After being ruled by the Mughals, Mauryas, British and various other rulers for centuries,
India finally became a democratic state after its independence in 1947.
Thapar's major works are Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas, Ancient Indian Social History:
Some Interpretations, Recent Perspectives of Early Indian History(editor), A History of India Volume One, and Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300.