India's Social Peace: Inequality, Fear, and Aspiring Classes

India is one of the most unequal countries in the world—so why does social peace still hold? In this episode, we dig into the unsettling question explored in journalist Manu Joseph’s Why the Poor Don’t Kill Us. Joseph argues that fear of police brutality, faith in education, and even the shared ugliness of urban life help keep class conflict at bay. But critics say he’s looking in the wrong direction. Drawing on Katherine Boo’s work, we examine how the poor often end up competing—even sabotaging one another—for scarce opportunities, leaving the wealthy untouched. Yet beneath the surface lies a deeper tension: a growing, educated generation whose hopes for mobility are colliding with reality. The real threat to India’s elite may not be revolt from below—but rising bitterness from those who feel they were promised more.https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/10/09/what-rich-indians-fear