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Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization

Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-23 16:10:47
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Namit Arora
  • ISBN：0670090433
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Summary

What do we really know about the Aryan migration theory and why is that debate so hot？
Why did the people of Khajuraho carve erotic scenes on their temple walls？
What did the monks at Nalanda eat for dinner？
Did our ideals of beauty ever prefer dark skin？
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Indian civilization is an idea， a reality， an enigma。 In this riveting book， Namit Arora takes us on an unforgettable journey through 5000 years of history， reimagining in rich detail the social and cultural moorings of Indians through the ages。 Drawing on credible sources， he discovers what inspired and shaped them: their political upheavals and rivalries， customs and vocations， and a variety of unusual festivals。 Arora makes a stop at six iconic places—the Harappan city of Dholavira， the Ikshvaku capital at Nagarjunakonda， the Buddhist centre of learning at Nalanda， enigmatic Khajuraho， Vijayanagar at Hampi， and Varanasi—enlivening the narrative with vivid descriptions， local stories and evocative photographs。 Punctuating this are chronicles of famous travellers who visited India—including Megasthenes， Xuanzang， Alberuni and Marco Polo—whose dramatic and idiosyncratic tales conceal surprising insights about our land。

In lucid， elegant prose， Arora explores the exciting churn of ideas， beliefs and values of our ancestors through millennia—some continue to shape modern India， while others have been lost forever。 An original， deeply engaging and extensively researched work， Indians illuminates a range of histories coursing through our veins。

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Reviews

Sanjay Banerjee ，

The author takes us through 5000 years of Indian History - the social and cultural moorings of Indians through the ages。 Drawing on credible sources， he infers on what inspired and shaped them : their political upheavals and rivalries， customs and vocations and a variety of unusual festivals。 He does this through his travels to and researches of 6 iconic places - Dholavira of Harappan Civilization， Nagarjunakonda which was the capital of the Ikshvaku Kingdom， Buddhist centre of learning at Nalan The author takes us through 5000 years of Indian History - the social and cultural moorings of Indians through the ages。 Drawing on credible sources， he infers on what inspired and shaped them : their political upheavals and rivalries， customs and vocations and a variety of unusual festivals。 He does this through his travels to and researches of 6 iconic places - Dholavira of Harappan Civilization， Nagarjunakonda which was the capital of the Ikshvaku Kingdom， Buddhist centre of learning at Nalanda， Khajuraho， Vijaynagar at Hampi， and Varanasi。 He also punctuates this with accounts of famous travellers to India - Megasthenes， Xuanzang， Al Beruni and Marco Polo。 In the process th author dwells on some interesting questions like : Why is the debate about the Aryan migration theory so hot？ Why did the people of Khajuraho carve erotic scenes on temple walls？ What did the monks at Nalanda eat for dinner？ Did Indian ideals of beauty ever prefer dark skin？I would recommend this book to anyone who would be interested in continuing to sharpen one’s knowledge of Indian History through continued fresh insights - especially when the same is being hotly contested by so-called intellectuals and politicians of a certain hue！ 。。。more

