Dhirubhai Sheth and the Political Incorrectness of Being
Rajni Kothari and Dhirubhai Sheth s founding of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in 1964 had great consequences for the future of Indian democracy and academia.
DL Sheth and his wife, Surabhi Sheth. Photo: Special Arrangement
Media11/May/2021
Over one hundred years ago, two Gujaratis met in London â Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Two more contrasting personalities could not be imagined and the fallout for the Indian subcontinent was contained in that epic encounter.
Some 50 years later, another set of Gujaratis would meet with consequences that were creative for Indian democracy and the Indian academy. Â Political scientist Rajni Kothari and sociologist Dhiru Lal Sheth came together with a few other intellectuals, to author a novel experiment that would be called âThe Centreâ (The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, CSDS) in 1964. Ashis Nandy and Giri Deshingk