FROM SNAKE CHARMERS TO MOUSE CHARMERS: MODERN INDIA UNDER NARENDRA DAMODARDAS MODI

FROM SNAKE CHARMERS TO MOUSE CHARMERS: MODERN INDIA UNDER NARENDRA DAMODARDAS MODI
Author: Surendra Nathan Madhurakkandy
Publisher: Clever Fox Publishing
Total Pages: 313
Release:
Genre: Humor
ISBN:

By the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru, the government by the direct descendant of the Nehru Dynasty under the Indian National Congress (INC) came to an end. His widow, an uneducated Italian Christian, continued the Dynasty Rule under a Congress-led hotchpotch coalition called UPA, which was voted out of power in early 2014. During the decade-long UPA government, the Indian economy was in a shambles, mired in massive corruption indulged in by all its Ministers - each one vying with one another in looting the National Exchequer. In retrospect, looking back over the Dynasty Rule of nearly seven decades since independence under the INC Party, India could gain the status of only 10th place in the world economic progress rating, although the neighboring China under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could become 2nd most powerful nation in the world despite the fact that INC was established four decades prior to the establishment of CCP Then the year 2014 heralded. In a spectacular festival of democracy, the world's largest political party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), won the election with absolute majority, and its Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, became the 14th P.M. of India on 26th May 2014. Since then the country witnessed remarkable growth and progress, aided by his corruption-free government, attaining the status of fifth largest economy in the world. It is during the inexorable passage of time since the "Modi-Era" began in 2014 that the essays included in this book were all penned by the Author, touching upon various aspects of the turn of events and of the friends and fous of Modi. By paraphrasing the sayings of Swami Vivekananda: "friends and foes are all instruments in the hands of PM Modi to help India work out its own karma" and lead the nation to greater heights in the years to come.

Diaspora, Development, and Democracy

Diaspora, Development, and Democracy
Author: Devesh Kapur
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2013-12-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0691162115

What happens to a country when its skilled workers emigrate? The first book to examine the complex economic, social, and political effects of emigration on India, Diaspora, Development, and Democracy provides a conceptual framework for understanding the repercussions of international migration on migrants' home countries. Devesh Kapur finds that migration has influenced India far beyond a simplistic "brain drain"--migration's impact greatly depends on who leaves and why. The book offers new methods and empirical evidence for measuring these traits and shows how data about these characteristics link to specific outcomes. For instance, the positive selection of Indian migrants through education has strengthened India's democracy by creating a political space for previously excluded social groups. Because older Indian elites have an exit option, they are less likely to resist the loss of political power at home. Education and training abroad has played an important role in facilitating the flow of expertise to India, integrating the country into the world economy, positively shaping how India is perceived, and changing traditional conceptions of citizenship. The book highlights a paradox--while international migration is a cause and consequence of globalization, its effects on countries of origin depend largely on factors internal to those countries. A rich portrait of the Indian migrant community, Diaspora, Development, and Democracy explores the complex political and economic consequences of migration for the countries migrants leave behind.

Five Rising Democracies

Five Rising Democracies
Author: Ted Piccone
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2016-02-23
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0815725787

Shifting power balances in the world are shaking the foundations of the liberal international order and revealing new fault lines at the intersection of human rights and international security. Will these new global trends help or hinder the world's long struggle for human rights and democracy? The answer depends on the role of five rising democracies—India, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, and Indonesia—as both examples and supporters of liberal ideas and practices. Ted Piccone analyzes the transitions of these five democracies as their stars rise on the international stage. While they offer important and mainly positive examples of the compatibility of political liberties, economic growth, and human development, their foreign policies swing between interest-based strategic autonomy and a principled concern for democratic progress and human rights. In a multipolar world, the fate of the liberal international order depends on how they reconcile these tendencies.

Restructuring World Politics

Restructuring World Politics
Author: Sanjeev Khagram
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
Total Pages: 388
Release:
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9781452905594

A comprehensive look at the global movements that are transforming international relations.

