New revelations on the long history of our nation - Hindustan Times
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New revelations on the long history of our nation

Feb 18, 2023 05:52 PM IST

I was struck by the things that Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Shobita Punja, and Toby Sinclair's A New History of India reveals and its interpretations

At last, a book that covers India’s history — from the start of geological time 4.5 billion years ago to Narendra Modi — in one volume. Intriguingly, its three authors, Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Shobita Punja, and Toby Sinclair, call it A New History of India. I’m not sure why they’ve used the adjective, but I was struck by the things it reveals and its interpretations.

A New History of India. PREMIUM
A New History of India.

For instance, did you know “Harappan cities do not exhibit any signs of ostentatious display of wealth in the houses or in the graves… there are no buildings that can be identified as a palace… also absent are monumental graves or buildings or sculptures of rulers as those found in Egypt, China and Mesopotamia?” So, were these quasi-socialist Republics?

Of the Aryans, the authors say they “migrated from Central Asia to northern India, mingled with the indigenous people and gradually absorbed them… in other words, the Aryans did not invade North India and drive the Dravidians southward.” This will certainly be contested. It refutes the claim the Aryans originated in India.

Of Aryan culture, the authors have a very definite opinion. After asserting “(It) is often seen as a source of Indian tradition and society”, they describe it as “elitist and exclusive; it most emphatically excluded large sections of the population of North India and the entire population that inhabited peninsular India — the land beyond the Vindhyas.” They also say “the origins of the caste system” are “located” in the Rigveda. This is certainly different from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat’s view.

Let me now turn to Aurangzeb. Of him, the authors’ opinion is closer to Audrey Truschke than our present government. “He was a pious and puritanical Muslim”, they say, “but he was no bigot”. As proof, they add: “His personal religious views did not prevent him from appointing a large number of Hindu mansabdars. Under Shahjahan, Hindus constituted 22 percent of the mansabdars holding a rank of 1,000 zat and more. Under Aurangzeb, this number had gone up to 32 percent.”

Of the wider Muslim period, from the 13th-century sultanate to the end of the Mughals, which these days is considered part of 1,200 years of slavery, the book holds a contrarian view. “There’s no evidence to believe that all Muslims or Muslim rulers were Islamic zealots who went around proselytising. The very fact that Muslim rulers employed large numbers of non-Muslims and even appointed them to very high positions is testimony that they were not all proselytising zealots.”

The book also discusses developments in art, architecture, culture and religion. I was struck by the links it identifies between the Bhakti tradition and Sufism. “It would not be too much of an exaggeration to suggest that the Bhakti movement was engendered by the close interaction between Islam and the forms of worship that existed in India before the arrival of Islam… there is a great deal of overlap and convergence between the Bhakti mystical traditions and Sufism.”

Some of this book’s fascination lies in its incredible details. Kautilya believed “prostitutes… should be taxed”. I’d say that’s rather progressive. Ashoka “had his brothers killed — as many as 97 of them”. So, he was into killing long before Kalinga! And the mutiny began “on the afternoon of 10 May 1857… around 5 o’clock”. That would certainly have disrupted afternoon tea in the Meerut cantonment.

Of our present prime minister, the book has two opinions. After stating “Narendra Modi has not yet delivered on all his promises”, it pointedly adds “he has brought in a new confidence and buoyancy”. But, then, it continues “under Modi, there’s a pronounced propensity towards majoritarian dominance and intolerance towards minorities and dissent and this majoritarian turn is serving to polarise society along sectarian lines.”

Finally, the construction of the book’s last sentence is clever, but mischievous. “Deep and fundamental currents of change and churn are pulling India towards a new tryst with destiny.” Jawaharlal Nehru’s iconic phrase is craftily used to presage a possibly antithetical outcome.

Karan Thapar is the author of Devil’s Advocate: The Untold Story

The views expressed are personal

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Karan Thapar is a super-looking genius who’s young, friendly, chatty and great fun to be with. He’s also very enjoyable to read.

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