How India Became One Nation | The Birth Of A Nation | NDTV Loves Books!

What if India had not become one united nation in August 1947?

In Episode 17 of NDTV Loves Books, investigative journalist and author Josy Joseph speaks to Gargi Rawat about his latest book, Birth of a Nation: The 21 Days That Made India.

Drawing on previously neglected archival records, Joseph revisits the dramatic weeks leading up to Independence, when 565 princely rulers and hundreds of smaller principalities had to decide whether to join India, remain independent or pursue other possibilities.

The conversation explores the roles of Sardar Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, V.P. Menon and Lord Mountbatten, the resistance from powerful princely states such as Hyderabad and Travancore, the little-known civil servants and secret networks involved in the process, and the political forces that shaped India's integration.

Joseph also reflects on Mahatma Gandhi, ahimsa, federalism and the idea of India, and why the story of how the country came together still matters today.