Manu Bhagavan – författare

A pioneering politician and diplomat, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1900–1990) was an Indian icon, admired worldwide for her brilliance and glamour. Eleanor Roosevelt called her "the most remarkable woman" she had ever met. Madame Pandit, as she was widely known, moved in elite global circles even as she worked to improve the lives of millions. She traded quips with Winston Churchill, worked alongside Albert Einstein, and was detained for the attempted assassination of Benito Mussolini. She even came out of retirement to campaign against her own niece, Indira Gandhi, to stop an authoritarian takeover and save Indian democracy.The Remarkable Madame Pandit is the definitive biography of India's greatest modern diplomat. Manu Bhagavan chronicles Pandit's life and times, from her upbringing in an illustrious family to her role in her country's fight for independence and through her globe-trotting career bridging East and West. Pandit was India's first woman cabinet minister, an ambassador to the United States and the Soviet Union, and the first woman elected president of the UN General Assembly. Her influence extended well beyond these formal roles: she became one of the most prominent international voices for peace while paving the way for women in many fields. Based on eight years of research using material in five languages from seven countries, this book tells Madame Pandit's gripping story in full—and in so doing, retells the history of India and the world in the twentieth century.

A pioneering politician and diplomat, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1900–1990) was an Indian icon, admired worldwide for her brilliance and glamour. Eleanor Roosevelt called her “the most remarkable woman” she had ever met. Madame Pandit, as she was widely known, moved in elite global circles even as she worked to improve the lives of millions. She traded quips with Winston Churchill, worked alongside Albert Einstein, and was detained for the attempted assassination of Benito Mussolini. She even came out of retirement to campaign against her own niece, Indira Gandhi, to stop an authoritarian takeover and save Indian democracy.The Remarkable Madame Pandit is the definitive biography of India’s greatest modern diplomat. Manu Bhagavan chronicles Pandit’s life and times, from her upbringing in an illustrious family to her role in her country’s fight for independence and through her globe-trotting career bridging East and West. Pandit was India’s first woman cabinet minister, an ambassador to the United States and the Soviet Union, and the first woman elected president of the UN General Assembly. Her influence extended well beyond these formal roles: she became one of the most prominent international voices for peace while paving the way for women in many fields. Based on eight years of research using material in five languages from seven countries, this book tells Madame Pandit’s gripping story in full—and in so doing, retells the history of India and the world in the twentieth century.

This collection of essays inverts the way we see the Cold War by looking at the conflict from the perspective of the so-called developing world, rather than of the superpowers, through the birth and first decades of India's life as a postcolonial nation. Contributors draw on a wide array of new material, from recently opened archival sources to literature and film, and meld approaches from diplomatic history to development studies to explain the choices India made and to frame decisions by its policy makers. Together, the essays demonstrate how India became a powerful symbol of decolonization and an advocate of non-alignment, disarmament, and global governance as it stood between the United States and the Soviet Union, actively fostering dialogue and attempting to forge friendships without entering into formal alliances. Sweeping in its scope yet nuanced in its analysis, this is the authoritative account of India and the Cold War. Contributors: Priya Chacko, Anton Harder, Syed Akbar Hyder, Raminder Kaur, Rohan Mukherjee, Swapna Kona Nayudu, Pallavi Raghavan, Srinath Raghavan, Rahul Sagar, and Waheguru Pal Singh Sidhu.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked tirelessly to remake India according to his vision: business friendly, technologically advanced and, above all, Hindu majoritarian. In the meantime, opposition forces have proclaimed many aspects of this agenda to be antithetical to the founding ideals of the country. As India stands poised to become one of the foremost global powers in the twenty-first century (complete with an immense economy and military), how this identity crisis plays out will have widespread repercussions both at home and abroad.In this book, historian Manu Bhagavan traces the trajectory of modern India from its emergence out of colonial control to its current affairs. Newly independent India embraced democracy and cosmopolitanism as it struggled to overcome huge challenges. While various economic and foreign policy setbacks ultimately helped hollow out high aspirations and opened the door to authoritarian impulses, globalization also led to an assertive and aspiring urban middle class that helped turbocharge growth. With vivid prose and compelling storytelling, Bhagavan explains India's rise over the last century – providing an essential introduction to the subcontinent and its past, present, and future.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked tirelessly to remake India according to his vision: business friendly, technologically advanced and, above all, Hindu majoritarian. In the meantime, opposition forces have proclaimed many aspects of this agenda to be antithetical to the founding ideals of the country. As India stands poised to become one of the foremost global powers in the twenty-first century (complete with an immense economy and military), how this identity crisis plays out will have widespread repercussions both at home and abroad.In this book, historian Manu Bhagavan traces the trajectory of modern India from its emergence out of colonial control to its current affairs. Newly independent India embraced democracy and cosmopolitanism as it struggled to overcome huge challenges. While various economic and foreign policy setbacks ultimately helped hollow out high aspirations and opened the door to authoritarian impulses, globalization also led to an assertive and aspiring urban middle class that helped turbocharge growth. With vivid prose and compelling storytelling, Bhagavan explains India's rise over the last century – providing an essential introduction to the subcontinent and its past, present, and future.