Indian School of Democracy

What if slowing down was also a way of moving forward? 🌿 During our Annual Step Back the entire ISD team came together for a padyatra. Silently walking together surrounded by nature gave us the space to pause observe and experience stillness both individually and collectively. The padyatra reminded us of the importance of inner work and raised an important question: How do we strengthen our capacity as a team to practise stillness and reflection making them an integral part of our organisational culture? Because slowing down listening and reflecting are not just things we do together occasionally. They are practices we want to nurture in the way we work and grow as a team. 🤍 #InnerWork #Padyatra #Dehradun #IndianSchoolofDemocracy #Team

Thank you for believing in the possibility of reimagining politics as public leadership. Applications for Democracy Express 2026 are now closed, and we’re grateful to everyone who applied, supported, and spread the word. This year, we received applications from 32 States and UTs, bringing together diverse voices and aspirations for a different kind of politics. As we prepare to journey through Varanasi, Lucknow, and Meerut, we look forward to learning, engaging, and reimagining politics together. The journey to explore Uttar Pradesh politics begins here! #DemocracyExpress #UttarPradesh #Politics #DE2026 #PrincipledPolitics

How often do we stop and wonder where our waste goes after we throw it away? During our annual team step-back, we spent time with Waste Warriors at their Dehradun initiative, learning about the different kinds of waste and the time, patience and care it takes to sort it, piece by piece. We often think of waste as something that disappears once it leaves our hands. But behind that seemingly simple act of throwing something away are people who work tirelessly, day after day, to manage what we leave behind. Seeing this up close reminded us that what is out of our sight is not necessarily taken care of. What feels like the end of a product’s life for us is often just the beginning of someone else’s hard work. Experiences like these make us pause and reflect on what we consume, what we discard, and our responsibility towards the waste we generate. After all, where our waste ends up is not just someone else’s concern. Thank you, Waste Warriors, for helping us see a little more of what usually goes unseen. #WasteWarriors #MindfulConsumption #ResponsibleCitizenship #CircularEconomy #SustainableLiving

Annual Step-Back: Pausing, Reflecting, Reimagining From 4–10 October, the ISD team stepped away from the everyday rhythm of work to come together at Bodhigram, Thano, Uttarakhand, for our Annual Step-Back. The week offered space to pause, reflect on our journey, and reconnect with our shared purpose and aspirations. Joined by our long-time supporter and mentor, Vivek Sharma, for three days of reflective sessions, we explored our organisational culture, learning and ways of working together. These conversations helped us reconnect with our mission, deepen our understanding of the vision we are working towards, and reflect on how we can bring greater alignment between our purpose and practice. The week was an opportunity to learn, question, and imagine together, returning with renewed clarity, shared aspirations and a stronger sense of the journey ahead. #IndianSchoolOfDemocracy #ISD #LearningTogether #ReimaginingPolitics #BuildingDemocracy

Who says leadership has to look a certain way? Anjana from Ralang, Sikkim contested her first election as an independent candidate, backed by small contributions from her community. She won by 475 votes and became the youngest person ever elected to her Zilla Parishad. People noticed her age before her work. She met that doubt with patience and kept learning. At ISD’s Democracy Express she travelled alone to Guwahati for the first time, met leaders from across India, and found her own voice. Today she trains newly elected women representatives across Sikkim, so more women can find their way into leadership. “It helped me finally find my own politics.” In the third story of our #ISDImpactSeries, we celebrate Anjana’s belief that leadership begins with listening and grows when more women are given the space to lead. Her journey reminds us that real leadership is built by making room for others. Read the full story here: bit.ly/ISD_Anjana #Northeast #Sikkim #Politics #ISD #Alumni

Mashobra, Himachal Pradesh marks the end of The Good Politician Residential 1. Foundations have been sowed for some beautiful relationships to emerge over the next 9 months. The participants debated, argued, laughed, acted, played, danced and much more, for 12 days. We hope this is the beginning of great political work that has 'people' at the focus of everything they do. Onward and forward to Residential 2! #IndianSchoolOfDemocracy #TheGoodPolitician #Leadership #ClosingCircles #PricipledPolitics

FINAL DAY! What if politics could look different? What if leadership was about moral courage, serving people, and strengthening democracy? That’s what the Democracy Express is about - stepping out of the usual political spaces, meeting people where they are, listening to different perspectives, and asking what politics could be. 🚌 Varanasi → Lucknow → Meerut 📅 Applications close: 27 September 2026 (today) If you’re someone who wants to understand politics beyond the usual narratives, meet diverse people, and rethink your own approach to leadership - this journey is for you. One application. A journey that could change the way you see politics. 👉 Apply now: indianschoolofdemocracy.org/… #DE2026 #DemocracyExpress #UttarPradesh #PrincipledPolitics #IndianSchoolOfDemocracy

Sometimes, seeing the problem up close changes the way you see your own choices. In Mashobra, the Good Politician cohort did shramdaan with Waste Warriors, collecting waste and working at their dry waste segregation unit. The experience brought the everyday choices behind our waste into sharper focus. How much do we consume? What happens after we discard something? And who carries the burden of the waste we leave behind? Grateful to Waste Warriors for opening up this space for the cohort to learn, reflect and engage more closely with an issue that touches all of us. #TheGoodPolitician #IndianSchoolOfDemocracy #WasteManagement #WasteWarriors #PoliticalLeadership

A path through the deodars, a stretch of grass to rest, and no rush to fill the silence. On this yatra, walking together meant giving each other permission to slow down and look within. #TheGoodPolitician #IndianSchoolOfDemocracy #Padyatra #Leadership #Himachal

