Contents Preface xxv Acknowledgments xxix A Note on Transliteration xxxi Chronology xxxiii Thematic Table of Contents xli List of Maps lvii 1. The Eighteenth Century: Ferment and Change 1 The Reorganization of Political Power 2 Aurangzeb: Letters to His Sons 4 Shah Wali-Allah: The Urgency of Political Instability 5 Iradat Khan: Decay at the Center of the Empire 7 Rebelling Against the Mughals: The Sikhs 8 Muhammad Qasim on Banda Bahadur’s Sikh Army 9 The Sikh Religious Code: Lives of Discipline and Devotion 10 Marathas: Courtiers, Rebels, Raiders, and State Builders 11 The History of Khafi Khan and the Story of Tara Bai 12 Ahilya Bai Holkar: A Maratha Woman Ruler 13 vi Contents The Marathas as Raiders: A Bengali Perspective 14 Forts and War: The Essential Features of Any Kingdom 15 The Reality of War for a Common Soldier 16 The Chronicle of Bhausahib: Defeat in 1761 of the Marathas at Panipat 16 Tipu Sultan: Visionary Ruler of Mysore 18 The Infl uence of Commerce 20 Bankers and Traders: The Powers Behind the Thrones 21 “Business Men are the Glory and Ornament of the Kingdom” 22 Ananda Ranga Pillai: Merchant and Agent of the French 23 Ghulam Husain Khan: The Nawab of Bengal, the Marathas, and the Jagat Seths 24 Abu Talib: Cultural Comparisons, India Versus the West 26 On the Margins of Power 27 The Sannyasi Uprising 28 Himmat Bahadur, the People’s Hero 29 Religious Expressions, Devotional and Intellectual 30 Ramprasad Sen: Singing to the Goddess in Bengal 31 The Poetry of Nagaridas: Krishna Devotion in Vrindavan 33 Tyagaraja: Telegu Composer and Poet 35 Dayaram of Gujarat: Unchanging Devotion in a Changing World 37 Muddupalani: A Telegu Poet Advises Krishna How to Make Love 39 Shah Abd ul-Latif: Sufi sm in Sindh 41 Bullhe Shah: Neither Hindu nor Muslim 43 Waris Shah: Mystics and Lovers 45 Khwaja Mir Dard: Pain and Poetry 46 Shah Wali Allah and the Reconciliation of Difference 46 A General Approach to Legal Interpretation 47 The Causes for Disagreement Among the Schools of the Jurists 48 The Need for a Religion Which Abrogates the Other Religions 49 “Revolution in Bengal”: The East India Company 51 The Nawab of Bengal: “I Have No Remedy” 52 Richard Becher: “This Fine Country is Verging towards its Ruin” 53 Shah Abd ul-Aziz: Islam in Danger 54 Harsukh Rai’s Epitaph for the Eighteenth Century: Recognition of the Winners and Losers 55 Contents vii 2. The Early to Mid Nineteenth Century: Debates Over Reform and Challenge to Empire 57 Henry Derozio: Poet and Educator 60 Letter Protesting His Dismissal 61 Poem to India 62 The Decision to Introduce English Education 62 Sir William Jones: The Orientalist Viewpoint 63 Preface to the Grammar of the Persian Language 64 Rammohan Roy and the Uselessness of Orientalist Policies 65 A Letter on Education 67 Thomas Babington Macaulay and the Case for English Education 68 Speech to Parliament on the Government of India Bill 68 The Minute on Education 69 Rammohan Roy: Pioneer in East-West Exchange 72 How the British Took Control of India 73 The Need for a More Humane Morality and a Purer Mode of Worship 73 Hinduism Is Not Inferior to Christianity 74 In Defense of Hindu Women 75 For Freedom of the Press 77 The Future of India 78 Ishvarchandra Vidyasagar: Social Reformer and Champion of Women’s Rights 79 Arguments for the Compassionate Treatment of Girls and Women 80 Nilakantha Goreh: A Traditional Pandit Takes on the Missionaries 83 Doubts Concerning Christianity 84 Rassundari Devi: The First Bengali Autobiographer Looks Back on a Restricted Life 86 Learning to Read 86 viii Contents Bibi Ashraf: A Young Muslim Girl Struggles to Educate Herself 90 Learning to Write 91 Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib: Do Not Worship the Dead 94 Refusing Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan 94 The Indian Rebellion of 1857: Deliberations, Fatalities, and Consequences 96 An Attempted Mughal Restoration: The Azamgarh Proclamation 98 The Rani of Jhansi: An Eyewitness Account 101 Bahadur Shah: The Last Days of the Last Mughal Emperor 106 Ghalib’s Delhi Diary: Storm and Turmoil 108 Bahadur Shah’s Defense 109 Queen Victoria’s Proclamation, November 1, 1858 110 Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan on the Causes of the Mutiny 112 Can Muslims Live in a Christian State? Ulema Who Speak for the British in 1871 116 Sir William Wilson Hunter: Decisions of Ulema in Mecca, Lucknow, and Rampur 117 3. The Later Nineteenth Century: Leaders of Reform and Revival 120 Debendranath Tagore: Renewer of the Brahmo Samaj 122 The Confl ict Between Sanskritic and Western Education 123 The Call to Renunciation, and a Decisive Dream 124 The Brahmo Samaj and Its Relation to Orthodox Hinduism 125 Keshab Chandra Sen and the Indianization of Christianity 126 Loyalty to the British Nation 128 The Asiatic Christ 129 An Indian National Church 130 A New Sacramental Ceremony 131 Dayanand Sarasvati: Vedic Revivalist 131 Awakening Against Idolatry 132 Critique of Islam 132 A Debate with a Christian 134 The Virtues of Europeans 135 Against the Hindu Reform Movements of the