Historian, columnist, biographer, environmentalist, Ramachandra Guha continues to have a monumental impact on India’s publishing world. It’s evident he is at the forefront of writers telling India’s story, in its various social-economic-political manifestations, always maintaining a deep focus on India’s overall human condition. With his clear, concise writing ability and his genuinely unbiased perspective, the readers are always given a refreshing panorama of the largest, perhaps most diverse, democracy in the world.

In “Makers of Modern India”, Ramachandra Guha has compiled a list of 19 crucial personalities who have played defining roles in India’s evolution into modernity; profiling and discussing their pertinence on a nation in its development stage. He has anthologized priceless, rare writings and speeches in context of the times they were written, providing the reader with in-depth analysis on the relevance of their unique, yet timeless dogmas. There are also active descriptions of how these personalities challenged each other in principle, how they worked on consensus, how they shared a common goal in developing India into a country that matched global standards.

From Gandhi’s yearning for a united India through passive resistance, to Ambedkar’s call for equality and abolishment of the caste system, to Tagore stressing the importance of truth in its various forms, to Nehru urging for Hindu-Muslim harmony and disdain for communal organizations - Guha has profiled the Indian luminaries we have come to hold up with high esteem and has presented their ideologies in their own words, ensuring everything is in context. He has also added, discussed and anthologized, those you could perhaps consider the forgotten heroes of India’s past, such as Rammohan Roy, one of India’s first modernists, who championed the rights of women and emphasized the importance of education as the pillar of social reform.

With “Makers of Modern India” you’re taken on a journey through the nation’s advancement, with comprehensive commentary by eminent leaders who have shaped this country, of course, with premiere historian, Ramachandra Guha, guiding you through it all. The book works in a funny way, what you read has been presented objectively, yet the affect it will have on you is subjective - many of you will relate with Gandhi, Ambedkar and Tagore, some will relate with Nehru, some even with Jinnah. Through your own unique insight into the diverse ideologies presented in this, you will realize how thought provoking and decisive these personalities were. More than anything else, you will realize how truly complex and rich India is as a nation.