Patriots and Partisans

Book excerpt: ‘The rarest of the species, a genuinely independent-minded Indian intellectual’ Times of India In this wide-ranging collection of essays, Ramachandra Guha defends the liberal centre against the dogmas of left and right, and does so with style, depth and polemical verve. Among the subjects on which he turns a critical eye are Hindutva, the Communist left, and the dynasty-obsessed Congress party. Whether writing about politics, profiling individuals or analyzing social trends, Guha displays a masterly touch, confirming his standing as India’s most admired historian and public intellectual.