Nineteenth Century 136 Contents ix Shri Ramakrishna: Mystic and Spiritual Teacher 136 The First Encounter with Kali 137 Meeting Jesus 138 The Deifi cation of Ramakrishna’s Wife 139 With the Brahmo Samaj 140 Swami Vivekananda: Hindu Missionary to the West 141 Sisters and Brothers of America 142 Man Is God 143 Image Worship Has a Place 143 The Kindergartens of Religion 144 Vivekananda and His Master 144 The Origins, Rationale, and Degradation of Caste 145 India and the West 146 Modern India 146 Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan: Enlightened Islam in a British Context 147 Lessons from London 149 The Importance of Modern Western Education 150 Hindu-Muslim Peaceful Coexistence Possible Only Under British Rule 151 Amir Ali and “The Spirit of Islam” 152 Islam as an Ethical Spirit That Is Benefi cial for Women 153 Mahadev Govind Ranade: Pioneer Maharashtrian Reformer 156 Revivalism Versus Reform 157 Jotirao Phule: Radical Reformer 160 The Tyranny of a Brahman-Dominated History 161 Letter to Mahadev Govind Ranade 164 Pandita Ramabai Sarasvati: Pioneering Feminist and Reformer 165 The Plight of Indian Women 166 An Autobiographical Account 169 Tarabai Shinde and a Feminist Defense of Women 171 The Treachery of Men 171 x Contents D. K. Karve and Anandibai Karve: Living with Widow Remarriage 173 Marrying a Widow: Memoirs 174 Ashraf Ali Thanawi: Instructing the Respectable Muslim Woman 177 The Evils of Going Out 177 Nagendrabala Dasi and the New Companionate Marriage 180 Advice for a New Patriarchy 181 4. Liberal Social and Political Thought in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century: The Moderates 183 Dadabhai Naoroji: Architect of Indian Nationalism 187 The Pros and Cons of British Rule 188 The Blessings of British Rule 191 The Moral Impoverishment of India 192 Sir Surendranath Banerjea: Bengali Moderate 194 The Need for Indian Unity 195 Faith in England 197 Faith in Social Progress 198 Mahadev Govind Ranade: Economic Proposals 199 India’s Need: State Guidance of Economic Development 199 Hindu-Muslim Cooperation 202 Gopal Krishna Gokhale: Servant of India 203 Taxation Without Representation 204 Improving the Lot of Low-Caste Hindus 205 The Servants of India Society 208 Romesh Chunder Dutt: Pioneer Economic Historian 210 The Causes of India’s Poverty 211 Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan: An Anti-Congress Speech 216 The Indian National Congress as a Danger and a Folly 216 Contents xi Badruddin Tyabji and Rahmatullah Sayani: Why Muslims Should Join the Congress 224 The Congress Presidential Address by Tyabji 225 The Congress Presidential Address of Sayani 229 Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain: A Feminist Utopia and the Challenge to Women’s Seclusion 237 Men in the Zenana 238 The Secluded Ones: Stories of Purdah 240 Cornelia Sorabji: India’s First Woman Barrister 241 Advocating for Women 242 Sarojini Naidu: Congress Nightingale and Champion of Women’s Rights 246 Equality of Sexes 247 5. Radical Politics and Cultural Criticism, 1880–1914: The Extremists 250 Bankim Chandra Chatterjee: Nationalist Author 252 Hail to the Mother 254 Bal Gangadhar Tilak: “Father of Indian Unrest” 262 The Gita Versus the Penal Code 264 The Tenets of the New Party 265 Agitation Against the Bengal Partition and for Swadeshi: The Position of Surendranath Banerjea 268 Swadeshi in the Air 268 Aurobindo Ghose: Mystic Patriot 271 The Doctrine of Passive Resistance 272 The Morality of Boycott 279 Nationalism Is the Work of God 280 India’s Mission: The Resurrection of Hinduism 281 xii Contents Sarala Devi Chaudhurani and the Revival of Revolutionary Feeling 282 Reminiscences Political and Personal 283 The Development of Linguistic Consciousness: Hindi vs. Urdu 287 [Vakil Ratnachand]: Hindi and Urdu in the Courtroom 287 Lala Lajpat Rai: “Lion of the Punjab” 289 An Open Letter to Sayyid Ahmad Khan 291 Reform Versus Revival 293 The Coming Political Struggle 294 Untouchability Must Go 296 Addressing the British Public 297 Why India Is in Revolt Against British Rule 299 Rabindranath Tagore: Poet, Educator, and India’s Ambassador to the World 301 “The Exercise Book” 303 Tagore’s Congress “Presidential Address” 307 “The Problem of India” 310 Where the Mind Is Without Fear 313 The Renunciation of Renunciation 314 To Yone Noguchi 314 The Sunset of the Century 317 Muhammad Iqbal: Poet and Philosopher of Islam 318 Songs for Children 320 Indian Song 321 Song of the Religious Community 321 Love 322 Time 323 Muslims Are One in Soul 323 The Need for Understanding Islam in the Light of Modern Knowledge 324 From Prophecy to Individual Judgment of One’s Inner and Outer Experience 325 Muslim Legislatures as a Means for the Evolution of Islamic Law 326 Fragments from Kashmir 327 Contents xiii Art for the Nation 328 Art and Swadeshi: The Contribution of Ananda Coomaraswamy 329 Swadeshi: True and False 329 The “Oriental Art” of Abanindranath Tagore 332 When Artists Can Take Liberty 332 The Death-knell of Orientalist Art: Amrita Sher-Gil and the “True” India 335 My Destiny as a Painter 335 6.