Romila Thapar

First published by the Clarendon Press in 1961, this authoritative work is based largely on the edicts of Asoka, whose policies are analysed against the background of Mauryan civilization during the third and fourth centuries BC. This is a thoroughly revised edition, with a substantial new afterword by the author, a revised bibliography and index, and a map showing new archaeological sites.

With a New Afterword, Bibliography and Index

Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas

Abdul Gafoor Abdul Majeed Noorani

Sadanand Menon

What is true nationalism? What is pseudo-nationalism? What is anti-national? What is patriotism? Is the shouting of nationalist slogans important to prove one's patriotism? Why is Bharat Mata ki Jai so important to the right wing? Why does the law of sedition continue to exist on the statute book of an independent country? Who should the sedition law be used against? Why is cultural freedom important to a nation? What sort of India do we want? What sort of Indians do we want to be? What sort of country do we want to leave behind for future generations? These questions all involve one of the most fundamental ideas of India-the nationalism we inherited at birth. It is also one of the most hotly contested ideas of the twenty-first century. In this book, some of our finest thinkers and writers provide calm, measured insights into the origins, nature, practice and future of Indian nationalism.

On Nationalism

Many popularly held views about the past need to be critically inquired into before they can be taken as historical. For instance, what was the aftermath of the raid on the Somanatha temple? Which of us is Aryan or Dravidian? Why is it important for Indian society to be secular? When did communalism as an ideology gain a foothold in the country? How and when did our patriarchal mindset begin to support a culture of violence against women? Why are the fundamentalists so keen to rewrite history textbooks? The answers to these and similar questions have been disputed and argued about ever since they were first posed. Distinguished historian Romila Thapar has investigated, analyzed and interpreted the history that underlies such questions throughout her career; now, in this book, through a series of incisive essays she argues that it is of critical importance for the past to be carefully and rigorously explained, if the legitimacy of our present, wherever it derives from the past, is to be portrayed as accurately as possible. This is especially pertinent given the attempts by unscrupulous politicians, religious fundamentalists and their ilk to try and misrepresent and willfully manipulate the past in order to serve their present-day agendas. An essential and necessary book at a time when sectarianism, bogus 'nationalism' and the muddying of historical facts are increasingly becoming a feature of our public, private and intellectual lives.

Forging Contemporary Identities Through History

The Past as Present

This Classic Introduction To India'S Early History Covers The Era Of The Ascendance Of Aryan Culture, Circa 1000 Bc, To The Coming Of The Mughals In Ad 1526 And The Arrival Of The First European Trading Companies. It Gives A Brilliant Overview Of How India'S Social And Economic Structure Developed, While Delineating The Principle Political And Dynastic Events.

A History of India

This new book represents a complete rewriting by the author of her A History of India, vol. 1. Includes bibliographical references (p. 542-544) and index.

From the Origins to AD 1300

Early India

Our History, Their History, Whose History?

What is Nationalism?

The Public Intellectual in India

A close and engaging review of 'Sakuntala' taking in historical, social and literary readings.

Texts, Readings, Histories

Śakuntalā

A collection of papers that interprets afresh, known facts about the early period of Indian history up to the end of the first millennium AD. The papers discuss several associated themes such as society and religion, social classification and mobility and the study of regional history. A useful reference book for postgraduate students of History.

Some Interpretations

Ancient Indian Social History

Voices of Dissent

Percival Spear

Thomas George Percival Spear

Covers the period from Mughal rule, through the years of British control, to the government of Nehru, with emphasis on the continuity of development from one era to the next.

The Future in the Past 

India: Historical Beginnings and the Concept of the Aryan

These two essays explore some facets of the interface between narrative and history. The first explores the versions of the story of Sakuntala. The second juxtaposes the data on the raid of Mahmuud of Ghazni on the temple of Somanatha.

Two Lectures

Narratives and the Making of History

In this collection of essays, edited and with an introduction by Romila Thapar, fourteen of India's foremost scholars and specialists in various fields explore the challenges that lie before twenty-first century India in its quest for a democratic and just society. Globalization and the IT revolution provide a new context to the problems faced by contemporary India. But will globalization ensure rapid economic growth and development in the face of low literacy, rising population, and the gradual withdrawal of the State from social commitments? Will imitation westernization, and the consumerism that comes with it, further a just society? What are the strains that democracy will be subjected to in the empowerment struggle by marginalized groups, and the growing social and economic disparities that are often accompanied by violence and terrorism? How will India's multiculturalism be affected by the upsurge of various identities and of exclusionist nationalism? Will the family as an institution be transformed to enhance gender justice? Will new technology ensure the autonomy of the media? Can the mauling of the Indian landscape be halted? before India in the early decades of this millennium.

