While the space includes thinkers and scholars with the conscious liberal tag, there are countless others whose writings could find resonance with some or all the core liberal values. Then there are also organisations like Swatantra Party (founded-1959, defunct Indian conservative political party, created in reaction to increasing socialist and statist tendencies of Indian politics), The Indian Libertarian (founded Pre-independence, defunct Indian magazine featuring commentary from leading liberals of the day), Freedom First (founded-1952, Liberal Monthly magazine now in its 60th year of publication), Indian Liberal Group (founded-1965, think tank promoting the liberal point of view on issues of the day and educating the public on the concept of liberalism), and others that took a more liberal approach to their world view.
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Some of the names that come to mind immediately are Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833, religious, social, and educational reformer, and humanitarian, known as the “Maker of Modern India”), Gopal Krishna Gokhale (1866-1915, pioneering social and political leader during the Indian Independence movement, and mentor for later leaders such as Gandhi & Jinnah), B R Ambedkar (1891-1956, campaigned against social discrimination, and was Independent India’s first law minister and principal architect of the Constitution of India), C Rajagopalachari (1878-1972, independence activist and politician, was the last Governor-General of India, and founded the Swatantra Party), Minoo Masani (1905-1998, leading figure in the Swatantra party, and founding member of the Indian Liberal Group), Nani Palkhivala (1920-2002, jurist and economist, defender of constitutional liberties and champion of human rights), B R Shenoy (1905-1978, classical liberal economist, was president of the Indian Economic Association and a member of the Mont Pelerin Society), A D Shroff (1899-1965, eminent industrialist, banker and economist, co-founded the Forum of Free Enterprise in India), D R Pendse (1930-, economist, former advisor to Tata, India’s leading industrial company) and others. The Indian liberal space with its long history, old defenders and emerging advocates is as diverse and wide ranging as the liberal political spectrum. However, despite the general recognition of the role of liberalisation in improving the standard of living for millions in India, many feel that these ideas and policies were unnecessary, alien to Indian thinking, and imposed by the west. India’s liberalism has evolved through stages that first emphasized earthly life and materialism, then social reforms and political independence, and now economic and social freedom.
A culture as old as India’s would obviously have a strand of thought that is labeled today as liberalism or libertarianism.
Liberalism is distinguished by its focus on the primacy of the individual in all spheres of human life-political, economic, and social. Indian Liberals, a digital repository of the Indian liberal tradition is an initiative of the Centre for Civil Society, in partnership with Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.
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