By EuAsiaNews,
Warsaw : Poland and India have always been good friends since 1947 and their friendship has not seen any let down in the past six decades. But this is for the first time when two professors of Polish Academy of Sciences have published a book in Polish on modern India.
The book titled “Modern India: Challenges for Development” authored by Stanslaw Tokarski and Surender Bhutani was released here Thursday by Jerzy Zdanowski, director of the Third World Studies at the Polish Academy of Sciences.
The book gives a detailed account of economics, history and politics , including foreign relations from 1947 to 2007. It has a special chapter arguing if India can be a super power in the coming decades.
Speaking in the presence of noted scholars and diplomats, Zdanowski said,” this is a glorious day for the students and teachers on South Asia in Poland when a highly scholarly and well-researched book has come out in Polish language. It has filled a long-felt void for the scholarly community.”
“India is acquiring all the headlines in the media as an emerging super power and India’s success as a progressive democratic and secular model is an object of envy for the other developing countries, not only in Africa, Asia and Latin America but even in the European Union,” he added.
“In our centre if we have started emphasizing the studies on India, it is thanks to professor Bhutani whose very presence as a visiting professor has opened many new dimensions for scholarly works on South Asia. He along with Tokarski have produced a monumental work which the present and coming generation of scholars and students will feel obliged to them,” Zdanowski said .
“This is a book of the decade,” said Krzysztof Mrozowicz, a noted writer and journalist on South Asia and a former Polish ambassador to India.
“We get all the important details of modern India in one place, be it political events or socio-economic developments of a sub-continent polity. It is highly readable and also an objective study. Bhutani being an Indian, has not allowed himself to be emotional on some controversial aspects of this unfolding story. The team work of Bhutani and Tokarski deserves our praise and gratitude,” Mrozowicz
added.
Janusz Krzyzowski, an Indologist and president of India Polish Cultural Committee said,” this is a remarkable book on India. We in our committee will recommend to each and every member to read this book. In Poland we need a constant supply of good books on India. We would like the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to promote India much better in the coming years.”
In his reply Tokarski said,” first , my sincere thanks are for my colleague, Bhutani who has revived my interest on India. Second, the previous ambassador to Poland, Anil Wadhwa who was a great source of inspiration and help. Wadhwa, being a student of history himself, initiated us with constant supply of information and guidance. Without his support we probably would not have completed this book in a record time”.
On his part, Bhutani said, ” when you write a book, you become a student again. The subject of India always keeps you as an alert student. Our main job was to produce a book in Polish language so that scholars and laymen both could understand the phenomenon of India. India will always remain a fascinating subject as one billion Indians are constantly working to regain the deserved place in the community of nations.”
The book has been published by Askon, a leading publisher of scholarly books in Poland.