Before we search for the best history books on modern India, it is crucial to know which period of Indian history is considered to be modern. India has a vast history enriched with various social & political hegemony.
So it is quite difficult to periodize the exact time that we can define as the modern historical period. There was the Vedic era, Hindu, Buddhist & Mughal era followed by the British Raj, but none indicates the beginning of the modern era.
However, with the establishment of British rule, people were inclined towards Western education. This trend developed the knowledge of citizenship, people’s rights, administration, social security, etc among them.
This new wave gave birth to a social reformation in India that became the approach towards modern India. Moreover, the social reformations significantly started after 1857.
So according to historians, the period between 1857 to 1947 is the pre-modern to modern historical age in India. So, here we have listed the best history books on modern India during the phase of 18 57 to 1947.
Let's delve into the history from the Sepoy Mutiny to the Tryst with Destiny.
If modernity is related to global trading then the Portuguese established the Trade Kingdom Estado Da índia long before the arrival of the East India Company to India.
Vasco Da Gama arrived in Calicut in 1498 with the help of Gujarati trader Abdul Majeed. They traded in black pepper where Majeed earned a profit of 60% that time.
So this kind of organized trading existed in 1504, but the standard of living of common people & the national integrity were far away from the modern approach.
However, from the beginning of the 18th century, some social reformers, educationalists, scholars & spiritual influencers came forward to develop the country into a modern nation.
They initiated reformations dissembling many social evils. This reformative culture gradually gave birth to the Indian nationalist movement.
The leading names in this group were Raja Rammohan Roy, Dayanand Saraswati, Ramabai Ranade, Swami Vivekananda, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Anny Basant, Dadabhai Naoroji, Rishi Aurobindo, etc.
It means the modern history of India has a greater aspect beyond the nationalist & political movements. So, we must include the books about those great reformers & their philosophy of life in our list of popular Indian history books.
Independence Day: A People's History
Writer : Veena Venugopal
In this book, the writer has gracefully described the feelings & emotions of common people in India during the first independence day in 1947. The excitement of power exchange & celebration was limited within the elite class.
There was nothing to feel different for the ordinary citizen. The capital city was in a new wave, but people in the other cities, small towns, & villages far away were living in the fury of communal violence.
In this book, 15 people talk about their first Independence Day. Some didn’t have access to the newspaper or radio, while some never saw an Englishman, so didn’t know from whom they got the freedom.
The only thing every citizen practically witnessed was the fear of communal violence.
The Last Heroes: Foot Soldiers of Indian Freedom
Writer : Palagummi Sainath
During India’s freedom struggle, millions of ordinary people stood against the British. That unsung troop of heroes included farmers, laborers, women, artisans, and so on, who never dreamt of being ministers, presidents, or holding a high public office position.
The only common thing in them was their uncompromised motive to oppose the Empire. In the book The Last Heroes, those unknown soldiers of the Indian freedom movement tell us their stories.
The Walking Brahmin
Writer : Maneesh Godbole
This book takes us to the battlefield of Jhansi where the cruelty of British forces crossed every limit of civilization. They massacred the city to avenge the strong resistance the people created against the attacking force.
The story is narrated by a Brahmin Vishnubhat Godse from Maharashtra who along with his uncle unfortunately & unwillingly walked into the middle of the war. The force caught the duo & looted them time & again.
Moreover, they struggled hard to escape from being hanged. They spent 2 years on the road and finally reached home. After reaching home, Vishnubhat wrote about his experiences with his ancestors.
Eventually, his notes were published as a book in 1907. Later, Maneesh Madhukar Godbole rewrote this story in his book The Walking Brahmin. Enriched with maps and images, the book offers real insight into the war of 1857.
The Home and the World
Writer : Rabindranath Thakur
This famous novel is the English version of Ghore Baire written by Rabindranath Thakur. It is one of the best historical novels of all time. The storyline is based on the Swadeshi Movement of Bengal.
The story describes both the positive and negative impact of this movement on the lives of ordinary people. The main female character, Bimala is a simple housewife who falls into the trap of a scrupulous Swadeshi leader Sandeep, who is her husband’s friend.
Bimala’s husband Nikhilesh is a landowner who opposes the Swadeshi movement, as he thinks it doesn’t pay the poor people. However, Bimala gets deeply influenced by the Swadeshi views of Sandeep and becomes his follower.
Eventually, a communal riot spreads between the two communities, and Nikhilesh loses his life while trying to prevent the conflict. However, Sandeep, who is the root of the conflicts, escapes from the place, destroying the lives of Bimala and thousands of others.
The Abbey of Bliss (Anandamath)
Writer : Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
This novel is the English version of the famous novel Anandamath that contains the national song of India Vandemataram. It must be on your bucket list of books to read before you die.
The plot is based on the Sannyasi Rebellion in the late 18th century. It is one of the most significant novels in the history of Bengali and Indian literature. Later the book became synonymous with the Indian independence movement.
The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty
Writer : William Dalrymple
One of the highly recommended books to read, The Last Mughal is about the last days of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II. The British killed all his sons and exiled him to Burma for supporting the 1858 Sepoy Mutiny.
His Majesty’s Opponent: The Struggle of Subhas Chandra Bose Against the British Empire
Writer : Sugata Bose
Addressed as Netaji (the leader ) by the patriotic Indians, Subhas Chandra Bose is a legendary person who struggled all his life to free India from British rule. His patriotism was second to none, & he led the Indian National Army against the British force to free his motherland.
This book is a definitive biography of this revered Indian nationalist & is one of the must-read books for every Indian.
The rich Indian history inspired several writers to create some of the most popular Indian history books. Moreover, being the land of one of the world’s oldest civilizations, Indian history goes back thousands of years back.
So, selecting a history book to read requires you to decide which historical era interests you. This article includes some of the best history books of all time that every history buff will love to read.
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