Rethinking Radicalism in Indian Society: Bhagat Singh and Beyond

In India, there has been a resurgence of interest, among radical intellectuals and activists, in the socio-political philosophy of the revolutionary named Bhagat Singh, especially in the post-globalization period, with concerns of neo-imperialist and capitalist forces causing misery to marginalized social segments as well as weaker nations. Peasant suicides in various areas of India, the growing economic disparity between the rich and the poor, the widening gap of wealth between rural and urban regions, the accelerating agitations of poor farmers against capitalist exploitation, and hegemonic military intervention of the US in other countries — especially in the Middle East and Central Asia, in the name of fighting 'global terror'— necessitate revisiting the anti-imperialistic and anti-capitalist radical socio-political ideology of Bhagat Singh, a great immortal martyr of Indian sub-continent. It is against this backdrop that Rethinking Radicalism in Indian Society, which is an outcome of a national seminar, re-examines the life, works, and philosophy of Bhagat Singh. The book also discusses the revolutionary contribution and vision of Bhagat Singh that interfaces with other streams of Indian national movements with the objective of initiating appropriate measures for building a truly representative democratic society in India.