This is one of the key books on modern India, acclaimed as the definitive account, and now republished with a new introduction. ”The Idea of India” was originally published to mark the 50th anniversary of India`s independence and has since established itself as a uniquely valuable and authoritative book on a key subject. At the heart of India`s self-image since independence has been `the idea of India` - modern, technocratic, egalitarian, secular - but the tensions between the idea and the reality have become almost intolerable. This book shows how. Reviews: ”A splendid - and timely - book...Spirited, combative and insight-filled...Khilnani has woven a rich analysis of contemporary India and its evolution since indepence. I am inclined to agree with [him] on the robustness and staying power of the secular idea of India”. (Amartya Sen, ”Times Literary Supplement”). ”A masterful rebuttal to all cultural romantics and religious chauvinists...[A] splendid book about definitions of the Indian nation”. (Ian Buruma, ”New York Review of Books”). ”Especially brilliant is Khilnani`s attempt to understand the changing nature of India by studying its urban constructs”.(Chitra Divakaruni, ”Los Angeles Times”).