For a man who writes history with the vivacity of a traveller, William Dalrymple was quite untravelled as a child. He travelled later, as an archaeology-smitten teenager, to ancient-history hotspots of Sanchi, Ajanta, Ellora. Yet, as an adult, when he wrote history, ancient history was not his pick; it was the East India Company and the decline of the Mughal empire.
Hence, William feels his teenage self would be quite surprised at his The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World, a book on how ideas originated in ancient India and spread far in a mellifluous, inspiring global knowledge exchange.
The book comes at a time when “India is reclaiming its pride”, as he puts it. And also at a time when there is acceptance of India’s contributions. The renaming of the calculus theorems once famously attributed to Newton and Leibnitz is an example.
The sensitivity shown towards India being home to the number system famously called the Arabic numerals is another.
“It was during the Covid lockdown that I read up fervently on all this,” says William. And I was on the first flight to Cambodia as soon as the lockdown was lifted to work on the book.”
TNIE catches up with him to talk about his observations as a historian and popular author.
World has accepted China’s pivotal role during the Silk Route period and that of the Greek masters. Your book suggests India’s role was much bigger. Is it aiming at a change in perceptions?
Well, I am not sure why no one has written the book I wrote before (laughs).
There has been a huge amount of work by amazing Indian scholars on all that I have written about. But they worked in academic silos. All I have done is join the dots and put it all into one story. One such attempt was probably in 1954 — A L Basham’s The Wonder that was India.
But historical narratives, especially ones that could change prevailing perceptions, invite a lot of criticism nowadays…
Well, a third of this book is footnotes. I know we are in the middle of culture wars, and this country is divided there, and hence I consciously avoided the early period of the Indus Valley and the so-called ‘Aryan invasion’.
Yes, there is a great deal of criticism of historians, much of it unfair. Anyone writing about the Mughals is viewed as a Marxist and those writing on ancient India’s glory as RSS supporters. What I did is focus on the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th centuries, when I feel Indian influence peaked as Buddhism took over China, when Indian mathematical ideas were being studied in the Chinese and the Abassind courts of Baghdad. After I wrote, there were voices on Twitter (now X) on how someone who had written about the Mughals could write about ancient India. But I have been rigidly factual about why India should be proud.
Is a lot of history being lost in the tussle?
Yes, it is a very difficult time to be a historian now. But there should be a greater picture seen here. For example, I am a supporter of P J Cherian’s Pattanam excavations, especially at a time when there are such works being done in Bernike in Egypt, where Kerala sailors were said to have landed. So, it is important to know about the Kerala port where Roman soldiers were landing to get a full picture. The state should be supporting such studies.
Why, according to you, is history such a sensitive subject in India?
When it comes to history, people want either angels or demons. Tipu Sultan and Shivaji are examples. My own family was imprisoned by Tipu. They later fought and won against him as part of the British army. While it’s a fact that he attacked Hindus in Kerala and the Mangalore Christians, he was a generous patron who referred to astrology, and made his army bathe in sacred waters before going to war.
Conflicting facets about such historical figures should spur lively, open debates. But now, it is difficult to write without ruffling patriotic feathers. Like in the case of Shivaji… he is made out to be no less than God by some.
And it is not just in India; it is beginning to happen in London where politicians are targeting ‘unpatriotic historians’ who criticise the British empire. An archaeologist who was employed by the IDF to study early Jews of Lebanon was recently killed by Hezbollah.
How should a historian wade such waters then?
History can’t be simplistically told. Job of the historian is not to jump on to a political bandwagon. I have been speaking up about Palestine. Right or wrong, I am free to speak up.
How should a reader’s approach to history be?
A reader should be aware that historians may have their own prejudices, political beliefs. No one can be completely objective, and this is also why all history books can be rewritten. One should do research — read carefully, intelligently.
Your next project?
I got so excited by this period (as in The Golden Road), I may write more on this, especially between 1200 till the British turned up. I also have a very popular podcast called the Empire, which I started 2.5 years ago.
Why haven’t you written about the Independence struggle post 1857?
(Laughs) Well, my son is planning to write about that. There has been an agreement of sorts in the family!
Any plans to turn your books into films like Freedom at Midnight?
Freedom at Midnight is Mountbatten’s view and paints Nehru and Gandhi in positive light and Jinnah in a bit of dark. I am not a fan of that book.
As regards my books, I have sold rights and am waiting to see how they shape up. White Moghul has been given to the guy who made Game of Thrones, and Anarchy to Sid Roy Kapur. Let us see what comes by.