A journey across the hills, and many journeys within. The padyatra took them away from familiar routines and into long stretches of quiet. There was the beauty of the landscape, the tiredness that settled into the body, conversations that came and went, and silences that stayed a little longer. For some, the challenge was simply to keep going. For others, it was to sit quietly with themselves. Somewhere along the way, things that had been postponed, a thought, a pause, time for oneself, found some room. This is the beauty of walking together: you can be completely inside your own journey and still be carried by the people around you. #TheGoodPolitician #IndianSchoolOfDemocracy #Padyatra #Leadership #Community #Himachal

JUST 3 DAYS LEFT! What if politics could look different? What if leadership was about moral courage, serving people, and strengthening democracy? That’s what the Democracy Express is about - stepping out of the usual political spaces, meeting people where they are, listening to different perspectives, and asking what politics could be. 🚌 Varanasi → Lucknow → Meerut 📅 Applications close: 27 September 2026 If you’re someone who wants to understand politics beyond the usual narratives, meet diverse people, and rethink your own approach to leadership - this journey is for you. 3 days. One application. A journey that could change the way you see politics. 👉 Apply now: indianschoolofdemocracy.org/… #DE2026 #DemocracyExpress #UttarPradesh #PrincipledPolitics #IndianSchoolOfDemocracy

Understanding a place is the first step to understanding its politics. The first session of the Shimla leg of #TheGoodPolitician 2026 invited the cohort to look closely at Himachal Pradesh -its history, political and social context, and the realities that shape life and governance in a Himalayan state. In conversation with Abhishek Taneja, Co-founder, Earth Just Systems, and Prashant Sirkek, Additional Director, HIPA, participants explored Himachal’s formation and evolution, major socio-political initiatives, financial health of the state and some of the distinctive challenges of governing a hilly state. The conversation also offered a glimpse into areas where Himachal has made significant progress, including land reforms, strong social indicators and legal protections around land ownership for native residents. Grateful to Abhishek and Prashant for helping the cohort begin their Himachal journey with a deeper understanding of the state and its many layers. #TGP2026 #PoliticalLeadership #HimachalPradesh #PrincipledPolitics

There is more than one way to do politics. In a conversation with @_YogendraYadav , the TGP 2026 cohort explored the idea of politics as Yugdharma, the responsibility our times place on us. He opened up five ways of doing politics: electoral politics, politics of conflict, creation of knowledge, creation of alternatives, and transformation of the self. Each offers a different way to engage with society. Together, they widened the question of what it means to be political not only through institutions and elections, but also through organising, questioning, creating, imagining and changing ourselves. For the cohort, it was a reminder that politics can take many forms and that our responsibility is to recognise what our moment calls for. Perhaps the question is not only how we do politics, but what kind of politics our times demand. #TheGoodPolitician #TGP2026 #PrincipledPolitics #MoralImagination #PoliticsAndSociety

Before we imagine a different politics, we need to experience what it means to come together. The opening of The Good Politician 2026 brought together our new cohort, ISD alumni, practitioners and friends from the wider ecosystem to welcome and begin this journey together. The evening came alive with Chaar Yaar, whose folk, Sufi and Bhakti-inspired music brought diverse traditions and voices into one shared space echoing what we hold deeply at TGP: building bridges across difference and finding our shared humanity. More than a celebration, the evening was our first experience of the community we hope to build rooted in connection, dialogue, curiosity and belonging. Because the politics we want to build must also be felt in the spaces we create. Welcome to The Good Politician 2026. #TheGoodPolitician #TGP2026 #ChaarYaar #PoliticsAndCulture #BuildingBridges

Power feels distant until you step into the rooms where it’s actually exercised. Today, the #TGP2026 cohort walked through Parliament-sitting where generations of leaders debated, disagreed, and shaped the nation’s course. It was a stark reminder: true power isn’t just authority. It’s the responsibility to ask hard questions, ground decisions in evidence, and represent the voices rarely heard. A day of walking the corridors of power-and confronting what it truly means to serve. #TheGoodPolitician #ParliamentVisit #PoliticalLeadership #Democracy

Politics is built in the everyday-in the work we put in, the consistency we bring, and the voice we develop. The TGP 2026 cohort was in conversation with @RuchiraC , National Secretary, Indian National Congress, and @CharuPragya , National Media Panelist,Bhartiya Janata Party, on finding one’s place and voice in political life. Charu spoke about the importance of proactive effort and consistency-of taking initiative, showing up and putting in the work, even when no one is watching. Ruchira brought the conversation to credibility in politics: staying focused, being vocal, practising your craft, and persistently working to become better, day after day. The session was a reminder that political leadership is not built overnight. It is shaped by the small, consistent choices we make every day-and by the clarity and authenticity with which we communicate. #TheGoodPolitician #TGP2026 #PrincipledPolitics #PoliticalCommunication #Consistency

We kicked off The Good Politician Programme 2026 with an inspiring opening address by @sardesairajdeep, setting the tone for nine months of learning, reflection and action. The cohort then dived into rich conversations on principled politics, navigating political bottlenecks, taking a pragmatic approach to public life, and the power of effective communication. A spirited beginning to a journey of asking difficult questions, learning from each other and reimagining what it means to be a good politician. #RajdeepSardesai #TGP2026 #PrincipledPolitics #ISD #TheGoodPolitician

And just like that, TGP 2026 begins! New faces, new conversations, familiar questions and plenty of curiosity in the room. The cohort came together for the first time ready to learn, unlearn, question and imagine what politics and public leadership can look like. The journey has begun, and we’re excited for the conversations, reflections and possibilities that lie ahead. Welcome to The Good Politician 2026. #TheGoodPolitician #TGP2026 #PrincipledPolitics #PoliticalLeadership #LearnUnlearnImagine