Synopsis The present monograph on the distinguished freedom fighter and the pioneering Communist leader Puran Chandra Joshi or P.C. Joshi, as he was popularly known, is as much an analysis of the leader as it is of the making of the Communist movement and the party in the country and the unique dilemmas associated with its growth in India. It brings to light the relentless endeavour of the visionary leader in the thirties and the forties to seek common grounds with the progressive and secular elements of different political streams in order to fight the imperialist forces on the one hand, and the communal and reactionary forces, on the other. Joshi's stance, which did not find favour with the 'hands off' approach of the leadership of the Communist Party in 1948 as regards seeking associations with other like-minded political parties to build and protect the freedom of the newly independent nation, seems to have become all the more relevant in the contemporary India thus vindicating the vision of this great political, cultural and social leader. Brought out especially to commemorate the centenary of his birth, the monograph puts the role of Joshi and the communist movement in India in the proper historical perspective while throwing valuable insights on this multifaceted personality.