Award-winning Indian journalist speaks at Oakton Thursday

Award-winning journalist Niranjan Takle will discuss the rise of Hindu nationalism in India and what it can teach about the threat of neo-fascism in the United States, during a free lecture Thursday, at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines.

Takle's presentation, entitled "The Crisis in Democracy and the Rise of Neo-Fascism in India: Lessons for the U.S.," takes place at 11 a.m. in Room 1610 of the campus, 1600 E. Golf Road.

"The attacks on journalism, human rights activists and minorities in India have brought attention to the erosion of democratic ideals and norms in the world's most diverse democracy," said Madhuri Deshmukh, program coordinator for Oakton's Peace and Social Justice Studies Program.

Takle was the recipient of The Mumbai Press Club's National Red Ink Awards for Excellence in Journalism in 2013 and 2015. He has worked for CNN-News18, an Indian English-language news television channel; The Caravan, an Indian-English-language magazine that covers politics and culture; and The Week, an Indian news magazine founded in 1982.