The Idea of India is a 1997 non-fiction book by Sunil Khilnani which describes the economic and political history of India in the fifty years since Partition.

The Idea of India
AuthorSunil Khilnani
Cover artistCalvin Chu
LanguageEnglish
SubjectPolitics and modern history of India
PublisherFarrar, Straus & Giroux (Paperback, United States)
Publication placeIndia
Media typePrint
Pages263pp (paperback edition)
ISBN0-374-52591-9 (Paperback)
OCLC988051314

Background

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It focuses in particular on the role that the national ideal of democracy has played in India's evolution. The book is also noted for its treatment of the personality and actions of Jawaharlal Nehru in the development of the country.[1][2]

Reception

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Journalist Ian Jack described this book, and its description of the "intellectual foundations" of the modern Indian state, as "indispensable" reading.[3]

Abraham Verghese in The New York Times writes, "[the book] argues that politics, more than culture or religious chauvinism, shaped modern India."[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Chitra Divakaruni, "Against All Odds", Los Angeles Times, January 25, 1998.
  2. ^ Jeffery Paine, "Nation in the Making", The Washington Post, May 31, 1998.
  3. ^ Ian Jack, "Understanding India: the books to read", New Statesman, January 30, 2006.
  4. ^ Verghese, Abraham (12 April 2023). "Read Your Way Through Kerala". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 May 2023.