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Catagory: History

Independent India

COMBO BOX SET OF INDIAN HISTORY BOOKS
TWO BESTSELLING BOOKS AT A GREAT PRICE FOR STUDENTS
500,000 COPIES SOLD OF BOTH BOOKS COMBINED

Indian History by the Experts
This is a combo pack of two bestselling titles by professors Bipan Chandra, Mridula Mukherjee and Aditya Mukherjee. They are classic reference books for exam preparation: UGC, NET, Civil Services, UPSC and international exams.

India’s Struggle for Independence
This is your go-to book for an in-depth and detailed overview on the Indian independence movement. It offers a well-documented history of India’s freedom struggle against the British rule. It is one of the most accurate books which have been painstakingly written after thorough research based on legal and valid verbal and written sources.

This book includes all the independence movements and struggles, irrespective of their size and impact, covering India in its entirety. It maps India’s first war of independence of 1857. A large part of the book is dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation and the civil disobedience movements. It contains detailed description of Subash Chandra Bose’s weapon heavy tactics and his charisma.

This book contains oral and written narratives from different parts of the country, making this book historically rich and diverse. The book captures the evolution of the Indian freedom struggle in full detail and leaves no chapter of this story untouched. This book is ideal for students of modern Indian history and especially for those preparing for UPSC examination with history as their subject.

India since Independence
The story of the forging of India, the world’s largest democracy, is a rich and inspiring one. This volume, a sequel to the bestselling India’s Struggle for Independence, analyses the challenges India has faced and the successes it has achieved in the light of its colonial legacy and century-long struggle for freedom. It covers the framing of the Constitution and the evolution of the Nehruvian political and economic agenda and basics of foreign policy; the consolidation of the nation and contentious issues like party politics in the Centre and the states, the Punjab problem and anti-caste politics and untouchability.

This revised edition offers a scathing analysis of the growth of communalism in India and the use of state power in furthering its cause. It also documents the fall of the National Democratic Alliance in the 2004 General Elections, the United Progressive Alliance’s subsequent rise to power and the Indo-US Nuclear Deal that served to unravel the political consensus at the centre. Apart from detailed analyses of Indian economic reforms since 1991 and wide-ranging land reforms and the Green Revolution, this new edition includes an overview of the Indian economy in the new millennium. These, along with objective assessments of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Jayaprakash Narayan, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Rajiv Gandhi, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, constitute a remarkable overview of a nation on the move.

1971

An under-strength Gorkha battalion undertakes the Indian Army’s first heliborne operation deep behind enemy lines, defeating a Pakistani force twenty times its strength. Fighters of the Indian Air force target the Government House in Dhaka in a daring air raid, forcing the Pakistani government in Dhaka to capitulate and surrender. Four battle casualties become close friends at the Artificial Limb Centre in Pune in the war’s aftermath.

In this collection of true stories, decorated war veteran Major General Ian Cardozo recounts what really happened during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, piecing together every story in vivid detail through interviews with survivors and their families. The book also seeks to commemorate the lives of those who were killed and wounded in this war, which took place fifty years ago.

From the tragic tale of the INS Khukri and its courageous captain, who went down with his ship, to how a battalion of the Gorkhas launched what we accept as the last khukri attack in modern military history, these stories reveal what went on in the minds of those who led their men into battle-on land, at sea and in the air.

Gandhi : Dakshin Africa Se Bharat Aagman Aur Golmez Sammelan Tak 1914-31 Khand-1

Gandhi lived one of the great 20th- century lives. He inspired and enraged, challanged and delighted millions of men and women around the world. He lived almost entirely in the shadow of British Raj, which for much of his life seemed a permanent fact, but which he did more than anyone else to bring down. In a world defined by violence and warfare and by fascist and communist dictatorships, Gandhi was armed with nothing more than his arguments and example. While fighting for national freedom, he also attacked caste and gender hierarchies and fought-and died-for inter-religious harmony.
This magnificent book tells the story of Gandhi’s life from the time he left South Africa to his participation in the Second Round Table Conference.

Savarkar (Part 2)

Was Savarkar really a co-conspirator in the Gandhi murder?

Was there a pogrom against a particular community after Gandhi’s assassination?

Decades after his death, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar continues to uniquely influence India’s political scenario. An optimistic advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity in his treatise on the 1857 War of Independence, what was it that transformed him into a proponent of ‘Hindutva’? A former president of the All-India Hindu Mahasabha, Savarkar was a severe critic of the Congress’s appeasement politics. After Gandhi’s murder, Savarkar was charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination. While he was acquitted by the court, Savarkar is still alleged to have played a role in Gandhi’s assassination, a topic that is often discussed and debated.

In this concluding volume of the Savarkar series, exploring a vast range of original archival documents from across India and outside it, in English and several Indian languages, historian Vikram Sampath brings to light the life and works of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, one of the most contentious political thinkers and leaders of the twentieth century.

Savarkar is one of the most debated figures in Indian History and Indian Politics!

A Masterclass on India

This complete set of Gurcharan Das’s non-fiction works encompasses all of his perceptive and eye-opening writings on India.

India Unbound – The riveting tale of a nation’s rise from poverty to prosperity, and the clash of ideas that occurred along the way.

The Elephant Paradigm – The story of an ancient civilization’s reawakening to the spirit and potential of its youth.

