This volume brings together three landmark books-–Politics in India, Caste in Indian Politics and Rethinking Democracy.  Drawing upon contributions from various disciplines, Politics in India is the first comprehensive treatment of the Indian political system examined from different vantage points.

Caste in Indian Politics rejects the dichotomy between traditional society and modern polity and examines the interaction between the two.  It shows how the India intelligentsia regrets the way caste has entered politics while completely ignoring how politics has turned caste into a unit of political mobilisation.

In Rethinking Democracy, Kothari reflects, interrogates and even contests some of his earlier formulations on democracy, state and civil society.  He makes a powerful critique of democratic theory and practice and presents an alternative model for a decentralised and participatory democracy.

The foreword by Ashis Nandy is a fitting tribute by a distinguished political psychologist and sociologist of science.  In his words, “...Rajni Kothari dared to be what he was-—an Indian political scientist...in love with the idea and practice of democracy, who did not think democracy was an imported luxury but an indigenous cultural strand in continuity with an iniquitous, segmented but nonetheless highly plural society comfortable with radical diversity.”