Articles by Anand K. Sahay

Technology

Book Review | An Engrossing New History of Subcontinental Thought

Writing on India’s history — or the history of the subcontinent — of the past 5,000 years in a single volume is an ambitious project, and to anchor it in secondary as well as primary sources is a feat of scholarship. The American historian has called her massive exercise “innovative” history. That it certainly is. It has very many strong points. Truschke shows her familiarity with the languages of India by citing her own translations of texts from the pre-modern period. From the Indus Valley to the present is a long way in time. For the greater part, the author’s ease with the themes she deals with is obvious. She is looking for diversity in voices and that is a big step forward from dominant or elite histories or Great Man history. Thus, we have here well-attested stories and references to women, the shudra and the former untouchable or forest dweller communities from thousands of years ago being brought on the record, for example nuns from the later Buddhist period. Non-Vedic trends — such as Buddhism, Jainism, Ajivikas — have been given considerable play in Truschke’s understanding of history presented here and that can only enrich our own understanding of India’s past. But since so many elements crowd the picture, there isn’t a detailed treatment of any one subject. This gives the book a feel of touching upon many points, at times perhaps even cursoriness. Even so, a lay person interested in corroborated history — and not myths or propaganda — has reason to be gratified in reading this book. Since there is necessarily a paucity of primary sources in trying to find diverse voices, one may sometimes wonder if too much store is not being laid by even the thin material one may find for a particular subject. A few hundred years before the commencement of the Common Era (CE or AD) saw an explosion of urbanisation and the rise of cities in India, the historian tells us. This period also happens to coincide with the rise of Buddhism. Truschke sees a causal connection. Is this too strong a generalisation? Is the advent of non-Vedic religious communities — and polities — traceable to a single factor? Such questions do come to mind. It is also noteworthy that religious community life for most of the time in the past 5,000 years has been marked by fluidity, and by a syncretic ethos of living. The Delhi Sultans, the Mughals, and the Bahmanis or their offshoot ran no conversion drive. It is also interesting to note that the use of the word Hindu or Hinduism is only a few hundred years old, with those falling within the ambit of the Vedic arc opting to describe themselves as members of their varna or jati (loosely caste). The book appears to falter in its treatment of Indian’s anti-colonial movement. It is odd to read: “Gandhi joined an illustrious line-up in Congress, including Motilal Nehru (1861-1931) and his son Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964)...” In fact, Gandhi was the leader and had been an inspiration to the Nehrus (father and son), not the other way round. For the most part, however, Truschke’s work takes us to a fuller understanding of India’s pre-modern past. India: 5,000 Years of History on the Subcontinent By Audrey Truschke Princeton University Press pp. 686; Rs 1,299