Publications

'Modern South India' is a rich, authoritative and magnificent work of history about the South that will be read, debated and reflected upon for years to come.

Close to 150 years after he was born, how relevant is Mahatma Gandhi? In India, he is revered as the Father of the Nation; his face still adorns currency notes, postage stamps and government offices; streets and welfare schemes continue to be named after him but has he been reduced to a mere symbol? Do his values, message and sacrifice have any meaning for us in the twenty-first century?

In this thought-provoking book, award-winning biographer and historian Rajmohan Gandhi sets the record straight on the founding fathers as well as their great opponent, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Along the way, he answers questions of perennial interest—Who was really responsible for Partition? Were Gandhi and Ambedkar enemies? Did the Mahatma weaken the country’s Hindus? Was he anti-Muslim? Should India have been a Hindu Rashtra? Could the Kashmir issue have been dealt with differently? Would Bose and Patel have led the independent nation better than Gandhi and Nehru?

Researched in India, Pakistan and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Rajmohan Gandhi's latest book narrates a 240-year story of what old-timers know as undivided Punjab, beginning with the 1707 death of Emperor Aurangzeb and ending with the 1947 division into West Punjab and East Punjab.

Two wars––the 1857 Revolt in India and the American Civil War—seemingly fought for very different reasons, occurred at opposite ends of the globe in the middle of the nineteenth century. But they were both fought in a world still dominated by Great Britain and the battle cry in both conflicts was freedom.

A candid recreation of one of the most influential lives of recent times, this book finally answers questions long asked about the timid youth from India's west coast

Rajmohan Gandhi offers fresh insights into the life and achievements of an extraordinary man, drawing close parallels with the life of Mahatma Gandhi, his 'brother in spirit'. Badshah Khan's unwavering commitment to nonviolence and Hindu-Muslim unity offers valuable lessons.

A fascinating account of the Muslims in twentieth-century India, Pakistan and Bangladesh through his biographical sketches of eight prominent Muslims.

The definitive biography of free Indias first Head of State Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1878-1972)

An original, provocative and compelling reading of the subcontinent’s history. In this remarkable study, well-known biographer Rajmohan Gandhi, underscoring the prominence in the Mahabharata of the revenge impulse, follows its trajectory in South Asian history.

An illuminating portrait of one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has been the subject of over a dozen well-regarded biographies, yet key aspects of the man still prove elusive.

A biography of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

This book, published by the State University of New York Press, tells of eight prominent men involved in the politics of India in the period leading up to Partition.