Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Contending stories in the culture of Indian politics : traditions an d the future of democracy -- Democratic culture and images of the State : India's unending ambivalence -- The politics of secularism and the r ecovery of religious tolerance -- Coping with the politics of faiths an d cultures : between secular state and ecumenical traditions in India - - A report on the present state of health of the gods and goddesses in South Asia -- Time travel to a possible self : searching for the altern ative cosmopolitanism of Cochin -- Violence and creativity in the late twentieth century : Rabindranath Tagore and the problem of testimony.