A New Look At Modern Indian History

It is one of the bestselling books on Modern Indian History covering the time line from 1707 to the modern times. The book covers the entire gamut in a very unique style- it mentions not only factual data about various topics but also provides information about different interpretations put forth by Western and Indian historians, with an integrated analysis. This makes the book equally useful for undergraduate students of History and aspirants appearing for various competitive examinations

Modern Indian History, particularly the Indian National Movement, has been one of the essential parts of UPSC Civil Services Examination and other competitive examinations conducted by Union Public Service Commission and State Public Service Commission. This book is written in lucid language, covering the timeline from 1707 to the modern times. A special feature of the book is that it mentions not only factual data about various topics but also gives information about different interpretations put forward by Western and Indian historians, with an integrated analysis. This makes the book equally useful for undergraduate students of History.

From Plassey to Partition is an eminently readable account of the emergence of India as a nation. It covers about two hundred years of political and socio-economic turbulence. Of particular interest to the contemporary reader will be sections such as Early Nationalism: Discontent and Dissension , Many Voices of a Nation and Freedom with Partition . On the one hand, it converses with students of Indian history and on the other, it engages general and curious readers. Few books on this crucial period of history have captured the rhythms of India s polyphonic nationalism as From Plassey to Partition.

A place of astonishing contrasts, India is home to some of the world’s most ancient architectures as well as some of its most modern. It was the focus of some of the most important works created by Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, among other lesser-known masters, and it is regarded by many as one of the key sites of mid-twentieth century architectural design. As Peter Scriver and Amit Srivastava show in this book, however, India’s history of modern architecture began long before the nation’s independence as a modern state in 1947. Going back to the nineteenth century, Scriver and Srivastava look at the beginnings of modernism in colonial India and the ways that public works and patronage fostered new design practices that directly challenged the social order and values invested in the building traditions of the past. They then trace how India’s architecture embodies the dramatic shifts in Indian society and culture during the last century. Making sense of a broad range of sources, from private papers and photographic collections to the extensive records of the Indian Public Works Department, they provide the most rounded account of modern architecture in India that has yet been available.

The relationship between the individual and the collective has been the major force in human life from time immemorial but the character of that relationship has evolved over time. In one dark corner of this long drama, a special case of the relationship between individual and collective has been playing out in Canada in the lives of Native Indians. In this particular corner, the collective assumes an importance unthinkable in the mainstream. Indian policy, imposed by the mainstream on some Canadians - "Indians" - has built for them a world that is both a fortress and a prison. The effects on the individuals within that system have been profound.