Koenraad Elst : Koenraad Elst was born in Leuven, Belgium on August 7, 1959. He got M.A. degrees in Chinese Studies, Indo-Iranian Studies and Philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL). He earned his doctorate magna cum laude with a dissertation on the politics of Hindu Revivalism. He has many publications in Dutch and English to his credit, on linguistic policies, Islamic politics, Hinduism past and present, Chinese philosophy and multiculturalism

Francois Gautier : Francois Gautier, who has lived in India for 30 years and is married to an Indian, is a French journalist, the correspondent in South Asia for Le Figaro, France's largest circulated newspaper. He has published Rewriting Indian History (Vikas) and Arise O India (Har Anand).

Varsha Bhosle : Varsha Bhosle is the only Indian columnist known to have a fan club on the Internet. Described by one reader as one of the four best-known Indians among the expat community in the United States, she contributed a column to The Sunday Observer until recently. She is a regular contributor on www.rediff.com.

Saisuresh Sivaswamy : Saisuresh Sivaswamy began his journalistic career at the Times group, first at the Evening News, and then at The Illustrated Weekly of India. After senior editorial assignments at Onlooker, The Indian Post and Mid-Day, he founded the Bombay Tribune and later established the Express Newsline in Bombay. In between, he also held a senior position at Plus Channel, as associate editor of Business Baatein, and worked for a television software company producing programmes on Star TV. He currently contributes to a political column at www.rediff.com. He also hosts the Political Chat for www.rediff.com.

Major General Ashok K. Mehta (Retd.)

Arvind Lavakare : After retiring from the B K Birla group, Arvind Lavakare, the wellknown sports commentator, has turned his attention to politics and national issues.

Arun Shourie : A Rajya Sabha member and among India's best known commentators on current and political affairs. His writings are backed by rigorous analysis and meticulous research. He has been an economist with the World Bank, a consultant in the planning commission and the editor of Indian Express. Among the many honours and awards, he has received the Magsaysay Award, the International Editor of the Year, the Dadabhai Naoroji and the Astor Award.