Re-imagining India and Other Essays brings together a collection of writings that originated from annual lectures, organised at the Institute of Social Sciences, by leading economists, political and legal thinkers, sociologists, linguists and historians. Addressing a diverse array of themes, the essays are bound by a common thread—concern for humanity.

This volume explores a wide range of issues as varied as—need for basic education, poverty, human development index, self-employment over wage employment, the apartheid regime in South Africa, the role of democracy in counter-striking terrorism, the function of multiculturalism in preserving solidarity of a nation, the rise of Hindutva and its ideological implications, and the relevance of Gandhian and Nehruvian ideals in shaping of modern India.

Commemorating well-known economist Professor D. T. Lakdawala’s contributions in the contemporary context, the scholars emphasise on the need to replace profit maximisation by profit-making and social returns. As the global economy struggles with an unprecedented recession—which has led to millions becoming unemployed and small investors and pensioners losing their life-long savings—the contributors underline the importance of revisiting the social-political-ideological structure, which largely shapes our policy making.