This is one of the key books on modern India, acclaimed as the definitive account, and now republished with a new introduction. ''The Idea of India'' was originally published to mark the 50th anniversary of India's independence and has since established itself as a uniquely valuable and authoritative book on a key subject. At the heart of India's self-image since independence has been 'the idea of India' - modern, technocratic, egalitarian, secular - but the tensions between the idea and the reality have become almost intolerable. This book shows how. Reviews: ''A splendid - and timely - book...Spirited, combative and insight-filled...Khilnani has woven a rich analysis of contemporary India and its evolution since indepence. I am inclined to agree with [him] on the robustness and staying power of the secular idea of India''. (Amartya Sen, ''Times Literary Supplement''). ''A masterful rebuttal to all cultural romantics and religious chauvinists...[A] splendid book about definitions of the Indian nation''. (Ian Buruma, ''New York Review of Books''). ''Especially brilliant is Khilnani's attempt to understand the changing nature of India by studying its urban constructs''.(Chitra Divakaruni, ''Los Angeles Times'').