Rudrangshu Mukherjee is one of India’s notable historians who has trained at Oxford, and has written more than 14 books on various aspects of Indian history. He is currently the Chancellor of Ashoka University. It is perhaps his prolonged career in academics that lends his books a text-like narrative, and his latest offering, 'A New History of India', which he has co-written with Shobita Punja and Toby Sinclair, is no exception.
The one-of-a-kind comprehensive volume covering the history of India from pre-historic times to the 21st century will, of course, make for a great addition to any personal library, despite its high price. It is, however, equally appropriate to be part of school syllabi. At a time when sections on Mughal rule in India are being indiscriminately eliminated from NCERT books, A New History of India makes a case for plurality—of histories, cultures, identities and languages. It is, in fact, the timing of the book’s release that makes it an even more essential text today.
The depth of research is evident in its nuanced dissection of the multi-layered Indian society, and why it is complicated, both to understand and live in. The authors go into great detail to explain why the country is
a ‘melting pot’—how, at various points in time, different tribes and people with distinct ethnicities and religions came to the country, decided to stay on, and eventually blended with the existing culture to create present-day India. For instance, the book notes that when social reformer Raja Rammohun Roy vowed to abolish the practice of sati, he was, in fact, taking forward an act first set in motion by Mughal emperor Akbar over three centuries ago.
One of the more interesting aspects of the book is the role painters played in the Mughal empire, hitherto not covered by other tomes on the country’s history. The book also contains an entire chapter on the
northeast, exploring the rich heritage of the region.
It is quite a task to write a composite history of India through all its phases within a single volume, but Mukherjee and his co-authors have done a commendable job. The text is complemented with illustrations, photographs and maps, offering readers relevant visual context. The chronologies of the text and images, however, are not always in sync, which can be confusing at times.
Stand-alone chapters on the status and treatment of women over the centuries, the evolution of the caste system, and India’s ties with other nations, are seamlessly woven together to create a continuous dialogue between the past and present of the country.
Mukherjee’s book is proof that popular history can be written in an informative, intriguing and engaging way, without dumbing it down, essentially because historical processes are indeed multidimensional
and complicated.
A New History of India
By: Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Shobitha Punja, Toby Sinclair
Publisher: Aleph
Pages: 480
Price: Rs 999