INDIA: The King of Swatcmtra

In the dusty heat of Agra, not far from the Taj Mahal, the afternoon sun beat down last week on a crowded courtyard in the heart of the business district. Underneath a gaudy orange canopy, a gaunt, hawk-nosed old man in a homespun dhoti and sandals talked, beamed when children rushed up to get his autograph. At 81, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, India's best-known elder statesman, onetime governor general and close friend of Mahatma Gandhi, had come out of political retirement to lead a national crusade to "release the people" from the burdensome statism of his...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!