INDIA AFTER 1947 (HB)

Seventy-five years after
Independence, India faces stark questions. Some of the most pressing ones
relate to jobs and the cost of living. But questions about the state of our
democracy are equally critical, if not more so. When India won independence
and prepared to become the world?s largest democracy, the people, through
their leaders and elected representatives, looked to create a nation built on
the ideals of equality, liberty, and fraternity. That this seemed a
successful exercise?in a densely populated country with high levels of
illiteracy and poverty, a bewildering variety of religions, castes, and
languages, and a history of internal conflict?surprised many and gave hope to
many more. However, over the years, these ideals have repeatedly come under
attack.
In the book, the author reflects on key issues that India will need to deal
with. He asks if India?s future will be dictated by the resentful victimhood
that seems to grip the champions of Hindu nationalism in a country where
Hindus dominate the economy, the polity, the media, the culture, and
everything else. Or will calm, thoughtful, self-critical yet confident young
Indians?Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and
others?prevail and continue to build a country that treats everyone as equal?
He addresses debates about the idea, image, and personality of Ram throughout
India?s life and history; analyses the fallout of Partition and the concept
of Akhand Bharat; and delves into what Mahatma Gandhi stood for and against?all
of them issues that are contested in today?s India. In addition to these
reflections, the author looks back at the history of the nation from 1947
onwards and examines what we, the people of India, should do to remain a
viable and vibrant democracy that ensures that none of its citizens are left
behind or feel oppressed, unwelcome, or unsafe.
A timely study of the state of the nation from one of our foremost
thinkers, India After 1947 is an essential read that reminds us of who we are
as a nation and what we should aim to be.