Makers of Modern India

The book traces India’s intellectual and political journey from the nineteenth century through the freedom movement and into the post-Independence era. It examines themes including nationalism, religion, caste, gender, colonialism, democracy, secularism, language and the economy.

Ramachandra Guha is a renowned Indian historian, biographer and writer. His major works include India After Gandhi, Gandhi Before India and Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World. He has taught at institutions including Stanford, the London School of Economics and the University of Oslo.

Makers of Modern India presents selections from the writings and speeches of figures such as Rammohun Roy, Syed Ahmad Khan, Jyotirao Phule, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Tarabai Shinde, Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and B. R. Ambedkar. Through short biographical introductions and carefully selected writings, Guha shows how competing and sometimes contradictory ideas contributed to the making of modern India.