Author: Ashis Nandy
Shikha Trivedi/
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 1998
Language: English
Pages: 212
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0195642716
Description
The destruction of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in December 1992 is a watershed in the politics of independent India. This book narrates how Ayodhya's inhabitants experienced the events that led upto and followed the destruction.
It argues that the chain of events they describe is the end-product of a century's efforts to convert Hindus into a 'proper' modern nation and a conventional ethnic majority. Woven into the narrative is an analysis of the culture of communal conflict, the nature of organized mass violence, and the political psychology of Hindu nationalism.
PRESS REVIEWS:
The book relentlessly probes the only question we have been fighting shy of since that fateful day. How will the demolition of the Babri Masjid go down in the history of India? Daring and unprecedented theorization. = The Telegraph
The book is beautifully documented. . . the narrative is gripping and reveals hitherto unknown details. = The Indian Express
It covers extensive ground . . . and throws up provocative ideas. = The Book Review
AUTHORS: Ashis Nandy is a Senior Fellow and Director, Center for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi. Shikha Trivedy is an established freelance journalist. Shail Mayaram is Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur. Achut Yagnik is a noted human rights activist.
Contents
Preface
CHAPTER ONE
PART I
The Beginning
PART II
The Past
CHAPTER TWO
PART III
The Battle for the Birthplace
PART IV
Contending Reactions
CHAPTER THREE
PART V
Creating a Nationality
PART VI
Family Business
CHAPTER FOUR
PART VII
Hindutva as a Savarna Purana
PART VIII
Violence and Survival
CHAPTER FIVE
PART IX
The Aftermath and the Ruins - I
PART X
The Aftermath and the Ruins - II
CHAPTER SIX
PART XI
The Final Assault
PART XII
Ayodhya's 'First' Riot
Index