With half a century behind independent India, a diverse and multidisciplinary group of scholars decided to reflect on India’s biography. The papers are grouped into five sections. Papers in section 1 look at India from a historical perspective, from the direction of literature and language, from the perspective of representations of Indian culture, and with a Dalit voice. The second section entitled Economy in Transition has papers covering industry, agriculture, welfare services, and the corporate sector. The next section examines the adopted constitutional order; institutions and processes that make up the polity; and the normative agenda for the future. Papers in section four look at such dominant themes as caste, gender, a uniform civil code, and the media in a globalised world. The last section, Goa in Transition, looks at a neglected region in India, from Goa`s finances and its environment to politics.