Nalini Rajan relies largely on Kantian notions of rationality and universality to combine a philosophical analysis of the Rawlsian framework with a defence of certain kinds of state policies in India. She discusses: secularism and the rationale for a uniform civil code; the necessity for greater democratic participation as well as its limits; the importance of positive discrimination to combat social backwardness; and the role of the self and of universality in realizing human agency.