info on political history...

I've realised that my grasp of Indian politics (past and present) is substandard, to say the least, and would like to educate myself a bit.

Can anyone recommend some good websites, books etc. to help me fill this embarrasing gap!

thanks...

Any particular period you're looking at? It stretches back a fair way.

Embarrasingly enough, I found Lonely Planet (the introduction section) a good starting point, sort of gives you a brief overview, and then you can look at more specific books on the parts which interest you.

Katherine Frank's excellent biog Indira gives a fascinating insight into the life of Indira Gandhi.
Liberty or Death by Patrick French is a brilliant account of the transfer of power and partition.

That should get you started nicely!

Cheers

RTP

KULDEEP NAYAR - (Readable author with a racy style)

1. Between The Lines
2. India- The Critical Years
3. Distant Neighbours- A Tale of the Subcontinent
5. India After Nehru
6. The Judgement: Inside Story of the Emergency in India

SHASHI THAROOR,

1. The Great Indian Novel

LARRY COLLINS and DOMINIQUE LAPIERRE


Freedom at Midnight

Stanley wolpert: any of his books(he has abt 20 out on the political India.

any of these

Phillip mason: men who ruled India(about the british raj period)

or these others..

Lappierre and collins: freedom at midnight.

Jawaharlal nehru: Discovery of India

Romila Thapar: history of India.

or her other books here

Louis Fischer : Mahatma Gandhi

or his other books on GAndhi(he's a gandhi expert)

Sashi tharoor : the great Indian novel

Salman rushdie(fic) : freedom at midnight.

Kushwanth singh : the sikhs. a train to pakistan(fic)

V S Naipaul : India : wounded civilization, Area of darkness, beyond belief India: a million mutinies now.

here

Some more, not exactly ploitical maybe but will give you a feel for the issues:

- India: From Midnight to Millenium: Shashi Tharoor

- The great Indian middle class: Pavan Varma

- An area of darkness, A million mutinies now: V.S. Naipaul

- Butter chicken in Ludhiana: Pankaj Mishra

- India Unbound: Gurcharan Das

- A history of India (Vol I): Romila Thapar

- A history of India (Vol II): Percevial Spear

- Conflict Unending: Sumit Ganguly
An introduction to the Kashmir conflict.

for the North East:

Strangers of the Mist: Tales of War and Peace from India's Northeast by Sanjoy Hazarika

Apana

"The Idea of India," by Sunil Khilnani is an excellent layman's political history. Very readable.