“We must celebrate our democracy. More importantly, it must be nurtured, preserved and deepened.”

Episode 1 of The India Project, The Princely States, opens with these lines, going on to explore how one of the fundamental challenges to the idea of a unified India came from its princely states. From Hyderabad under the Nizam to the kingdom of Travancore, from Junagadh to Bhopal, each state was presented with the option of joining the dominion of India or Pakistan. As the clock ticked towards August 15, 1947, how did the builders of the nation resolve the intricacies of this maze?

The India Project is an ambitious project with investigative reporter Josy Joseph. Author, most recently, of A Feast of Vultures: The Hidden Business of Democracy in India, and The Silent Coup: A History of India’s Deep State, Josy unearths documents that shed new light on the birth of Indian democracy and its institutions through snippets and stories.

Acknowledgements:

Tryst With Destiny | India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru addresses the nation of India (English). YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrEkYscgbqE&t=58s

1946 Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru’s Constituent Assembly Speech at Delhi (Hindi). YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrEkYscgbqE&t=58s

Credits: