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The companion volume to the best-selling Puffin History of India for Children: 3000 BC AD 1947, Roshen Dalal s new history of post-Independence India tells the story of the making of the nation that we live in, and the events and personalities that have shaped it in recent times. The Puffin History of India for Children: 1947 to the Present begins at a turning point of Indian history, as India attains independence and the British withdraw from the subcontinent. Independent India s first few years are eventful and epoch-making: before the traumas of Partition and of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi have fully subsided, the focus must shift to laying the blueprint of the new nation, with the making of the Constitution, the integration of the 565 princely states, the setting-up of the administrative, legislative and judiciary systems, and the establishment of an infrastructure for industry and agriculture. The author follows this key period in Indian history closely, from the first Republic Day celebrations in 1950 to the first general elections in 1952, and the implementation of the subsequent agendas for social and economic development envisaged by Jawaharlal Nehru. In a lucid and informal style, the book then tells the fascinating story of India over the next fifty years, beginning with the premierships of Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi and proceeding to Jayaprakash Narayan and the Emergency, the ousting of the Congress party and the rule of the Janata government headed by Morarji Desai. The author describes the dramatic turnarounds of the 1980s and 90s, from Indira Gandhi s return to power to her subsequent assassination, Rajiv Gandhi s prime ministership, the governments of V.P. Singh and P.V. Narasimha Rao, and the Bharatiya Janata Party s rise to power, with Atal Bihari Vajpayee heading a National Democratic Alliance government. Along with periods of growth, the book looks closely at times of turbulence: the Indo-China War of 1962, the war with Pakistan in 1965, the 1971 Bangladesh War, and the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992. It also analyses some issues that are key to the recent history of the nation: economic liberalization, the harmful effects of terrorism and sectarian movements on the national fabric, the Kargil conflict, India s attainment of nuclear capability and its progress into the new millennium as the world s largest democracy. This is not merely a political history of India. It tells the story of India s people from an account of the social and economic changes that have taken place since Independence, to art and culture in independent India. Colourful descriptions, informative nuggets and lively analyses make the book immensely readable. An attractive layout, profuse illustrations, detailed maps and a thorough index add to its value. A long chapter outlines the history of each individual state and union territory, full of information that will be invaluable to the student as well as the casual browser. Well-researched, concise, unbiased and engaging, this is a contemporary history of India that should be essential reading for children of all ages.

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Publié par	Penguin Books Ltd
Date de parution	24 septembre 2003
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9788184758344
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

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ROSHEN DALAL
The Puffin History of India for Children
Volume 2 1947 to the Present
ILLUSTRATIONS BY Arun Pottirayil
PUFFIN BOOKS
Contents
Dedication
Introduction
A System of Numbers/Place Names
1. Republic Day
2. Freedom at Last
3. Political Conditions: 1947
4. The Indian States
5. Integration
6. Partition-The Origins
7. Partition-The Reality
8. Administrative Division
9. Building a New Country
10. The First Eventful Year
11. The Spirit Will Survive
12. Towards a Republic: 1948-50
13. Integration-The Second Stage
14. A New Phase-The Constitution
15. The Government
16. The Parliament
17. The Union Executive
18. Government in the States
19. The Administrators
20. The Judiciary
21. The First Elections
22. The Main Events: 1950-57
23. The Main Events: 1957-62
24. Internal Development: 1947-64
25. Vinoba Bhave and Bhudan
26. Foreign Policy: 1947-64
27. Nehru s Last Years
28. Lal Bahadur Shastri: 1964-66
29. Indira Gandhi: The Early Years
30. Indira Takes Control
31. Bangladesh
32. The Centre and the States: 1966-75
33. Jayaprakash Narayan
34. The Emergency
35. Janata Government: 1977-79
36. Indira Gandhi: 1980-84
37. Internal Development: 1966-84
38. Foreign Policy: 1966-84
39. Rajiv Gandhi
40. Internal Development under Rajiv
41. Rajiv Gandhi-Foreign Policy
42. Minority Governments: 1989-90
43. Narasimha Rao: 1991-96
44. Foreign Policy: 1991-96
45. A New Government: 1996-98
46. The Bharatiya Janata Party
47. The National Democratic Alliance
48. The National Democratic Alliance Again
49. Foreign Policy after 1998
50. The States
51. The People: 1947-2002
52. Economy and Development
53. Social Change
54. Art and Culture
55. The Future
Appendices
Copyright Page
To my father Jamshed Dalal
(1917-90)
India-Ancient, Eternal, Ever New
Some extracts from Jawaharlal Nehru s message to the press on 15 August 1947.
The appointed day has come - the day appointed by destiny - and India stands forth again, after long slumber and struggle, awake, vital, free and independent. The past clings on to us still in some measure and we have to do much before we redeem the pledges we have so often taken. Yet the turning point is past, and history begins anew for us, the history which we shall live and act and others will write about.
It is a fateful moment for us in India, for all Asia and for the world. A new star rises, the star of freedom in the East, a new hope comes into being, a vision long cherished, materializes. May the star never set and that hope never be betrayed!
We rejoice in that freedom, even though clouds surround us, and many of our people are sorrow-stricken and difficult problems encompass us. But freedom brings responsibilities and burdens and we have to face them in the spirit of a free and disciplined people.

The future beckons us. Whither do we go and what shall be our endeavour? To bring freedom and opportunity to the common man, to the peasants and workers of India; to fight and end poverty and ignorance and disease; to build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and to create social, economic and political institutions which will ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman.