Harsh Agrawal ，

Indians : A Brief History of a Civilization Author : Namit AroraPublished by : Penguin VikingsBook Cover by :Disclaimer: I have received the Review copy of this book by the Author in exchange of an honest review。 Neither the publisher ， the author nor any third party pay any fee or otherwise offer compensation in exchange for this coverage ， and no company was given a preview of the content or given copy approval rights concerning the same。 This review is going to be divided in a pros and cons s Indians : A Brief History of a Civilization Author : Namit AroraPublished by : Penguin VikingsBook Cover by :Disclaimer: I have received the Review copy of this book by the Author in exchange of an honest review。 Neither the publisher ， the author nor any third party pay any fee or otherwise offer compensation in exchange for this coverage ， and no company was given a preview of the content or given copy approval rights concerning the same。 This review is going to be divided in a pros and cons system ， after reading which ， you can decide for yourselves if this book is worth your time and money ， or not。 The Good:The author ， in the introduction itself ， makes it clear that he has a political bias 。 I really do not like some historians ， who claim to be unbiased but are the farthest thing from it （Some of whom ， the author has referenced ， but we will get to that later）。The book is very informative and the author has obviously done a tremendous amount of research。 This is evident but the subject matter， some of which i may not necessarily agree with ， but i have to appreciate the author for this。 He has personally visited the places like Dholavira ， Nagarjunakonda ， （what used to be ）Nalanda etc ， and seem the places themselves ， unlike many so called "historians" who will just "google" stuff up。The book is well written and fairly easy to understand。 Again ， unlike several historians ， who use Tharoorian vocabulary ， to try and impress the reader。 His writing style is quite good to 。 Reading " A stroll though Vijayapura " ， you will actually feel that you are taking a stroll through the place， Vijayapura ， to the readers who dont know ， was an archaeological wonder ， but had to be manually submerged underwater ， due to unavoidable circumstances。 The chapter about of Faxian ， Xuanzang ，and Yijing is brilliantly written （I just might be biased on this one ， because I actually have read Journey to the West and i actually was always interested in the topic of how Buddhism spread all across China and faded away from India）The Underwhelming aspects :To much present day socio-political commentary。 I mean I get it ， you have to put something here or there 。 Maybe once or twice in the book ， but in the book ， the author has something to say at least once or twice in every chapter。 This is not limited to just Mr。 Arora ， but in fact most of the historians。 He just had the decency to call his bias beforehand。 And i would have been perfectly fine if the book hadn't been called a brief "History" of a civilization 。The Author is pro Aryan migration theory。 Feel free to count this as a pro if you too have similar thoughts as the author。Some ， I repeat ， some of the sources in the book ， in MY opinion ， are not credible enough ， those include the likes of Tony Joseph ， Pankaj Mishra and many more。 Well ， those were my two cents about the book ， if the Pros outbid the cons for you ， you can definitely check out the book 。 Even if they don't ， but you think you can ignore those parts of the book ， I will still recommend you read the book ， if you have the chance to。 If you are too lazy to read the book ， the author has summarized the book in an hour long zoom call video that is available to watch for free on YouTube on the Avid Learning channel。 。。。more

Swapna Peri （ Books Review Cafe ） ，

Book Title: IndiansAuthor: Namit AroraFormat: KindleMy Thoughts:India's history and culture are dynamic that dates back to the point when human civilisation has begun。 It begins with a mysterious culture along the Indus River and the farming communities in India's southern lands。 India's history is a mix and match of migrating people and integration of different cultures and languages。Indus Valley Civilisation is the prima focal point where the study about ancient India starts at。 The Indus vall Book Title: IndiansAuthor: Namit AroraFormat: KindleMy Thoughts:India's history and culture are dynamic that dates back to the point when human civilisation has begun。 It begins with a mysterious culture along the Indus River and the farming communities in India's southern lands。 India's history is a mix and match of migrating people and integration of different cultures and languages。Indus Valley Civilisation is the prima focal point where the study about ancient India starts at。 The Indus valley civilisation was an urban civilisation， and the people lived in well-planned and well-built towns， which were also the centres for trade。 There were rods built， metals used， etc。 From this rich culture， there emerged many interesting aspects: the Vedic period， the Gupta empire， the Mauryan Empire and the eras of various Chinese and other scholars visiting India。 There is so much more to read about the forgotten heritage and known history of India。This my review itself might become a book。 I recommend this book to be read by every Indian of this 21st Century who are unaware of how rich and varied was the culture of India was！Who can read？This book is and must compulsorily be read by every Indian who wants to know or revisit India's ancient culture。 The book is a work of non-fiction and is knowledgeable。 Therefore， the book is suggested to everyone。 The language used in the book is harmless， and no provoking statements are mentioned in the book when there are mentions about various religions。How good is the Author's writing style？Author Namit Arora has presented this book in his voice。 The introduction chapter explains his interest and passion for knowing more about India， and it's ancient history and the changes the land has groped in itself。 The book is written in the first-person narrative， and Namit explains the genesis of the thought to write this book。 He also mentions his wife， who has been an integral part of this journey。How entertaining is the book？As quoted in one of the websites that talks about Indian civilisation， these lines prove that India has always been a culture and heritage place。The lines like:The Indian civilisation started with the Indus Valley civilisation， dating back to approximately 5，500 BC when nomadic warriors settled down and eventually blended with the Aryan race。 It resulted in the Vedic civilisation and the rise of Hinduism， Jainism and Buddhism。Much later， this was followed by growth of dynasties and kingdoms and the growth of Muslim power in India。 During this time， European traders visited India， and the British succeeded in settling down as a colonial power， until 15 August 1947， when India gained independence and became a republic in due course。 As a result of the myriad blend， India has an interesting culture， with thousands of different customs， several languages and religions。The chapters in this book By Namit Arora start from the Dholavira age till Varanasi。 It is hard to review such books because this book makes me nostalgic as a student， and I go back to my school days， where my History teacher taught us all this。 And， like a grown-up， I feel proud and happy to be a part of this rich culture。 With the contents present， this book is a must-read and is also a sure-shot entertainer。Final VerdictIt is all about India and Indians！Rating:5/5 。。。more

