Because India Comes First

The essays in Because India Comes First discuss a range of issues that are at the heart of contemporary debates in India: democracy as the responsibility of the head of state, rule of law, peace and public order, Mahatma Gandhi and Gandhism, Ambedkar's ideals, empowerment of women, Indian judiciary, the Ram Janmabhoomi case, abrogation of Article 370, the legacies of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Arun Jaitley, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's learnings in governance. This book also delves into the decisions made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government over the last few years, diplomatic relations with India's neighbours and the confrontations with China. Madhav analyses India's history of policymaking and asserts that, going ahead, it must put India first. He calls out liberal fascism, deconstructs our understanding of terrorism in India, argues that opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is intellectually dishonest, explores how learnings from Black Lives Matter can be applied in the Indian sphere and explains why protests should be rooted in Martin Luther King Jr's non-violent approach and not anarchy. These essays weave a broad tapestry of India's growth into a soft power, and predict how it will shape up over the next few decades. A must-read for those who believe in the new idea of India, and for those who accept that there are two sides to every debate.

Second in the series of Dr Madhav's musings, The Indian Reality: Changing Narratives, Shifting Perceptions is the story of the new reality that has overtaken countries and populations. The diversified agendas of altered societies call for newer understanding and discourses. This has also enthused a new wave of excitement in India too. The last decade was witness to a tectonic transformation in almost every walk of national life. Dr Madhav, through his essays on the new agendas of society, contemporary Hindutva, lessons from history, the idea of good governance and India's outreach with the world, not only maps the journey of change but paints a forward-looking canvas of a society on the move. The Indian Reality is a must-read for those who want to get a bird's eye view of what will interest the world as the twenty-first century paces ahead.

Seven decades ago, a new global order emerged. However, changing global dynamics have put those older ways of being under unprecedented stress. A new world order is taking shape-one defined by new agenda items alongside the traditional ones such as trade, commerce and defence. In a post-pandemic world, these are being edged out by issues like climate change, holistic healthcare, education for innovation and creativity, as well as the management of frontier technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain and big data. Human dignity and human rights have become critical issues in this modern reality. To represent these altered actualities of the twenty-first century, global governance needs fresh ideas and novel institutions. More than five decades ago, Deendayal Upadhyaya articulated a coherent economic philosophy, at the core of which was human-centric development. In The Hindutva Paradigm, author and thinker Ram Madhav provides clarifying insights into the reasoning of a philosopher who has remained an enigma through the decades. At the crossroads where we stand, this refreshing and stimulating philosophy could be the answer to managing the new world order.

"Seven decades ago, a new global order emerged. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic rages across the planet, those older ways of being are under unprecedented stress. Already, a new world order is taking shape--one that will put long-standing agenda items like trade, commerce and defence on the backburner. In a post-pandemic world, they will be edged out by issues like climate change, holistic healthcare, education for innovation and creativity, as well as the management of frontier technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain and big data. Human dignity and human rights will be critical issues in this modern reality. To represent the changed actuality of the twenty-first century, global governance needs fresh ideas and novel institutions. More than five decades ago, Deen Dayal Upadhyay articulated a coherent economic philosophy, at the core of which was human-centric development. In The Hindutva Paradigm, author and thinker Ram Madhav provides clarifying insights into the reasoning of a philosopher who has remained an enigma through the decades. At the crossroads where we stand, this refreshing and stimulating philosophy could be the answer to managing the new world order."--Amazon.com

Long plagued by poverty, India's recent economic growth has vaulted it into the ranks of the world's emerging powers-but what kind of power it wants to be remains a mystery. Cautious Superpower explains why India behaves the way it does, and the role it is likely to play globally as its prominence grows. --

In June 1975 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed a 'State of Emergency', resulting in a 21-month suspension of democracy. Jaffrelot and Anil explore this black page in India's history, a constitutional dictatorship of unequal impact, with South India largely spared thanks to the resilience of Indian federalism. India's First Dictatorship focuses on Mrs Gandhi and her son, Sanjay, who was largely responsible for the mass sterilisation programmes and deportation of urban slum-dwellers. However, it equally exposes the facilitation of authoritarian rule by Congressmen, Communists, trade unions, businessmen and the urban middle class, as well as the complacency of the judiciary and media. While opposition leaders eventually closed ranks in jail, many of them collaborated with the new regime--including the RSS. Those who resisted the Emergency, in the media or on the streets, were few in number. This episode was an acid test for India's political culture. While a tiny minority of citizens fought for democracy during the Emergency, in large numbers the people bowed to a strong woman, even worshipped her. Equally importantly, Hindu nationalists were endowed with a new legitimacy. The Emergency was not a parenthesis, but a turning point; its legacy is very much alive today.

The decade from the 2008 global financial crisis to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic has seen a real transformation of the world order. The very nature of international relations and its rules are changing before our eyes. For India, this means optimal relationships with all the major powers to best advance its goals. It also requires a bolder and non-reciprocal approach to its neighbourhood. A global footprint is now in the making that leverages India's greater capability and relevance, as well as its unique diaspora. This era of global upheaval entails greater expectations from India, putting it on the path to becoming a leading power. In The India Way, S. Jaishankar, India's Minister of External Affairs, analyses these challenges and spells out possible policy responses. He places this thinking in the context of history and tradition, appropriate for a civilizational power that seeks to reclaim its place on the world stage.

Based on a viral article, 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act is the essential guide to understanding the legal document and its repercussion on generations of Indigenous Peoples, written by a leading cultural sensitivity trainer.Since its creation in 1876, the Indian Act has shaped, controlled, and constrained the lives and opportunities of Indigenous Peoples, and is at the root of many enduring stereotypes. Bob Joseph's book comes at a key time in the reconciliation process, when awareness from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities is at a crescendo. Joseph explains how Indigenous Peoples can step out from under the Indian Act and return to self-government, self-determination, and self-reliance--and why doing so would result in a better country for every Canadian. He dissects the complex issues around truth and reconciliation, and clearly demonstrates why learning about the Indian Act's cruel, enduring legacy is essential for the country to move toward true reconciliation.