India, Sept. 6 -- Piloo Mody's real importance is in the political questions he chose to ask. How much power should the state exercise over the individual? How much economic freedom can a democracy afford to surrender? And what happens when political authority becomes so concentrated that institutions cease to restrain it?

For decades, Indian political memory has oscillated between the grandeur of major mass movements and the influence of prominent individual leaders, creating a dynamic yet often conflicted historical narrative. Scholars and commentators are exclusively obsessed with phases and people in Indian politics. While not all periods were uniform and not all were exclusive to the coverage of major parties and movements, somewher...