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Portrait of S. V. Raju

classical liberal

S. V. Raju

1933–2015

S V Raju (1933–2015) was the epitome of the dissenting Indian liberal tradition which stood as a bulwark against the socialist domination of the Indian public sphere. As a lifelong liberal activist, he was closely associated with the Swatantra Party, Masani’s office, and the Freedom First magazine for many decades.

Raju joined the newly launched Swatantra Party in 1959 as the Executive Secretary and remained a member until the very end. He worked under Minoo Masani, an association that continued even after the party wound up. With the merger of Swatantra, Raju’s liberal activism saw him engaging with the Freedom First magazine, Forum of Free Enterprise, Project for Economic Education, and Indian Liberal Group.

He is best known for keeping Freedom First alive — championing the cause of free markets, individual rights, and the rule of law. At a time when liberal voices were muffled in popular discourse, Freedom First provided an outlet for liberals to voice their dissent. He also revived the Indian Liberal Group in the 1990s and ran it from his Mumbai office until 2010.

How S. V. Raju is discussed in this archive

Authored 373 works in the archive.

Referenced in 9 other works , including Sunil Bhandare on his experiences with Indian liberal organisations , Sunil Bhandare on private enterprise post 1991 reforms , and Constitution .

In D R Pendse on the Indian Liberal Tradition : Pendse explicitly references 'Raju' as the figure being characterised as a 'lone warrior' of Indian liberalism — consistent with S.

In Sunil Bhandare on Getting Disillusioned With Socialism and His Journey to Become A Liberal : Raju is named as the personal contact who connected Bhandare with the Forum of Free Enterprise and the liberal milieu.

In Sunil Bhandare on his experiences with Indian liberal organisations : Raju is named as the organiser of the early-1990s conferences and as the figure behind Freedom First that drew Bhandare into liberal activity.

In Sunil Bhandare on private enterprise post 1991 reforms : Bhandare refers to 'Raju' as the organizer of Indian Liberal Group conferences and editor of Freedom First — clearly S.

In Constitution : S.V.

By S. V. Raju (373)

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Mentioned in (63)

Primary works (10)

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  • Constitution · 2000
    • "S. V. Raju named as President of the Ad-hoc National Executive" · Raju's institutional role in the ILG is recorded in the constitution's annexure
    • "S. V. Raju served as President of the Ad-hoc National Executive; the Drafting Group comprised 17 named members including Raju" · Raju is identified as both drafter and first president
  • Freedom First · 1972

Opinion pieces (2)

Excerpts (2)

  • China’s Tiananmen Massacre
    • "Freedom First's SV Raju wrote a critical editorial over the incident in the July-September, 1989 issue. Even today, Raju's arguments have resonance for liberals." · Raju is introduced as the thinker whose 1989 editorial provides the intellectual framework for the entire discussion of Tiananmen's legacy
  • Democracy and Liberalism : Contrasting Ideals
    • "The Bombay-based Indian Liberal Group led by SV Raju filed a petition against this Act in 1994, but their PIL is yet to be heard!" · Raju's PIL is cited as evidence of the practical liberal effort to roll back the socialist constitution — and of the judiciary's failure to engage with it

Contributed to (49)

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