This book offers an extensive examination of the politico-ideological priorities of the New Nationalists as articulated by Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, and Aurobindo Ghose. Their ideas emerged during the nationalist struggle following the decline of the Moderates and continued to shape political discourse until the rise of Gandhi in the early 1920s. The book explores the ideational vision they developed through a dialectical engagement with participants in the nationalist movement, alongside their own interpretation of colonialism and nationalism as projects of “dehumanization” and “humanization,” respectively.
The book is divided into three parts because New Nationalism was far from a static ideological alternative; rather, it evolved through distinct phases. Among the trio, Lajpat Rai was more inclined toward constitutionalism, which he regarded as one of the most effective means of ensuring India's well-being. In his view, self-government was the most desirable objective for nationalists seeking to protect India from the oppression of an alien government. Bipin Chandra Pal broadly agreed with Rai, although he also supported peaceful demonstrations if the government failed to address the nation's legitimate grievances.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, however, was comparatively the most militant among his colleagues. First, he justified resistance to colonial authority by invoking Krishna's counsel to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. His famous slogan-“Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it”-captured his determination to achieve self-rule through resolute struggle. Second, by mobilizing the masses through popular festivals such as the Shivaji and Ganapati Utsavs, Tilak pioneered a new method of disseminating the nationalist message to large sections of society who might otherwise have remained beyond the reach of organized political activity.