ABSTRACT
The name India was, before 1947, a designation of a large part of South Asia, which is now divided into several nation states, one among which is India. India gained independence from British colonial rule, the British Raj, on 15 August 1947 and became a sovereign republic when the Constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950. Diversity is a main characteristic of contemporary India, not only in terms of class, caste, gender, regions and languages but also in terms of religious traditions, practices and communities. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book analyses the economic foundation of India. It deals with the state of agriculture in India. The book looks at India’s foreign, especially military, relations with South Asia and with the rest of Asia. It examines the changes undergone by Ayurveda in modern times. The book discusses the extensive transformation of urban India following economic liberalization.
