Apr 15 2026 to Apr 15 2026 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Once the hornet’s nest is disturbed, who knows what will happen? 

India’s constituencies have remained largely the same since 1971. The unfreezing of parliamentary and assembly constituencies is expected to open the floodgates to the many contentious issues that have been brewing for decades. 

In this talk, Sanjeev Chopra takes us through the nuances and implications of the 2027 Census. He will explore the process, the system and the issues it is bound to stir up: north versus south, urban versus rural, domiciliary status versus migrant rights, as well as demands for reorganisation of districts and states into manageable administrative units.

What will it be: a reckoning or reconciliation?

This lecture is a part of Azim Premji University’s Public Lecture Series.

Presented by:

Speaker

Sanjeev Chopra
Historian, Columnist & Former IAS Officer
Dr. Sanjeev Chopra is a historian, columnist, and former Indian Administrative Service officer whose work sits at the intersection of Indian history, political economy, and governance. Over a 36-year career in public service, he held senior positions in agriculture, rural development, and administrative reform at state and central levels, culminating in his role as Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. He is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland and a World Bank Robert S. McNamara Fellow. Currently, he is Festival Director of Valley of Words, Dehradun, as well as Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy at UPES University and Swami Ram Himalayan University.

Dr. Chopra is the author of The Great Conciliator: Lal Bahadur Shastri and The Transformation of India (Bloomsbury India, 2025) and We the People of the States of Bharat: The Making and Remaking of India’s Internal Boundaries (HarperCollins India, 2022), both of which bring rigorous historical inquiry to questions of nationhood, federalism, and democratic governance.