I have just come back from one of my twice-yearly visits to India, and was describing my latest visit to a British friend. Since I first visited (very briefly) in 1984 the country has changed out of all recognition, not least of all because since then Chicken Tikka Masala has become as popular in India as it is here in the U.K. Joking aside, a number of immutable realities remain, however, and this is what my friend was attempting to get from me. After I had explained my view of the present ‘BJPisation’ of India he asked, “So, are all the tensions inherent in Indian society and politics that you’ve described, mutually destructive?”