Dream of Revolution

<p>Few figures in modern India have enjoyed such acclaim and adoration as Jayaprakash Narayan. And yet he has been equally vilified for all that went wrong in the unfinished post-colonial movement for freedom and democracy. Jayaprakash Narayan or JP as he was universally known epitomized the Marxian and Gandhian styles of political engagement and famously brought a powerful government to its knees. Throughout his life he channelled an emotional hunger for transformative politics jettisoned easy options shunned power and incubated revolutionary ideas. <p/>A comprehensive study of JP's life and ideas-from the radicalism of his thought process at American university campuses in the 1920s to his political coming of age in the 1930s and subsequent disenchantment with Gandhi's leadership; from his infectious confidence about the future of socialism to his seemingly naive plans to outmanoeuvre powerful forces within the Congress; from his fractious friendship with Jawaharlal Nehru to his relentless crusade against the stifling of dissent-<i>The Dream of Revolution</i> Bimal and Sujata Prasad's rigorously researched biography of JP dispenses with clichés questions commonly held perceptions and pushes the limits of what a biographical portrait is capable of. <p/>Rich in anecdotes and never-before-told stories this book explores the ambiguities and ironies of a life lived at the barricades and one man's unremitting quest to usher in a society based on equality and freedom.</p>