Indian Political Thinking Through The Ages

Indian Political Thought: Themes and Thinkers covers all major Indian political thinkers from the ancient, through medieval to the modern times. Thus, this book provides an overview of the evolution of the Indian political thought through different historical periods, giving an insight into the sociological and political conditions of the times that shaped the Indian political thinking. It does not only talk about the lives and times of the thinkers, but also explores the important themes that formed the basis of their political ideologies. The chapters discuss the contributions of the thinkers and at the same time examine some important themes including the theory of state, civil rights, ideal polity, governance, nationalism, democracy, social issues like gender and caste, swaraj, satyagraha, liberalism, constitutionalism, Marxism, socialism and Gandhism. With a comprehensive coverage of both the thinkers and the themes of the Indian political thought, this book caters to needs of the undergraduate as well as the post graduate courses of all Indian universities. It is valuable also for UGC-NET and civil service examinations.

For A Proper Understanding Of Indian Political Scene As We Find It Today, A Thorough Study Of The Prominent Political Thinkers Is Very Essential. The Book Depicts A Beautiful Picture Of The Indian Political Thinkers, Their Career, Political Life And Political Thoughts. It Studies Many Great Leaders From Raja Ram Mohan Roy To Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. The Introduction Provides The Readers A Peep Into The Manner In Which The Indian Political Ideas Were Adopted From Time To Time By The Political Leaders. Impact Of These Ideas On The Political Action Of The People, Particularly, During The Ram Mohan Roy, Gandhi And Nehru Era Has Been Specially Emphasised. Chapter 12 Lays Overwhelming Stress On The Political Thought Of Mahatma Gandhi. His Ideas Are Always The Guiding Principles Of The People Of The World, In General, And The People Of India, In Particular, For All Ages I.E., Past, Present And Future. Chapters 17 To 20 Deal With The Political, Social And Economic Ideas Of The Socialist And The Communist Leaders Of India In An Excellent Manner. The Book Would Be Of Great Value For The Students As Well As The Teachers. Even Laymen Would Enjoy Reading The Book Because Of Its Simple Style.

The Book Covers University Syllabi In Political Science In The Papers Of Hindu Polity, Indian Political Thought And Modern Indian Political Thought Etc. Divided Into Three Parts The Ancient, The Modern And The Contemporary, This Book Analyses Indian Political Thought From Manu To M.N. Roy. In Order To Keep It Brief And Precise Only Selected Thinkers Have Been Included While Those Of Only Historical Importance Have Been Left Out. The Method Followed Is Construction Through Criticism So That Besides Knowing The Thought Of Eminent Indian Political Thinkers, The Reader May Develop An Insight Into Political Processes, Their Causes And Consequences. While Matter Has Been Drawn From Authentic Sources, It Has Been Narrated In Simple Language. A Balanced Holistic Approach Has Been Maintained In Controversial Matters.The Authors Have Left No Stone Unturned To Make This Book An Ideal Textbook For Students And Reference Book For Teachers.

Intended as a text for the undergraduate and postgraduate students of Political Science, this compact book brings to fore the political thought of various Indian thinkers over the decades. The book begins with a detailed discussion on the political thought of Manu, the lawgiver, whose classification of the different castes and their duties is highlighted. Then it goes on to give a comprehensive account of such thinkers as Kautilya, the author of Arthashastra, who talks about the four stages of life and the duties of the King; Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the religious reformer; Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the Hindu reformer and advocate of the Vedas, who criticized untouchability and discrimination of women and who set up the Arya Samaj. Besides, the book deals in detail with such thinkers as Swami Vivekananda, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and Shri Aurobindo. Further, the book analyzes the political thought of the great Indian leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, whose ideas of Satyagraha, Ahimsa (Non-Violence), Swadeshi, and Swaraj are too well known and who galvanized a whole nation in achieving Independence; Jawaharlal Nehru, the Architect of Modern India and the first Indian Prime Minister whose ideas on socialism, democracy, planning and foreign policy have guided the nation; the indefatigable JP (Jaya Prakash Narayan), the pioneer of socialist movement; and Bhimrao Ambedkar, the Architect of the Indian Constitution — the great social reformer who championed the cause of the scheduled castes, the underprivileged and the marginalized sections of the society. Finally, the book makes an analysis of ideas of other thinkers, namely, Sir Sayyed Ahmed Khan, a great advocate of communal harmony, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, an advocate of theocracy; Lala Lajpat Rai, the Lion of Punjab and the propounder of Swaraj; Ram Manohar Lohia, a powerful exponent of socialism; Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, an opponent of absolute non-violence, and Mahatma Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, a great social reformer. This text, which compresses the political thought of the great Indian thinkers and leaders, will benefit not only undergraduate and postgraduate students but also aspirants of civil services and any one who wishes to delve deeper into the subject.

The pre-colonial arena remained largely untouched and disassociated with the mainstream Indian political thought except for Kautilya. In the past half decade or more, new thinkers of mainly pre-colonial years, who were earlier read as part of the discipli