Foreign relations of India
India's relations with the world have evolved since the British Raj (1857–1947), when the British Empire monopolised external and defence relations. When India gained independence in 1947, few Indians had experience in making or conducting foreign policy. However, the country's oldest political party, the Indian National Congress, had established a small foreign department in 1925 to make overseas contacts and to publicise its independence struggle. From the late 1920s on, Jawaharlal Nehru, who had a long-standing interest in world affairs among independence leaders, formulated the Congress stance on international issues. As a member of the interim government in 1946, Nehru articulated India's approach to the world.
India After Gandhi
India after Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy is a book by Indian historian Ramachandra Guha, published by HarperCollins in August 2007. A history of the Indian nation after it gained independence from the British Empire on 15 August 1947, "India after Gandhi" was chosen Book of the Year by "The Economist", "The Wall Street Journal" and "Outlook", among others. The book won the 2011 Sahitya Akademi Award for English.