India), Adhikari explores how violent politics on both the right and left, as well as extremist religious ideologies, have overshadowed the idea of a liberal, tolerant society that India’s founding fathers hoped to establish.

Pointing out flaws in the Indian version of secularism, where there is no strict separation of church and state, Adhikari shows in his timely, thought-provoking essay how political leaders have often pandered to various ethnic and religious voting blocs, thus posing a threat to the collective vision of India. If these trends are not checked, he warns, the very idea of India may be in jeopardy.

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The EAST-WEST CENTER promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue. Established by the U.S. Congress in 1960, the Center serves as a resource for information and analysis on critical issues of common concern, bringing people together to exchange views, build expertise, and develop policy