Literature plays a significant role in shaping the dreams and realities of the people. Therefore, in this crisis of globalization where alternatives seem absent, we must reflect upon the literature of the freedom movement and the period that followed. Simply highlighting dry historical facts or offering superficial interpretations of the freedom struggle is of little value. The freedom movement and the cultural renaissance were pioneering efforts toward both the internal and external development of human beings. On one hand, there was an attempt to unite women, Dalits, Adivasis, and minorities; on the other hand, there was a call to view all as human beings. The emphasis was on the dignity of human values—not on evaluating worth based on capital. The irony is that in the post-independence period, we began to abandon such value-based ideals and, instead, became drawn toward the intoxication of a globalized village. In such a context, we are compelled to re-evaluate the national freedom movement and the era of renaissance. This book represents a small part of that compulsion.
