Author: Bipin Chandra
Profile: Bipin Chandra was an Indian historian adept in political and economic history of modern India. One of his must-read books is ‘India’s Struggle for Independence, about the freedom movement in India. Bipin Chandra was a leading scholar on Mahatma Gandhi. His career began at the Hindu College, Delhi as lecturer after which he became the Chairman of National Book Trust India. He was a modern history, emeritus professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Bipin Chandra was born in Punjab, British India and did his early education in Urdu. During the Partition he left for the United States to complete his graduation and post graduation. He was deported to India for establishing contacts with the Communists in California. In the year 1963, Bipin Chandra completed his PhD from Delhi University. Bipin Chandra was founder of the journal Enquiry. He remained member of the editorial board of the journal Enquiry, for a long duration. In 1985 he was the sectional president and later the general president of the Indian History Congress. In 1993 he became member of the University Grants Commission. From 2004 t0 2012 he was chairman of the National Book Trust, New Delhi and started a number of new series including Afro-Asian Countries series, Popular Social Science, Indian Diaspora Studies, Autobiography, etc.
Writing style: Bipin Chandra’s area of specialization was the struggle and independence movement in India.
Published Texts:
2000 – The Making of Modern India: From Marx to Gandhi
1990 – History of Modern India
2003 – In the Name of Democracy: The JP Movement and the Emergency
1999 – Essays on Colonialism
1999 – India Since Independence
1994 – Ideology and Politics in Modern India
1993 – Essays on Indian Nationalism
1993 – Essays on Contemporary India
1992 – The Epic Struggle
1989 – India’s Struggle for Independence, 1857-1947
1988 – Indian National Movement: The Long Term Dynamics
1984 – Communalism in Modern India
1983 – The Indian Left: Critical Appraisal
1979 – Nationalism and Colonialism in Modern India
1972 – Freedom Struggle
1966 – The Rise and Growth of Economic Nationalism in India: Economic Policies of Indian National Leadership, 1880-1905
Awards and Acknowledgements:
2010 – Padma Bhushan
Royal Asiatic Society of Bihar plaque