INDEX CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2 : THE COLONIAL LEGACY CHAPTER 3 : THE NATIONAL MOVEMENT AND ITS LEGACY CHAPTER 4 : THE EVOLUTION OF THE CONSTITUTION AND MAIN PROVISIONS CHAPTER 5 : THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE CONSTITUTION : BASIC FEATURES AND INSTITUTIONS CHAPTER 6 : THE INITIAL YEARS CHAPTER 7 : CONSOLIDATION OF INDIA AS A NATION(I) CHAPTER 8 : CONSOLIDATION OF INDIA AS A NATION (II) : THE LINGUISTIC REORGANISATION OF THE STATES CHAPTER 9 : CONSOLIDATION OF INDIA AS A NATION (III): INTEGRATION OF THE TRIBALS CHAPTER 10 : CONSOLIDATION OF INDIA AS A NATION(IV) : REGIONALISM AND REGIONAL INEQUALITY CHAPTER 11 : THE YEARS OF HOPE AND ACHIEVEMENT, 1951–1964 CHAPTER 12 : FOREIGN POLICY : THE NEHRU ERA CHAPTER 13 : JAWAHARLAL NEHRU IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE CHAPTER 14 : POLITICAL PARTIES, 1947–1964: THE CONGRESS CHAPTER 15 : POLITICAL PARTIES,1947–1965: THE OPPOSITION CHAPTER 16 : FROM SHASTRI TO INDIRA GANDHI,1964–1969 CHAPTER 17 : THE INDIRA YEARS, 1969–1973 CHAPTER 18 : THE JP MOVEMENT AND THE EMERGENCY : INDIAN DEMOCRACY TESTED CHAPTER 19 : THE JANATA INTERREGNUM AND INDIRA GANDHI’S SECOND COMING, 1977–1984 CHAPTER 20 : THE RAJIV YEARS CHAPTER 21 : RUN-UP TO THE NEW MILLENNIUM AND AFTER CHAPTER 22: POLITICS IN THE STATES (I): TAMIL NADU, ANDHRA PRADESH AND ASSAM CHAPTER 23 : POLITICS IN THE STATES (II): WEST BENGAL AND JAMMU AND KASHMIR CHAPTER 24 : THE PUNJAB CRISIS CHAPTER 25 : INDIAN ECONOMY, 1947–1965: THE NEHRUVIAN LEGACY CHAPTER 26 : INDIAN ECONOMY, 1965–1991 CHAPTER 27 : ECONOMIC REFORMS SINCE 1991 CHAPTER 28 : THE INDIAN ECONOMY IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM CHAPTER 29 : LAND REFORMS (I): COLONIAL IMPACT AND THE LEGACY OF THE NATIONAL AND PEASANT MOVEMENTS CHAPTER 30 : LAND REFORMS(II): ZAMINDARI ABOLITION AND TENANCY REFORMS CHAPTER 31 : LAND REFORMS (III): CEILING AND THE BHOODAN MOVEMENT CHAPTER 32 : COOPERATIVES AND AN OVERVIEW OF LAND REFORMS CHAPTER 33 :AGRICULTURAL GROWTH AND THE GREEN REVOLUTION CHAPTER 34 : AGRARIAN STRUGGLES SINCE INDEPENDENCE CHAPTER 35 : REVIVAL AND GROWTH OF COMMUNALISM CHAPTER 36: COMMUNALISM AND THE USE OF THE STATE POWER CHAPTER 37 : CASTE, UNTOUCHABILITY, ANTI-CASTE POLITICS AND STRATEGIES CHAPTER 38: INDIAN WOMEN SINCE INDEPENDENCE CHAPTER 39 : POST-COLONIAL INDIAN STATE AND THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF DEVELOPMENT: AN OVERVIEW CHAPTER 40 : DISARRAY IN INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNANCE CHAPTER 41 : DAWN OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM: ACHIEVEMENTS, PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Focusing on politics and society in India, this book explores new areas enmeshed in the complex social, economic and political processes in the country. Linking the structural characteristics with the broader sociological context, the book emphasizes the strong influence of sociological issues on politics, such as social milieu shaping and the articulation of the political in day-to-day events. Political events are connected with the ever-changing social, economic and political processes in order to provide an analytical framework to explain ‘peculiarities’ of Indian politics. Bidyut Chakrabarty argues that three major ideological influences of colonialism, nationalism and democracy have provided the foundational values of Indian politics. Structured thematically and chronologically, this work is a useful resource for students of political science, sociology and South Asian studies.

A thorough and incisive introduction to contemporary India The story of the forging of India, the world's largest democracy, is a rich and inspiring one. This volume, a sequel to the best-selling India's Struggle for Independence, analyses the challenges India has faced and the successes it has achieved, in the light of its colonial legacy and century-long struggle for freedom. The book describes how the Constitution was framed, as also how the Nehruvian political and economic agenda and basics of foreign policy were evolved and developed. It dwells on the consolidation of the nation, examining contentious issues like party politics in the Centre and the states, the Punjab problem, and anti-caste politics and untouchability. This revised edition offers a scathing analysis of the growth of communalism in India and the use of state power in furthering its cause. It also documents the fall of the National Democratic Alliance in the 2004 General Elections, the United Progressive Alliance's subsequent rise to power and the Indo-US Nuclear Deal that served to unravel the political consensus at the centre. Apart from detailed analyses of Indian economic reforms since 1991 and wide-ranging land reforms and the Green Revolution, this new edition includes an overview of the Indian economy in the new millennium. These, along with objective assessments of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Jayaprakash Narayan, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Rajiv Gandhi, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, constitute a remarkable overview of a nation on the move.

India today is a vibrant free-market democracy, a nation well on its way to overcoming decades of widespread poverty. The nation’s rise is one of the great international stories of the late twentieth century, and in India Unbound the acclaimed columnist Gurcharan Das offers a sweeping economic history of India from independence to the new millennium. Das shows how India’s policies after 1947 condemned the nation to a hobbled economy until 1991, when the government instituted sweeping reforms that paved the way for extraordinary growth. Das traces these developments and tells the stories of the major players from Nehru through today. As the former CEO of Proctor & Gamble India, Das offers a unique insider’s perspective and he deftly interweaves memoir with history, creating a book that is at once vigorously analytical and vividly written. Impassioned, erudite, and eminently readable, India Unbound is a must for anyone interested in the global economy and its future.

This book presents a complete and accessible description of the history of early India. It starts by discussing the origins and growth of civilizations, empires, and religions. It also deals with the geographical, ecological, and linguistic backgrounds, and looks at specific cultures of the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Vedic periods, as well as at the Harappan civilization. In addition, the rise of Jainism and Buddhism, Magadha and the beginning of territorial states, and the period of Mauryas, Central Asian countries, Satvahanas, Guptas, and Harshavardhana are also analysed. Next, it stresses varna system, urbanization, commerce and trade, developments in science and philosophy, and cultural legacy. Finally, the process of transition from ancient to medieval India and the origin of the Aryan culture has also been examined.

What is it that we as a nation are missing? Why, given all our skills, resources and talents, do we settle so often for the ordinary instead of striving to be the best? At the heart of Ignited Minds is an irresistible premise: that people do have the power, through hard work, to realize their dream of a truly good life. Kalam’s vision document of aspiration and hope motivates us to unleash the dormant energy within India and guide the country to greatness.