Peacemakers: India and the Quest for One World (Session 1)

The World Citizen Book Club launched a four-part series on Peacemakers: India and the Quest for One World, featuring the author, Manu Bhagavan, for discussion and a special Q&A. Held on the second Saturday of each month from September through December, this opening session introduced participants to this landmark work of international history.

About the Book

Set against the backdrop of World War II, Indian independence and decolonization, and the Cold War, this first-of-its-kind international history — based on seven years of research in twenty archives on three continents — tells the story of India’s quest to build consensus around the framework of human rights, bridge the divisions between East and West, and create “one world” free of empire, poverty, exploitation, and war. In the years leading up to independence from Great Britain and more than a decade after, Jawaharlal Nehru had a radical vision: bridging the ideological differences of East and West, healing the growing rift between capitalist and communist, and creating a world free of empire, exploitation, and war. Madame Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Nehru’s sister, led the fight in and through the United Nations to turn this vision into a reality. An electric orator and outstanding diplomat, she travelled across continents speaking in the voice of the oppressed. The aim was to lay the foundation for global governance that would check uncontrolled state power, address the question of minorities and migrant peoples, and put an end to endemic poverty. Through their efforts, Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy went global.

About the Author

Manu Bhagavan is Professor of History, Human Rights, and Public Policy at Hunter College and the Graduate Center-The City University of New York, where he is also Senior Fellow at the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies. He is author or editor of seven books, including The Peacemakers (HarperCollins India, 2012; Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) and India and the Cold War (Penguin India and UNC Press, 2019). His biography of Madame Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was published by Penguin/Viking India. He received a 2006 fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies and Hunter’s 2023 Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarship. He has also served as a judge for the PEN Literary Awards in the category of biography.

Discussion Highlights

This opening session introduced the major themes and characters of the book, setting the stage for a deep exploration of India’s role in shaping the post-war international order. Participants discussed the historical context of decolonization and how India’s leaders sought to create global institutions that reflected the aspirations of newly independent nations, not just the interests of established Western powers.