Book Review: 1947-1957, INDIA By Chandrachur Ghose- Interrogating The Morality Of The Idea Of India.

A critical look at the mayhem of the contemporary events surrounding us points to the questions about their backward linkages, their ought to be consequences, till the questions regarding origin of their discourse. In the contemporary political scenario with Union parliamentary elections just around the corner, multiplicity of passions and pressing issues are coming to light where the idea of 'India' is being questioned. The promise of Social and Economic democracy was thought to be the only arenas that would be requiring critical attention once an apt political democratic arrangement is agreed upon. Thus, India i.e Bharat becomes a State within the Modern conceptual paradigm; defined territory, population, defense and sovereignty. But what was missed is if the audacity of the Nation making project was not understood properly, the politics could smell and appear like a heap of Dung. The tangible reality of Socio-Economic democracy would be realized only in imagination. In such a chaotic background, very few works have attempted to foreground an intellectual yet political biography of India. Chandrachur Ghose's work, 1947-1957, INDIA is one of the brilliant attempts in such a direction. The text is terse as it begins without any ado albeit non-traditionally without any introductions. It tries to dive into rational etymological events that lead not just to the becoming of India but also to the dialectics of the contemporary events. The focus of this text is from 1947 to 1957, yet when required it doesn't hesitate to go much deeper without any dogmatic adherence to the form. The book is divided into eight tight chapters that touch upon all the aspects of State. Infact after the end of this intellectual tome, it naturally feels as to how those elements are inherent in India's journey of becoming a Nation; an communitarian imagined feeling with the ideal of fraternity (sisterhood). All the chapters follow each other as they are natural progression of the previous ones but at times one certainly feels that to have basic understanding of the colonial political framework of pre-independent India is a prerequisite for a layperson. Chapter 1 starts with Transfer of Power, it provides an understanding of the events till the transfer of power to the Indians. It may feel that its just a summary of what we already know i.e the various commissions, missions that led to the enactment of The Independence of India act, 1947 but what makes this chapter separate from earlier works of other authors is the meticulous selection of sources to explain the trajectory rather than banal framework. This makes it intellectual as well as informative for laypersons at the sametime. The adherence to the different referential frameworks spark curiosity as to what lies ahead in the succeeding chapters which is carried forward in the second chapter i.e Framing the Constitution. In this chapter, we understand that Ghose has to limit himself as to the abundance of material on this particular topic. But, while reading I felt that a portrayal of Women participation in the Constitution framing would have made it more grounded, intellectual as well interrogating the banal amnesia as well as questioning the dominant lexicon of 'Forefathers'. The recent work of Achyut Chetan could have been the point of reference along with original Constitutional Assembly debates. In the third chapter on Unification of India, Ghose's work gies beyond the popularised tales of much read and publicised story of Junagadh and Hyderabad merger. It presents an interesting tale of Bhopal, Travancore and Orissa. He brings into light some interesting facts as well as the key role of Bhopal that had nearly ruined Mountbatten's Operation Princes. Infact a detailed story of Hyderabad with all drama, the timeline of its merger is quite interestingly presented by the author. This chapter gives a glimpse as to how the model of India's Federalism can't be bracketed in any established type but portrays its own brand. The next Chapter 4 on Partition and Refugees is a fresh take on the events that go beyond the banal approach of communal killings and rioting. Ghose gives a novel sneak peek into the indecisiveness of leadership of both India and Pakistan. Infact the references of Jenkins and B.N. Mullik adds more gravity and depth to this chapter. The Nehru-Liaquat pact too is brought under scanner by sharing different paradigms, more importantly on Bengal of stalwarts like S.P. Mookerjee, which is a very interesting read. Such perspectives are hardly documented elsewhere with magnanimous detailing that author provides. It adds to the rich repertoire of the knowledge available in this domain. Chapter 5, touches the Defense and Steel frame of India i.e Civil Services that are important arms of the State. A critical light on the issue of Indianisation of the Armed forces is a quite compelling read. Also, here...

Book Review: 1947-1957, INDIA By Chandrachur Ghose- Interrogating The Morality Of The Idea Of India.

Nikhil Sanjay-Rekha Adsule

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