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The Past as Present
- Forging Contemporary Identities Through History
- Narrated by: Manisha Sethi
- Length: 15 hrs and 48 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Understanding our past is of critical importance to our present. Many popularly held views about the past need to be critically inquired into before they can be taken as historical. For instance, what was the aftermath of the raid on the Somanatha temple? Which of us is Aryan or Dravidian? Why is it important for Indian society to be secular? When did communalism as an ideology gain a foothold in the country? How and when did our patriarchal mindset begin to support a culture of violence against women? Why are the fundamentalists so keen to rewrite history textbooks?
The answers to these and similar questions have been disputed and argued about ever since they were first posed. Distinguished historian Romila Thapar has investigated, analyzed and interpreted the history that underlies such questions throughout her career; now, in this book, through a series of incisive essays she argues that it is of critical importance for the past to be carefully and rigorously explained, if the legitimacy of our present, wherever it derives from the past, is to be portrayed as accurately as possible. This is especially pertinent given the attempts by unscrupulous politicians, religious fundamentalists and their ilk to try and misrepresent and willfully manipulate the past in order to serve their present-day agendas.
An essential and necessary book at a time when sectarianism, bogus 'nationalism' and the muddying of historical facts are increasingly becoming a feature of our public, private and intellectual lives.
Romila Thapar is one of the most important indian academics writing today. Well-researched and thoroughly accessible, this volume is sure to become essential listening for those interested in Indian history and religion. It includes her experience of writing history textbooks for school, analysis of ancient history and interpretations of the epics, and the role history plays in contemporary politics.
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- Yajur
- 09-09-23
Brilliant and Illuminating
Although it’s not meant to be an enjoyable read, I am certain anyone genuinely interested in India’s past as I am (not stories so much, but how they have been interpreted and misinterpreted over the generations) would find it to be a very engaging and enlightening read.
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- MARIAPPAN KATHAMUTHU
- 24-01-23
Exploring History .......
Romina Thapar has made history reading an useful art and science. She argues throughout. And her arguments are decent,convincing and even entertaining. She will be remembered as the one who established Indian History as an independent discipline. There is no concessions for the colonialist nor for the religious sentimentalist. Thapar proceeds from two values viz 'democracy' and 'secularism' !
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- Tushar
- 20-07-23
Very illuminating, very well read.
I learned a lot about how to understand the present in context of the past and good narration. Thank you.
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- shubhu
- 26-06-20
a must read
anyone who interested in understanding indian history and present must read this book.
narration is bit dull.
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- Jagmohan Singh
- 11-10-20
wonderful presentation of Indian history
loved it a well narrated story of Indian history clearing the grain from chaff gives a clear understanding to work in present and future decolonisation process
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- M Roy
- 13-09-22
Fantastic book spoilt by the narration
The book is thought provoking and not mere recital of facts. Unfortunately the narration does just the opposite - merely reading the text mechanically without any attempt to make it engaging.
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- Prajna Beleyur
- 10-04-21
Enjoyed listening to a history!
Enjoyed,I should have read or heard much earlier! late better than never! great book to listen or read
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1 person found this helpful
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- sandyqbg
- 17-05-22
Rich, Comprehensive, Highly relevant today
The first thing that anyone picking this up should know that this is not a history text book that waxes chapter after chapter from each era of our history - it is a collection of essays compiled over Thapar's long career as a historian. It attempts to cast light on the subordination of history to cater to the whims and fancies of identity politics. This is an especially relevant and powerful piece of writing in the current context of political polarization, where it has become increasingly difficult to delineate where history ends and fiction begins.
Thapar's essays have leveraged rich historical research built over decades as well as her own personal experiences to paint a picture of how the study of history as a discipline has evolved over the last century. In this backdrop, she has explored the broad strokes of each era beginning from the hotly contested ancient Indian history, through the tumultuous medieval India and ending with the formation of the modern Indian state, focusing on the cultural and social institutions and power structures that dominated these eras.
The book fills in a lot of gaps in our collective memory of history that as presented in our academic curriculum, political rhetoric or public discourse. Ultimately, it helps raise questions on how the different forces in our societies are attempting to shape our telling of history and its course shape our national identity, and serves as a warning to the reader of the beguiling pull of today's majoritarian identity politics.
If you're looking for a book that will handhold you through millennia of history of the Indian subcontinent, then please give this a skip. However, if you're looking to make sense of all the debates surrounding our Indian history, then this can help build some clarity on the subject.
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- vaibhav s.
- 24-01-22
not typical history book
well , all i can tell you is that , if you are looking for a typical history book of the Indian subcontinent it is not it
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- Anonymous User
- 16-12-23
The Historicity
Romila Thapar is beyond doubt one of the finest and most credible historians we have.
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