We, the People of the States of Bharat
We, the People of the States of Bharat

Author: Sanjeev Chopra

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2023-08-28

Total Pages: 382

ISBN-13: 9356291667

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Given that the nine provinces of British India as well as the 562 princely states that existed in August 1947 are not reflected on the map of India in the seventy-fifth year of its independence speaks volumes about the nation's ability to negotiate its political and administrative boundaries with its citizens. While the process of reimagining India through its constituent units - the states - has, on occasion, been due to administrative requirements, most restructuring in the internal boundaries is marked by the aspirations, assertions and adjustments of linguistic and/or ethnic groups seeking their place in the state and federal polity. For Dr Sanjeev Chopra, what started as research into land measurement instruments for revenue records and land settlements eventually became a narrative on mapping state boundaries and a record of the contemporary political history of India through its geography. The book includes captivating material from the reports of the States Reorganization Commission and Linguistic Reorganization Commission, records from state papers as well the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. A fascinating read about the multiple boundary adjustments for every state and union territory in India - from 1947 to the seventy-fifth year of independence - We, the People of the States of Bharat is the quintessential story of how India continues to redefine itself.

India, that is Bharat
India, that is Bharat

Author: J Sai Deepak

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2021-08-15

Total Pages: 492

ISBN-13: 9354350046

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India, That Is Bharat, the first book of a comprehensive trilogy, explores the influence of European 'colonial consciousness' (or 'coloniality'), in particular its religious and racial roots, on Bharat as the successor state to the Indic civilisation and the origins of the Indian Constitution. It lays the foundation for its sequels by covering the period between the Age of Discovery, marked by Christopher Columbus' expedition in 1492, and the reshaping of Bharat through a British-made constitution-the Government of India Act of 1919. This includes international developments leading to the founding of the League of Nations by Western powers that tangibly impacted this journey. Further, this work also traces the origins of seemingly universal constructs such as 'toleration', 'secularism' and 'humanism' to Christian political theology. Their subsequent role in subverting the indigenous Indic consciousness through a secularised and universalised Reformation, that is, constitutionalism, is examined. It also puts forth the concept of Middle Eastern coloniality, which preceded its European variant and allies with it in the context of Bharat to advance their shared antipathy towards the Indic worldview. In order to liberate Bharat's distinctive indigeneity, 'decoloniality' is presented as a civilisational imperative in the spheres of nature, religion, culture, history, education, language and, crucially, in the realm of constitutionalism.

India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy
India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy

Author: Ramachandra Guha

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Published: 2017-07-13

Total Pages: 871

ISBN-13: 1509883282

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Ramachandra Guha’s India after Gandhi is a magisterial account of the pains, struggles, humiliations and glories of the world’s largest and least likely democracy. A riveting chronicle of the often brutal conflicts that have rocked a giant nation, and of the extraordinary individuals and institutions who held it together, it established itself as a classic when it was first published in 2007. In the last decade, India has witnessed, among other things, two general elections; the fall of the Congress and the rise of Narendra Modi; a major anti-corruption movement; more violence against women, Dalits, and religious minorities; a wave of prosperity for some but the persistence of poverty for others; comparative peace in Nagaland but greater discontent in Kashmir than ever before. This tenth anniversary edition, updated and expanded, brings the narrative up to the present. Published to coincide with seventy years of the country’s independence, this definitive history of modern India is the work of one of the world’s finest scholars at the height of his powers.

Land of seven rivers
Land of seven rivers

Author: Sanjeev Sanyal

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2012-11-15

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 8184756712

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DID THE GREAT FLOOD OF INDIAN LEGEND ACTUALLY HAPPEN? WHY DID THE BUDDHA WALK TO SARNATH TO GIVE HIS FIRST SERMON? HOW DID THE EUROPEANS MAP INDIA? The history of any country begins with its geography. With sparkling wit and intelligence, Sanjeev Sanyal sets off to explore India and look at how the country’s history was shaped by, among other things, its rivers, mountains and cities. Traversing remote mountain passes, visiting ancient archaeological sites, crossing rivers in shaky boats and immersing himself in old records and manuscripts, he considers questions about Indian history that we rarely ask: Why do Indians call their country Bharat? How did the British build the railways across the subcontinent? Why was the world’s highest mountain named after George Everest? Moving from the geological beginnings of the subcontinent to present-day Gurgaon, Land of the Seven Rivers is riveting, wry and full of surprises. It is the most entertaining history of India you will ever read.

