The Trishanku Nation ─ Memory, Self, and Society in Contemporary India

This book is a collection of nine reflective essays on post-independence India. Based on memory, both historical and personal, these provide a critical and truthful account of an average citizenas life and the society. It covers issues in governance, education, science, religion, culture, etc. as seen during the last five decades. These issues are not discussed in isolation but with an eye over the colonial past. Here the past and the present, the self and the society, the local and the universal seem to merge.

Beginning with the depiction of life in a moffusil town, this book moves on to examine closely the social issues like caste, communalism, and the growing religiosity. Corruption that plagues our polity and economy and the challenges of development are also dealt with. Written with rare verve and wit, and by using the lens of personal experiences, these essays explore the complexities of contemporary politics and society in India. This should be found interesting and useful not only by the students and scholars of social sciences and humanities but also by lawyers, doctors, teachers, media persons and other professionals.

Deepak Kumar is Professor, Z.H.Centre for Educational Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.