Ideas of Charan Singh - An Alternative Perspective of Development

Praveen Dhanda (dhandapraveen@gmail.com) teaches at the Department of Political Science, Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi.

Charan Singh’s intellectual practice has remained under-explored in the realm of the study of Indian intellectual traditions. At a time when development promises continue to elude agrarian and rural India, Singh’s ideas are worthy of serious attention because he presented a comprehensive critique of the development discourse in India from the perspective of agriculturists and the countryside. By noting why Singh’s written word should attract more attention, the paper goes on to mark the leitmotifs that may help one to navigate through Singh’s oeuvre. Further, it attempts to present an outline of three important developmental issues delved upon in Singh’s writings.