The Peacemakers: India and the Quest for One World by Manu Bhagavan

There have been several accounts of India’s engagement with the United Nations but this book focuses particularly on the idea of One World, something greater than the UN. The need for a potent peace constituency amidst the increasing number of conflict zones with transnational and global impacts bolsters the rationale for an efficient global governing body, One World reified. The book has six chapters with a short prologue and epilogue. Manu Bhagavan presents a fine historical account of India’s efforts for One World. The book draws attention to the important but often forgotten roles of the Indian trio—Gandhi, Nehru and Vijaylakshmi Pandi—amidst the Western championship of human rights and peace. It highlights how a fledgling India fought hard for the defence and protection of human rights, and the dignity of the colonised Asian and African countries and their ‘larger’ population. It was because of the vision, leadership and efforts of these three leaders that India made a strong case for the legal recognition and protection of human rights and peace, linking them to racism, colonialism, imperialism, dignity and freedom.