Scholars look back at a modern nation with new title of Niyogi Books

Where Indian Democracy has Gone Wrong (Prem Shankar Jha), Criminalisation of Politics (Bimal Jalan), How Article 370 Fosters Separatism in J&K (Jagmohan) and India’s High Growth, Low HDI Syndrome (Amartya Sen) were some of the pertinent topics discussed at the launch and panel discussion on Niyogi Books’ latest publication, India Since 1947: Looking Back at a Modern Nation. The panel consisted of luminaries like Jagmohan, Prem Shankar Jha, Bimal Jalan and BG Verghese.

India Since 1947 is a collection of thirty incisive essays from India’s leading scholars and insightful young writers. It aims to establish interfaces in diverse domains and presents an overview of modern India from the social history angle. The book is edited by Atul Kumar Thakur, a New Delhi based journalist, columnist and financial expert, with specialisation in the interface of politics and economics.

The essayists dwell on the political, economic and cultural scenarios. Overall, the book sketches the changes since 1947. Prem Shankar Jha suggests restoration of tax-deductible company donations to political parties and state funding, while Bimal Jalan in his essay talks of criminalisation of politics, coalition blackmail by small parties in and outside the government and the rapid turnover of governments. K Natwar Singh presents his views on “superiority of the Nehruvian foreign policy”.

The book also contains essays on art & culture: the Indian novel, comics, cinema, music, sports, gender, budgeting and the changing city of Delhi.