Five aspects of Rammanohar Lohia's socialist pursuit stand out, bearing testimony to his status as a rare and original thinker. They could prove to be important to any project reconstructing the normative domain of Indian politics. Globalisation, as an imposing ideological phenomenon, may have punctured our dreams of socialism by fostering the triumph of social Darwinism. However, the normative elements that constituted Lohia's socialist vision have not disappeared. The values of socialism have resurfaced in different forms and on different occasions, expressing distrust, discontent and resentment against the all-encroaching power of globalisation. Significant protest movements in India and elsewhere against subtle or brazen forms of domination and exploitation ensure that the outlook for radical democracy remains alive.