Buddhism Across Asia

Buddhism Across Asia
Author: Tansen Sen
Publisher: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
Total Pages: 517
Release: 2014-04-02
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9814519324

"Buddhism across Asia is a must-read for anyone interested in the history and spread of Buddhism in Asia. It comprises a rich collection of articles written by leading experts in their fields. Together, the contributions provide an in-depth analysis of Buddhist history and transmission in Asia over a period of more than 2000 years. Aspects examined include material culture, politics, economy, languages and texts, religious institutions, practices and rituals, conceptualisations, and philosophy, while the geographic scope of the studies extends from India to Southeast Asia and East Asia. Readers' knowledge of Buddhism is constantly challenged by the studies presented, incorporating new materials and interpretations. Rejecting the concept of a reified monolithic and timeless 'Buddhism', this publication reflects the entangled 'dynamic and multi-dimensional' history of Buddhism in Asia over extended periods of 'integration,' 'development of multiple centres,' and 'European expansion,' which shaped the religion's regional and trans-regional identities." -- Max Deeg, Cardiff University "Buddhism Across Asia presents new research on Buddhism in comprehensive spatial and temporal terms. From studies on transmission networks to exegesis on doctrinal matters, linguistics, rituals and practices, institutions, Buddhist libraries, and the religion's interactions with political and cultural spheres as well as the society at large, the volume presents an assemblage of essays of breathtaking breadth and depth. The goal is to demonstrate how the transmission of Buddhist ideas serves as a cultural force, a lynchpin that had connected the societies of Asia from past to present. The volume manifests the vitality and maturity of the field of Buddhist studies, and for that we thank the editor and the erudite authors. " -- Dorothy C. Wong, University of Virginia

The Din-I-Ilahi, Or, The Religion of Akbar

The Din-I-Ilahi, Or, The Religion of Akbar
Author: Makhan Lal Roy Choudhury
Publisher:
Total Pages: 222
Release: 1997
Genre: Dīn-i Ilāhī
ISBN: 9788121507776

Description: Akbar was proclaimed emperor in February 1556. At that time the Mughal authority in India was in a state of tottering flux. At the time of his death in 1605, he had established a strong empire. This was due not only to his abilities as a military leader but also due to his enlightened religious policy. Born of a Shia mother and Sunni father under the roof of a Rajput ruler, he inherited a spirit of toleration and harmony. When he grew up to manhood, he learnt that the Sultans of Delhi had failed because they did not secure the devotion of their Hindu subjects. The fact that they even failed to win the loyalty of their Muslim subjects by persecuting the Hindus was an eye-opener. He felt it more prudent to conciliate his Hindu subjects and befriend them. To carry out this idea in practice, he was eager to have an authentic knowledge of all faiths. In 1575, he built the Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri. There on every Thursday evening an assembly was convened to discuss religious questions. The first result of these discussions was the Mahzar (1579), a declaration signed by the leading Muslim theologians in the form of a Batwa which empowered Akbar to issue edicts against the Quran in public interest. This was followed by the promulgation of Din-i-Illahi in 1581-82. Din-i-Illahi is not a religion. It can be termed as Sufi-system of Akbar. It advocated ten important virtues. Toleration was their basis. It was far ahead of its time. The value of this book lies in the way the author has gone fully into the background of Din-i-Illahi and described its impact on the course of Mughal history in most fascinating manner-so fascinating in fact that everyone from the casual reader to the erudite scholar will find it instructive.

The First Anglo-Sikh War

The First Anglo-Sikh War
Author: Amarpal Singh
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2017-08-25
Genre: History
ISBN: 9352770099

During the eighteenth and early years of the nineteenth century, the red tide of British expansion had covered almost the entire Indian subcontinent, stretching to the borders of the Punjab. There the great Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh had developed his military forces to thwart any British advance into his kingdom north of the River Sutlej. Yet on the death of Ranjit Singh, unworthy successors and disparate forces fought over his legacy while the British East India Company seized on the opportunity and prepared for battle. In the winter of 1845, the First Anglo-Sikh War broke out.Amarpal S. Sidhu writes a warts and all tale of a conflict characterized by treachery, tragedy and incredible bravery on both sides. In an innovative approach to history writing, the narrative of the campaign is accompanied by battlefield guides that draw on eyewitness accounts and invite the reader to take a tour of the battlefields, either physically or virtually.

How the BJP Wins

How the BJP Wins
Author: Prashant Jha
Publisher: Juggernaut Books
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2017
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9386228459

What's the secret of Modi's mass appeal? How does the RSS help at election time? Does communal incitement actually win votes? Why did Amit ShahÕs election maths fail him in Bihar? Prashant Jha answers these questions and more, dissecting the BJPÕs election machine with authority and insight

Traditional China in Asian and World History

Traditional China in Asian and World History
Author: Tansen Sen
Publisher:
Total Pages: 108
Release: 2012
Genre: Aliens
ISBN: 9780924304651

Chronology -- Introduction -- Chinese perceptions of foreigners and foreign lands -- The rise of civilization in the central plains -- The formation and development of the silk routes -- China and the Buddhist world -- China in the age of commerce -- Conclusion