Analyzes Indian art, from oil painting to Hindi cinema, and situates visual culture in the context of country-wide efforts to define nationhood in post-independence India.

List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: The Modern Indian Paradox 1
One. Authenticity 23
Two. The Icon 45
Three. Narrative and Time 75
Four. Science, Technology, and Industry 103
Five. The Urban 131
Epilogue. The 1980s and After 157
Notes 163
References 171
Index 187