Excerpt from The Swatantra Party and Indian Conservatism Under these circumstances, it may only be an embarrassment to those whose help is appreciated to have their names mentioned here. Still, I should like to express my deepest gratitude to Professors Lloyd and Susanne Rudolph (now of the University of Chicago) and to Dr Barrington Moore, Ir., who painstakingly and affectionately - but with often distressingly honest criticism directed the Harvard University dissertation upon which this bookis based; and these same people have been involved subsequently in its wholesale revision. Thanks are due also to Professor Myron Weiner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who read the manuscript in toto and who rendered valuable criticism as well as encouragement and who generously made available some pertinent manuscript material of his own; and to my Dartrnouth colleagues, Professors Henry Ehrmann, Kalman Silvert, and Vincent Star zinger, who have given valuable aid and encouragement at various important junctures. Debts of gratitude are also due to Harvard University and the Fulbright Foundation for jointly sponsoring a year of research in India in 1962-35 to Professor R. Bhaskaran of the University of Madras, who was of much help during that year; to the Comparative Studies Center, Dartmouth College, for sup port of research time in 1964 - 5 and for supplementing a grant from the American Institute of Indian Studies, to make possible a second tripfto India in 1966 - 7, when much up-dating was under taken. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Through shrewd marketing and publicity, Hindu spiritual leaders can play powerful roles in contemporary India as businessmen and government officials. Focusing on the organizations and activities of Hindu ascetics and gurus, Lise McKean explores the complex interrelations among religion, the political economy of India, and global capitalism. In this close look at the business of religion, McKean traces the ideological and organizational antecedents to the Hindu nationalist movement. The Indian state's increasing patronage of Hindu institutions makes competition for its support greater than ever. Using materials from guru's publications, the press, and extensive field research, McKean examines how participation by upper-caste ruling class groups in the Divine Life Society and other Hindu organizations further legitimates their own authority. With a remarkable selection of photographs and advertisements showing icons of spirituality used to sell commodities from textiles to cement to comic books, McKean illustrates the pervasive presence of Hindu imagery in India's burgeoning market economy. She shows how gurus popularize Hindu nationalism through imagery such as the goddess, Mother India, and her martyred sons and daughters.

This book analyses the rise and growth of the Hindu nationalist party Bharatiya Jana Sangh in post independent India, tracking the electoral journey of the party from 1951 to 1971. Offering a comprehensive analysis of the party Bharatiya Jana Sangh - its origin, ideas and electoral performances in the first two decades of its journey - the book provides an overview of the state-wise electoral record of the party mobilizing Hindu support and managing factional disputes. It surveys the issues of conflicts between the intraparty factions dominated by the recruits from the Rastriya Swayamseyak Sangh and the others. The author also presents a critique of the Hindutva politics of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh on account of its somewhat imperfect appeal among the masses and its problems in raising real issues of socio-economic concern. With a special emphasis on the states situated outside the Hindi language belt of Northern India, the electoral outcome of the Jana Sangh during each national and state legislative elections are analysed. Based on the dialectics of ideology and exigency, this book makes a thorough investigation of the leadership-succession crises in the party, patterns of vote sharing at the regional level and trends of coalition with the non-Congress parties in the states. Providing a nuanced understanding of the processes leading to the strengthening of right-wing political parties in India, the book will be of interest to academics working in the fields of nationalism, party politics and South Asian Politics.

This volume analyses the challenges India has faced and the successes it has achieved, in the light of its colonial legacy and century long sruggle for freedom.