India's Past and Present

Understanding Itihasa by Sibesh Bhattacharya

IIAS. Pages: xii+183. Price: Rs. 395/-

 

Albaruni was the first foreign chronicler to observe that Indians (Hindus) did not have a sense of chronology and did not keep proper records of events. Thereafter, several foreign, especially western, historians and their Indian camp followers have been reinforcing the idea of India’s poverty of ancient historiography. This was accepted as universal and incontrovertible truth for pretty long time. However, lately, Indologists – both foreign and Indian – are waking up to the idea of India’s unique way of preserving its history. It is true that most of our ancient history endured thanks to the oral traditions – which tend to amass myths with the passage of time, thus rendering the separation of facts from fiction a rather challenging if not impossible task. Nevertheless, Bhattacharya points out that the ancient Indians had strong historiography and recordkeeping traditions as epitomized by Kalhana’s Rajatarangini and Chanakya’s Arthashastra; and a robust sense of chronology, too. Otherwise how could they have divided time into various yugas, kalpas etc? Moreover, the Jyotish Shastra requires sophisticated calculation of time to the last truti. 

Bhattacharya has cogently countered some of the prevalent myths vis-à-vis India’s ancient traditions pertaining to recording of events although he points out that our sense of history focused more on truth and didacticism than on data and reconstruction of past events. This book should be made a part of every university’s syllabi.

India calling by Anand Giridharadas

Fourth Estate. Pages: 306. Price: Rs. 499/-

It is interesting how India retains its prominence in the mindscapes of most NRIs – even those who are second or third generation immigrants in the West. Giridharadas is one such. Son of a Tamil father and a Punjabi mother, the author was born and brought up in the USA. He came to India as a consultant but soon changed jobs to become a journalist. That was the time when the Indian economy was getting liberalized and its entrepreneurial genius was taking first tentative steps in the strangely new but conducive politico-economic environment. 

This book tells us of how the youth, even in India’s small towns and villages, are keen on acquiring the New Economy skills to climb up the social ladder, despite various constraints. While presenting a picture of resurgent India Giridharadas does not fail in pointing out the pitfalls.