Another Millennium?

India

A Sober, Analytical Demonstration Of The Various Tellings Of The Sack Of Somnath & [Explores] Not Just The Politics Of Memory, But Also How Remembrances Play On The Certitude Of Facts Shahid Amin In Outlook In 1026, Mahmud Of Ghazni Raided The Temple Of Somanatha. The History Of This Raid And Subsequent Events At The Site Have Been Reconstructed In The Last Couple Of Centuries Largely On The Basis Of The Turko-Persian Sources. There Were Other Sources That Also Refer To Events At Somanatha Throughout A Period Of Almost A Thousand Years, But These Have Rarely Been Quoted When Reconstructing This History. Until Very Recent Times, There Were Few Attempts To Either Juxtapose Or Integrate These Other Texts In Order To Arrive At A More Complete Understanding Of The History Of Somanatha. Such Sources Include Local Sanskrit Inscriptions, Biographies Of Kings And Merchants Written From A Jaina Perspective, Epics Of Rajput-Turkish Relations Composed At Various Rajput Courts And Popular Narratives Of The Activities Of Pirs And Gurus, All Of Which, In Some Way, Have A Bearing On The History Of Somanatha. This Book Is An Attempt To Draw Together These Numerous Voices, To View The Sources Comparatively, But Above All To Place Each Narrative In A Historical Context. This Also Involves Exploring Why A Particular, And Often Distinctive, Perspective Was Adopted By Each. It Suggests A Different History Of Somanatha From The One That Has Been Projected Through The Last Two Centuries. It Also Effectively Underlines The Significance Of Examining The Historical Perceptions Of How Authors Present Events, Both In The Narratives Written In The Past And In The Interpretations Of Past Events In Present Times. A Remarkable Example Of Assiduous And Open-Ended Historiography Hindustan Times

The Many Voices of a History

Somanatha

BY THE WINNER OF THE KLUGE PRIZE FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT 2008 A definitive account and ready reference of ancient Indian history The Penguin History of Early India--a complete rewrite of Romila Thapar's A History of India (Vol. 1)--brings to life thousands of years of India's precolonial history: its prehistoric beginnings; the great cities of the Indus civilization; the emergence of mighty dynasties such as the Mauryas, Guptas and Cholas; the teachings of the Buddha; the creation of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana; and the evolution of regional cultures. In exploring subjects as diverse as marriage, class, art, erotica and astronomy, Thapar provides an incomparably vivid and nuanced picture of India, creating a rich mosaic of diverse kingdoms, landscapes, languages and beliefs. As she explains how the interpretations of early Indian history have changed in the last half-century, Thapar offers fresh readings and raises new questions.

The Penguin History of Early India

To identify the Aryan is to search for that which remains elusive. There have been many definitions based on multiple and diverse factors and there are therefore inevitable disagreements about both the identification and the meaning of the concept. It is probably the most complex question in early Indian history and it requires considerable expertise in the interpretation of the evidence which ranges from ecology to philology. This collection of essays, written over some years, explores these aspects of the theme in a way that furthers our understanding of an early period of Indian history. The constituents that went into the concept have changed from race, ethnicity and elements of nationality to language, status and culture. This has involved recasting the constructs and has inevitably been controversial. The essays explain how the constructs came to be formulated, why they changed and what might be more meaningful interrogations of this history.

Recasting Constructs

The Aryan

Nations need identities. These are created from perceptions of how societies have evolved. In this, history plays a central role. Insisting on reliable history is therefore crucial to more than just a pedagogic cause. Delicate relationships between the past and present or an exacting understanding of the past, call for careful analyses. Understanding India's past is of vital importance to the present. Many popularly held views about the past need to be critically enquired into before they can be taken as historical. Why is it important for Indian society to be secular? When did communalism as an ideology gain a foothold in the country? How and when did the patriarchal system begin to support a culture of violence against women? Historian Romila Thapar has investigated, analyzed, and interpreted the history that underlies such questions throughout her career. Through the incisive essays in The Past as Present, she argues that it is of critical importance for the Indian past to be carefully and rigorously explained if the legitimacy of the present, wherever it derives from the past, is to be portrayed as accurately as possible. This is particularly crucial given the attempts by unscrupulous politicians, religious fundamentalists, and their ilk to wilfully misrepresent and manipulate the past in order to serve their present-day agendas. The Past as Present is an essential and necessary book at a time when sectarianism, false nationalism, and the muddying of historical facts are increasingly becoming a feature of our public, private, and intellectual lives.

Romila Thapar

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