The History of Modernism in India

About the Book Is modernism new in India? That would be another analysis, but the English word modernism has linguistic and historical belonging to the west. So, the assumption: as provincialized the west, it cannot happen in another place. On another view, modernism is knowledge, and like all knowledge, it has a journey without boundary, it takes another shape in a new locality such as India. Modernism in the present context is essentially the colonial experience, and it created an authenticity that links India to the west. Within this primary state, the book observes: Modernism has a hysteresis effect since specific historical interpretations have pushed the society into an impasse One such perception is monolithic Hindu structure, maintaining the Caste, endless Quotas and fracturing the society into protective groups and communities. Even though lower-Caste, Casteless, the vast Adivasi groups, and tribes are the more extensive section, the overture of majoritarian interpretation is a social paradox and a threat to the dream of a homeland with multi-religious, multi ethnic communities. In this context, modernism, within the frame of equality, secularism, and democracy, seems to be marooned within the post colonial political culture. However, one can also observe modernism created a synergy, individual search, global merging, and often negotiating traditional conflicts. Finally, the book leaves an apprehension: since modernism does not control events, stays within metaphysical thoughts, another "authenticity is gathering force within corporate priorities.

About the Author Amitabh Sengupta is an eminent painter who studied in Kolkata, Paris, and the USA. For eleven years, he was in Nigeria and became the Head of Visual Arts at the University of Port-Harcourt, Rivers, before returning to India in 1989. He held exhibitions of his artworks in Paris, Austria, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Dhaka, and India. As he lived in many cultures, he has a particular observation in socio-cultural traits of the locality and the area of vernacular arts. So far, he has published three books from UK and India.

Introduction Understanding Past: Controversies and Chronology of History Time present and time past Are both perhaps present in time future, And time fiature contained in time past.

If all time is eternally present All time is unredeemable.

We cannot retrieve events from the unknown past, though everything is present in time. But specific interpretations of history can affect the present since it pushes society into an impasse. One such evidence is isolating the more extensive groups from the privilege of equality, in the name of Caste-division, an age-old process but giving way to Upper-Caste hegemony. The privileged Hindu society is indeed minuscule; while the more extensive sections of lower-Caste, Casteless, and the vast groups of Adivasi and tribes are perpetually deprived. Creating the majoritarian interpretation has a perceptual link to the Orientalist information and colonial Census. But it created categories and walls of protectionist lives. More than the idea of Hindu-India, the religious overture is becoming a threat to sustaining a homeland of the multi-religious, multiethnic communities that have precipitated through historical events. In this context, modernism, within the frame of equality, secularism, and democracy, becoming a counter-frame within the post-colonial realities, such as India's Partitions and continuous conflicts. Evidently, modernism has a hysteresis effect The Introduction surveys the essential elements within this frame: the colonial perception of the past vis-a-vis the new arguments emerging from discoveries and scientific data.

What remains a continuous query, is modernism new in India? There is a familiar assumption that the word modernism has linguistic and historical belonging to the west. So, it is provincialized and cannot happen in another place. Another view sees modernism as knowledge, and like all knowledge, it has a journey; it takes another shape in a new locality such as India. The book observes similarities and dissimilarities of modernism within the Indian context, but its authenticity is initiated through colonial experience. Modernism created a motion, cultural persuasion. individual search, global merging, and simultaneously, the elements of traditional conflicts.

**Contents and Sample Pages**