To the nations and peoples of the world we send greetings and pledge ourselves to cooperate with them in furthering peace, freedom and democracy.
And to India, our much loved motherland, ancient, eternal, and ever-new, we pay our reverent homage and we bind ourselves afresh to her service.
Introduction
While most students are familiar with India s history up to Independence, they do not know much about the period after 1947. In this book I have tried to provide an outline of India s history, politics and economic and social development after Independence, in a clear and readable way.
I have consulted various sources, too many to list here, but among the main books are:
Bipan Chandra et al, India after Independence ; D.G. Tendulkar, Mahatma, Life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , 8 vols; Jawaharlal Nehru, Speeches , 5 vols; Patrick French, Liberty or Death: India s Journey to Independence and Division ; Durga Das, India from Curzon to Nehru and After ; S. Gopal, Jawaharlal Nehru, A Biography , vols 1-3; Jean Alphonse Bernard, From Raj to the Republic ; S.S. Gill, The Dynasty : A Political Biography of the Premier Ruling Family of Modern India ; V.P. Menon, Integration of the Indian States ; Penderel Moon, Divide and Quit ; Mushirul Hasan, India s Partition ; Alok Bhalla, ed., Stories about the Partition of India ; Urvashi Butalia, The Other Side of Silence ; B.N. Mullik, My Years with Nehru: The Chinese Betrayal ; C.P. Srivastava, Lal Bahadur Shastr i; Indira Gandhi, Speeches ; Inder Malhotra, Indira Gandhi, A Biography ; Rajiv Gandhi, Speeches ; Ranbir Vohra, The Making of India ; J.N. Dixit, India-Pakistan in War and Peace ; Prakash Singh, Kohima to Kashmir ; Paul R. Brass, The Politics of India since Independence ; C.P. Bhambhri, Indian Politics since Independence, 2 vols; V.P. Dutt, India s Foreign Policy; D.D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India.
Newspapers and magazines consulted include The Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Hindu, India Today, Outlook and Frontline. I have also consulted official web sites of government departments and political parties.
Statistics and details on development vary in different sources; I have mainly used the reference annuals of the Publications Division of the Government of India, beginning with India 1953 , up to India 2003 ; the Tata Statistical Outline ; the 1991 and 2001 census; and the USA Statistical Abstracts.

I would like to thank the people who have contributed to this book in various ways.
Paul Vinay Kumar of Penguin India urged me to write this book for several years until I agreed. Nandini Mehta read through the manuscript and provided valuable suggestions and advice; my mother Nergis Dalal improved the language and expression; many of my friends helped with information and sources, particularly Ardeshir Dalal, Brajadulal Chattopadhyaya, Chanda Rani Akhouri, Ela Trivedi, Kapil Malhotra, Novy Kapadia, Rita Vohra and Shahnaz Arni; Udayan Mitra of Penguin India consistently and patiently provided encouragement and advice through the various stages of writing this book.
In addition I would like to thank the Jawaharlal Nehru University Library and the Indian Council of Historical Research Library, as well as Ajanta Guhathakurta for the cover and design, Arun Pottirayil for the illustrations and Shivanand for preparing the final maps.
A System of Numbers/Place Names
Numbers
1 lakh = 1,00,000
1 million = 1,000,000
1 crore =1,00,00,000 (ten million)
Place names
Place names are continuously being changed. In this book new names are used when we are referring to a time after the change has taken place.
Some major old and new names are given here.
Old
New
Bombay
Mumbai
Calcutta
Kolkata
Cochin
Kochi
Madras
Chennai
Poona
Pune
Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram
Burma
Myanmar
Ceylon
Sri Lanka
1
Republic Day
On the 26th of January every year, we celebrate Republic Day. In New Delhi a grand parade is held. It begins with a short ceremony led by the prime minister, at Amar Jawan Jyoti (the light of the immortal soldier) at India Gate in memory of those soldiers who fought and died in defence of the country. The president of India then arrives, accompanied by troops of the President s Bodyguard, mounted on tall horses. A 21-gun salute is fired, the National Anthem is played, and the National Flag raised. Helicopters hover low overhead, flying flags and showering rose petals on those below, and the main parade starts. From Raisina Hill in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan, it crosses Rajpath and moves towards India Gate.
THE PARADE
Defence forces
First to come are the winners of gallantry awards, followed by troops on horses. Then there are displays of tanks, guns and missiles, after which are marching contingents of the army, with their bands. Navy and air force contingents follow, displaying models of ships and some aircraft. Next come marching columns of paramilitary and other forces. Behind them are the young cadets of the NCC (National Cadet Corps), marching as smartly as the senior troops. After this it s time for the cultural pageants.

The President s Bodyguard at the Republic Day parade
Cultural pageants
Tableaux are displayed, created by various states and union territories, as well as government departments and organizations. Some have themes of peace and harmony, while others show events from history, or depict ancient and medieval monuments. There are dancers in colourful costumes, and scenes of progress in agriculture and industry. Tableaux of science and technology reveal the latest developments. Each year, different tableaux are chosen.
The children
Then it s the turn of the children. Those who have won bravery awards are mounted on decorated elephants, and next are groups of school children presenting dances and other programmes.
Daredevils
The daredevil team of the Border Security Force follows, which performs incredible feats on motorcycles.
Fly past
Finally planes and jets of the air force fly overhead, some trailing behind them smoke in the colours of the National Flag. These spread across the sky, signifying India s independence and freedom.
Millions watching
Some come to see the parade in Delhi, but today millions more watch it on colour televisions in their homes in cities and villages, right across the country.
OTHER CEREMONIES
There are other ceremonies too, on this day, in every part of the country. In the cities there are parades, though none reach the level of that in Delhi. In every village there is a flag-hoisting ceremony- the flag is raised and the National Anthem sung.
Schools, colleges, factories, organizations and other institutions, have their own