It is no mean task to tell the story of a civilization as old and as varied as India’s. Few people can provide a narrative which is compelling and engaging, and construct a thread of events which link the people of 21st century India with their ancestors from many millennia ago, and for this, the author, Sanjeev Sanyal, deserves to be commended.

Having read the “Ocean of Churn” already, one notices there is quite a bit of overlap between the two books. While this book is an attempt to be “a history of India’s geography and a geography of India’s history” , it tends to be more historical than geographical. That being said, there are certain intriguing nuggets which do make the reader ponder. The fact that Indians didn’t indulge in cartography, in spite of all the ingredients necessary for a people to do so, is quite strange. As we find out, making accurate maps went a long way in establishing superiority and was one of the most important technological advancements in the last 500 years.

Many a times during the course of this book, we are drawn to notice the similarities in culture, tradition, and thought between present day Indians and our ancestors. While it flows naturally on most occasions, at certain points it feels interjected just to establish a link.

What I feel is the book’s triumph is to make the reader understand the various twists and turns in tide of the Indic civilization. The fact that 21st century India is growing to be one of the leading economies of the world, in spite of the various attacks, colonization and destruction to its body and soul, is a testimony to the resilience of the country and its people. It makes one understand their small place in the vastness of time, and feel proud to be a small part of this great civilization.

Originally published here.