About

What readers say

The archive is used by scholars tracing an argument across decades, by students who cannot reach a library in Mumbai or Delhi, and by readers who simply did not know this tradition existed. Some of them have written to say what it has meant to them.

7 testimonials

The portal reminds us that there has been a tradition in India for a liberal polity. It is almost a civilisational principle and it is facilitated by the fact that we are such a rich and diverse country. It is also important that we start using alternate media for getting our message out and the idea of documenting this tradition is an excellent beginning.

Arun Shourie

Journalist, author and politician
India has suffered from so many imported ideologies that failed elsewhere. They failed India, too, but too few intellectuals understood that there is a deeply rooted tradition of liberty in India, the same philosophy that has brought prosperity, freedom, and peace to the world. IndianLiberals.in brings that great tradition to the public it deserves. As India shakes off decades of statist stagnation Indians are prospering, gaining global respect as entrepreneurs, scientists, mathematicians, artists, and creators, and embracing their own tradition: liberty, rule of law, free exchange, and dignity. I have benefited from exploring the great tradition of Indian liberalism that was for so long only available to a small number of librarians and curators. This project will enrich India and the world.

Dr Tom G. Palmer

Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and Vice President at the Atlas Network
All Indians can be proud of the achievements of a batch of brilliant intellectuals that spoke out in the name of individual liberty & human dignity. And they did so against overwhelming odds and isolation. Whereas Statism seems part of the Indian political DNA, their fresh thinking was a breath of fresh air in a political milieu riven with collectivist instincts. One great surprise was the listing of “The Indian Libertarian”, a publication that was unknown to me as it must have been to many others! The hearty efforts of these brave souls provide evidence that the cause for individual liberty & human dignity is not lost. Indeed, now is the time to take up their cause so that all Indians can learn to know the benefits of Peace, Love, Trade & Liberty! Kudos to the Centre for Civil Society for their sterling efforts in bringing this wonderful project to fruition.

Christopher Lingle

Visiting Professor of Economics, Universidad Francisco Marroquín, Guatemala
My heartiest congratulations to your team for this wonderful work. With this you have given permanency to the views, thoughts and philosophy of India’s great liberal minds of our post-independence period – of course, many of them were active even during the independence struggle. This website is very well thought out and well designed. It will help in strengthening the liberal philosophy and ideas and go a long way in enriching India’s democratic institutions. I am sure through its blog it will generate relevant healthy debate which will support the process of liberal policy making not only in our country, but in other parts of the world.

Late Sunil Bhandare

Advisor, Economic and Government Policy, Tata Strategic Management Group

From researchers who use the archive

Fellows, doctoral candidates and consultants who have worked with the collection.

The Indian Liberals Archive is a unique resource, combining a user-friendly interface with a diverse collection of musings, opinion pieces, digitised books, and archival material. It is a treasure trove for researchers across disciplines. As the Minoo Masani Liberal Fellow, I regularly used the Archive to trace the evolving interpretations of liberalism. It has also been invaluable to my doctoral research in South Asian literature.

Avanti Lele

Doctoral Candidate, Lancaster University; Assistant Professor, University of Mumbai
The Indian Liberals Archive is a valuable repository of works supporting free enterprise and India’s liberal tradition. Researchers and enthusiasts can access a range of rare primary and secondary sources in one place. I have used the archive extensively for my research and writing, and I believe this collection will continue to enable scholars to undertake sound archival research. Those based outside India’s major cities, without the resources or opportunity to access these documents physically, will stand to benefit immensely from this archive.

Vikrant Pande

Consultant, Centre for Civil Society
The Indian Liberals project has rendered a yeoman service in making valuable archival materials available for the wider audience. The rich history of the Indian liberal tradition deserves greater public engagement. The revamped website, with its improved interface and search functionality, adroitly performs this public history function.

Sanjeet Kashyap

Ph.D. Candidate, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi