(i) Foreword by Dr. Karan Singh
(ii) Introduction
FREEDOM MOVEMENT AND THE STALWARTS
1. Dadabhai Naoroji: The Grand Old Man of India
2. Annie Besant: A Woman Who Showed the Way
3. Remembering Tilak: 'The Father of India's Revolution'
4. Gokhale to Motilal Nehru: From Moderates to the Gandhi Era
5. Jallianwala Bagh: A Spark that Ignited Freedom's Spirit
6. The Non-Cooperation Movement and Chauri Chaura
7. Lajpat Rai: The Lion of Punjab
8. C.R. Das, Motilal Nehru and the Swaraj Party
9. Young Nehru was Bhagat Singh's Icon
10. The Political Philosophy of Bhagat Singh
11. Salt Satyagraha: The March That Shook the Empire
12. Women Empowerment—Two Early Pioneers
13. The Pre-INA Netaji Bose
14. Recalling the 1942 Quit India Movement
15. Remembering the Other Side of Bose
16. Abolition of Untouchability: Gandhiji's Monumental Achievement
17. Patel and Bose: The Two Had Nothing in Common
18. Partition of India: Who was Responsible
19. How August 15 Became Independence Day
20. For Gandhiji, non-violence was not just a creed, but truly a way of life
INDIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE
21. How end of WWII paved way for end of British rule in India
22. Message of Mahatma's Martyrdom
23. When President Rajendra Prasad bypassed the Cabinet
24. The Legacy of B.R. Ambedkar
25. Rajendra Prasad: No Rubberstamp President
26. Go back to Jawaharlal Nehru
27. Maulana Azad: The Scholar Politician
28. Nehru's Contribution to Scientific Growth
29. The Greatest Democrat
30. Jawaharlal Nehru and Women's Empowerment
31. Why Nehru will remain India's greatest PM
32. How the World Felt Nehru's Void
33. The Succession of Jawaharlal Nehru
34. The Successor Who Swore by His Predecessor
35. Grit and Sagacity: The Mystique of Indira Gandhi
36. Rajiv Gandhi's 'Wall Breaking' China Visit
37. Rajiv Gandhi's clear policy on Pakistan was inspiring
38. Rajiv: A passionate crusader for Women's Empowerment
39. Remembering Rajiv who had a passion for India's greatness
WARS AND PEACE
40. The Story of J&K's Accession to India
41. Looking back: How Goa was made a part of India in 1961
42. 1962: Let Truth Prevail
43. Decoding the 1962 Rout: Where the Generals went Wrong
44. Why Air Power was not used in 1962
45. How '62 war cut short 2 brilliant careers
46. History of War-Clouds
47. Recalling the Indo-Pak War of 1965
48. Tashkent Declaration and Death of Shastri
49. The Decisiveness of 1971
50. Remembering 1971: IAF and Navy Support was Vital for the Army's Success
51. 1971 War: The Western Front
52. Recalling the Spirit of Shimla
ISSUES THAT REMAIN ALIVE
53. Why Gandhi Chose Nehru
54. How Mahatma Tried to Save Bhagat Singh's Life
55. Nehru and Patel Shared a Joint Legacy
56. Ambedkar Attacked 'Brahmanic Hinduism'
57. Netaji's Air Crash
58. The Mystery of Shastri's Death
59. Operation Bluestar
60. Events that Led to the Emergency of 1975-77
61. Sardar Patel Statue: A Failed Attempt to Rewrite History
62. Why Netaji Adored Nehru
63. Forgotten facts about the INA
64. Time to Bring Netaji's Ashes Back
Biography
Praveen Davar is historian and author specializing in India's freedom movement and post-independence political developments. Davar brings a unique perspective to his analysis of India's historical trajectory, combining scholarly research with firsthand understanding of military affairs. Freedom Struggle and Beyond represents the culmination of Davar's extensive research, presenting over sixty essays that contribute meaningfully to contemporary intellectual discourse on Indian history and politics.
“In this recently published book, Captain Davar's essays and features, which he'd been writing over the years for the various publications, stress on the work of the freedom fighters and actual builders of our nation. This book could be of great significance, not just for students and researchers but also for us all, the citizens of this country. After all, the Davar's essays are laced with facts and factors to the political build-ups and also to the leaders of the years passed by.
Leaving you to introspect on with these lines of Dadabhai Naoroji, from Captain Davar's essay on him, tucked in this book: "Let us always remember that we are all children of our Mother coun-try. Indeed, I have never worked in any other spirit than that I am an Indian, and owe duty to my country and all my countrymen.”
— Humra Quraishi, India
