This week, Rahul Sagar join Milan to discuss his new book The Birth of Indian Liberalism: Mama Parmanand’s Letters to an Indian Raja, which uncovers an older tradition of Indian liberal thought through a remarkable work first published in 1891 and then largely forgotten for more than a century.
Most conventional accounts of the origins of liberalism in India typically begin and end with the British. Indian thinkers are often depicted as encountering liberal ideas through colonial institutions, adapting them to local conditions, and eventually turning them against the British Raj.
But a new book by Rahul Sagar, The Birth of Indian Liberalism: Mama Parmanand’s Letters to an Indian Raja, uncovers an older tradition of Indian liberal thought through a remarkable work first published in 1891 and then largely forgotten for more than a century.
In a series of incisive letters addressed to the native ruler of Baroda, Parmanand argued that India’s native princes should embrace constitutional government, cultivate liberal values, and liberate their subjects from oppressive customs, social hierarchies, and arbitrary state power.
To talk more about Parmanand’s life, the rediscovery of his letters, and what they tell us about the origins of Indian liberalism, Rahul Sagar joins Milan on the show this week for the season finale of Grand Tamasha.
Rahul is Global Network Associate Professor of Political Science at New York University Abu Dhabi and a leading scholar of modern Indian political thought. He previously taught at Princeton University and Yale-NUS College. He is the author or editor of several books, including To Raise a Fallen People and The Progressive Maharaja.
Episode notes:
1. “India’s Hidden Treatise on Statecraft (with Rahul Sagar),” Grand Tamasha, November 1, 2022.
2. “What Kind of World Power Does India Want to Be (with Rahul Sagar),” Grand Tamasha, June 1, 2022.
3. Rahul Sagar, Ideas of India, database.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
On the show this week, Ambassador Vijay Gokhale joins Milan to discuss the India-China relationship. His latest book examines how Beijing uses coercion, diplomacy, and military force to advance its interests—and what those patterns can tell us about China’s behavior today.
Milan Vaishnav, Vijay Gokhale
Vince Cable joins Milan on the show this week. The two discuss Vince’s first visit to India as a student in the mid-1960s, the contrasting reception to his writings on China and India, and the concept of “superstates.”
Milan Vaishnav, Vince Cable
This week, Grand Tamasha is launching a new four-part series on energy and climate issues in collaboration with CASI—the Center for the Advanced Study of India—at the University of Pennsylvania. To discuss why toxic air has proven so politically challenging in India—and what it might take to change that—Milan is joined on the show this week by Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar and Tariq Thachil.
Milan Vaishnav, Tariq Thachil, Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar
This week, host Milan Vaishnav is joined by Sarthak Pradhan and Pranay Kotasthane to discuss their new book, Fiscal Fables: A Citizen’s Guide to Public Finance. The book demystifies India’s public finances for a lay audience—and explains public finance concepts using relatable stories and examples.
Milan Vaishnav, Pranay Kotasthane, Sarthak Pradhan
Milan is joined on the podcast this week by Jacob Poushter, the lead author of recent Pew report titled, “India and Pakistan: Rivals with Divergent Views of the Global Order.”
Milan Vaishnav, Jacob Poushter
