India: The Definitive History 1st Edition

by D. R. SarDesai (Author)

14 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0813343525

ISBN-10: 0813343526

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This book deals with the sweep of traditional Indian history as well as with the post-independence events, judicially balancing narrative and analysis in the conceptual framework of postcolonial and postmodernist approaches, covering the process of change in India through the centuries.

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Yano

A great history

Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2010

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Sardesai offers a comprehensive approach of the history of India, from a very Indiacentric point of view. It is comprehensive: the religious and psychological sides of this adventure are well developed. This makes the reading both very informative and entertaining.You won't find here a boring compilation of events!
Yet his one-sided approach calls for more research as does any one-sided perspective. He omits to mention a few things as for instance the fact that it is mainly Tilak, one of the major nationalist leader, who developed the controversial theory of the Aryan invasion, and not solely the British as he claims; and offers only his personal point of view when he presents the British in 19 and 20 centuries and the Muslims in 20th century as main actors of the division of Indian society, not making too clear the so deep division existing even today amongst Hindus because of the perennial caste system. The clarity he employs to describe the Colonial doings is not applied evenly to the inner mechanisms of Indian society. I guess this would be matter for another book.
Nevertheless I appreciate very much his work and highly recommend it. Also for the fact he is opinionated.

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S Browne

Great General History

Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2008

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Bought this looking for an Indian equivalent of Jonathan Spence's The Search for Modern China and it met this high hurdle admirably. The book does a good job allocating its space and topics. The book's initial focus on geography provides good insight into the later political divisions of India. For a Western reader, Sardesai provides fascinating insights about his own culture. While there are definitely Hindu nationalist overtones, Sardesai also levels criticisms of both modern and pre-modern India without the ackward self-conciousness that would accompany a Western writer. My only complaint (hence the 4-stars) is that the book could use more maps & illustrations - a very limited provincial map at the beginning is the only graphic in the book. It can be somewhat frustrating to have places mentioned in the book (like Pune for example) without being able to place them on a map.

19 people found this helpful

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Jackie Williams

Excellent value with great information

Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2008

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This definitive history is perfect for a traveller interested in the background to this marvellous complex society. It gives a no frills account of its history dating back almost to the year dot. The reviews I read in order to purchase this as a gift were spot on with their recommendations. My husband is enthralled by the depth of knowledge it offers. He has been travelling for business a lot and finds the people and culture fascinating. He now has an insight into their beliefs and cultural ways he always wanted. If you are looking for a book that is not for an academic outlook but just plain facts and questions answered, this is it!

9 people found this helpful

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Anon. Dragon

glad I took a course that used this textbook

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2018

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Vastly interesting subject, glad I took a course that used this textbook. Only issue is this book has very small font, and atop that splits text down the center of each page. It makes reading in dim light a bit of a pain.

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Mark

This is a solid intro in Indian History

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2014

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I think this is a good text but will overwhelm some. Drawing (paper and pencil) out the overall themes to keep the players and major events in context helps.

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big bill

Two Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2014

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Way too laborious and hard to get a real picture.

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LoneTree

Not a good overview, difficult read and opinionated/biased.

Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2016

It is not a good overview because it is very selective in covering different eras and key historical events. When describing vedic era, it is difficult to figure out whether author is relying on 'tradition' (mythic oral history) or scientific sources (archeology, manuscripts, textual analysis etc). There is hardly any anthropological and social history. There are black and white categorizations of 'good' rulers and 'bad' rulers with just superficial descriptions. There are key omissions, e.g. many historians think that failure of Cabinet Mission plan was a critical missed opportunity to avoid partition of India and it is dealt with in only one sentence, not even a paragraph!!!

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lithuanian clown

bland biased and loses forest for trees

Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2008

I used this book for a "cultures of India class" and found the chapters too packed with names, places and dates for a reader who is not a history buff but who is familiar with and interested in Indian history. The content and writing style remind me of an old high school text author; there is little theory and little deeper thought apparently given to how events are linked to a theme or form a coherent picture.
There also appears a Hindu bias particularly when discussing the Moghul period and the period prior to Independence. The chapters prior to and after independence are particularly comprised of names, dates, events without putting them into a larger political, colonial, cultural or social context.
For someone who is already familiar with Indian history the book is a nice resource and useful to have around. On the other hand this book is definitely not as the brazen subtitle suggests "a definitive history;" but mostly a pastiche of men and events as the makers of history.

17 people found this helpful

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Fidje

India for the beginner

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2013

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I would recomend this for anyone who has a intrest in India and its history, Im using it for a class and its been abselutly amazing. Easy to read with a light and good language which is also quite easy for us non english speakers. Its a good book for those who want to know more of the past of India, i would recommend it if thats your goal.
The only draw back in my opinion is that as a non native Indian, its quit easy to become confused with all the places, and a good map or two would help considerably.

But still a good book for those who wants to know more of India, either for a beginner or for a more advance student.

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India: The Definitive History 1st Edition

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