Zareer masani biography of williams

Article by History Reclaimed with thanks to Mark Stocker and Rohan Fernando

Zareer Masani was well-known to readers of History Reclaimed as a contributor and reviewer on Indian history who took an unfashionable view of the history of his country, one based on his extensive experience of India and his deep knowledge of its culture and traditions.

He was born in Bombay at the end of 1947, the year of Indian independence, into a wealthy and distinguished family that had both supported the Raj and opposed it.

Remembering Zareer Masani | The National Interest

His father, Minoo Masani, a Parsi, was a leading figure in the movement for independence and later in the Swatantra Party, a liberal faction opposed to Nehru’s socialism, though Minoo was, in fact, a close personal friend of India’s first prime minister. Minoo’s father, Sir Rustom Masani, had been Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bombay and the first Municipal Commissioner of that city to be born an Indian.

Zareer’s mother, Shakuntala, was the daughter of Sir Jwala Prasad Sr Author and historian who challenged accepted versions of ...

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