George Joseph, the Life and Times of a Kerala Christian Nationalist

Book excerpt: This book looks at the life of George Joseph (1887 1938), a South Indian Christian nationalist whose contributions to the Indian freedom struggle have been generally neglected in the literature of the Indian national movement. The book is not a straightforward biography; it attempts to place the subject of the study in the political and social context of modern Indian history but provides personal glimpses of the man and his humanity. Further, the book examines how George Joseph influenced or even initiated debates on issues such as the meaning of secularism in India; the position of religious minorities of India, the reality and extent of the North-South divide and the scope and limits of affirmative action for disadvantaged groups- all issues of great relevance even in today s India.