Dr Pingali Gopal uses R. C. Mazumdar's book "History of the Freedom Movement in India" as reference to evoke interest in the truth behind the popularised version of the history of India's independence.
Category: <span>Uncategorized</span>
Post
Śaṅkara Charitam – a retelling – Chapter 15 – Guru Parampara
Chapter 15 of Śaṅkara Charitam, titled Guru Parampara, takes us through the experience of Śaṅkara taking his leave from his Guru Govinda Bhagavatpāda and embarking on his journey to Kasi. The Guru Parampara, the lineage of the Gurus who preceeded Śaṅkara, is explored.
Post
Nehru and Kashmir: A Relationship with Disruptive Consequences
Were Nehru's myopic decisions solely blunders or were they influenced by his personal friendships with the last British Governor-General Lord Mountbatten and the first CM of J&K Sheikh Abdullah? Jahnavi Naik explores in this article.
Post
Understanding Indian Economy: Ancient To Modern – Part 4
The previous parts were an attempt to summarise the Indian economic story from its ancient roots until the end of British rule from various sources. The understanding of the Indian economy after independence also tends to be a little complex for a layperson to understand because of conflicting opinions. However, the overall story is one of hope and pride rather than shame and disappointment. This part also includes selected references and further readings for those interested.
Post
Understanding Indian Economy: Ancient To Modern – Part 3
In the previous parts, we looked at the ancient and mediaeval Indian economies and the impact of European colonialism on India and the world. The British left in 1947, our economy was in shambles, and there were many problems with the intellectual narratives set by the colonials. This part is an assessment of British rule in India and where we stood at independence.
Post
Understanding Indian Economy: Ancient To Modern – Part 2
Part 1 of this series was a summary of the ancient Indian economy. In this part, we shall look at the mediaeval economy of India, which began with the fall of the Gupta dynasty in the 7th century CE and finally culminated with the beginning of the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century CE. This part also covers the important rise of Europe in dominating the world order through its colonial expansion and how it specifically impacted India too.
Post
On Audrey Truschke’s “Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India’s Most Controversial King”
"Bridging the chasm between the historical Aurangzeb and this reimagined (and largely imaginary) Aurangzeb is a daunting task, but Truschke makes her case with the chirpy enthusiasm of an Aurangzeb fangirl writing a puff piece in People magazine on her idol.
The received historiography on Aurangzeb is riddled with outlandish hoaxes that have gone unchallenged for decades. Truschke’s book is a worthy addition to this genre since it refreshes our memories of these hoaxes while enthusiastically manufacturing new ones."
An incisive and witty review of Audrey Truschke's book on Aurangzeb, and her source material, by Keshav Pingali.
Post
Understanding Indian Economy: Ancient To Modern – Part 1
"For a long time, Marxist historians had a hegemonic hold on only one type of discourse. Marxist linear history represents India and its traditions as the past, or decadence, and the West as the future, or progress. In a world where globalisation, trade, and mutual exchange are a given, it is disagreeable to argue that perhaps we needed an invasion or colonisation to open our eyes to the world."
Post
Thoughtful Reflections on ‘Mahabharata Unravelled’ by Ami Ganatra
A deeper dive into some characters and aspects of Mahabharata with the help of Ami Ganatra's book "Mahabharat Unravelled".
Post
The Hārītīputras — Contesting distortionary narratives about the origins of the Ćāḷukyās
Anirudh Kanisetty’s book ‘Lords of the Deccan’ claims that the Ćāḷukyās were originally agriculturalists who formed into bands of brigands going about looting villages and towns, amassing wealth which emboldened them to lay claim to the terrorized territories as sovereigns, legitimised by védic sacrifices.
Lakshmi Prasad J, in his rebuttal, researches and unearths that the Ćāḷukyas of Bādāmī claim descent from Hārīti, a royal matriarch from antiquity, associated with a string of illustrious dynasties. The matronym, Hārītīputra finds mention in the royal panegyrics of at least half a dozen dynasties of Deccan.
With so much information about Calukyas being available in public domain for decades now, one expects a young researcher to be better informed and not get influenced into weaving Bollywood-esque portrayal of our ancestors.