has been Professor of English at JNU, New Delhi. He served as Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla and is the author and editor of over 50 books, 180 academic papers, and thousands of articles. His latest books include JNU: Nationalism and India’s Uncivil War, Identity’s Last Secret, Swami Vivekananda: Hinduism and India’s Road to Modernity, and The Death and Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi. Makarand is currently a columnist in Open Magazine, Gulf News, The New Indian Express, and Firstpost.