The Indian Constitution is one of the world's longest and most important political texts. Its birth, over six decades ago, signalled the arrival of the first major post-colonial constitution and the world's largest and arguably most daring democratic experiment. Apart from greater domestic focus on the Constitution and the institutional role of the Supreme Court within India's democratic framework, recent years have also witnessed enormous comparative interest in India's constitutional experiment. The Oxford Handbook of the Indian Constitution is a wide-ranging, analytical reflection on the major themes and debates that surround India's Constitution. The Handbook provides a comprehensive account of the developments and doctrinal features of India's Constitution, as well as articulating frameworks and methodological approaches through which studies of Indian constitutionalism, and constitutionalism more generally, might proceed. Its contributions range from rigorous, legal studies of provisions within the text to reflections upon historical trends and social practices. As such the Handbook is an essential reference point not merely for Indian and comparative constitutional scholars, but for students of Indian democracy more generally.
This Monumental Four-Volume Work Offers An Elaborate And Chronological Account Of Indian History From The Earliest Times To The Present Period.The First Volume, Which Pays Special Attention To The Reigns Of The Great Indian Monarchs, Such As Chandragupta Maurya, Asoka, Kanishka, Samudra Gupta, Chandra Gupta Ii (Vikramaditya) And Harsha, Has Adequately Highlighted The Achievements Of Their Reigns In A Manner That Is Bound To Arouse Not Only Curiosity But Also Provoke Reflection. Full Attention Is Also Given To The Cultural, Religious And Social Conditions Of India During The 6Th Century B.C. The Book Also Portrays The Golden Age Of Guptas, The General Administration Of The Cholas And The Flourishing Culture Of The Pallavas.In The Second Volume, All Aspects Of Indian History From A.D. 1206 To 1773 Are Discussed. Part I Of The Volume Covers The Sultanate Period, And Part Ii The Mughal Period And The Arrival Of The Europeans. The Process Through Which The English, Who Came As Traders But Rapidly Transformed Themselves Into Rulers, Is Outlined In The Volume. A Very Important Feature Of The Volume Is The Emphasis It Lays On The Social, Economic And Cultural Conditions Current In India During The Sultanate And The Mughal Periods.Indian History From A.D. 1773 To The Present Is Covered By The Third And Fourth Volumes. These Volumes Also Offer The Reader A Detailed And Graphic Account Of The British Period Of Indian History. The Focus On The Revolt Of 1857, The Development Of The Constitutional Framework From 1773 To 1950 And The National Movement Will Prove To Be Of Immense Interest To The Readers And Students Of Indian History. The History Of India Since Independence Has Also Been Discussed In These Two Volumes. Some Of The Other Important Topics Covered In These Volumes Include The Indian Movements For Reform And Social Change, The Impact Of The British Paramountcy On Indian Economy And The Legacy That It Has Left.Written In Simple Language And A Lucid Style By A Person Who Has Been Teaching The Subject At College Level For Several Years, This Comprehensive Yet Reasonably Sized Four-Volume Work On Indian History Will Prove To Be Of Immediate Interest And Relevance Not Only To Students And Teachers Of Indian History, But Also To The General Reader.
An Economist Best Book of the Year How India’s Constitution came into being and instituted democracy after independence from British rule. Britain’s justification for colonial rule in India stressed the impossibility of Indian self-government. And the empire did its best to ensure this was the case, impoverishing Indian subjects and doing little to improve their socioeconomic reality. So when independence came, the cultivation of democratic citizenship was a foremost challenge. Madhav Khosla explores the means India’s founders used to foster a democratic ethos. They knew the people would need to learn ways of citizenship, but the path to education did not lie in rule by a superior class of men, as the British insisted. Rather, it rested on the creation of a self-sustaining politics. The makers of the Indian Constitution instituted universal suffrage amid poverty, illiteracy, social heterogeneity, and centuries of tradition. They crafted a constitutional system that could respond to the problem of democratization under the most inhospitable conditions. On January 26, 1950, the Indian Constitution—the longest in the world—came into effect. More than half of the world’s constitutions have been written in the past three decades. Unlike the constitutional revolutions of the late eighteenth century, these contemporary revolutions have occurred in countries characterized by low levels of economic growth and education, where voting populations are deeply divided by race, religion, and ethnicity. And these countries have democratized at once, not gradually. The events and ideas of India’s Founding Moment offer a natural reference point for these nations where democracy and constitutionalism have arrived simultaneously, and they remind us of the promise and challenge of self-rule today.