Revisiting Nehru In Contemporary India

Jawaharlal Nehru being an architect of Indian polity, economy and foreign policy set the ball rolling. However, they have witnessed cataclysmic changes over a period of time. Indian polity has witnessed different waves of reorganisation of states, evolving democracy, spelling out of quasi-federal system and building a more inclusive political nation. Nehru set the agenda of economic development and framed the strategy of development accordingly. In this volume an attempt has made to have a fair understanding about Nehru by placing him in the context in which he worked and by taking into account the challenges that Post-Colonial India was facing during his time. However, the problems faced by the neo-liberal economy, and the challenges confronting Indian polity and foreign policy have again invoked the relevance of Nehruvian philosophy in contemporary India. The contributors to this volume have analysed the diverse aspects of Nehru’s thinking and the policies that flowed from it to understand their relevance in contemporary Indian, Asian and global context. Note: T& F does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Jawaharlal Nehru being an architect of Indian polity, economy and foreign policy set the ball rolling. However, they have witnessed cataclysmic changes over a period of time. Indian polity has witnessed different waves of reorganisation of states, evolving democracy, spelling out of quasi-federal system and building a more inclusive political nation. Nehru set the agenda of economic development and framed the strategy of development accordingly. In this volume an attempt has made to have a fair understanding about Nehru by placing him in the context in which he worked and by taking into account the challenges that Post-Colonial India was facing during his time. However, the problems faced by the neo-liberal economy, and the challenges confronting Indian polity and foreign policy have again invoked the relevance of Nehruvian philosophy in contemporary India. The contributors to this volume have analysed the diverse aspects of Nehru's thinking and the policies that flowed from it to understand their relevance in contemporary Indian, Asian and global context. Note: T& F does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

This book presents a comprehensive account of the socio-political thought of prominent modern Indian thinkers. It offers a clear understanding of the basic concepts and their contributions on contemporary issues. Key features: Explores the nature, scope, relevance, context, and theoretical approaches of modern Indian thought and overviews its development through an in-depth study of the lives and ideas of major thinkers. Examines critical themes such as nationalism, swaraj, democracy and state, liberalism, revolution, socialism, constitutionalism, secularism, satyāgraha, swadeshi, nationbuilding, humanism, ethics in politics, democratic decentralisation, religion and politics, social transformation and emancipation, and social and gender justice under sections on liberal-reformist, moderate-Gandhian, and leftist-socialist thought. Brings together insightful essays on Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Dayānanda Saraswati, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Pandita Ramabai, Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Dadabhai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Ram Manohar Lohia, Babu Jagjivan Ram, Vinoba Bhave, Acharya Narendra Deva, Manabendra Nath Roy, and Jayaprakash Narayan. Traces different perspectives on the way India’s composite cultures, traditions, and conditions inf luenced the evolution of their thought and legacy. With its accessible style, this book will be useful to teachers, students, and scholars of political science, modern Indian political thought, modern Indian history, and political philosophy. It will also interest those associated with exclusion studies, political sociology, sociology, and South Asian studies.

The notion that a monolithic idea of ‘nonalignment’ shaped India’s foreign policy since its inception is a popular view. In Power and Diplomacy, Zorawar Daulet Singh challenges conventional wisdom by unveiling another layer of India’s strategic culture. In a richly detailed narrative using new archival material, the author not only reconstructs the worldviews and strategies that underlay geopolitics during the Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi years, he also illuminates the significant transformation in Indian statecraft as policymakers redefined some of their fundamental precepts on India’s role in in the subcontinent and beyond. His contention is that those exertions of Indian policymakers are equally apposite and relevant today. Whether it is about crafting a sustainable set of equations with competing great powers, formulating an intelligent Pakistan policy, managing India’s ties with its smaller neighbours, dealing with China’s rise and Sino-American tensions, or developing a sustainable Indian role in Asia, Power and Diplomacy strikes at the heart of contemporary debates on India’s unfolding foreign policies.

This book presents a holistic perspective across various facets of culture, history, politics, economics and strategy in India’s relations with neighbouring South and Southeast Asian countries. This book not only analyses various issues of India’s foreign policy diplomacy but also explores the perspectives of neighbouring countries towards India. It engages experts from India and its South and Southeast Asian neighbours to discuss topics, such as overland linkages, people-to-people interactions, opportunities and implications of India’s Act East policy on its neighbours in changing geopolitical backdrop. The book emphasises on the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and suggests a greater scope of regional cooperation on emergencies such as health crises in the Bay region. This rich collection of essays has strategic and scholarly relevance for researchers working on a wide range of topics related to development studies, cultural studies, Asian studies as well as policy makers and general readers.

After the COVID-19 disaster, ‘old’ frailties and inadequacies in agriculture and industrial productive capacities, in public health and transport systems have evinced sharply in the open, reopening the debates over public policy reforms as never before. This volume: Studies the likely impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on future policy making in India and other democracies. Critically looks at the available theoretical frameworks, models and approaches used in the policy making process and studies their contemporary relevance. Balances theoretical approaches with concrete case studies. Examines India’s policies on education, health, e-governance, gender and work, and also provides recommendations for the future. An important and timely contribution, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researches of public administration, public policy, political theory, globalization and global democracy.

The volume analyses the complex historical and political context for the processes of state formation in independent India. It provides both a conceptual and empirical framework for an understanding of Indian democracy through the perspective of reorganisation of states. Following the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) in 1956, the territorial boundaries of the states were redrawn. However, within a decade, the geo-linguistic and cultural-ideological criteria could not be considered satisfactory for the future division of states. With the formation of three new states (Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand) and the demand for Telangana statehood not accepted as yet, new dimensions and perspectives about state formation as a critical political practice have surfaced yet again in contemporary India. The book addresses a number of significant themes related to states reorganisation and its effects — questions of underdevelopment, size, political participation, governance, cultural identities — and also analyses the demand for smaller states. It focuses on different states, their historical and contemporary trajectory leading to the demand for territorial remapping and thus recognising specific political and cultural resources, and identities in the regions and sub-regions of states in India. The book will be useful for those studying politics, history, sociology, comparative politics and South Asian Studies.

A clear-eyed look at modern India's role in Asia's and the broader world One of India's most distinguished foreign policy thinkers addresses the many questions facing India as it seeks to find its way in the increasingly complex world of Asian geopolitics. A former Indian foreign secretary and national security adviser, Shivshankar Menon traces India's approach to the shifting regional landscape since its independence in 1947. From its leading role in the “nonaligned” movement during the cold war to its current status as a perceived counterweight to China, India often has been an after-thought for global leaders—until they realize how much they needed it. Examining India's own policy choices throughout its history, Menon focuses in particular on India's responses to the rise of China, as well as other regional powers. Menon also looks to the future and analyzes how India's policies are likely to evolve in response to current and new challenges. As India grows economically and gains new stature across the globe, both its domestic preoccupations and international choices become more significant. India itself will become more affected by what happens in the world around it. Menon makes a powerful geopolitical case for an India increasingly and positively engaged in Asia and the broader world in pursuit of a pluralistic, open, and inclusive world order.