Encyclopaedia of Eminent Thinkers: The Political Thought of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya

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This volume makes an in-depth study of the political ideas of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Providing new insights into his multi-dimensional personality and achievements, it analyses the factors and circumstances that shaped his ideology and perception. It also presents a detailed account of his belief in humanism, his views on individual and society, his concept of Rashtra, his economic thought, and his contribution towards the development of political philosophy of Jan Sangh.

Dr. Jai Narain Sharma (b. 1951) is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Gandhian Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh. He is also Hon. Director of Gandhi Bhawan; member of Board of Studies, Nagpur University, Nagpur and Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, Varanasi; member of Research Degree Committee of the Department of Political Science, H.P. University, Shimla: General Secretary of Indian Soviety of Gandhian Studies; and member on the Presidium of the Alliance for Sarvodaya. He regularly writes for leading newspapers, and has published more than hundred research papers in professional journals of repute. Dr. Sharma has many books to his credit including "Gandhi's View of Political Power", "Economics of Defence: A Study of SAARC Countries", "Economic Thought of Mahatma Gandhi", "Human Resource Management", "Alternative Economics: Economics of Mahatma Gandhi and Globalisation", "Power, Politics and Corruption: A Gandhian Solution" and "Research Methodology: The Discipline and its Dimensions".

No single rule can be laid down as to the proper time for publicizing the personal life and thoughts of great men who made history. The time for exposition of personal life may or may not be proper for publication of thoughts.

In case of great men it appears that their contemporaries are not able to properly assess their work. The contemporaries face a difficulty: the problems of the day, the different attitudes adopted by different people, and the consequent prejudices. Just as people with normal eyesight, when caught in a dust storm with dust in their eyes, cannot see clearly things right before them; in the same way contemporary people, caught in the storms of events, are not able to properly assess the lives and work of great men. Real appreciation becomes possible only when the storm is over and vision is clear. This evaluating great man takes time-may be decades, on even centuries!

Such is this strange process. The people who crucified Jesus Christ had to change their assessment of him after 330 years. He was not only admitted to have been a great man but his gospel was accepted by the Roman Rulers. After Waterloo was lost, Napoleon's estimate by the entire French nation was very low. But after some decades the entire France realised that he was a very great man. His remains were very respectfully brought from St. Helina and statutes were erected in his memory.

Many such examples show that neither contemporary publicity nor popularity is a definite criterion of anybody's greatness. His greatness depends on how long a shadow his work casts on the future. Therefore, the contemporary assessment of any great or stormy personality cannot be accepted as standard.

**Contents and Sample Pages**