Mehta’s advocacy of local self-governance and moderation in politics though had to face challenges from the political extremism of Tilak which demanded “poorna swaraj”.

In his resort to rational argumentation, use of pamphlets to persuade public opinion and submission of a petition to the government, Vidyasagar emerges as a quintessential classical liberal.

"An extraordinarily intelligent man, I think the cleverest Indian in debate I have yet seen." 

Mulji’s reform agenda was “not simply about liberating liberal subjects but rather about producing them.”

Rukhmabai’s contributions in the areas of medicine and social justice formed the foundation of the subsequent Indian feminist movements.

In his decades-long career in Britain, Naoroji laboured relentlessly to popularise the Indian cause.

The Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal believed that the sanctimonious people from all major religions in India have escaped from accepting modern secularism in its truest sense and have resorted to a fraudulent term called ‘Sarvadharma samabhav’.

The great Indian classic liberal that he was, Agarkar championed the cause of rationality and women emancipation in colonial Maharashtra.

What enabled this coalition of disparate groups was the Nehruvian Congress’ grip over political power which effectively turned India into one-party democracy and a radical left drift in economic policy.

The recent revival of interest in Shenoy has undoubtedly been enabled by India’s post-liberalization moment.