‘A sweet breeze amid a heatwave’: liberals feel hope

Fears for the future of democracy and tolerance recede after authoritarian PM left reliant on coalition partners

In the leafy surrounds of Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), a pocket of students sat beneath a banyan tree engaged in impassioned evening conversation. As usual, it was about politics – but this time the mood was different.

“For the first time in a decade, we have hope,” said Antariksh Sharma, who is doing his PhD in the arts. “It is like a sweet cold breeze amid a heatwave.”