Rudrangshu Mukherjee – författare

Each story captures a slice of life, and together they create a picture of Indian reality in all its fascinating variety. A number of themes predominate: the poverty aggravated by the dominance of landlords and the caste system; the position of women within the family and their desire for shape their own destiny; the lure of the city in a country that was and remains predominantly rural and agricultural. The inspiration and subject matter are Indian, but in their artistry and humanity these powerful and poignant tales are truly universal.India has a long history of storytelling. To use Salman Rushdie’s phrase, it is ‘an ocean of stories’. So, when British rule brought the Western forms of the novel and the short story to India, they were grafted onto more ancient and varied oral traditions to create something quite unique. Rabindranath Tagore’s short story collections of the 1890s paved the way, but the form swiftly captured the imagination of writers across the subcontinent.

This is a short introduction to the life and ideas of Jawaharlal Nehru, independent India's first prime minister. The approach is biographical. The book traces how Nehru transformed himself from a rich Westernized young man to a radical leader of the Congress. It looks at his relationship with Mahatma Gandhi. This relationship was fraught but he remained loyal to Gandhi and was his chosen successor. This introduction also looks at some of the significant features of his tenure as prime minister and makes an assessment of his contribution to the making of modern India and to democracy in India.

Rudrangshu Mukherjee places the ‘soldier-peasant’ at the forefront of the Revolt. Violence has rarely been described with so much realism and subtlety. The imaginative use of primary source materials adds clarity to accounts such as the massacre in Satichaura Ghat  and the trial of Mangal Pandey. The layers of complexity that defined the relationship between the rulers and the subjugated are also exposed.

Rudrangshu Mukherjee places the ‘soldier-peasant’ at the forefront of the Revolt. Violence has rarely been described with so much realism and subtlety. The imaginative use of primary source materials adds clarity to accounts such as the massacre in Satichaura Ghat  and the trial of Mangal Pandey. The layers of complexity that defined the relationship between the rulers and the subjugated are also exposed.

Rudrangshu Mukherjee places the ‘soldier-peasant’ at the forefront of the Revolt. Violence has rarely been described with so much realism and subtlety. The imaginative use of primary source materials adds clarity to accounts such as the massacre in Satichaura Ghat  and the trial of Mangal Pandey. The layers of complexity that defined the relationship between the rulers and the subjugated are also exposed.

Rudrangshu Mukherjee places the ‘soldier-peasant’ at the forefront of the Revolt. Violence has rarely been described with so much realism and subtlety. The imaginative use of primary source materials adds clarity to accounts such as the massacre in Satichaura Ghat  and the trial of Mangal Pandey. The layers of complexity that defined the relationship between the rulers and the subjugated are also exposed.

Rabindranath Tagore published his first volume of poetry at the age of thirteen. He went on to become a towering figure in Bengali and world literature.Tagore was remarkably productive over his long life; his complete works fill 32 large volumes and include 60 collections of verse and more than 2,000 songs, two of which have become the national anthems of India and of Bangladesh. In both his poetry and prose he was a great innovator, continually breaking with tradition, endlessly changing his own style, so this volume is full of variety and surprise. If lyric poetry was the anchor of Tagore's creativity, he also wrote devotional, satirical, humorous and even nonsense verse.His themes were as varied as his forms - love, the beauty of nature; philosophy, politics, his hopes and fears for his country, and for the future of mankind. In his fiction he showed profound sympathy for the perspectives of women, children and the poor. This selection - a substantial 900+ pages - offers a representative overview of his work, including his best-known novel, The Home and the World, and his best-known play, Red Oleander, as well as many short stories, novellas, essays, poems and songs.Rudrangshu Mukherjee has drawn on the work of various translators, from early renderings by Surendranath Tagore, the author's nephew, to modern ones by William Radice, Kaiser Haq and Madhuchchhanda Karlekar. Tagore translated some of his work himself, and all the essays and lectures were composed in English

In A New History of India for Children, award-winning historian Rudrangshu Mukherjee along with photographer-archivist Toby Sinclair and the late cultural historian Shobita Punja, tell the story of one of the oldest, most diverse countries in the world with simplicity and clarity. The book touches upon all the most important milestones in India's history, from the first dinosaurs to roam its lands to the metro that snakes through its modern, metropolitan capital city.It begins in prehistory, billions of years ago, describing how the geography of India came to be what it is today, and traces the evolution of Indian civilization through key events and people. What began with the Harappan Culture grew and flourished under the Maurya and Gupta empires, was enriched by the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal empire, and went on to be colonized and exploited by the British Raj. Led to glorious Independence by stalwarts like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Patel, India then suffered the heartbreak of Partition, before evolving into one of the world's most powerful countries in the twenty-first century. This complete one-volume history for children, illustrated by maps and full-colour photographs, covers everything from lost cities and epic empires to colonial conquests and modern marvels. There's something for every young reader in this fascinating account of India's vibrant and eventful history.

The rousing chords and stirring message of 'Jana Gana Mana' are familiar to every Indian citizen. The song defines with clarity India's most cherished values. Composed by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, it celebrates the unity in our diverse and plural society, praises the beauty of our mountains, rivers, and seas, and honours our civilizational values. In this insightful study, scholar and historian Rudrangshu Mukherjee traces its origins (showing us what its creator had in mind when he composed the song), explains how and why it was chosen over other contenders, examines the occasional controversies that have surrounded it, and reminds us about the truths that underlie it. The national anthem is visionary. It recognizes and salutes everything that is brave, noble, and unique about our country. It also contains within it a promise and a pledge to uphold our lofty ideals and traditions. Citizens, and especially our elected representatives, should understand that every time they stand up in respect when 'Jana Gana Mana' is played or sung, it is their responsibility to fulfil the promise and honour the pledge.