Baijayant 'Jay' Panda has had a long history with the Parliament. Having been elected twice each to the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, the politician from Odisha, was holding office for nearly 18 years, when a sudden setback in 2018, forced him to resign. Earlier last year, Panda was suspended from Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over alleged "anti-party" activities. Soon after, the leader, who was elected from the Kendrapara constituency, quit as MP. But not one to let this incident get the better of him, Panda is looking at this "transition" as a new beginning. His latest book, Lutyens Maverick: Ground Realities, Hard Choices and Tomorrow's India (Rupa Publications) is an effort in that direction.

A compilation of some of his popular columns for leading dailies, Panda's scholarship on a range of issues — be it politics, caste, policy-making, law or socio-religious issues, like triple talaq and Sabrimala — are evident. "I have always been an avid reader and writer from my school days. When I first became a MP, I started participating on TV debates (much less noisy in those days!), as well as Track-II Dialogues and policy forums. Many in Delhi suggested I should write, but it was not my style to solicit writing opportunities. That diffidence was overcome when [editor] Shekhar Gupta asked me to write [for his newspaper] and, happy with the outcome, kept asking me to write. This led many editors to ask me to write in national and international publications," Panda shared, over an email interview.