Bharat's history is often written as a series of invasions starting with the Aryans knocking on the gates of the subcontinent followed by Central Asian tribes, the Arabs, Afghans, Turks, and finally Europeans. Mainstream history depicts Bharat as a barren land where various races and cultures arrived at different times. This country, we are told, belonged to each one of these migrants and invaders or to none of them.
Eminent Distorians: Twists and Truths in Bharat's History challenges this historiography, presenting Bharat's story from its own perspective. It debunks the Aryan invasion theory, calling Vedic and Harappan civilizations two sides of the same coin. It re-evaluates Ashoka's legacy and the Nehruvian obsession with his 'greatness'. It reinterprets Bharat's 'golden era' during the Gupta period and sheds new light on the post-Gupta phase.
The book argues that Islamic conquest in Bharat faced stiff Hindu resistance until Akbar's diplomatic/matrimonial overtures. When Aurangzeb reverted to confrontation, his empire declined. Contrary to conventional understanding of history, Eminent Distorians explains how the British conquered this country from the Marathas, not the Mughals.
It also examines the roles of Gandhi, Gandhians, and revolutionaries in ending colonialism. Meticulously researched and cogently argued, the book avoids a Delhi-centric view of history as it highlights significant dynasties such as the Karkotas, Gurjara-Pratiharas, Pallavas, Cholas, and Ahoms, among others.
Utpal Kumar is the opinion editor at News18 and Firstpost. During more than two decades of his journalistic experience, he has worked with several media houses in the country. He started his career at the Pioneer and went on to work at the Hindustan Times, Mail Today (India Today Group), and the Sunday Guardian. Kumar has written hundreds of articles for reputed newspapers and magazines. As the books editor of most of the organizations he has worked at, he reviewed hundreds of books and interviewed preeminent authors. He is among the most trenchant nationalist voices in the mainstream media. Eminent Distorians: Twists and Truths in Bharat's History is his second book. His debut, Bharat Rising: Dharma, Democracy, Diplomacy, published in January 2024, is a bestseller.
There is something called 'time capsule'. For this, all you need is to get a historian to write a 'history' of your choice, and you bury it somewhere safe. Several prominent individuals and families have done this in the past. Even certain nations have gotten their history 'time-capsuled'! The United States, we are told, did the same in the early 20th century.
Modern Bharat, too, has a 'time capsule' story to tell. This was no ordinary time capsule, but the one that saw the then prime minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, reach the Red Fort on 15 August 1973-another version that says it was done in 1975 and bury it with her own hands. Then, as fate would have it, Mrs Gandhi's Congress, for the first time since Independence, was routed in the 1977 general elections. And, on 8 December that very year, this time capsule was reportedly dug out in the presence of the then education minister, Pratap Chandra Chunder.
The incident was widely discussed and debated then, but today it has become a sort of urban legend. No one is sure if it at all took place. There is no official information about it. In fact, in 2013, when an academician-cum-activist sought the information about the capsule, the prime minister's office claimed it had no record at its disposal. She also reached out to the education ministry and then to other ministries; in one voice they all denied having any record related to the project.¹
So comprehensive has been the blackout that one finds the mention of this incident in just two books-one in Hindi and another in English. The Hindi book, Aisa Bhi Socha Jata Hai, written by Harishankar Parsai, a noted litterateur, is currently out of print, while Shankar Sharan is the author of the English book, Marxism and the Writing of Indian History.
Hindu (935)
Agriculture (118)
Ancient (1086)
Archaeology (753)
Architecture (563)
Art & Culture (910)
Biography (702)
Buddhist (544)
Cookery (167)
Emperor & Queen (565)
Islam (242)
Jainism (307)
Literary (896)
Mahatma Gandhi (372)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist