Secularism is one of the important and contentious public debates in India today. It is seen to be in greater crisis now than ever before, making a case for the continuing presence of this book. The debate also furnishes the making of Indian polity and society, given the inter-related development of culture, society and politics in India. It is thus a debate about religious nationalism and fundamentalism as well. Modern Myths, Locked Minds examines the ideologies of secularism and fundamentalism in the setting of the religious traditions of India--Hinduism, Sikhism, and Islam. Further insightful comparison of the traditions is offered, each seen over a long period of time, revealing markedly distinctive historical experiences.

This second, paperback edition comes with a new preface where the author revisits this debate and contemporarizes it for the reader. Also included are two new appendices on secularism.