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BOOKS
The
Great Yesterday
When history
is such an entertainer
By
Saeed Naqvi
Readability,
let us face it, is not a value to be easily sniffed at. By that criterion
alone, Abraham Eraly's Gem in the Lotus: the seeding of Indian civilisation
deserves to be read by those interested in a theme otherwise forbidding.
But in today's context it is a relevant theme even when discussions on
medieval misdemeanours invite the solemn intervention of archaeologists.
The fastidious
may consider the undertaking somewhat pretentious. Why, they might argue,
is it relevant that Mount Waileale in Hawaii is the world's wettest place,
after which comes Cherrapunji "in north-eastern India which gets
an over-bountiful 1,109 centimetres of rain". If this line of inquiry
interests you, you might be tempted to seek further information on the
exact volume of annual rainfall at Mount Waileale! But Eraly puts in such
detail only to enhance the entertainment value of his chronicle.
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Gem
In The Lotus
By Abraham Eraly
Penguin
Price:
Rs 495
Pages: 586 |
The first
chapter, The Genesis, uses the Biblical allusion dramatically: "In
the beginning there was no India. All the landmass of the earth then lay
huddled together in proto-continents in the lap of the idling primeval
sea. Around 170 million years ago, this cluster of continents began to
break up and drift apart, because of the movements of the crustal plates
jacketing the semi-molten interior of the earth, a geological process
called plate tectonics." Having sketched this epic backdrop, Eraly
continues, "100 million years ago" a triangular chunk of land
broke off "from the eastern flank of Africa above Madagascar and"
(he describes precisely) "pivoting slightly anticlockwise, began
a millennially slow" 4,000 km-long slide. This process continued
for 40 million years until this mass docked into the "soft underbelly
of the Asian landmass, to become the land that would be known many aeons
later as India".
Now, all
of this is engaging stuff but the agnostic may query: "What is the
source of these precise assertions?" This is the book's weakness
as well as its strength. Its very readable generalisations are based on
books already written. In fact, the bibliography lists 156 scholarly books
and sources from which the author has drawn his material. Eraly has read
widely but he makes no pretence of producing an original work of scholarship.
The "enigma of the Indus Valley", Vedic India, colour and caste,
the ferment leading to the emergence of Mahavira and Buddha, Alexander's
arrival, Ashoka, Mauryan state capitalism, Brahmins, Kautilya: these are
just some of the elements in the epic reconstruction of Indian civilisations
Eraly attempts. The audacity is breathtaking, but the result is a readable
book on a wide canvas which educated Indians aspire to be familiar with
but are not. The narrative meanders somewhat but there is always relief
for the lay reader in interesting detail. In classical epics, the poet
often describes his exceptional imagination, control on diction to establish
his credibility as one justified to take up the great theme.
Publishers
in this instance have done just the opposite. They have described Eraly
as someone "born in Kerala and educated there and in Chennai. He
has taught Indian history at colleges in India and the US". Which
colleges? When? Not the most rivetting jacket for a book designed to invite
attention.
In all,
an absorbing book for the uninitiated. Those conversant with the subject
may find flaws in interpretations or the sources selected. But that would
be the wrong way to approach Eraly who describes himself with considerable
accuracy as only a "reteller of history".
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John
Company to the Republic
By Mushirul Hasan
(Roli, Rs 395)
The history of modern India.
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Of
Umbrellas, Goddesses and Dreams
By Robert S. Newman
(Other India Press, Rs 225)
Exploring Goan society.
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Mastermind
India 2000
By Siddhartha Basu (Penguin/bbc, Rs 195)
Eighty-four sets of brain-teasers.
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Hindi
Nationalism
By Alok Rai
(Orient Longman, Rs 150)
Nationalism through Hindi.
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China,
the World and India
By Mira S. Bhattacharjea
(Samskriti, Rs 595)
China's changing worldview. |
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Granta
72, Winter 2001
(Granta, £8.99)
Ved Mehta falls in love, again.
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Numerology
Made Easy
By Anupam V. Kapil
(Penguin, Rs 200)
Numbers and how they can affect your life.
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