Slices of Indian History

The essays in Slices of Indian History touch upon diverse facets of modern Indian history, including the major episodes, processes, institutions and personalities. Put together, they tell the story of Indian's transformation in modern times and in the direction of modernity. The chapters underscore that the traditional social structure, comprehensive domination by British imperialism, and a powerful nationalist mass struggle against it, played a critical part in this process. India's journey towards modernization carries the stamp of all three building blocks. Most of the essays in the book focus on India's encounters with modernity and some major milestones in this encounter. It portrays a picture of India as a large civilizational society with its own distinctive features. In its transition towards acquiring a modern structure, it confronted many dilemmas and challenges, and the crucial choices made by the national leaders. This book is essentially the story of the making of modern India, told from different perspectives. The different slices constitute pieces in a big jigsaw puzzle, and this overview contributes to an ongoing effort to 'discover' the 'wonder' that India has been and continues to be.