I just realized that this is a major blind spot in my history knowledge and would like a way to remedy that!
Any recommendations are much appreciated!
I just realized that this is a major blind spot in my history knowledge and would like a way to remedy that!
Any recommendations are much appreciated!
Perry Anderson's The Indian Ideology is controversial but well sourced, and can point you toward leftist Indians who've written about Indian history instead of, you know, the fucking English. I read it last year and found it extremely informative about the failures of the Congress Party and of Nehru in particular. The anti-Gandhi part is especially important, as it's something that's necessary to emphasize but is minimized in "official" sources. All of the Indian history books I have ( like this one ) minimize Gandhi's betrayal of the Dalits at Poona.
Some leftists / semi-leftists (left of mainstream, that is, I can't vouch for everything) worth reading -
B.R. Ambedkar, Annihilation of Caste
Arundhati Roy
Pankaj Mishra
Shashi Tharoor (especially Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India . He also has a comedic allegorical novel that I'd like to read, The Great Indian Novel, based both on the independence movement and on the Mahabharata )
Vijay Prashad
Prashad, in a mixed review of Anderson's book , lists these, which will have to go on my list, too:
. . .
Finally, I'm very curious about the politics and career of Subhas Chandra Bose, a.k.a. Netanji. He seems like a fascinating character and an important revolutionary with some serious flaws (forming an army against the British - that's good! Spending time in Nazi Germany - that's bad!) and if anyone, especially any Indian comrades, has insights here I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'd like to read His Majesty's Opponent, a biography by Bose's great-nephew, but I haven't acquired a copy yet.