#613 - History Unpacked : The Why, When and What of Ancient India
by Saisudha Acharya and illustrated by Rohit Bhasi
“History Unpacked : The Why, When and What of Ancient India” by Saisudha Acharya and illustrated by Rohit Bhasi. Published by Duckbill. A quirky and delightful book that walks us through ancient Indian history by skilfully unpacking it.
Whether reading history leaves you scratching your head or making you yawn with its endless parade of kings, battles and the dates most particularly, this book is here to change your perspective. It is full of amazing stories from ancient India which are often hilarious and sometimes baffling as well. Right from the Stone Age where it all began to the Golden Age, India’s vibrant past is full of interesting people, their mad antics and unbelievable connections. Ancient India was linked with the old world in several ways one wouldn’t expect.
The book unpacks ancient Indian history through timelines, maps and quizzes. Thereby it tells us what is known about names, places (as far as inscriptions can be deciphered), events and the motives (as far as can be figured out). Not just these, it even talks of the bizarre things that we humans do, be it now or then. There is a mention of what was happening in other parts of the world as well at the end of each chapter giving us a glimpse of the ancient world beyond India too. Read the book to get hooked to history and appreciate it.
The book took me and my eleven year old son on a whirlwind time travel trip from the time of the Stone Age to around seventh century CE. And what a thrilling roller coaster sort of a ride it proved to be! Stone Age to first agricultural revolution followed by Harappan civilisation, Vedic period, rebellious philosophies, empire building by Mauryas, Sangam story from south India, invasions by the Greeks, Parthians and Scythes, golden age under the Guptas and ending with the resilient Kamarupans and tribes of the northeast. Insightful, triggering curiosity and humorous at times, the book kept us engrossed. No dull moments at all. Accompanied by quirky illustrations including funny comic strips with smart wordplay, it was a breezy read as we sped through such interesting pages of history. The chapter on Stone Age especially was so relatable for us given that we had just been to Bhimbetka last month and had been awestruck by looking at the artwork from such a long time ago. Each of the ten chapters can be explored further if we go down the rabbit holes that they open up. The writing style, fun quizzes, timelines, maps and the illustrations left us in a happy state of having got a beautiful glimpse and a better idea of ancient India. Overall a “MUST READ” for everyone to just figure out how history can be made so interesting and fun to read.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for anyone aged 10 and above.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Penguin India (Duckbill), for review. Thank you to Mansi, from Penguin, for sending across the book!