Synopsis Guha's book is a meditation on how a large area of contemporary India's cultural and intellectual life has in fact been fashioned by exceptional individuals who have, in diverse ways, imbibed the spirit of liberalism, secularism, personal integrity and social commitment. Guha's heroes and heroines include environmentalists and social activists, teachers and scholars, scientists and writers, politicians and bureaucrats. Quietly purposeful and publicity-shy figures are described and discussed in finely crafted pieces, as are others whose career and achievements have been more public and prominent.