On Modern Indian Sensibilities

This book consists of incisive and imaginative readings of culture, politics, and history – and their intersections – in eastern India from the 16th to the 20th century. Focusing especially on Assam, Odisha, Bengal, and their margins, the volume explores Indo-Islamic cultures of rule as located on the cusp of Mughal-cosmopolitan and regional–local formations. Tracking sensibilities of time and history, senses of events and persons, and productions of the past and the present, the volume unravels intimate expressions of aesthetics and scandals, heroism and martyrdom, and voice and gender. It examines key questions of the interchanges between literary cultures and contending nationalisms, culture and cosmopolitanism, temporality and mythology, literature and literacy, history and modernity, and print culture and popular media. The book offers grounded and connected accounts of a large, important region, usually studied in isolation. It will be of interest to scholars and students of history, literature, politics, sociology, cultural studies, and South Asian studies.

The book Decolonial Existence and Urban Sensibility: A Study on Mahesh Elkunchwar meticulously reflects upon some of the selected translated plays of Marathi playwright Mahesh Elkunchwar. It revolves around the themes of decolonial existence and urban sensibility in contemporary India as portrayed in his plays with respect to post-independent urban existence, socio-cultural existence and gender. The book also looks forward to establish a counterargument against the idealized and totalitarian definitions of West-centric existentialist philosophy, and establish indigenous dimensions of decolonial existence within specific contexts. It dismantles the colonially structured existing binaries of urban/rural, ethical/unethical and high culture/low culture through the diverse portrayal of human relationships in contemporary India and broadly addresses two inter-mingled perspectives. Firstly, it outlines the thematic and dramatic perspectives of the selected plays of Mahesh Elkunchwar and secondly, it explores the multi-dimensional philosophical perspectives that encapsulate the theoretical latitude of decoloniality and urban sensibility.

'A model work of historical scholarship'-Ramachandra Guha 'The most well-researched, comprehensive history of contemporary Assam ever written'-Partha Chatterjee The crucial battles of World War II fought in India's north-east-followed soon after by Independence and Partition-had a critical impact on the making of modern Assam. In the three decades following 1947, the state of Assam underwent massive political turmoil, geographical instability, and social and demographic upheaval, among others. Later, the truncated state suffered widespread unrest as various groups believed their cultural identity and political leverage were under threat. New social energies and political forces were unleashed and came to the fore. Definitive, comprehensive and unputdownable, The Quest for Modern Assam explores the interconnected layers of political, environmental, economic and cultural processes that shaped the development of Assam since the 1940s. It offers an authoritative account that sets new standards in the writing of regional political history. Not to be missed by any one keen on Assam, India, Asia or world history in the twentieth century.

Gitanjali, the book of poems for which Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, was in fact a collection of songs. Much of what Tagore experienced-joy and frustration, grief and devastation-was expressed through music, and during his lifetime, Tagore was most renowned for his songwriting. The distinction of his musical oeuvre lay in the near-perfect balance he achieved between the evocative lyrics, the matching melody and the rhythmic structure in which each song was bound. The Singer and His Song is a unique biography of Tagore with music as its leitmotif. It traces the musical journey of the poet with anecdotes and allusions, and includes translations of some of his most resonant songs. Written in elegant prose and accompanied by relevant photographs and paintings, this highly original book is a fitting tribute to Tagore's enduring musical legacy.

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.

· This collection is unusual in that the essays are not written from a single perspective and instead cover aspects as diverse as socio-political issues, translation, performance, language and identity, literary analysis. · The style of all the essays is jargon-free and accessible to the lay reader. · Given the fact that the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death comes up in 2016, this collection would be in the nature of both a retrospective appraisal as well as an anticipatory homage. · Its approaches are multi-disciplinary - from socio-historical analysis, to political commentary, translation studies, literary criticism and performance studies. · It will interest researchers interested in translation studies and performance studies, and literary critics.

This one-volume thematic encyclopedia examines life in contemporary India, with topical sections focusing on geography, history, government and politics, economy, social classes and ethnicity, religion, food, etiquette, literature and drama, and more. Modern Indian, an addition to the Understanding Modern Nations series, is an in-depth and interdisciplinary encyclopedia. While many books on life in India exist today, this volume is unique as a concise, accessible overview of multiple aspects of Indian society and history. It will be a useful background or supplemental text for anyone interested in modern Indian life and culture. Individual chapters address all aspects of life in 21st-century India, from geography and history to economy and religion to etiquette and sports. Each chapter begins with an overview, followed by entries on, for example, major political parties or literary works. Each overview and entry is self-contained and accompanied by an up-to-date Further Reading list.