The Development of the Indian National Congress 1892-1909 (An Old and Rare Book)

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The second and enlarged edition of Dr. (Mrs.) Pansy Chaya Ghosh's 'The Development of the Indian National Congress 1892-1909' is an overdue publication. It derives importance not so much since it appears when this great national organisation is about to attain its centenary but more so, because of the additional chapters on its Back-drop and on the Bengal Provincial Conferences held annually from 1888, with some exceptions, till 1940. Her presentation, adequately documented at every stage, leaves little to desire except that someday, and let us hope before long, Dr. Ghosh may present her readers with the full story onwards from 1909 where she ends. New Materials are coming up, in addition to those on which she relied, for her period, in the form of Working Committee's Resolutions, Proceedings of the British Committee and its organ 'India', of branches operating in countries abroad, addresses of participants besides those of the Presidents, at succeeding sessions, news-paper coverages, and above all, Reports of Provincial Conferences held nearly all over the country. Not all of these are easily accessible; even then, to judge by her performance, as the author of a specific period, it may be presumed that if only Dr. Ghosh carries the story till at least 1947, an authentic and a standard history of the Indian National Congress, in one single volume, by an established author-historian will counter-balance, if not replace, to our benefit, the mushroom newsy, journalistic and often ill-documented presentation of aspects of history, woven round one of the greatest living national organisations known all the world over.