The Difficulty of Being Good – A superb exposition of the dilemmas and ambiguities inherent in the Mahabharata that shows us how we can come to term with the uncertain ethics of our times.

India Grows at Night – What India needs is a strong, liberal state but achieving this will not be easy because historically India has always had a weak state and a strong society.

The Story of The Sikhs

The power of storytelling meets the colourful history of the Sikh faith in The Story of the Sikhs. In this book, author Sarbpreet Singh helps us reimagine the lives of the Sikh Gurus through a rich narrative that that intricately weaves in selections from the Guru Granth Sahib, the Dasam Granth and epic Braj poetry.
Starting from the birth of the first guru, Guru Nanak, the book charts the lives of the ten Gurus. Through carefully curated stories, the book does not just show the egalitarian ideals and compassionate worldview that have come to define the faith, but also sheds light on the historical context that defined the foundational principles which guided Sikhs during the era of each Guru.
Sarbpreet has deliberately approached this retelling as a storyteller rather than as a student of history in an attempt to make the work accessible and engaging. Immersive and expansive, The Story of the Sikhs is a tour de force that weaves a multi-dimensional tapestry of narrative and poetry.

Nehru, Tibet and China

On 1 October 1949, the People’s Republic of China came into being and changed forever the course of Asian history. Power moved from the hands of the nationalist Kuomintang government to the Communist Party of China headed by Mao Tse Tung. All of a sudden, it was not only an assertive China that India had to deal with but also an increasingly complex situation in Tibet which was reeling under pressure from China.

Clearly, newly independent India, with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at its helm, was navigating very choppy waters. Its relations with China progressively deteriorated, eventually leading to the Indo-China war in 1962. Today, more than six decades after the war, we are still plagued by border disputes with China that seem to routinely grab the headlines. It leads one to question what exactly went on during those initial years of the emergence of a new China. And, more importantly, why have we repeatedly failed to arrive at a solution?

Based on years of meticulous archival research, this book in fascinating detail, analyses the events from 1949 to the Indo-China war in 1962 and its aftermath to explore the answers to these burning questions.

Hisila

In this fascinating book, Hisila Yami traces her journey from being a young Nepali student of architecture in Delhi in the early eighties to becoming a Maoist revolutionary engaging in guerrilla warfare in Nepal. Yami was one of the two women leaders who were a part of the politburo of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which led the People’s War in the country that changed the course of its history forever.
On the one hand, this is a lucidly written political memoir, where Yami talks about gaining political awareness, joining protests, being imprisoned, participating in the People’s War, and later her experiences as the first lady and a minister. But, at the same time, this is also a vivid narrative that offers touching glimpses of her personal life. She candidly writes about falling in love and marrying a fellow politician, Baburam Bhattarai, who later went on to become the prime minister of Nepal. From how she balanced her political life with motherhood to what it really meant to be a woman in the communist party that launched a civil war, Yami tells it all in what is truly an unforgettable account of a remarkable life.

India and Asian Geopolitics

Tracing India’s approach to the shifting regional landscape since its independence in 1947 to the Modi era, Shivshankar Menon addresses the many questions, which perplex India as the nation seeks to find its way in the increasingly complex world of Asian geopolitics. 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 its responses to the rise of China, as well as other regional powers. He also looks to the future and analyses how India’s policies are likely to evolve in response to current and new challenges. As India gains new stature across the globe, both its domestic preoccupations and international choices become more significant.

Authoritative, comprehensive and deeply engaging, in India and Asian Geopolitics 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.

The book is a must have for the students and scholars of international relations, India and Asian geopolitics, Indian history and political science. Besides, it will attract policymakers, diplomats, politicians and general readers.

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The Break of Dawn (A thrilling page-turner set amidst the 1857 rebellion)

“Unconstrained, unlike a historian, the fiction writer Khan Mahboob Tarzi invents a moment in the history of 1857 and imbues it with high romance and action.”-Rita Kothari, translator, writer, and professor of English, Ashoka University

“[The 1857] rebellion has been the subject of scholarly attention and debate, but the events have not drawn too much literary attention in terms of novels, plays, etc. It is thus good to read this novel and to have it in translation.”-Rudrangshu Mukherjee, chancellor and professor of history, Ashoka University

-A thriller and romance set amidst the raging battle to free India of the British in 1857.

-Brings into focus the lesser-known popular literature in Urdu around the 1857 mutiny.

-The translator, Prof. Ali Khan Mahmudabad, was led to the book out of personal interest, as it includes an account of the erstwhile Mahmudabad royal family’s role in the 1857 revolt.

-Introduces readers to Khan Mahboob Tarzi, a prolific author who wrote over a hundred novels on history, politics, science-fiction, romance and erotica.

It is the searing month of June. The rebellion against the British has just begun and Awadh is up in flames. Hindus and Muslims have joined hands to overthrow the foreign rulers and set India free. Some Indian rulers have started to enter into alliances to fight the firangis, while others have thrown in their lot with the foreigners. Amid all this, Riyaz Khan, a young soldier from the army of the Raja of Mahmudabad, saves a group of Britishers from fellow ‘mutineers’ and escorts them to the safety of Lucknow. In this group is Alice, who falls in love with Riyaz and eventually becomes an informer for the rebels.

The Break of Dawn, originally published in Urdu under the title Aghaaz-e-Sahar, is a thrilling page-turner and a reminder of a time when Indians of all classes and creeds came together to fight for the honour and freedom of their homeland.

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