Debating India ─ Essays on Indian Political Discourse

The book is a critical study of the ideas and debates that have shaped modern India. It traces the origins and development of the Indian tradition of public debate and the various forms it took at different times in Indian history. It then goes on to examine some of the major debates that occurred during the struggle for independence and the ways in which they structured the conceptual and moral parameters of the Indian political imagination. The debates involved Gandhi, Tagore, Nehru, Ambedkar and Hindu militants and centred on the kind of country India was and should aspire to be. Since deep differences of views and conflicts of interest cannot always be resolved by rational discussion, the larger question arises as to how best to deal with them. Gandhias non-violent struggle, which respects reason but also acknowledges its limitations and goes beyond it, claims to provide an answer. The book critically examines its strengths and weaknesses and points to a richer and politically more realistic view of public debate than are currently on offer.

Bhikhu Parekh is Emeritus Professor at the Universities of Hull and Westminster, UK.