Liberty Or Death
Liberty Or Death

Author: Patrick French

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780241950401

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'A fine, lucid book . . . vividly drawn with novel-like touches' Hanif Kureshi At midnight on 14 August 1947, Britain's 350-year-old Indian Empire was broken into three pieces. The greatest mass migration in history began, as Muslims fled north and Hindus fled south, and Britain's role as an imperial power came to an end. Patrick French's vivid and surprising account of the chaotic final years of colonial rule in India has been acclaimed as the definitive book on this subject. Journeying across India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, he brings to life a cast of characters including spies, idealists, freedom fighters and politicians from Churchill to Gandhi. The result is a compelling story of deal-making, missed opportunities, hope and tragedy. 'Extraordinarily able and nuanced . . . a brilliant book on an important subject . . . French is the most impressive Western historian of modern India currently at work' HERALD 'Beautifully written' SUNDAY TIMES 'French is a natural storyteller . . . a delightful tale of intrigue, ham-handedness and just plain blundering' INDIA TODAY

The Indomitable Chemist
The Indomitable Chemist

Author: Dr. Arvind Yadav

Publisher: Notion Press

Published: 2023-11-08

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13:

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Prof. CNR Rao is a living legend. Einstein paid a compliment to Mahatma Gandhi on his 70th birthday. He said, “Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth”. On Prof. Rao’s birthday, I would repeat these words. Prof. Rao is not an individual, he is an institution, he is a phenomenon. I feel lucky that our generations could see him, touch him, feel him, experience him, learn from him and get inspired by him. I have watched Prof. Rao as a scientist, as a science leader, as a science institution builder and indeed as a leader of leaders of science. I have also watched him as a wonderful, warm-hearted human being with abundant empathy. I have seen his childlike enthusiasm. I have watched him as `courage personified’. What follows is more anecdotal but solely based on my personal viewpoint. Professor Rao has had a tremendous influence on my life. He has been my guru, guide, friend and philosopher. I met him for the first time when he was the Chairman of the Research Advisory Council of the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) in the nineteen eighties. I was then in my late thirties. Professor Rao has an uncanny ability to spot talent among the young. He was the President of the Indian Science Congress in the year 1988, which was held in Pune University. Mr. Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister and he inaugurated the Science Congress. Later on, during the lunch that followed, Prof. Rao made a special point to introduce me to Rajiv Gandhi. I still remember his words. He said, `Mr. Prime Minister, meet a rising young star of Indian science’. Little did I then know that within the next couple of months, he would make me a member of the Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, which he was chairing. At 42, I was the youngest member and I remember people calling me the `baby’ of the team. Getting that huge exposure at such a young age was something very special for me – I got a helicopter view of India at large. It helped me enormously as I moved on in life. 'Padma Vibhushan' Dr. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar

At the Limits of Cure
At the Limits of Cure

Author: Bharat Jayram Venkat

Publisher: Duke University Press

Published: 2021-11-05

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 1478014725

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Drawing on historical and ethnographic research on tuberculosis in India, Bharat Jayram Venkat explores what it means to be cured and what it means for a cure to be partial, temporary, or selectively effective.

Great Minds on India
Great Minds on India

Author: Salil Gewali

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2013-02-15

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 8184759266

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Indian culture and spiritualism have exerted a strong hold over the world’s greatest intellectuals—from psychologists like Carl Jung to poets like T.S. Eliot, from orators like Swami Vivekananda to philosophers like Sri Aurobindo, from statesmen like Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to writers like H.G. Wells. Compiled by Salil Gewali, Great Minds on India is a remarkable collection of the thoughts and views of these world-renowned opinion-makers on India’s cultural inheritance and glorious legacy.