Life Freedom And War : Twentieth Century South Asia

Contents: Preface. 1. Pen for pistol: Virendra Nath Chattopadhyaya and the league against imperialism/Surendra Gopal. 2. Engaing with B.R. Ambedkars construction of Hindu society and religion/L.S. Vishwanath. 3. Tokyo Air Raid 9-10 March 1945 and we/Kazuko Kuwajima. 4. Impact of World War II in the Indian context: experience of a writer/Rajam Krishnan. 5. Abul Hashim Islam Nationalism and Democracy/Sho Kuwajima. 6. Post Script: recollecting my Sapru House days 1962-66/Sho Kuwajima.

Life as a revolutionary in a foreign country, life devoted to the struggle against social discrimination, life whose ideal as a thinker was in serious conflict with developing situation, and life trifled with by the destiny of the war. The authors of the book try to clarify how the experiences of political leaders and common people broadened their horizons, hardened their positions, or forced them to escape from the ugly reality of the people and society. Essays collected in this book use historical or sociological analysis as their methods, or take the form of personal memories. However, one thing common among these papers is that all papers seek to elucidate the less known aspects of the thoughts of prominent leaders or the less known part of the twentieth century history of South Asia.