India, Feb. 23 -- A bronze bust stood in the central courtyard of Rashtrapati Bhavan for decades, by which millions must have filed by. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Sunday, February 22, that it would no longer stand there. The statue of Edwin Lutyens - the British architect who designed some of New Delhi's most iconic structures - has been replaced by one of C Rajagopalachari, the first Indian Governor-General of independent India.

The announcement, made on the 131st episode of Modi's monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, drew immediate attention not just for what it removed, but for what it represented. "Today, the country is leaving behind the symbols of slavery and has begun to value symbols related to Indian culture," Mo...