India is a vast country with one-sixth of the world’s population comprising an unparalleled diversity of ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. Even as it strives to build a modern economy and a democratic society, India has inherited a rich civilization going back many thousands of years. The Historical Dictionary of India is a unique ready-reference on the history and current events of India. It is written with both an admirable objectivity and undeniable love of the country. The scope of the book is as wide as the sub-continent itself, and encompasses the important people, places, and events in India’s past and present, as well as entries on the country’s different schools of philosophy, culture, religious leaders, important branches of government, and the economy. The author’s masterly introduction provides a rich overview with many an insight and is supplemented by a chronology, appendices listing British chief executives and Indian heads of state and prime ministers, a glossary of key vernacular terms, physical, political, and historical maps, and a comprehensive and extensive bibliography.
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