Suresh Sivasubramaniam ，

Wonderful book！Namit takes us on a fantastic package tour of Indian history covering a wide swathe of time - Harappan civilization through modern Varanasi。 The presentation is novel in that the chapters alternate between a deep dive into a historically significant site and the writings/observations of foreign travelers to India during specific time periods。 It is brilliantly researched。 Namit’s scholarship is evident in the astute and insightful observations he makes in synthesizing the vast amo Wonderful book！Namit takes us on a fantastic package tour of Indian history covering a wide swathe of time - Harappan civilization through modern Varanasi。 The presentation is novel in that the chapters alternate between a deep dive into a historically significant site and the writings/observations of foreign travelers to India during specific time periods。 It is brilliantly researched。 Namit’s scholarship is evident in the astute and insightful observations he makes in synthesizing the vast amount of material and historical scope。 He is not shy about voicing his opinions within the context of the topic he is exploring at any instant。 His writing is beautiful with vivid and evocative descriptions of the various stops in his time travel。 Even though the subject matter is serious， Namit manages to infuse it with occasional humor and wit which makes this tour even more enjoyable。 If you are Indian and want to know more about where you come from or just plain interested in Indian history， pick up this gem。 。。。more

Anandaswarup Gadde ，

This is a compelling book about the deep history of India and its effects on the present。 How did the author achieve it？ He was once an IT professional who worked in USA for several years。 In his 30s， he took a two year leave and travelled the length and breadth of India like several illustrious people before him， followed by deeper reading and writing。 Some of it appeared in his first book， “The Lottery of Birth: On Inherited Social inequalities”。 If his essay ‘A place called home’ is any indic This is a compelling book about the deep history of India and its effects on the present。 How did the author achieve it？ He was once an IT professional who worked in USA for several years。 In his 30s， he took a two year leave and travelled the length and breadth of India like several illustrious people before him， followed by deeper reading and writing。 Some of it appeared in his first book， “The Lottery of Birth: On Inherited Social inequalities”。 If his essay ‘A place called home’ is any indication， his desire to understand India and Indians more deeply must have long been with him。 After a few more years of working and travelling the world， he quit his job， relocated to India and began exploring more thoroughly the questions that bothered him。 To do so， he chose six major historical sites he had visited before， covering different regions and timespans。 He studied the historical sources and modern scholarship available and travelled to them again， talking to various people along the way。 He has also presented insights from the chronicles of famous historical travellers， the most compelling of whom （for me） is Francois Bernier。 The result is a book that combines a narrative history of India with archaeological travel writing。As the author says in the introduction， “I hoped to find the essence of each site’s [historical] inhabitants—their defining beliefs， customs and institutions; their struggles and living conditions—and their legacy in the cultural mosaic of India。” Namit Arora has done the hard yakka and given us a guide and model to study India’s past。 I think Patrick French summarized it well in his tweet about this book: “Options: spend a decade thinking and reading deeply about the early history of India， and going to all the key places。 Or read this 250 page book， INDIANS， by someone who has done the work。 An extraordinary feat of imaginative framing， achieved through close observation。” 。。。more

Graham Thomas ，

I came across this book on Penguin India's official website。 I pre-ordered it just because I was very much interested in learning about the Pre-historic India。 The author takes us through the ancient historical sites， shares his experience and also briefly explains the stories that embodies those places。 At the end of the book you could feel just as if you've travelled to all those places by yourself。 I just loved reading the stories that made India。 This book is a masterpiece！ I came across this book on Penguin India's official website。 I pre-ordered it just because I was very much interested in learning about the Pre-historic India。 The author takes us through the ancient historical sites， shares his experience and also briefly explains the stories that embodies those places。 At the end of the book you could feel just as if you've travelled to all those places by yourself。 I just loved reading the stories that made India。 This book is a masterpiece！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0