About the Book: Looking for the Nation: Towards Another Idea of India
This urgent and compelling book comes at a time when toxic nationalism is
causing the violent and systematic exclusion of political, religious, sexual and
other minorities. Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee reminds us that the modern
nation-state, built on fear and an obsession with territory, is often at odds
with democracy, justice and fraternity. Critically analyzing the ideas of
thinkers who laid the political and ethical grounds of Indias modern
identity—Nehru, Ambedkar, Gandhi, Tagore, and Aurobindo— Bhattacharjee shows how
we have strayed from their inclusive, diverse visions. He effortlessly weaves
personal and intellectual histories, navigating through vast