Bhartiya Rashtravad : Ek Anivarya Paath

What is nationalism? What do you understand by nationalism? Who is a good nationalist? Should you be considered a traitor if you criticize the government? These are some of the questions that dominate most debates today. But these debates are not new. The most prominent voices on nationalism today are certainly inclined to convince us that Indian nationalism has been, and remains, a narrow, insular entity, fearful of other peoples and cultures. However, Indias most enlightened and astute leaders, thinkers, scientists, and writers have a completely different understanding; and these are people who began thinking about this subject as early as the nineteenth century. Nationalism, as it exists today, has existed for more than a hundred years. Numerous historians, political scientists, and sociologists have studied its role in world history. It has been observed that it has been one of the most decisive factors in politics. It has also been criticized extensively. It is a double-edged sword that can both unite and divide people based on politics, culture, language, and religion. In this historically significant collection, historian S. Irfan Habib explores the rise, development, and various forms and phases of nationalism in India since the late nineteenth century through the views of Indias most important thinkers and leaders. In this collection, he has exhaustively collected excerpts from the writings and speeches of prominent leaders and thinkers of the freedom movement, revealing what nationalism was in the eyes of these leaders, who guided the country in the struggle for independence and kept an honest eye on the nations future even after independence, and what kind of nation and nationalism they wanted to see flourish. This book tells us how to understand and advance nationalism in todays circumstances, so that the process of building an inclusive, independent, and humane nation can continue uninterrupted.